Starting with the story, while I can't say it's unique per say, it certainly is put into extremes, with main character being laughably socially anxious. The plot is executed well and gradually building up the tension, it's heavily focused on the main character with us barely knowing anything about side characters. Ending feels earned and no part of the story was vague or hard to understand, it was all straight forward.
The side characters while they exist and have a bit of personality they lack stories for their own. They're realistic and believable, nothing about them feels different. This isn't the case for main character, as she's socially anxious to the extreme, literally blowing up like a balloon when any social interaction happens. We don't know her background but we're on her journey to become a famous guitarist.
Visuals are probably the best part of this anime, we see a lot of different art styles played around, the scenes are well thought out and match the dialogues and actions of characters. Each time bocchi has a breakdown we can see another drawing style used to represent her, all of which are used in a manner such that makes the situation even funnier. Scenes that are meant to be serious are using main art style, which is clean and not bloated.
Our ears can listen to many songs used in the anime, whether that's concert of main band, or others. The songs were pretty good, matching the overall theme and vibe of the artists. I haven't experienced any audio that would break up the enjoyment, and each sound note was rather solid and matching.
Pacing of this anime is good, there aren't episodes that feel like filler, we can always experience some kind of progression towards our end goal.
Originality is in the name of this anime, a socially anxious girl joining a rock band. The combo is something new, with how extreme the character is
Worldbuilding is stellar, the way we go in depth of the mind of main character, we know exactly what she's feeling and we understand why she's acting this way each time. The characters while not having their own stories aren't the main focus of bocchi.
The anime has emotional impact, in such that it makes you laugh each time you see new way that bocchi falls in social interactions. The ending is okay but it's nothing too amazing, there isn't a major turn around and it feels a bit forced.
Bocchi touches the topic of social anxiety, showing through extremity of main character, how people who struggle with such disorder react to situations. It's not easy living life where any interaction with another person is a struggle to find words, making you agree to things even if you don't want to, just to end the situation quicker, or sometimes even forgetting items just to rush out of the misery.
606080709070909042 out of 74 users liked this review