Bocchi the Rock!, Vol. 1

ぼっち・ざ・ろっく! [Bocchi the Rock!] #1

by Aki Hamazi

Hitori Gotoh just wants to be popular, but the thought of interacting with her classmates makes her fall to pieces. Her solution-become a rock legend so cool that people approach her instead! However, while spending all of middle school in her closet shredding on the guitar may have earned her anonymous internet fame, it did nothing for her social skills. Now a high schooler, Hitori’s feeling ready to shrivel up and die-when she gets a sudden request to fill in for a band! It’s like her wish came true-but does this most anxious of introverts have what it takes to perform in front of a live audience?!

Genres: Manga, Music, Slice Of Life, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Comedy

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2019

About the author

はまじあき

Reviews

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters are cute enough and the setting is promising...but it took me a long and irritating time to read.
Mostly told through 4 panel comics...with every 4th panel..a pay off or an ironic comment.
Maybe it's an acquired taste?

[Yuliia Kravchenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

Чудова історія про затяту інтровертку. Багато речей відгукнулись мені особисто.

Якщо ви знаєте про інтровертів не на словах, якщо виколи-небуть стояли перед дверима й не могли зважиться зайти в них - манґа точно для вас

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Bocchi wants to play in a band. Has since middle school. Now in high school, she resolves to overcome her social anxiety and be the amazing guitarist she knows she is. The only thing standing in her way is, in fact, her social anxiety.

First off, let’s lay this out - the anime is better. That does not invalidate the manga in any way - it’s a lot of fun - but if you are coming to Bocchi for the first time, I would go and watch it before reading this as a supplement and eventual continuance.

Partly it’s down to the manga’s popularity 4-koma format, which squashes the heck out of some great jokes. Kaiju-form Bocchi is an example of a gag that plays better in the anime, although her being sentenced to death for poor customer service is hilarious anywhere, no matter how small.

Your overall enjoyment of this is also going to come down to how much you enjoy cringe, as poor Bocchi goes to more pieces than a jigsaw puzzle run through a wood chipper through most of the volume.

But, the critical thing is that the manga doesn’t only make fun of Bocchi. In fact, mostly it makes fun of the absurdity of her reactions to things. And it makes sure that when she does step up, just like in the show, it’s the powerful moment it deserves.

There are a lot of steps along the way, however, and while I wouldn’t say this is triggering for anybody but the most anxious amongst us, there are a ton of points where I might not have been as avoidant as Bocchi, but I was sure thinking similar things.

The supporting cast is pretty decent, with the energetic one, the taciturn one, the infatuated with the taciturn one one, plus the usual other staff. Nobody looks their ages, but the art is nice enough and they all play off one another quite well. A moe-esque music series? That’ll never work.

Even with a litany of musical in-jokes - the very expansive (and very welcome) translation notes show how wall-to-wall this is with references - this is still a good time for the neophyte. Music-based manga tend to shine a little brighter as anime, for my tastes, just because they bring in that aural component.

4 stars - there’s nothing wrong with this, it’s basically a more engaging version of K-On!, and I am happy to have read it and will be happy to keep up with it, but I’m not recommending it as your initial foray into the Bocchi-verse if you can help it.

[Garrett M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I adore the anime and I think it benefits a lot from the change in medium. The comic is all 4koma style where it's four vertical panels, and unfortunately that means every strip needs a little punchline. It can get a bit tedious to read in large batches like this, and the change in pacing and rhythm that the anime adaptation is able to pull off is worth celebrating.

[Eressea · Rating 3 out of 5]

原著不是那麼好看
動畫改編真強

不過比起K-ON
這部原著跟動畫的落差還好

[Ayxan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's been so long that I've spoken that my voice isn't..."
Same, Hitori, same.

I love and hate how relatable Hitori is. Not being able to hold eye-contact, doesn't know how to talk when nervous, can't go into places and procrastinates for 15+ minutes, is nervous all the time when with people, etc. Although I'm not that extreme anymore and that was rather me in middle & high school, I do still have those moments occasionally.
I love it because of the realistic representation, but I hate how relatable it is, lol. I feel every sweat that Hitori goes through in this story, and it's lowkey stressing me out. (But that's just me; every extrovert would probably think she's exaggerating.)

