#hamaji studio

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Gabbie shot by Kiki London for Hamaji Studio, 2024

[historyhermann]

Bocchi the Rock! Review

Bocchi the Rock is a slice-of-life comedic music anime based on a manga by Aki Hamaji. It is directed by Keiichirō Saitō and written by Erika Yoshida. It is produced by CloverWorks, a seven-year-old Japanese studio known for series such as Slow Start, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, The Promised Neverland, Akebi's Sailor Uniform, and Spy × Family. This review will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs, my History Hermann WordPress blog (where it will be published on Mar. 1), and Wayback Machine. This was the sixteenth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on December 14, 2022.

The show's plot centers around a socially awkward girl named Hitori Goto (voiced by Yoshino Aoyama) who struggles making friends at school or anywhere, playing cover songs under the name "guitarhero". She is pulled into a group at an underground bar named STARRY by a girl named Nijika Ijichi (voiced by Sayumi Suzushiro), and meets Ryo Yamada (voiced by Saku Mizuno), who plays bass. The fellow members of the Kessoku Band dub her "Bocchi", saying they are fans of her "guitarhero" channel.

The series follows the development of Kessoku Band, which expands to four members after Bocchi convinces guitarist Ikuyo Kita (voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa). Over the series, Bocchi becomes more comfortable with other people, effectively coming out of her shell. This makes the series different from the popular 23-episode anime, Komi Can't Communicate, which centers on a quiet beautiful girl named Shoko Komi, who is also very socially awkward.

Instead, Bocchi the Rock! has more similarities to Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, which also features a socially awkward and anxious protagonist. At the same time, Bocchi is, arguably, not as physically attractive in the same way as Komi.

Furthermore, her expressions, words, and actions make her more relatable than any other character with similar characteristics, especially when she imagines a dark, depressing future for herself several times throughout the series. For those who are socially awkward, the tendency to hide away from the world and ignore others makes her someone that they can connect to, more than other characters.

This anime is unique because it is one of the only recent music anime series, which are not centered on idols. That distinguishes it from Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Shine Post, and Love Live! Superstar!! which aired this year. It also sets it apart from relatively recent non-idol music series such as Healer Girl and Lost Song, neither of which feature rock bands.

Each of the characters in Bocchi the Rock! stand out in their own way, contributing uniquely to the show's comedy. However, Bocchi has the most comedic moments in the series, in comparison to the other characters.

Animation and background art of Bocchi the Rock! is simpler than other series, like Do It Yourself!!. Even so, the art style stands out, especially when paired with Bocchi. For instance, when she was listening to the psychedelic rock band, Sick Hack, she is shown in a mix of psychedelic colors. After all, the animation and background art can be very dynamic, as it is in the series opening.

The series music is informed by realism more than other series, in terms of chords and sound of the songs. For example when the band isn't coordinated, the songs sound discordant. When they have more confidence, the songs sound stronger.

This is enhanced by emphasizing the reality of playing in a band. It also couples with mature themes. One example of this is the talented vocalist, and bassist, of Sick Hack, Kikuri Hiroi (voiced by Sayaka Senbongi), who is an alcoholic. She spends most of what she earns on booze. She is almost as drunk as the character, Shorty, is throughout the Tangled animated series.

Even so, she encourages Bocchi, as does STARRY manager, Seika Ijichi (voiced by Maaya Uchida), the older sister of Nijika. This support, and friendly disposition of her fellow band members, allows Bocchi to grow as a person. That is part of what makes the show enjoyable.

Although Bocchi is very anti-social, she does not go on an adventure to leave society behind, in effect, as the protagonists of the amazing 2018 adventure anime A Place Further Than the Universe do. Instead, she expresses her social awkwardness through her actions and her music, while continuing to attend school. In this way, she fits within existing social norms, while remaining anti-social.

The voice acting of Aoyama, Suzushiro, Mizuno, Hasegawa, Senbongi, and Uchida in Bocchi the Rock! shines through and grounds the show itself, especially during songs. The same can be said for those voicing Hiroi's fellow band members, Eliza Shimizu and Shima Iwashita, or those voicing Hitori's mother, father, sister, and dog.

Many of the voice actors in the series are recognizable due to their voice performances in previous anime. This includes their voice overs for characters in well-known series such as Princess Tutu, Non Non Biyori, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Bloom Into You, and The Promised Neverland.

Others have voiced characters in My Master Has No Tail, Love After World Domination, The Demon Girl Next Door, and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. This seasoned voice talent makes Bocchi the Rock! a much stronger series than anime which have newer voice actors.

