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Bocchi the Rock has taken the world by storm. Since the release of the anime in late 2022, the hit manga series has continuously gained new fans. Bocchi the Rock author Aki Hamaji was even swarmed with fans forcing her to relocate her booth during her appearance at Comiket 101 Winter.
Bocchi the Rock’s roaring success is thanks to its unique approach to Japanese rock bands and social anxiety. With its colorful and quirky presentation, Bocchi the Rock is relatable to many fans and inspires them to work hard for their dreams. The hit anime might even inspire the next generation of musicians and bands.
In this article, we will introduce you to Aki Hamaji’s Bocchi the Rock. We will briefly talk about the anime/manga’s plot and characters. And, of course, we will check out awesome Bocchi the Rock trivia and merchandise.
What is Bocchi the Rock About?
Bocchi the Rock is about Hitori Gotoh’s journey to achieving her dream of being a famous and successful musician. However, there is one big problem: Hitori is an introvert who has trouble interacting with others.
Throughout her childhood, Hitori has always been alone. She struggled with making friends and barely interacted with anyone in her class. Her life changed when she saw a TV interview about an introverted musician who became part of a famous rock band.
Since then, Hitori has practiced and strived to become the best guitarist in the world. And while her skills drastically improved, she still struggled to interact with others. As a result, she couldn’t form a rock band and resorted to anonymously posting videos online.
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Things finally started going her way when Hitori was suddenly invited to join “Kessoku Band”. Despite still having social anxiety, Hitori was finally one step closer to her dream with the help of her new friend started connecting with new people, helping her finally grow and move forward.
What Makes Bocchi the Rock so Popular?
Bocchi the Rock isn’t the first anime/manga series about Japanese teenage rock bands. Many popular titles, such as Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad and K-On!, have extensively covered the Japanese indie music culture of the 2000s.
In addition, Bocchi the Rock isn’t the only anime focused on social anxiety and mental disorders. However, it is how Bocchi the Rock approaches and presents both of these topics that make it truly special.
Bocchi (Hitori)’s everyday problems are very relatable to both introverts and young musicians. The way she has trouble with speaking to others and how she has trouble entering certain areas happen to real people in the real world. Even Bocchi’s stage anxiety before performing is very realistic.
In addition, there are surely plenty of viewers who can feel Bocchi’s pain of being alone, especially in their early years. While all of these are pretty serious issues, Bocchi the Rock is far from being a depressing anime.
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Bocchi’s struggles are mostly presented exaggeratedly and with a unique sense of humor. Ultimately, the characters of the show/manga help Bocchi resolve her issues, helping her grow. The way Bocchi overcomes her problems is inspirational, especially for fellow introverts who have trouble expressing themselves.
The rest of the Bocchi the Rock cast are all unique and interesting. The rest of the Kessoku Band members have fun and quirky interactions with Bocchi. However, they are far from being one-dimensional, as each member has their own dreams and aspirations.
Lastly, Bocchi the Rock‘s coverage of the Japanese indie music scene is fairly accurate and very relatable with today’s modern music scene and young musicians. With how well-written and well-animated Bocchi the Rock is, the series has received critical success. After one week of its Blu-Ray release, Bocchi the Rock sold over 16,000 copies.
The manga, on the other hand, had sold over 1,000,000 copies as of January 20, 2023. Following recent reprints, the official Twitter account of Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara magazine has announced that 2,000,000 copies of Bocchi the Rock are currently in circulation.
Bocchi the Rock! Kessoku Band
Band Members
- Hitori “Bocchi” Gotoh – Lead Guitar
- Ikuyo Kita – Lead Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
- Nijika Ijichi – Drums and Percussion (Band Leader)
- Ryo Yamada – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Kessoku Band is the main unit featured in Bocchi the Rock. It comprises lead guitarist Hitori “Bocchi” Gotoh, drummer Nijika Ijichi, bassist Ryo Yamada, and vocalist/guitarist Ikuyo Kita. The band mainly performs in the live house “STARRY.”
The band’s name is a play on “結束バンド (kessoku bando)”, the Japanese word for cable/zip tie. “結束 (Kessoku)” also means unity.
Interestingly, all music featured in the Bocchi the Rock anime are original songs performed by Kessoku Band. Ikuya Kita’s voice actress, Ikumi Hasegawa, sang on all Kessoku Band songs, including the opening and some of the ending themes.
STARRY, the main base of operations for Kessoku Band, is actually based on a real live house (SHELTER, located in Shimokitazawa).
What Guitar Does Bocchi the Rock Use?