On the other hand, I'm more like Ryou though, because I love being and doing things alone. While I do have social anxiety, I don't have the need to change that. Whether it's shopping, watching a movie in theaters or whatever, I totally don't mind going there alone and I probably have more fun than being with people.

Well, enough about me.
The story is rather slow-paced, but I don't mind that. I love the realistic take on social anxiety.
And yea, it's probably likely she'll turn into an extrovert by the end of the series, simply because she's the protagonist, but let's hope not.

I also really love the "fanarts" of each chapter. Idk what they're called but it's common for every manga to have the characters pose for sth in every beginning of a chapter; sometimes it's random, other times it's giving the vibe of the chapter. It's not "fan" art, since the artist/author is drawing them, like bonus art...
What makes it special here, is that the reference image is shown and it's usually from a song or music video.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think if I hadn't seen and loved the anime, I wouldn't have made it through this first volume. The artwork is rather samey throughout and the text is super tiny and hard to read.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...

[N Dorville · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for her turning into salt and the weird facial expressions

[Adrien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très bon premier tome !
Bocchi the Rock! raconte l’histoire d'un groupe de rock, "Les Attaches", constitué de quatre adolescentes.
On voit toutes les difficultés que rencontrent les membres du groupe mais aussi leurs moments de complicité, tout ça dans une ambiance assez légère et comique.
Le seul défaut notable (selon moi) c'est le découpage des cases qui rend l'histoire un peu difficile à suivre à certains moments, mais la lecture reste agréable.
L'humour de Ryo est pépite (c'est ma préférée de la bande pour l'instant)

[Reuben Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it’s more like a 3.5 but I’ll round up. I don’t love the visuals - the layout was too uniform and the panels too small for me so it made it kinda hard to follow and felt longer than I’m used to, and the art style was fine but not really anything more than that for me - but there was enough in the writing for me that it carried it anyway. The individual personalities of the characters are really coming through well, and I’m enjoying getting to know them. I really like Bocchi herself, she’s very relatable and her weirdness is adorable. The humour is excellent and it has just the right level of goof not to overdo it. I’m really rooting for Bocchi and the band and looking forward to seeing where they go next!

[Heather D-G · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a bit of a muddled start, this turned into a very sweet and engaging story. I’m not the biggest fan of the 4-panel format, but after this gets going I stopped being bothered by it. The same goes for the overly-cutesy art style. The writing is witty and the characters feel real-to-life. I’ll definitely go on to the next volume.

[Dubzor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I can see how people like this. It's cute, funny, inspiring and keeps the fan service to an absolute minimum.

For whatever reason though, it just doesn't connect with me so I'll probably end with volume 1. If you like four panel format slice of life manga, you'll probably like it.

[Lilia Kas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Історія написана у незвичному для манги форматі, є щось в сюжеті від Кейону, але мені не зайшла. ГГ мені не відгукується. Її вчинки дивні, і вона постійно чекає якоїсь діяльності від когось замість неї. Звісно наприкінці тому вона стає трішки відповідальністю, і по ходу вся історія буде про трансформацію героїні. Тому впевнена, що ця манга знайде свого читача :)

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was afraid the series wouldn't work as well in manga form, but I was proven wrong. Jokes still land perfectly, while the overall story is still compelling, even when broken down into the 4-panel format. Bocchi and her anxiety as an outcast is just too relatable to fail

[Mer Mayhem · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant enough comedy series about being a socially inept guitarist. Most of the jokes didn't land for me but I enjoyed the atmosphere of high school kids doing rock band stuff.

[Ilyas Adhim Wahyudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bocchi the rock is the story of the girl name hitori gotoh that are introvert girl who has a social anxiety, and don't have a friend since elementary school and afraid to a society. But when she's in junior high school, she interested to a rock music and start to learn how to play electric guitar. When she in highschool, she got invited by blonde girl name nijika to join her band as guitarist, and then her new life is start. For me, this story is so good and inspiration to us for to never give up. Even if we have anxiety, it's not a Obstacle to be a Star, and we must encourage our fear and must confident to who we are. Be a super star

[Gabriel Rosales · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bassist is my spirit animal

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a four panel manga this wasn't bad, although I feel it does harm the manga itself. As there is no flow between them, you usually have the two boxes that carry on and then the next one moves on. Sometimes thing will happen off panel, like the girls are ready to play their first gig but then suddenly they're eating with no mention of what happened. Then a few pages late we are back to the gig and I think it was the first time, I'm not sure because the story isn't very clear.