The series has Bocchi at its core, its heart. Bocchi drives the series forward. Unlike series such as Wednesday, where Wednesday Addams holds the series up to such an extent that without her it would collapse, other characters serve as supporting pillars.

Bocchi's moodiness, emotion, and social awkwardness often all combine together, even causing her disappear or turn into nothingness, especially when she is experiencing too much social interaction or stimulation. While this is not necessarily realistic, it is relatable.

As such, she is more relatable than the aforementioned Komi or Hitori, in their respective series, or even the protagonists of Aharen-san wa Hakarenai and Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club. However, her character is not unique, as there are various shy, timid, and socially awkward characters across anime, something which is more common than ever.

Bocchi the Rock! centers on a socially awkward protagonist, with a focus on what friendship means, and balancing one's social abilities with possible social exhaustion. This sets her apart from other characters with similar characteristics.

If there is anywhere the story falls down or falls short, it is the fact that it focuses primarily on Bocchi and not as much on other characters. None of the parents or guardians of the other protagonists are shown in the series. However, this is not as extreme as the hyper-focus on Steven in Steven Universe Future to the detriment of additional characters. In this series, viewers can still see some depth of others characters apart from Bocchi.

Some fans have argued that Bocchi the Rock! has yuri subtext. One prominent yuri news site, Yuri Anime News, even listed it on their website, without detailing how this subtext is manifested in the series itself. These arguments are sound. Ikuko seems to have some feelings for Ryo, despite the fact that Ryo does not mean to attract people to her, and looks relatively androgynous.

This is one area the series could be stronger: going beyond yuri subtext. Even other series airing this fall, such as Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit and Management of a Novice Alchemist, have more prominent yuri undertones. The latter even has a textual yuri relationship between two supporting characters which is occasionally shown on screen.

Despite these criticisms, Bocchi the Rock! still stands out, especially among recent music anime series, not falling into the usual set-up of such series. The focus of the series on social awkwardness and music is the reason I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Bocchi the Rock! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[newsintheshell]

Bocchi The Rock!: l’anime arriverà questo autunno, online il primo trailer

La commedia musicale debutterà sulle tv giapponesi l’8 ottobre.

C’è voluto un po’, ma finalmente possiamo avere un primo vero assaggio di “Bocchi the Rock!”, in vista dell’imminente debutto della serie animata, basata sull’omonima commedia slice of life in salsa rock di Aki Hamaji.

Il trailer ufficiale, pubblicato giusto oggi, annuncia inoltre che l’anime comincerà ad andare in onda dall’8 ottobre.

L’adattamento è in lavorazione presso lo studio CLOVERWORKS (My Dress-Up Darling, Akebi's Sailor Uniform) e a dirigerlo c’è Keiichiro Saito (ACCA: L’Ispettorato delle 13 Province - Regards), con l’assistenza da parte di Yusuke Yamamoto.   

Della sceneggiatura si sta occupando Erika Yoshida (Tower of God, Artiswitch), mentre il character design e le musiche sono ad opera, rispettivamente, di Kerorira (direttore d’animazione in Wonder Egg Priority) e Tomoki Kikuya (Wasteful Days of High School Girls, Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World).

Hitori Goto è una liceale che ha iniziato a imparare a suonare la chitarra perché sogna di far parte di una band, ma è così timida che finora non è riuscita a farsi neanche un amico. Tuttavia, il suo sogno potrebbe diventare realtà dopo aver incontrato Nijika Ijichi, una ragazza che suona la batteria e che sta cercando una nuova chitarrista per la sua band.

Nel cast troviamo:

Hitori Goto: Yoshino Aoyama (Yoshino Nanase in Wake Up, Girls!)

Nijika Ijichi: Sayumi Suzushiro (Haru Nabatame in Shine Post)

Ryo Yamada: Saku Mizuno (Rena Hananoi in Selection Project)

Ikuyo Kita: Ikumi Hasegawa (Vladilena Milizé in 86 - Eighty Six)

Il manga 4-koma (formato di striscia a fumetti composta da 4 vignette) viene serializzato in Giappone dal 2018 e attualmente conta quattro volumetti; il 5° uscirà in Giappone il 26 novembre.

* NON VUOI PERDERTI NEANCHE UN POST? ENTRA NEL CANALE TELEGRAM! *

Autore: SilenziO)))

[FONTE]

[gonagaiworld]

La nuova visual dell'adattamento anime di Bocchi the Rock! annuncia la première di ottobre #AkiHamaji #Anime #BocchitheRock #CloverWorks

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Lois Schindeler shot by Kiki London for Hamaji Studio, 2024

[kikilondonn]

Lois Schindeler shot by Kiki London for Hamaji Studio, 2024