BOCCHI THE ROCK, SYMBOL OF PASSION AND PEAK OF CREATIVITY

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A full season like few before, featuring a large number of top titles like Mob Psycho, My Hero Academia, Chainsaw Man, Bleach and more. Yet in the midst of this mass of shonen, to take (personally) the throne of the season and probably of the year was a musical comedy of girls playing in a band. Bocchi the Rock started out going unnoticed but managed to deservedly conquer its space with a story and a production of very fine workmanship. One could talk for hours about the qualities of this series so I'll try not to be too verbose. But first of all…

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PLOT__
Bocchi the Rock tells the stories of Hitori Gotou, a young girl in her first year of high school who has been battling her social anxiety disorder for years. Hitori discovers that she can become popular with music and she takes up the guitar, becoming a talented musician. Nijika Ijichi bumps into her in a park, begging her to join her band. From here Hitori (who will be nicknamed Bocchi due to her introverted nature) will begin a growth path to overcome her social anxiety.
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Bocchi the Rock proves to be an anime particularly focused on comedy; many scenes are in fact centered on a comic representation of Bocchi's anxiety. However, this does not prevent the show from becoming serious and coherent in the appropriate moments. The first quality of this series is in fact the extraordinary ability to alternate comic scenes, serious scenes, important character developments and musical performances very well. Specifically, the development of Bocchi is one of the many strengths; her growth is realistic, perfectly paced so as not to be rushed or static and has allowed so many viewers to relate to her. Hitori embodies (with due comedic proportions) a very relatable social situation, especially for me and this has allowed me to become very attached to her personality. Apart from the serious side, Bocchi the Rock has certainly managed to increase its popularity due to its incredible quality comedy. The way in which the series manages the funny moments is very impactful, amusing but above all the laughs that flow from its jokes are due in large part to the monstrous technical quality and directorial creativity with which the same gags are shown (but I prefer talk about it in the section reserved for animations).
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CHARACTERS__
The cast certainly represents one of the most solid aspects of the show. Bocchi turns out to be a funny, likeable but above all superbly realistic character. Although her situation is greatly exaggerated for a comic matter, this does not prevent the viewer from seeing himself very much in her and in her difficulties. To support Bocchi are above all her 3 bandmates: -Nijika Ijichi (Leader and drummer): Nijika, also commonly called MVP, is the leader of the Kessoku Band and the musical and character guide of the group. She is a very sunny girl, responsible but above all of great support for all the members. In addition to fighting to make her dreams come true, Nijika never disdains to help Bocchi overcome her problems by putting her in front of ever more difficult challenges to help her grow. She is also credited with bringing the passion for music back into Ryo's life and continuously supporting Kita in her progress as a guitarist. Nijika is a girl who is surprisingly easy to get attached to because of her positivity and selflessness. -Ryo Yamada (bassist): Ryo is definitely the most peculiar and detached member of the group. She too, like Hitori, is a loner but, unlike the protagonist, she is loner by choice. Ryo is a lazy person, not used to talking to others, except when she has to get some money. At the same time, however, she appears to be a person of great principles, especially as regards music, and an excellent senpai for Bocchi who leans on her to be able to give the maximum possible contribution to the band. Ryo's apathy makes her a very easy and fun character to play comedy with. -Kita Ikuyo (singer and guitarist): Kita is the merriest and most sociable member. She never fails to engage the entire group and keeps it cohesive with her friendliness. Kita, in addition to being Bocchi's pupil as regards the guitar, provides Bocchi herself with considerable moral support to help her socialize and not be seized by fear when she is in the presence of many people. Hidden by her aura of love and hope, Kita is actually a musically insecure person and Nijika never fails to give her input. She also has a crush on Ryo after hearing her busking.

A note of merit should also be given to Kikuri, a drunken bass player and Bocchi's mentor, very eccentric and unconventional but when she enters serious mode she manages to make a great contribution to Bocchi as regards her ability to play in front of many people. The maximum value that this series assumes from the point of view of the characters is the great ability to manage their interactions. Each member of the group is equally important both musically and narratively. Their characterization is perfect and this allows for a cast of realistic, human and indispensable characters within the work. All the girls give the impression of having a life of their own and do not fall into one of the most classic (non-serious) "errors" of the genre: being dependent on the protagonist, living only for the protagonist as if one did not have a life beyond that person.

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ART/ANIMATION__
Passion and creativity are the key words to define the perfect job done by the CloverWorks staff. The series relies first of all on beautiful character designs and use of colors, which reveal all the cuteness and sympathy of the characters. The entire show is a feast for the eye with smooth animation and superb character acting. The latter helps to increase the expressiveness of the characters and it's an aspect that is far too underestimated. I think that excelling in this field is now more important than ever, all anime desperately needs this element.
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In this other clip the character acting shows (even if there were no voices) that it is possible to represent the difference between the personalities of Bocchi and Nijika in this way. Nijika walks upright, moves confidently, and stretches her arms to show things. On the other hand, Bocchi walks with her back hunched over, her arms close to his body in a defensive position and she trembles.
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However, the thing that is absolutely the excellence of Bocchi the Rock is its direction. The creativity of this anime is born in this element. Any comic scene is elevated to the nth degree by the infinity of ideas that are put into play to represent those gags: the LSD scenes, the use of clay animation, real videos and photos, the 3D animations, the many style changes. A crazy anime in which the simple touch of Nijika on Bocchi's forehead triggers a tear-jerking scene with very sad music in which Bocchi turns into ash that poisons and causes depression to those who breathe it, or Bocchi's fear of the sports festival represented in 4:3 with a completely different style in which the protagonist is condemned to the stake for not having contributed to the festival.

The technical side also enhances all musical scenes. The end result is a series of hilarious and always innovative jokes, the anime never gets boring for all the episodes, any slice-of-life scene is very colorful and transmits positivity, any serious moment is improved by the characters' expressiveness. Bocchi the Rock is a technical masterpiece and in an anime that depends so much on this element, this translates into an emotional masterpiece for many different reactions, laughter, reflections, relaxation, etc.
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MUSIC__
The musical aspect of the anime is obviously another flawless element. I don't want to limit myself to judge the band's songs individually (all bangers) but I would like to focus on 2 elements in particular. The first is the use of inserts in comedy scenes, just to add an element that only improves the gags. The insert song during the LSD scenes and the one when Bocchi turns into ashes are the most striking example of this element. The second is the incredible technique and study it takes to pull off a wrong performance like the one in episode 8. The song is flagrantly wrong even to the untrained ear, especially in Nijika's rhythm and Kita's intonation. However, this doesn't seem forced into an unlistenable song as if the whole group has suddenly forgotten how to play, but it actually seems like a situation due to stress and inexperience. I think this is an effect that can be achieved with great difficulty so I wanted to emphasize this too.

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CONCLUSION__
Bocchi arrived under the radar in a jam-packed season at the end of the year, it started out to be a slice-of-life like many others but all the passion and creativity of the people who worked on it have deservedly allowed it to carve out the place that it belongs. I really feel like recommending this series to anyone but especially to those who, like me, are always interested in seeing innovative, original anime that know how to detach themselves from the enormous amount of photocopied anime thanks to a well-studied project but above all managed by those who really love animes and love the anime they are producing. Kudos to CloverWorks for creating this artwork, I hope they announce a second season soon, but most of all I hope they continue to work this way from now on (even if already with My Dress-Up Darling and Akebi's Sailor Uniform have demonstrated great organization and ideas this year).
P.S. I am not a native English speaker, so I apologize for any mistakes
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