I think this would flow a lot better without the four panel format, sometimes we get some nice splash pages so there is some hope. I do think there is a lot of potential here but this first volume really didn't captivate me with any of it's characters, the introductions where fine but it's nothing that I haven't already seen before.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun, coming-of-age story about a group of young girls who want to form a rock band.

Hitori Gotoh is our main character and lead guitar. She loves music and wants to be in a band more than anything—but she is so painfully shy and anxious she can barely speak to another classmate. How can she possibly perform in front a live crowd?

I absolutely love stories like this one that explore the experiences of a group of people not often given that kind of thoughtful consideration. Coming-of age-stories often focus on young males, especially in manga, and, when they do focus on girls, those girls are never doing anything as fun as starring in a rock band and learning about themselves through playing music together. I appreciate how this series is bringing some fun and levity.

Definitely looking forward to watching Bocchi grow into being her rock star self~

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounding up because although this wasn't amazing for me, I would still considering picking up vol 2 because I see potential.

Something just did not click for me. The story is cute enough. The art was a bit mid; I confess I sometimes mixed characters up. I'm not the biggest fan of the panel layout either. There were a lot of things I could tell were jokes that just didn't land for me.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

reread 2/24/25
soooo much better now that i’m not reading a fan translation. bump up to 4 stars (originally 3)

————————————

original review (1/13/24):
day 13 of my 31 comics/manga graphic novels in 31 days. very mediocre!

[Raqeeb Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

この漫画本当にいいと思う。すべてのキャラクターは面白くてかわいいだよ。特にぼっちちゃん！ぼっちが「あっはい」と言うたびに俺笑わせた！かわいすぎる！

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious and somewhat relatable story of introvertness, social anxiety, and branching out to be more than what you currently are. I like the anime a little better but it's still a fun read!

[Vals · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Una band...l'unico luogo dove anche chi ha una personalità ritrosa può risplendere" 🎸

[Alessandro Parisi]

Hitori Gotō, una ragazza introversa e con gravi difficoltà comunicative, inizia a suonare la chitarra alle scuole medie nella speranza di farsi degli amici e salire un giorno su un palco. Tuttavia, la sua timidezza estrema le impedisce di interagire con gli altri o di unirsi a una band. L’unico spazio dove riesce a esprimersi è internet, dove pubblica cover e brani originali con il nome utente “guitahero”.

Un giorno, mentre suona da sola in un parco con la sua chitarra, viene notata da Nijika Ijichi, una batterista energica e determinata, che le propone di unirsi alla sua band. Nijika non sa che Hitori è proprio la famosa “guitahero” di cui è fan. La band prende il nome di Kessoku Band (che tu hai tradotto come “le fascette”, riferimento ironico ai lacci da elettricista).

Hitori, che sceglie il nome d’arte Bocchi (da “hitori bocchi”, che significa “sola”), accetta di unirsi alla band, anche se fatica moltissimo a comunicare e a suonare in gruppo. Nonostante ciò, mostra un talento chitarristico notevole.

La band si mette alla ricerca di fondi per registrare i loro brani e trovare una cantante ufficiale. Iniziano così a lavorare part-time in una live house gestita dalla sorella maggiore di Nijika.

Nel frattempo Bocchi riesce a convincere Kita Ikuyo, una ragazza allegra e popolare, a tornare nella band. Kita era scappata dopo essersi accorta di non saper suonare la chitarra, ma Bocchi le promette di darle lezioni. Kita ammette di avere una vera e propria ossessione per la bassista Ryō, a tal punto da sognare un rapporto madre-figlia con lei (un’esagerazione comica tipica della serie). Ryō, eccentrica e impassibile, accetta di tornare stabilmente nel gruppo, anche se riluttante all’idea di dover cantare.

