Bocchi the Rock Ch. 81 Review - Bold Steps Forward
Written by Rei Caldombra 10/7/24 Video: https://youtu.be/1FkRtJ53VSU
Previous chapter: https://www.blogunderalog.com/blog-collection/bocchi-the-rock-ch-80-review
This chapter deals with the aftermath of the concert and how everyone involved will be moving forward in their careers in unexpected but positive ways.
Ooyama and Hinata held down the Starry fort well while the Kessoku Band members were busy with their exams, concert, and album work. The only problem is that Bocchi’s insecurity over being outdone by newbies (we saw this with Kita back when she was first introduced) means Seika needs to not schedule them at the same time. It’s gotta be tough for best girl to have to handle all these crazy kids. It’s so cute that Seika considers Bocchi to be the “guardian spirit” of the venue and that Nijika doesn’t want Bocchi to be babied too much. The Nijika sisters love their Bocchi. We’ve seen Seika doting on Bocchi more than the other members multiple times in the series, such as her getting depressed when she was unable to see Bocchi in her maid uniform during the school festival. And her bothering to make scheduling harder for herself just so Bocchi is happier is more proof of that.
Their music video hit 3 million views, which is genuinely a pretty insane success for a small band and a label that doesn’t seem to be major. Looks like their avant-garde director truly is up to snuff. Everyone is super happy about its success, Oyama is such a strong supporter that she is crying while telling them that she was apparently view farming. Even if that is the case it is still cause for celebration.
Of course Bocchi is getting high off the success and getting carried away. Bocchi’s Palenciaga bag is a parody of the Balenciaga brand. I’m not very knowledgeable on that brand and fashion as a whole, but from doing some light research I can see how it’d be considered hipster. Bocchi definitely did not need to spend that much money on a bag just for the fashion statement. We can assume that Bocchi genuinely did buy this bag, as in previous scenes in the series they actually have the items for visual gags. Like when Ryo, Kita and Bocchi dressed as stereotypical boyband members. It’s been confirmed by the author that Bocchi is not a normal human, so when she pops she genuinely does. Gags are generally actually happening in universe, that’s the hidden craziness of Bocchi the Rock.
Nijika brings Bocchi back down to earth by reminding her she was barely in the MV and getting carried away causes problems. Bocchi is going to farm herself for content on Guitar Hero to earn back the money from her hipster outfit. Warabi gives Bocchi some compliments on her MCing from the show and Bocchi goes straight back up to space. Warabi came to do an Instagram stream with Kessoku Band. After Bocchi embarrasses herself by hyping herself up, Ame comes in to steal the show.
If you need a reminder about what happened in the last chapter, Bocchi used the performance and her MCing to shatter Ame’s negative self-talk and pessimistic outlook. Ame thanks the fans and Kessoku Band for supporting her, insisting that she will no longer run away from her problems. Ame then drops a bomb- she isn’t going to listen to the haters anymore and tells them to drop dead.
I love this shock panel, I can't wait to see this in the anime!
This of course shocks and concerns everyone, as it’s a true 0 to 100 moment that you’d never expect from a timid girl like Ame. I love Nijika labeling Ame as a “Bocchi-type” as she went from being meek to confrontational at the strangest times. Even Nijika sees the parallels, which I have thoroughly explained in my previous chapter reviews. Ame then thanks Bocchi for guiding her. Even though she is scared and wants to take back what she said, she now knows that she can believe in herself and stick to it. She’ll get more popular and show them. Bocchi is a mix of proud and concerned, the same way people generally look at Bocchi’s weird ways of thinking.
We then get another complete surprise, Ame forms a new band with Oyama and Hinata to do on the side, providing her a chance to be physically in view. She realized that she needs to break out of her comfort zone, so sticking to music but taking a front-facing roll is a smart move for her character. This is a good step forward for her and will give Oyama and Hinata more to do, so I like this development. Maybe they’ll end up opening for Kessoku Band someday.
The controversy has drummed up major attention online, with Seika hilariously taking the controversy as a big win for drawing attention to Kessoku Band. Everyone but poor Nijika (even Kita) is getting caught up in the success and only considering the benefits of better numbers regardless of the cause. Sorry to burst your bubble people, 1 view pays on average around 1-3 cents. If they truly got 3 million views and were already monetized they could get a nice amount of money but would maybe be enough for one Balenciaga bag lol. If that money was not going straight to the label per Nijika. Too bad they aren’t getting any of that, both Ryo and Bocchi have overspent. These two tend to get carried away with frivolous spending, hopefully, Ryo won’t be back to eating weeds.
The last point of note is that Kessoku Band’s single is doing better than expected, so they will be moving forward with making a CD. Seika is adorable again, presenting a congratulatory cake she had prepared. In the end, everyone is really happy with how well everything is going, and they have full right to be.
This was a simple wholesome chapter that laid the groundwork for how all our young musicians will be moving forward in their careers. Thanks for reading!
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