Kanehito Yamada had done one manga prior to this, "Nanashi wa Ittai Dare deshou?" or, "Who in the world is the Namelessness?" and as of writing this in June of 2021, only one after, "Sousou no Frieren" or "Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End". I cannot speak to the quality of the first manga, as there is no english translation, however I can speak to the quality of his second manga, Sousou no Frieren. Frieren is a fantasy novel about a long lived elf named Frieren and has similar sad theme, but this much better executed.
Bocchi Hakase tries to blend the sad and bleak setting with the comedy of a 4koma, to mixed success. There are examples of mangas blending this sort of setting and comedy to success, like Girls Last Tour. That's not to say that Bocchi Hakase is bad. Its just really generic across the board. Kanehito Yamada is a fine artist, but that is not where his strengths lie, it is with his storytelling, but this manga doesn't show it off as well. It tries to tackle about subjects like human mortality and teaching things that are normally emotionless how to feel. This is all well and good, but unless executed with care, they can come off as very shallow, like they were here. If the quality was average throughout with some middling themes it may have gotten a 6 out of me, but it has one major flaw that soured the experience.
The ending of Bocchi Hakase almost is yelling that it was cut early. Throughout the story there is tension built up through things like finding other life, and how they'll survive the world as is. But the last two chapters are so rushed, it left me feeling as if "Oh, there will definitely be a follow up chapter to this right?" But as I went further... No such luck. This series was disappointing to say the least. From the middling story, to the average art style, and finally with the abysmal ending, it was a roller coaster going down slowly: All of the build up, but none of the pay off once you begin to go down hill.
To wrap this up, I would say give it a read if you're curious at all. Its fairly short at 33 chapters across 2 volumes, with each chapter being around 9-12 pages, so you can finish it in a few hours. I'd describe this manga as the growing pains of Kanehito Yamada, as many of the things I griped about here are all but gone in Frieren, so check that out too if you are also left with a similar feeling of disappointment.
Even if this wasn't It, make sure to find your own Utopia.
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