Bocchi the Rock!

Episode 10

Bocchi has come a long way over the course of this show. She went from an awkward loner who avoided eye contact like the plague to somebody who can stand in front of a room of strangers and bare her soul on the guitar. But anyone who deals with anxiety knows you can never entirely get rid of it – the best you can do is learn to cope, manage it as best as you can, and treat progress as a day-to-day process. So it's no surprise that our rocker girl would go into another existential spiral over the thought of actually performing at the school cultural festival.

What's changed even more than Bocchi, though, is the people around her. Nijika has always been a very patient band mate, and Ryo has always been...well, Ryo, but it's striking how much of a positive and empathetic support group Bocchi's somehow found forming around her. Nijika might find it odd to see Bocchi talking to her sister, but to me it's a welcome bit of comfort and guidance from the somewhat intimidating manager and her high school dropout PA, giving a more adult perspective on high school at large. And I especially like the advice they both give her – that it's alright if she doesn't want to perform or is nervous about it, but that there's still value in embracing something that seems so intimidating at first. It's a sweet message that, for the first time in a while for the show, isn't comically undercut after it's delivered. That really builds the sense that these folks are all Bocchi's friends, and they genuinely want to help her.

Of course, Kikuri has her own way of showing support as Bocchi's mentor in the life of a musician, and her lesson is what really makes this episode. For one, her band fuckin rules – I need at least a full single from SICK HACK, if not an EP – but for another, Kikuri again shows she can relate to Bocchi's struggles. She's been there herself, and while I absolutely do not recommend Kikuri's particular “cure” for stage fright, that factor imbues her encouragement with a genuine sense of pathos. She knows what it's like to feel alone, to be stuck in your own head and afraid of taking the next step towards something your really want, and learning that makes her current stage presence all the more impressive. This wasn't something she just had from day one, but rather the result of Kikuri pushing herself until she could capture the attention and adoration of an entire club. It might not be a packed stadium or mega stardom like Bocchi's unguarded dreams, but from where our heroine's at, it's like her mentor is the peak of performance.

Of course, even when others have given you the confidence to take that step, it can also help if there's somebody to shove you over the threshold before you can talk yourself out of it, which is where Kita comes in. Initially I was a little thrown by her submitting the application on purpose, but it all made sense when she admitted (to herself, anyway) that it was because she wanted to see Bocchi shine. Kita might not fully grasp Bocchi's troubles, but she recognizes the musical fire her guitar senpai carries, and she wants the rest of the world – or at least their school – to see the Bocchi she knows. It's still not a great move to go behind her back, so Kita definitely deserves that shame board, but it's also a sign of how much faith she has in Bocchi, and a perfect lead-in to these closing episodes.

(As an aside, I absolutely loved every moment of the group's field trip to Kikuri's usual stomping grounds. STARRY is great and all, but that club's particular layout gave me sensory flashbacks to some of the shows I hit up in college.)

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Bocchi the Rock! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.