Bocchi the Rock! (manga)

Spoiler warning!This page may contain potential spoilers. Please proceed with caution.

## *Bocchi the Rock!*

January 2024 issue featuring Nijika Ijichi and Ryo Yamada.

## Information

### Original run

February 2018 - April 2018 (Guest serialization)
May 2018 - present

### Cost

¥901 (Volume 1)
¥935 (Volume 2-3)
¥968 (Volume 4-)

“*Even if you're introverted, rock it out!*”
―The series' catchphrase
***Bocchi the Rock!*** (ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！, *Bocchi za Rokku!*), abbreviated as ***BTR!*** (ぼざろ, *Bozaro*), is a Japanese manga series by Aki Hamazi, serialized in *Manga Time Kirara MAX* since February 2018 issue.

An anthology comic of the series was revealed in August 2022 and released in October 2022.

On April 7, 2023, during Sakura-Con 2023 day 2, Yen Press licensed the manga series.

## Plot

Bocchi takes the stage and she’s brought her best friend—crippling anxiety! After bringing her guitar to school provokes zero interest, Hitori’s ready to shrivel up and die—until Nijika begs her to fill in for her band’s live performance!

## Overview

After finishing the serialization of the author's previous work, *Kirari Books Meisouchu!*, Hamazi decided to choose a band-themed 4-koma manga from its hobbies other than the manga.

The manga ranked the 8th place in the NEXT MANGA AWARDS 2019 in "Comics Category."

While the stage of *K-ON!*, Which is a hit work of a series magazine and also deals with girls' bands by high school girls, is a high school club activity (light music club), the theme is a band that is active mainly in a live house. In an interview, Hamazi said that it was one of the parts that it was conscious of in trying to differentiate itself.

Some of the characters are derived from real bandsmen, and the frontispieces of each story are from real bands such as "oddloop" by Frederic (chapter 5) and "Wakamono no Subete" by Fujifabric (chapter 13). A composition that covers the page of the music video is used.

After the release in the April 2021 issue of *Manga Time Kirara MAX*, an anime adaptation has been announced.

## Characters

### Kessoku Band

The main unit band of the series and based on Shimokitazawa's live house STARRY. The surnames of the band members are derived from the members of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. The members' birthdays are reversed readings of the corresponding members' birthdays. The members had matched instrumental roles as well.

Hitori Gotoh (後(ご)藤(とう) ひとり, *Gotō Hitori*)
A gloomy person, who plays the lead guitar and lyrics. She is in the first year of Shuka High School.
Nijika Ijichi (伊(い)地(じ)知(ち) 虹(にじ)夏(か), *Ijichi Nijika*)
An energetic girl, who plays the drummer. She is in the second year of Shimokitazawa High School.
Ryo Yamada (山(やま)田(だ) リョウ, *Yamada Ryō*)
A solitary girl, who plays the bass. She is in the second year of Shimokitazawa High School, she has the best friend of Nijika.
Ikuyo Kita (喜(き)多(た) 郁(いく)代(よ), *Kita Ikuyo*)
A popular and bright girl, who plays the guitar and vocals. She is in her first year of Shuka High School.
### SICK HACK

A talented psychedelic rock band based on Shinjuku's live house FOLT. The surnames of the band members are derived from the members of 88Kasyo Junrei. The members had matched instrumental roles as well.

Kikuri Hiroi (廣(ひろ)井(い) きくり, *Hiroi Kikuri*)
The bass and vocals of the band. She is a kōhai at the college of Seika.
Eliza Shimizu (清(し)水(みず) イライザ, *Shimizu Iraiza*)
The guitar of the band. She is interested in manga and anime and wants to be an anime song cover rather than a rock.
Shima Iwashita (岩(いわ)下(した) 志(し)麻(ま), *Iwashita Shima*)
The drummer of the band. She calls "Shima-sama" by the audience.
### SIDEROS

A metal band composed of members of the same age as Kessoku Band. The surnames of the band members are derived from the members of Kinniku Shojo Tai. The members had matched instrumental roles as well.

