A show equal parts about the love of music and social anxiety, wrapped into a lovingly crafted comedy that will make you feel creative like the characters. The final episode is nearly worth the price of admission alone.

Bocchi the Rock! takes on the social dynamics of bands and friend groups on in a very interesting way. The characters straddle the edge of being too familiar while leaving enough depth to have some inspired jokes and character moments. Animation is used in a clever and impressive way to advance abstract emotions to a level that few light-hearted anime accomplish effectively. While there is a bit too much downtime for the story to come together in a wholly satisfying way, the show is simply delightful to watch and powerful when it comes to the critical moments. Namely, the music performances.

A quick diversion about me. I played bass in an indie rock band. Our first gigs were in a basement venue that required a certain attendance to pay out. We were intent on playing original material. I've also long been a fan of Japanese guitarists on YouTube doing covers who deliberately hide their face while showing off incredible skills. These relatability aspects allow me to really respect the care being taken to demonstrate the life of musicians on this level in the show.

No, Bocchi is not "literally me" and I don't adhere to any sort of unhealthy obsession with that reflection. However, our lead guitarist did have social anxiety. It was hard for him to get on stage. Watching this show gave me a really interesting reflection of a lived experience that very few other people have. While I try not to let such things cloud my judgment of the show as a story, it does mean that Bocchi the Rock! meant something to me that it will not mean for others. And given the discussion around this show, I'm far from unique in having a personally relatable experience; that's great.

More importantly, these parallels made me love some of the things they did with the music. Beyond the climactic performances having fantastic animation on par with shows like Kids on the Slope, the creativity of the musical moments in the show are truly awesome. I was smiling so much to see a bassist using a shamisen pick in a street performance. In the final episode - a real highlight - a musical problem is solved with a clever solution which erupts into a fantastic composition. There's even a point where the instruments are out of sync and I noticed it before the characters pointed it out. The music is truly integral to the story and that's something which I don't think I've ever seen done effectively, even in live action.

There are some high highs in Bocchi the Rock! but there are also a lot of middling moments that could have been used more effectively. While hanging out with the characters in necessary for much of the comedy and the momentum of the story to have an impact, there are many missed opportunities. One of the characters revealing their motivations, for example, had basically no impact on me personally due to some poor writing decisions. However, none of these moments take that much time. For a fairly slow show, it does not drag its feet on any one scene for too long.

If you are a fan of finding new things in animation and can take a few pounds of high school girls getting into cute scenarios surrounded by rock 'n roll, Bocchi the Rock! has something for you. There's potential for something truly deep and moving there, but for now it hits more than enough emotional highlights - laughter, empathy, anger, catharsis - to be well worth your time.

Be sure to watch the variant ending themes as well! All the music is good - and I'm very picky.