Most of the specific musical instrument models featured in the Bocchi the Rock manga and anime series exist in real life. Here is a list of the guitars, basses, drums, and accessories featured in Bocchi the Rock:
Kessoku Band
- Hitori “Bocchi” Gotoh:
- Gibson Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” (1968 Reissue Ebony)
- Yamaha Pacifica 611 (Yamaha PACIFICA 611VFM Custom)
- Nijika Ijichi:
- Tama Imperialstar Drums
- Chad Smith Signature Snare
- Ryo Yamada:
- Fender Precision Bass (Olympic White Finish)
- Ikuyo Kita:
- Gibson Les Paul Junior DC (Pelham Blue Finish)
Other Notable Musical Instruments & Gear
- Marshall JCM900 – Guitar amplifiers that appear in STARRY and other live performances
- Ampeg SVT – Bass Amplifier that Ryo uses in live performances
- Music Man Stingray (Played During Music Store Scene) – Not officially confirmed but the unique headstock and overall design of this guitar are similar to a Music Man Stingray
- Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster– Appears in the music store scene.
- Ibanez BTB846SC – The six-string bass guitar Kita bought by mistake.
- Yamaha TRB1004J – Kikuri Hiroi’s bass guitar
- Yamaha Amplifier THR5 – Bocchi’s Guitar Amplifier at home
- Steinberg UR Series – Bocchi’s Audio Interface at home
- AKG-K712 – Bocchi’s headphones closely resemble this model
Bocchi the Rock Attention to Detail
One of the best features of Bocchi the Rock’s anime adaptation is its great attention to detail. Here are some examples:
The Poor State of Bocchi’s Guitar
Guitar fans will immediately know that the “old guitar” Bocchi inherited from her dad is a vintage Les Paul Custom Black Beauty. With how old it is, it inherently has problems. It was also implied that this guitar hadn’t been regularly used and maintained prior to the start of the series.
Furthermore, high school musicians don’t typically have the luxury or budget to regularly have a professional guitar setup. Most students might not even know that regular maintenance and proper guitar setup are necessary. Instead of pondering on these finer details, most students spend their time and energy practicing the guitar.
Also, most young musicians might not have explored their guitars enough. This is apparent when Bocchi breaks the tuning peg of her guitar and is unaware that it is easily fixable. Given these factors, it is completely normal for Bocchi’s guitar to be in poor condition.
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Bocchi’s Guitar Playing Level and Experience
Another fine detail of the series is Bocchi’s skill after practicing for three years. At the start of the anime/manga, Bocchi drastically improved after strictly practicing guitar for three years.
While some viewers might be surprised, the level of Bocchi’s guitar playing is actually very accurate with the amount of practice she has for her age. Her playstyle in Kessoku Band’s original songs is also appropriate for her guitar playing level.
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The anime has also shown that Bocchi was initially terrible when playing in a band context. Again, this portrayal is very accurate. Despite having so much experience with playing the guitar, young musicians often struggle once they actually start playing with other musicians, actual bassists and drummers who might not play perfectly in time, unlike pre-recorded tracks.
Bocchi’s Guitar Equipment at Home
One small detail that many producers and guitar players will appreciate is Bocchi’s home recording setup. Bocchi uses an audio interface and a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to record her guitar covers. These kinds of equipment are newer innovations that many young and modern musicians use for practice and guitar recording.
Mistakes During Kessoku Band’s Live Performance
Lastly, the imperfections and struggles of Kessoku Band during their initial live shows are perfectly portrayed. During Kessoku Band’s first live performance, the band lost their cool and started making uncharacteristic mistakes.
These mistakes became very obvious to the viewers when the band members started getting out of sync and stopped playing perfectly in time. This scene was animated very well, especially since the audio also started getting messed up along with the performance.
The highlighted mistakes are very relatable to musicians. It also helps viewers who are non-musicians understand what is happening.
Bocchi the Rock Merchandise
Bocchi the Rock’s success has helped spawn unique merchandise based on the anime and manga. Here is some popular merch you can buy!
- Kessoku Band Official Band Shirt – The Kessoku Band Shirt seen in the series is available in different colors.
- Bocchi the Rock Collaboration Campaign – Bocchi the Rock collaborated with Yamaha to produce a very limited run of Bocchi’s black Yamaha PACIFICA 611VFM custom guitar.
- Bocchi the Rock Apparel and Souvenir – Bocchi the Rock products sold at AmiAmi Akihabara Radio Kaikan Store
- Bocchi the Rock Figures – Several figures are available from brands, such as GOOD SMILE Company (Nendroid)
- Bocchi the Rock Plush – There is an official plush for all four members of Kessoku Band
- Bocchi the Rock x Onkyo Collaboration – Limited edition Bocchi the Rock headphones and merch sold exclusively at Onkyo Direct Japan
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