Yoyoko Ohtsuki (大(おお)槻(つき) ヨヨコ, *Ōtsuki Yoyoko*)
The guitar and vocals of the band. She admires Hiroi to call "Nee-san" in the same live house.
Akubi Hasegawa (長谷(はせ)川(がわ) あくび, *Hasegawa Akubi*)
The drummer of the band. She refers to Ohtsuki as "Senpai" and adds "(suffix)-ssu" at the end of her sentences.
Fuko Honjo (本(ほん)城(じょう) 楓(ふう)子(こ), *Honjō Fūko*)
The second guitar of the band. Ohtsuki called her "Senpai" and Hasegawa calls "Ha-chan" or "Fu-chan".
Yuyu Uchida (内(うち)田(だ) 幽々(ゆゆ), *Uchida Yuyu*)
The bass of the band. She has many gothic lolita clothes, she also has an occult hobby.
### Others

Ginjiro Yoshida (吉(よし)田(だ) 銀(ぎん)次(じ)郎(ろう), *Yoshida Ginjirō*)
He is the manager of the live house, FOLT. He speaks in feminine language.
Aiko Sato (佐(さ)藤(とう) 愛(あい)子(こ), *Satō Aiko*)
Also known as Poison♡Yami (ぽいずん♡やみ, *Poizun♡Yami*). She is a freelance writer who contributes to music information sites.
Tsuguko Sasaki (佐々(ささ)木(き) 次(つぐ)子(こ), *Sasaki Tsuguko*)
Hitori and Kita's classmates in the second year of Shuka High School. She also calls "Sattsu" by nickname.
Miyako Shiba (司(し)馬(ば) 都(みやこ), *Shiba Miyako*)
She is the manager of the music label, Stray Beat. She is in charge of the management of Kessoku Band.
Nene Ohyama (大(おお)山(やま) 猫々(ねね), *Ōyama Nene*)
She is in the first year of Shuka High School, after Hitori and Kita's second year.
Elena Hinata (日向(ひなた) 恵(え)恋(れ)奈(な), *Hinata Erena*)
She is a kōhai of Hitori at the live house STARRY.
### Relatives

Seika Ijichi (伊(い)地(じ)知(ち) 星(せい)歌(か), *Ijichi Seika*)
Nijika's older sister. She is the manager of the live house, STARRY.
Futari Gotoh (後(ご)藤(とう) ふたり, *Gotō Futari*)
Hitori's little sister. She is not afraid to meet someone for the first time.
Michiyo Gotoh (後(ご)藤(とう) 美(み)智(ち)代(よ), *Gotō Michiyo*)
Hitori's mother. She is worried about her older daughter.
## Other bands and music groups

Kemonoria (ケモノリア)
An electro-rock band made up of members of the same age as the Kessoku Band. The vocalist of an art college student belongs and is active mainly in Tokyo. Mikakunin Riot will be in the same group as Kessoku Band and SIDEROS in the live screening.
Nanba Girls (なんばガールズ, *Nanba Gāruzu*)
A band made up of members of the same age as the Kessoku Band. The band is active in Osaka.
Tenshi no Cuticle (天使のキューティクル, *Tenshi no Kyūtikuru*, lit. "Angel Cuticle") / Shinin no Carnival (屍人のカーニバル, *Shinin no Kānibaru*, lit. "Carnival of Corpses") / Usui (臼井)
An underground idol group/death metal band/individual who was invited to the same booking live as Kessoku Band. The faces were unintentionally gathered just to fill the schedule of the live house, including Kessoku Band, but from that edge, Mikakunin Riot goes to support Kessoku Band.
## Locations

STARRY
A live house in Shimokitazawa where Kessoku Band is based. Seika is the store manager and is said to have recently opened. In addition to being used for Kessoku Band live performances and practices, it is also a part-time job for members to cover the cost of live performances. The live house Shimokitazawa SHELTER is the model of the exterior.
FOLT
A live house in Shinjuku where SICK HACK and SIDEROS are based. Yoshida is the store manager. The live house Shinjuku LOFT is the model of the exterior.
Shuka High School (秀華高校, *Shūka Kōkō*)
The high school that Hitori and Kita attend. The high school is co-education.
Shimokitazawa High School (下北沢高校, *Shimokitazawa Kōkō*)
The high school that Nijika and Ryo attend. According to Kita, she is much smarter than Shuka High School.
Ishibashi Instrument (イシバシ楽器, *Ishibashi Gakki*)
A musical instrument store in Ochanomizu that Hitori used when buying a new guitar. It is modeled after a musical instrument store of the same name that exists in Ochanomizu, and in the work, Seika was working on before opening the live house STARRY.
Mikakunin Riot (未確認ライオット, *Mikakunin Raiotto*, lit. "Unidentified Riot")
A rock festival limited to teenage artists, where Kessoku Band decided to prove their ability after being denied by Poison♡Yami. The final judging will be held in a festival format after demo judging, web voting, and live judging. The winning prize is one million yen, and it is said that the major debut may be decided from here. The model is MIKAKUNIN FESTIVAL (未確認フェスティバル, *Mikakunin Fesutibaru*, lit. "Unidentified Festival", 2015–2019) and its predecessor and successor, SENKO RIOT (閃光ライオット, *Senkō Raiotto*, lit. "Flash Riot", 2008–2014, 2023–). Yoshino Aoyama, the voice actor for Hitori, appeared on SENKO RIOT 2023 as the opening act, under the name of Kessoku Band, and played "Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu." The band members were almost the same as the soundtrack for the anime, but Aoyama also played guitar: Yoshino Aoyama (guitar and vocal), Ritsuo Mitsui (guitar), Osamu Hidai (drums), and Yuichi Takama (bass).
## Chapter list

Chapters here are numbered in integers per serialization order in *Manga Time Kirara MAX*. Story chronology or inclusion sequence in tankōbon volume may be different.

## Volume list

### Anthology Comic

 2 |  | August 25, 2023
 Thank you for making the TV anime a blockbuster! Here is Bocchi the Rock! Anthology Comic Volume 2!
The cover is drawn by Ookuma Rasuko from Hoshikuzu Telepath which anime will broadcasts in October 2023, and the back cover is by Yasashi Naizo from shinigami.com! In addition, many talented authors such as Mebachi, Fuji Fujino, Yunon Nagayama and Sunao Kasuga also partcipated! Hope you will enjoy this "Bocchi the Rock" comic that is quite different than usual!

## Spinoffs

### *Bocchi the Rock! Gaiden: Hiroi Kikuri no Fukazake Nikki*

*Hiroi Kikuri no Fukazake Nikki* is a spinoff centered towards Kikuri Hiroi, one of the character in the series. It is announced on April 2, 2023 and serialized in *COMIC FUZ* starting on July 9, 2023 with chapters being biweekly. Compared to the main series, this series is not presented in 4-koma style. kumichou is the artist and author for this series.

The series is focused on Kikuri Hiroi's daily life and how she dealt with it. It also provided alternative views to events in main story as well, with the timeline is set to start before her exact debut event in the main series.

## Publishing in other countries

### Taiwan

Tong Li Publishing holds the license for publishing in Taiwan. Published under the name "孤獨搖滾！" (pinyin: Gūdúyáogǔn !), the latest volume, Volume 6 is published on October 2, 2023

### South Korea

The manga is published in Korean by Daewon C.I under the name "봇치더록" (romanized: Botchideorok). The last volume published in Korean is Volume 5, on May 10, 2023.

### Vietnam

The manga has been set to be licensed in Vietnamese by Kim Dong Publishing House, with release dates is yet to be announced.

### France

The manga has been licensed in French by Meian with Volume 1 and 2 has been released on August 10, 2023. Other releases has dates upcoming, with the last volume, Volume 5 is set to be published on May 17, 2024

### Argentina

The manga is announced as one of the Ivrea Argentina upcoming license on November 11, 2023 with release in early 2024. Ivrea Argentina is the first company which published the manga in Spanish.

## Other media

### Anime

*Main article: Bocchi the Rock! (anime)*

An anime series was announced after the release of *Manga Time Kirara MAX* April 2021 issue. The anime premiered from October 9 to December 25, 2022.

### *Kirara Fantasia*

On October 9, 2022, after the first episode premiere of the anime, the main characters appeared on October 12, 2022, in a defunct mobile RPG game, *Kirara Fantasia*.

## Gallery

### Magazine covers

April 2019 issueApril 2020 issueApril 2021 issueJune 2021 issueAugust 2021 issueSeptember 2021 issueApril 2022 issueJuly 2022 issueOctober 2022 issueNovember 2022 issueDecember 2022 issueJanuary 2023 issueFebruary 2023 issueMay 2023 issueOctober 2023 issueJanuary 2024 issue
### Clean covers

Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3Volume 4Volume 5Volume 6
### Character illustrations

Volume 1 feat. Hitori GotohVolume 2 feat. Nijika IjichiVolume 3 feat. Ryo YamadaVolume 4 feat. Ikuyo KitaVolume 5 feat. Seika IjichiVolume 6 feat. Kikuri Hiroi
## Trivia

* Volume design covers were made by Tomoyuki Uchikoga at CHProduction.
* Kirara MAX issues that contains Chapters 9, 18, 19, 28, 31, 34, 36, 37, 41, 45, 46, 48, 50, 51, 56, 59, 61, 64, 65, and 67 are released outside the usual monthly release dates of the magazine (19th each month), due to the date overlapped with weekends or any public holidays that month. Usually, the dates are brought to any earlier weekdays.
* Chapter 25 was part of the November 2019 issue of *Manga Time Kirara Carat*, another *Manga Time Kirara* sister magazine as a special guest chapter, and later included as part of volume 2 tankōbon.
* Three chapters are delayed for a month for the following reasons:
	+ Chapter 40 has been delayed from March 2021 issue to April 2021 issue, due to Hamazi working on tankōbon-exclusive contents.
	+ Chapter 50 has been delayed from January 2022 issue to February 2022 issue due to the author's poor health.
	+ Chapter 71 has been delayed from January 2024 issue to February 2024 issue for no specific reasons, but mainly due to commitments of Aki Hamazi for Volume 6 contents and her Comiket activities.
* The banner of Manga Time Kirara Web was featured as Hitori Gotoh from September 2022 to October 2023, replacing Yuko Yoshida, Momo Chiyoda, and Kotone Kazairo, and later replaced by Umika Konohoshi from *Hoshikuzu Telepath*.
* Chapter 61 is the first time has a titled "Love Flowers Pointing at the Stars" (星に手向けるあいの花, *Hoshi ni Tamukeru Ai no Hana*).
	+ Chapter 61 only appeared later in *Manga Time Kirara MAX* January 2023 issue serialization-wise, hence the number 61, despite also being included in Volume 5 tankōbon as a special chapter. Volume 5 proper chapters only include up to Chapter 57 (September 2022 issue). Both *Manga Time Kirara MAX* January 2023 issue and Volume 5 tankōbon were released in November 2022.
	+ Chapter 61 is also the first and only serial chapter that is not presented in 4-koma style.
* *Bocchi the Rock!* is the last entry in *Kirara Fantasia* before it shut down on that date.

## See also

* Timeline
* Chapter allusions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://twitter.com/yenpress/status/1644494017332117504
ましろ (February 27, 2019). 【インタビュー】『ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！』はまじあき「きららの女子高生だって、学校以外に居場所があっていい」 (Japanese). *media.comicspace.jp*. comicspace. Retrieved on May 29, 2022.
歴代受賞作品 - 次にくるマンガ大賞 2022 (Japanese). *tsugimanga.jp*. KADOKAWA CORPORATION. Retrieved on May 29, 2022.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 まんがタイムきらら編集部 [@mangatimekirara] (2021, February 18). "【速報】『ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！』TVアニメ化決定！というわけで今月号の表紙＆巻頭カラーは『ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！』です！！今回はまだアニメ化決定の情報だけですが、続報は今後本誌で順次発表していく予定ですので、お楽しみに！" [Tweet]. Twitter.
音楽ナタリー編集部 (February 7, 2023). 集え10代の才能！「閃光ライオット」9年ぶりに復活. 音楽ナタリー. Retrieved on April 15, 2023.
仲瀬 コウタロウ (August 9, 2023). 「ぼざろ」後藤ひとり役・青山吉能が“結束バンド”としてオープニングアクトに！「閃光ライオット」. アニメ！アニメ！. Retrieved on September 2, 2023.
ドラマガWeb (January 10, 2023). アニメ『ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！』内バンド、結束バンドがヒットチャートで話題！ドラムは比田井 修が担当. Rittor Music, Inc.. Retrieved on September 2, 2023.
音楽ナタリー編集部 (July 31, 2023). 「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」結束バンドが「閃光ライオット」のオープニングアクト担当. 音楽ナタリー. Retrieved on September 2, 2023.
9. ↑ Blog Meian : Nouvelle Licence Meian : Bocchi the Rock! (meian-editions.fr)
10. ↑ ¡Resumen de anuncios Ivreality Live! | Ivreality (www.ivreality.com.ar/2023/11/11/resumen-de-anuncio/)
11. ↑ TVアニメ「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」公式 [@BTR\_anime] (2022, September 14). "本ビジュアル公開" [Tweet]. Twitter.
「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」参戦決定！ (Japanese). *Kirara Fantasia Official Website*. Aniplex (October 9, 2022). Retrieved on October 12, 2022.
13. ↑ 内古閑智之［CHP］ [@uchikoga] (2019, January 26). "『ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！』（はまじあき先生）のカバーが本日公開されました（色校正中）。デザイン担当しています。2月27日発売。" [Tweet]. Twitter.
14. ↑ 内古閑智之［CHP］ [@uchikoga] (2020, February 25). "バンド仕事といえば、『ぼっち・ざ・ろっく』第2巻（はまじあき先生 @hamazi\_\_ ）が2月27日発売です。毎巻ジャケット作るつもりでデザインも変えていきます。分かりにくいけど1巻は黒。2巻は濃紺です。" [Tweet]. Twitter.
15. ↑ 内古閑智之［CHP］ [@uchikoga] (2021, January 23). "もうひとつ、“バンド”なお仕事。『ぼっち・ざ・ろっく』第3巻（はまじあき先生）の書影も公開されました。2月25日発売。こちらも引き続き担当しています。" [Tweet]. Twitter.
16. ↑ 内古閑智之［CHP］ [@uchikoga] (2022, July 26). "脱・陰キャ装丁！？10月からのアニメ（アニメ版デザインも）もお楽しみに" [Tweet]. Twitter.

## External links

* Japanese volume listing at Houbunsha
* English volume listing at Yen Press