Why Bocchi the Rock! Is it so popular?

No one expected "Bocchi the Rock!" to be as successful as it has been, but the series came out of nowhere to become one of the most-watched anime of late 2022. Its ratings continued to rise to the point of competing with the hugely popular "Chainsaw Man." And he achieved this thanks to an incredibly rare balance in anime.

While many anime series today are increasingly known for dealing with deeper, more mature, and more understandable topics, many others are still adored for their antics. "Bocchi the Rock!" did both well, especially when paired with its soundtrack. Such music and the quality of the series in general are considered so good that they managed to drown out even the sound of a chainsaw.

Bocchi the Rock! began as a manga by Aki Hamaji, which began publication in 2017. After accumulating five volumes since then, the anime adaptation began in October-2022. The protagonist is the eponymous Hitori "Bocchi" Gotou, who doesn't like social interaction and prefers to practice music alone.

However, Hitori's world is turned upside down when she befriends three other girls and the group forms a band. By sharing their love of music, they find that they enjoy playing as much as they do in company. There are even other bands in the series, with all the musical groups and their members' names based on real Japanese bands, such as Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

Ostensibly a humorous anime with musical motifs, there was no reason to suspect that "Bocchi the Rock!" was going to be as successful as it was. However, not only was it a ratings success, but for some it overshadowed the shonen action series "Chainsaw Man." This win is partly because, like "Chainsaw Man," "Bocchi the Rock!" did justice to its genre in a big way.

For many, "Bocchi the Rock!" is a fairly laid-back and easy-to-watch anime. Due to its short-form nature, it's much calmer than "Chainsaw Man," and much less intoxicating than shows that deal with more current issues. At the same time, the characters and the way they are written feel familiar, especially considering the era in which it was released. Bocchi's antipathy towards social interaction and his inability to make friends is something that many viewers might respond to, seeing such traits in their own lives. Even those who are usually more sociable might have felt that problem in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the progression of Bocchi and the other characters coinciding with a return to normalcy in the real world.

Such characters are very well written and never seem like mere series archetypes like those seen in similar comedic anime. The "cute girls doing cute things" comedies subgenre usually lacks characters with too many layers, but "Bocchi the Rock!" took what was essentially a simple comedy manga and made its characters and story really come alive. Of course, there's a lot to be said for the musical element of the series, which is top-notch. The quality of the music and the way the musical performances are presented are a clear selling point, especially when it comes to going viral on social media.

These musical segments felt natural as well as grand, as bombastic as they needed to be without distracting from the story of the episode. In addition, they contributed to the development and interaction of the characters, making these performances central to the plot. In many ways, this made "Bocchi the Rock!" the "K-On!" of this generation, and it has since become a viral hit thanks to its exciting and heartwarming story.