Bocchi the Rock Ch. 80 Review - Passing on Lessons
Written by Rei Caldombra 9/3/2024 Video: https://youtu.be/-xj5-c0Lqf8
Previous chapter: https://www.blogunderalog.com/blog-collection/bocchi-the-rock-ch-79-review
This is a fantastic chapter, showing off the great theming and character writing that makes Bocchi the Rock so much more than just a good comedy. This chapter calls back on the experiences Bocchi has gone through over the series, with her using these lessons to help Ame. The concert delivered the wholesome ending I wanted, with Bocchi teaching Ame to see how the world truly views her- as a loved and respected musician.
As we saw last chapter, Bocchi successfully lures Ame here with the trap of Bocchi goods. This part is really funny but also shows how much more confident she has become. She used to get all giddy and smooth-brained just thinking about having a fan, but now she can actively take advantage of her status like a true rock star. She is doing it with good intentions though, unlike most stars sadly.
We also see this messy but legitimate confidence and assertiveness in her dialogue with Nijika. She and the others are unsure whether playing Ame’s old song is the right call, but her reassurance wins them over. Bocchi has said and done a lot of crazy stuff that is not for the best, and they still consider her to be a mildly concerning and weird person. But they have noticed her past accomplishments and how in these moments of assertiveness, she usually has the right thing to say. Nijika being the one to say this calls back to their 1 on 1 scene after their first proper show. Back then Nijika saw Bocchi step up when it really mattered and said she was like a hero. Bocchi is doing that same thing here and is having a “heroic” moment towards Ame. Nijika gets a vague idea of her intentions based on how Bocchi is acting and what she said earlier. This time Nijika knows ahead of time that Bocchi is going to do something unexpected, but she has full trust in her.
This is the bond that Bocchi has formed with Nijika that I absolutely adore. Nijika is the leader of Kessoku Band and anything bad happening because she gave Bocchi the reigns would fall on her. But she, and the others, have faith in Bocchi to not mess things up when it counts. So they will support her plans wholeheartedly. This trust built over the series through Bocchi’s actions is the bond that ties Kessoku Band together.
Back to Ame in the venue, she has never been to a concert before. She has been a huge fan of music but never went to an in-person event. This is representative of how she is a terminally online shut-in, which is the major cause of her problems. She gets a big dose of the concert experience with two Kessoku Band superfans shouting their support.
At first glance I thought these were Fan 1 and Fan 2 (that’s literally their names) as it would make sense for Bocchi’s first two fans to be the ones interacting with Guitar Hero’s earliest fan that we know of (Ame) but it’s not. It can be hard to tell very minor characters apart sometimes with the lack of color and more normal designs. These two are Hinata Erena (left) and Oyama Nene (right). They were introduced in volume 5 in chapter 52 if you want to get acquainted with them. That chapter is also very funny, I highly recommend it. They’re basically a super otaku and a jock who love bands, including Kessoku Band. They also work part-time at Starry. They make sense to use here because they were both inspired by Bocchi, same as Ame. These two have the courage to show their support in person on their own, but Ame needed to be bribed to come. It makes sense to put these three next to each other to show how they’re in the same place because of Bocchi, but with different contexts.
I’ve talked at length about how Ame is a very similar character to Bocchi, carrying a lot of the issues she did before her growth in Kessoku Band. She is an insecure shut-in who overthinks and overreacts to the smallest of issues. Deep down Ame was unable to truly believe that people liked her work despite her success. She interpreted the world through the lens of someone looking at responses online and other second-hand sources. Such as Bocchi, who messed up and told her inaccurate info when the controversy first cropped up. That moment wasn’t just to have an anxiety-fueled miscommunication joke, it also shows how Ame’s source of information was flawed. She doesn’t have many real experiences that aren’t dictated by her internal biases.
In the same way Bocchi used to have her confidence crumble and cause her to hide in a box from some criticism, Ame wanted to quit being a musician because of some bad comments online. Bocchi gained enough self-awareness to see herself in Ame. So she wanted to set her on the path that she was put on by all the people who have supported her. She orchestrated the concert to help Ame realize that far more people support her than don’t, when all Ame can focus on is the people who don’t. And this is what Bocchi accomplished by playing Chameleon.
The broken glass is the negative lens Ame was looking at the world through being shattered. She is hearing the cheers and praise from the crowd, including someone who already knows that it is her song. This is not a room full of people out to get her; it’s a room full of people enjoying a song she wrote. She’s finally seeing things for how they really are.
I mentioned that Bocchi has become self-aware through her growth, and used her past experiences to help Ame. Bocchi used their concert to teach Ame the same lesson Kikuri taught her in their street performance. Bocchi thought everyone was out to get her, looking for an opportunity to criticize her. But once she got out in front of people for real, she heard Fan 1 and Fan 2 praise her and had that misconception broken.
Kikuri was a person who struggled with anxiety and confidence and imparted what she learned onto her fellow struggler Bocchi. Now Bocchi has done the same for Ame. The student has become the teacher. This is a wonderful expression of how Bocchi has matured as a person.
Ame reads the message loud and clear. Since she is here in person hearing and feeling the room, she has nothing to overthink or misinterpret. Bocchi and the other people here support her.
This chapter ends with the confirmation that some of the tertiary characters were able to generally pick up on Bocchi’s intentions. Nijika and the others think they pulled off whatever it is they thought Bocchi was doing, and Warabi has a happy expression knowing that the wall she felt around Ame has been broken down.
This chapter exemplifies how Bocchi the Rock is so much more than just anxiety comedy that makes you go “she’s just like me fr fr”. It does go for that and there’s nothing wrong with it, but there is much more value in this series than just that. It’s not just trying to make the anxiety-filled people feel seen and understood, it shows how a person can grow through seeking new and challenging experiences. Bocchi was only able to learn the lesson about people because she did not run away from the street performance. Ame only learned this lesson because she stayed for the performance. A lot of us are like Ame and Bocchi, and you aren’t a failure for having these struggles. But Bocchi the Rock is also showing you how through hard work and courage, you can surpass these issues. It is validating people with severe anxiety and related issues, but it also encourages you to not simply accept how you are and stay stagnant. It is discouraging you from basing your self-worth on bad sources, and that you need to push yourself to improve.
I loved this chapter and consider it to be one of the best moments of the series! The concert arc showcased the best of Bocchi the Rock’s characters and themes that raise it high above a simple wholesome and funny series. Thank you for reading!
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