The Bocchi the Rock Manga Excels at Building Excitement

All of the volumes of the Bocchi the Rock manga so far have been good at chronicling the development of both Hitori Gotoh and Kessoku Band! Entries have been funny and touching in equal measure. However with volume 4 of Bocchi the Rock, it really feels like the anticipation and potential is growing beyond what we — or our heroines — expected ahead of Unidentified Riot. 

Editor’s Note: There will be some minor spoilers for volume 4 of the Bocchi the Rock manga below. 

When you think about it, Bocchi the Rock features a ton of development in very few volumes. The first one focuses on Hitori meeting Ikuyo, Nijika, Ryo. The four end up vibing together and becoming Kessoku Band. To think by the end of the third volume, they’re already candidates for the Unidentified Riot music festival. It’s a lot! So when the fourth volume rolls around, it’s a bit of a mystery for those who might not be following the anime or spoiling themselves. Will they make it? Are they already good and popular enough? Will it instead be a harsh lesson? It’s a lot to consider! 

Especially since, as this volume of the Bocchi the Rock manga begins, everyone is a bit uncertain of themselves. Hitori is even considering her more popular account to promote Kessoku, but decides against it. It’s only after an encounter with SIDEROS’ members and playing with them that her, and perhaps our view as a readers, changes. Which means by the next few pages, they’ve jumped up to 28th place and placed high enough in the online poll. We get to revel in their success, and then savor the girls also enjoying themselves by bonding, shopping, and hanging out together. It’s such a lovely pay-off. 

Which honestly, I felt put me in an even better for the trial show portion of this story arc. Because again, there’s this stress and anxiety. How will they do during the trial? Will the crowd and judges like them? Do they make it to the finals? It’s an exciting and tense volume, to be sure. But the thing is, due to the brisk nature of the series, fun personalities coming together, and great development as we see everyone interact, it never feels bad or uneasy. Like if the best happens, we know Kessoku Band deserved it. If not, then because of the build up throughout this volume and previous ones, we know Hitori, Ikuyo, Nijika, and Ryo are getting strong enough as individuals and a group to take it and keep moving forward.

Like for those of us who have been following Bocchi the Rock for a while, both the anime and manga, we know the successes that lie ahead for Hitori, Ikuyo, Nijika, Ryo, and Kessoku Band. But there’s still something so special about these early stages. We’re seeing how much people believe in them! We’re understanding even the early impressions their performances have on fans! It’s exciting to see their hard work begin to pay off, as well as lead to hints about what could lie in their future. 

Bocchi the Rock volume 4 is available now, and Yen Press will release the fifth installment of the manga on November 19, 2024. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll.