Lonely Rolling Bocchi

"**Lonely Rolling Bocchi**" (転がるぼっち, *Korogaru Bocchi*) is the first episode of the anime series, *Bocchi the Rock!*. It premiered on October 9, 2022.

## Synopsis

Hitori Gotoh is a girl who is extremely shy and gloomy. She longed for band activities and started playing the guitar, but she couldn't make friends and practiced alone every day. One day, Nijika Ijichi, who plays the drum in a band called "Kessoku Band", asks her to play support the guitar for just one day.

## Plot

At preschool, Hitori missed her chance and the teacher joined her. During lunch, the teacher shares her sausage with Hitori.

At her home, Hitori checks her phone for notifications. Her little sister Futari is playing around with that dog Jimihen. Hitori seems that people on TV would be the same as each other. She asks her father to use the guitar. She wears the guitar with a strap and will be learning by that and she plans to form a band at school. She starts practicing the guitar with her family is watching.

Three years later, she becomes a master of the guitar, but she practiced six hours every day. As the result, she could not perform at the culture festival, she could not invite the members of a band, and she has no friends for three whole years. The Gotoh family takes a picture of when Hitori graduated. Hitori uploads a cover video and looked for the comments of the previous video. Hitori closes her laptop to make her memory. During middle school, Hitori bought their CDs, she bought her band merch to show it off, and she requested a song about death metal. At present, Hitori needs to get rid of her flashbacks. She opens her laptop to show their replies to a seen comment. She got an idea for that school.

The next day, Hitori holds her guitar case and band merch and looks for a transparent mirror. After attending high school, she enters the classroom, and those students are not looking for her. She zips up a jersey, changing a rubber band to another hand, and is sleepy after the next lesson. After school, she thinks about the last night. She surprised herself with her heart pounding when the students are talking. Kita hesitates with the guitar.

At the playground, Hitori looks that kid and seems happy. A kid with her family needed to get dinner. She looks at her phone for a subscriber, and she makes not go to school. Nijika quickly looks for a guitar and runs to Hitori. Hitori feels nervous that cannot talk to her. Nijika knows her that first name after Hitori introduces herself. She begs her to play the guitar for her band today. Nijika grabs Hitori's hand to follow the live house.

After arriving at Shimokitazawa, Hitori seems introverted while Nijika talks to her. Hitori thinking about her. She smells Nijika's hair as well. Nijika reveals the Shimokitazawa live house is called STARRY and her sister is the manager. Hitori keeps pounding her heart. Hitori is not good at athletics when Nijika asks her, but she is only good at dodgeball. Hitori keeps pounding again with the live house. She imagines the first solo show at ZEPP! Super Arena. She may be that she who sold out the Budokan, Nijika surprisingly it. Hitori hesitates that the live house is the dark land.

After going to STARRY, Hitori changed her home to STARRY, but Nijika is not a home for Hitori. PA-san greets the two people, and Hitori forgets arrogance for her. Nijika talks to Ryo for introducing Hitori. Hitori quickly introduces herself. Ryo doesn't call her "weird". She already talks to the manager, but she needs to practice in the studio. Nijika quickly went to the studio, with Ryo and Hitori.

At the studio, Nijika gives the list and score to Hitori, but Hitori can handle the song, without vocals. Hitori bonks her chest. She plugs in her guitar into the speaker, and Nijika begins to perform it. After the performance, Nijika and Ryo think that Hitori sucks at guitar. A guitar man explains that Hitori cannot communicate. He changed her into the sub-water flea. Hitori becomes a comedian as Plankton Gotoh. She narrates about the story ends, the roll credits start with a background song.

Sometimes later, Nijika needs to start the band, but Hitori was still introverting. Hitori thinks to use a harakiri but uses her guitar instead. Nijika and Ryo talking to Hitori about the "rock". Ryo is the only friend Nijika, Nijika just chills for Hitori. Hitori memorizes Nijika and Ryo from her past life. Nijika didn't know about that guitarhero, but Hitori realizes that guitarhero was on the internet site. Hitori feels relaxed when Nijika will be sent a link. She is shocked when guitarhero is cringy. Nijika is planning to watch it with her later. Hitori fates herself when she was in the past. Hitori stands up and tries to talk about it, but she cannot do it. Ryo picks the Ripe Mango card box and Hitori plays the card box at all times. Nijika asks Hitori when how to call a name, Hitori used nicknames such as "Hey" and "You there". Ryo gets a nickname for Hitori "Bocchi(-chan)", Hitori seems happy with her first nickname. Bocchi didn't know the band name yet, so Ryo decides on the band name "Kessoku Band", Bocchi didn't know the meaning of Kessoku Band. Nijika is ashamed of the worst pun and the band name will change it, Ryo reacts to the band name as cute. Nijika to support Bocchi when working on the skill part next time.

At the performance, Kessoku Band introduces the audience will enjoy the song. The manager does not know about that card box. Bocchi thinks about playing the card box during a performance and she makes so much fun but does not shine.

After the performance, Bocchi became depressed. She ambushes Nijika and Ryo and she needs to say hello to her classmates before our next performance. Nijika decides to welcome the party Bocchi. Bocchi becomes exhausted to go home and Ryo becomes sleepy.

When Bocchi leaves the live house, she needs to get rid of social anxiety and bring her powers. She bumps into that person when walking and says sorry to the person.

## Characters

List of characters in order of appearance:

* Hitori Gotoh (debut)
* Futari Gotoh (debut; flashback)
* Jimihen (debut; flashback)
* Naoki Gotoh (debut; flashback)
* Michiyo Gotoh (debut; flashback)
* Ikuyo Kita (debut; minor)
* Nijika Ijichi (debut)
* PA-san (debut; minor)
* Ryo Yamada (debut)
* Seika Ijichi (debut; minor)

## Cast

* **Hitori Gotoh**: Yoshino Aoyama
* **Nijika Ijichi**: Sayumi Suzushiro
* **Ryo Yamada**: Saku Mizuno
* **Ikuyo Kita**: Ikumi Hasegawa

* **Seika Ijichi**: Maaya Uchida
* **PA-san / Jimihen**: Kotori Koiwai
* **Naoki Gotoh**: Junji Majima
* **Michiyo Gotoh**: Rie Suegara
* **Futari Gotoh**: Misaki Watada

## Gallery

### Materials

Prop designer 1Prop designer 2Script cover
### Videos

TVアニメ「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」第1話「転がるぼっち」WEB予告Web preview for episode 1ぼっち・ざ・とーく！-1 -TVアニメ「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」10-8(土)24時より放送開始！Bocchi the Talk! - 01
## Trivia

* Title card color: Pink
* Ending quote was said by Bocchi.
* Title of the episode is derived from "Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu".
* In Hitori's room:
	+ The poster of the third single by HAKO-BOON is a parody of KANA-BOON's third single "Full Drive".
	+ The poster of the sixth single "Kaimono Nedari" (かいものねだり) is also a parody of KANA-BOON's sixth single "Nandemo Nedari" as a regular edition.
* French and German use the English translation title as "Rolling Bocchi", and Italian uses the alternate English translation title as "Falling Bocchi".
* Title of the episode is revealed in *Manga Time Kirara MAX* August 2022 issue when Aoyama is holding her Japanese script during the interview.
* This episode was prescreened to Shinjuku Wald 9 on October 5, 2022, along with episode 2, three days before the regular broadcast premieres.
* A manuscript of the episode was completed on December 13, 2020, before the anime announcement in two months.

### Adaptation notes

* The anime adds the following:
	+ Hitori was in preschool.
	+ The Gotoh family is taking a picture at graduation.
	+ Hitori is checking for transparent mirror when the style looks so cool.
	+ Hitori smells Nijika's hair while walking.
	+ Bocchi used a harakiri using her guitar.
	+ Bocchi bumping the person when walking at night.
* Kita and Seika appear briefly in the anime.
* A Budokan concert ZIPPER Super Arena was changed to ZEPP! Super Arena in the anime.
* When Hitori tells Nijika needs to go home today, but it is cut in the anime.
* In the manga, Nijika knows as guitarhero in the street. In the anime, Nijika knows as guitarhero at the live house STARRY.
* Hitori's father, Naoki is officially named in the ending credits since the manga doesn't have an official name.

## References

1. ↑ Translated from the official website.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Aoyama's interview on Discord
3. ↑ TVアニメ「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」公式 [@BTR\_anime] (2022, September 14). "🎵先行上映会開催決定🎵" [Tweet]. Twitter.
4. ↑ 梅原翔太 [@kafunsyokougun] (2022, October 8). "今夜3時間後の「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」脚本は吉田恵里香さんです！第40回の向田邦子賞の受賞、本当にすごいです。4コマ漫画をどう１つ１つの話数に、そして全体としてまとめていくか、これは吉田さんのおかげとしか言えない脚本力でした。監督の目指したい物語を具現化してくれた最初の人です" [Tweet]. Twitter.