Le ragazze iniziano a scattarsi foto per i loro poster promozionali e Bocchi, pur nella sua goffaggine, si sente parte del gruppo. Riesce persino a comporre una canzone, incoraggiata da Ryō a metterci la sua personalità. Bocchi si accorge così di aver fatto grandi progressi: riesce a guardare gli altri negli occhi, lavorare in gruppo e persino affrontare alcune situazioni sociali, tutto nell’arco di pochi mesi.

Nel volume si parla anche del festival sportivo scolastico, un evento vissuto da Bocchi come un incubo, simbolo delle difficoltà che le persone timide e non atletiche incontrano in ambienti sociali forzati.

Infine, la band tiene un piccolo concerto. Anche se il pubblico è di sole sei persone, le ragazze si divertono e sentono di essere cresciute. Dopo lo spettacolo, Nijika si apre con Bocchi: le racconta di aver perso la madre da piccola, di avere un padre sempre assente e una sorella maggiore che si prende cura di lei. Nijika rivela anche il suo sogno: rendere famosa la live house della sorella e farla diventare un punto di riferimento per le band emergenti. Inoltre, scopre finalmente che Bocchi è la celebre “guitahero”, rimanendo colpita e ammirata.

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:

All Hitori Gotoh has ever wanted was to be popular. Unfortunately, she's desperately shy and doesn't even like the thought of interacting with her classmates. Those two things don't mesh too well, as Hitori has found out the hard way.

Still, she has a dream and an idea of how to obtain it – she will become the world's greatest guitarist, join a band, make friends, and prove how awesome she is to the world. Only, uh, joining a band is easier said than done. Turns out you have to actually talk to people to accomplish that part.

Review:

Oh dear. Poor Hitori is soo shy. I just want to hug and protect her (but that would probably make her freak out, so I wouldn't actually do that). Bocchi the Rock! Vol. 1 is a gentle start to the series, introducing us to our primary character, her new friends, and the situation she's made for herself.

This manga is very much a slice-of-life-style comic. It isn't a fast-paced read, but it is perfect when you're looking for something casual and bright to help lighten the mood. Just be warned, you'll probably feel the urge to protect Hitori at some point.

I like the rest of the bandmates so far. I think we need to get to know them more, as only one or two have really had the time to shine (so far). That said, there's a lot to love about the sense of humor in this series. It's funny, sometimes in ways you wouldn't expect. I've been told the anime nails the humor, so that's exciting news.

Highlights:
Slice of Life
Music
Seinen
Shy girl musician

Will I continue the series? Probably

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[Enairolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je connaissais ce titre par rapport à l’anime, anime que je n’ai pas vu soit dit au passant. Mais globalement, je savais de quoi ça parlait. Du coup j’ai eu envie de découvrir le manga. Si je peux, je préfère toujours découvrir l’histoire par le manga plutôt que l’anime. Que ce soit dans les mangas ou les romans d’ailleurs, je préfère toujours découvrir l’oeuvre originale plutôt que l’adaptation. J’ai beaucoup aimé ce premier tome qui m’a fait passer un très bon moment. Les mangas ayant pour thème principal la musique, c’est vraiment quelque chose qui me plaît!

Dans ce premier tome, Hitori Gotô, alias » Bocchi « , est une jeune fille solitaire qui adore la guitare. Elle se contentait d’en jouer seule chez elle jusqu’à ce qu’une succession d’événements la fasse rencontrer Nijika Ijichi, qui l’invite dans son groupe de rock, » Les Attaches « . Mais Hitori pourra-t-elle vraiment se débrouiller dans un groupe, elle qui n’a jamais osé jouer devant les autres jusqu’à présent ?!

