From the same animation studio that brought us The Promised Neverland, My Dress-Up Darling, and Spy x Family to name a few, we get a slice-of-life anime that’s as fun to listen to as it is to watch – Bocchi the Rock!

Bocchi the Rock! is a series from CloverWorks that premiered late last year and tells the story of a girl named Hitori Gotou, a super introverted middle-school girl who finds it hard to talk to others and make friends in school, and is scared to deal with crowds.

One day, she sees a rock band being interviewed on TV which she thought was cool and made her decide to learn the guitar and become a rock musician in order to make friends.
 
Fast forward a couple of years. Bocchi is now in high school, has learned how to play the guitar, and has a very successful online channel (under a fake name), but still has no friends and is still having trouble
making friends. Eventually, she meets a girl who asks her to become a temporary bandmate and thus
starts the adventure of Bocchi, in a rock band.

Bocchi gets to join a band called “Kessoku Band” (which means zip tie) consisting of Bocchi as the lead
guitarist, Nijika Ijichi as the drummer, Ryo Yamada as the bassist, and last but not least, Ikuyo Kita, the vocalist and secondary guitarist of the band who is also Bocchi’s schoolmate.

Interestingly, the characters or band members in Bocchi the Rock! share last names with real-life bands in Japan. Particularly for Kessoku Band, their surnames are from the members of the J-rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, who I’m sure you’ve heard of from other Anime series’ OP and ED themes as well.
 
Kessoku Band is not without any troubles, though. Even though they have successfully formed the band, they are still met with challenges, which include writing their own songs, practicing and forming camaraderie as a group, and even financial problems. It’s surprisingly relatable, and a great look at the intricacies of the life of a band.

 
Bocchi the Rock! is a great anime that gives us a peek at a character with social anxiety trying her best
to make friends, and working hard to succeed. For others, people might think that making friends or
talking to other people is just a small hurdle or not even a bother. Still, for a person with social anxiety like Bocchi, it is one of the hardest things she’d ever have to do, not just once, but on a daily basis.

While watching the show, you’ll see a lot of different ways Bocchi reacts to try to avoid talking to new people or even being in crowds. These are very funny but are not in any way making fun of what she’s experiencing or going through.

Bocchi the Rock! is a highly recommended fun anime about “cute girls doing cute things” and up to the end (of the season, I hope) will make you feel all warm inside and is rooting for Bocchi and Kessoku Band to succeed.

All 12 episodes of Bocchi the Rock! are available to stream on Netflix.