J’ai beaucoup aimé l’histoire de ce manga. Mais c’est surtout le personnage de Bocchi qui m’a fait beaucoup rire. Je me suis pas mal reconnue en elle sur certains points. Moi qui ai de l’anxiété sociale, je ne peux que compatir face à ce qu’elle ressent. Mais ce qui m’a fait rire c’est de voir à quel point, parfois, elle part dans des extrêmes pas possible. Le coup de elle essaye par tous les moyens de tomber malade vraiment ça m’a fait trop rire. Elle est tellement investie parfois pour éviter les trucs, elle se donne tellement de mal c’est si drôle. J’ai beaucoup aimé voir le groupe se mettre en place au fur et à mesure. Bocchi a fini par trouver des amies même si parfois elle a beaucoup de mal à être entièrement elle même. Mais elle fait des efforts et on voit que ça fini par payer à la fin! J’ai beaucoup aimé également les autres personnages. Elles sont tout l’inverse de Bocchi et c’est assez drôle de voir des personnes si opposées évoluer ensemble. Mais j’aime l’amitié qui s’est crée entre elles, c’était chouette.

Ce premier tome me donne envie, non seulement de découvrir la suite du manga, mais également de découvrir enfin l’anime. Je suis vraiment très curieuse de voir ce que ça donne à l’écran. J’adore les mangas qui parle de musique et j’ai vraiment adoré le différents personnages auxquels on peut très facilement se reconnaitre!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un manga dont je suis très contente de m’être procuré cet été ( avec ses goodies!).

Bocchi the rock! est un Yonkoma, un manga en quatre cases qui nous raconte l’histoire d’une jeune fille, Hitori Goto cherche a vivre sa passion malgré son anxiété sociale. Malgré ses longues années a s’entrainer seule, elle se rend compte qu’elle n’a toujours aucun ami… Jusqu’au jour où elle rencontre par hasard une jeune fille de son âge, Nijika Ijichi. Elle joue de la batterie et elle est a la recherche d’une guitariste pour son groupe de rock.


Un format atypique qui pourrait peut être perturber les lecteurs. Comme je l’ai précisé, c’est un Yonkoma, un manga en 4 cases qui se lit par colonne, de haut en bas et de droite à gauche.

J’ai été très surprise de découvrir que les deux premiers tomes regroupent l’intégralité de l’anime avec des pages inédites. Sachant qu’il y a a ce jour au Japon 6 tomes déjà publié, je suis donc très curieuse de découvrir les prochains tomes de cette série en France.

J’ai beaucoup apprécié l’atmosphère du manga et j’ai totalement accroché a l’histoire. J’avoue que j’ai une petite préférence pour l’anime mais j’ai tout de même passé un très bon moment de lecture avec ses deux premiers tomes.

Concernant les personnages, Bocchi est un personnage que j’ai beaucoup apprécié. Elle est attachante, drôle et mignonne. Je me suis beaucoup retrouvée en elle. C’est une jeune fille introvertie et pas très sociable qui souffre d’anxiété. Cette anxiété a été traité avec humour mais aussi avec du sérieux. Les autres filles du groupe sont toutes aussi mignonnes et attachantes. Elles sont chacune leurs propres caractères.

En bref, un manga drôle sans prise de tête/ slice of life que j’ai aimé redécouvrir. C’est une lecture pleine de bonnes ondes et on ne peut qu’apprécier d’y suivre Bocchi et ses amies.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wooow, Bocchi the Rock really, truly has a lot of substance to it for a 4koma manga!
I know that 4koma come in all types, but I’ve almost only ever read the slapstick humor kind. They’re meant to be easily digestible, light, and simple. Bocchi the Rock is indeed exactly that, but the lead character is a nihilistic, pessimistic, introverted girl who had never formed any friendships growing up. She was always introverted, but this kind of social isolation paired with her own personality and the way she developed created an introverted girl absolutely riddled with crippling anxiety, particularly social anxiety. But that’s part of the charm, because this manga takes off when Bocchi’s social life begins, when she’s able to begin forming friendships with her peers, and is thrust into a new environment that frightens her. But there’s merit and strength in watching her do these things because she truly does want to, she’s just also battling the part of herself that doesn’t want to solely due to the fear and anxiety. But as Bocchi grows and opens up bit by bit, she becomes a point of reference and inspiration to her bandmates in her very own way, with her very own charm. Likewise, her three bandmates bring something unique and inspiring to the band themselves as well, each one of them as individuals with their respective qualities and strengths.

Bocchi the Rock is funny and entertaining with spirit and a spitting image of youth, but my favorite part of it lies in these girls getting to know themselves as well as each other, and growing and developing exponentially alongside Kessoku Band.
(The plethora of references are fun too.)