Yūki Andō’s critically acclaimed slice-of-life manga series “Bocchi the Rock!” was animated and fully aired in this October to December anime season, the show raked in hundreds of thousands of views and the fans loved it. But will you?

“Bocchi the Rock!” follows the story of Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou, an introverted loner schoolgirl whose love of rock music and playing the guitar propels her to the decision of creating her rock band before schooling is over and to one day become a rockstar. However, her shyness and lack of confidence holds her back from pursuing her dreams. After weeks of trying to muster up the courage to start her band, Bocchi is approached by her bubbly, energetic upperclassman and amateur drummer Nijika Ijichi, who is searching for a new guitarist for her band to perform that evening after their lead guitarist had fled before their first show. Bocchi is taken to Nijika’s older sister’s bar named Starry where she is introduced to the other band member, Ryou Yamada, a cool and solitary bass player. After some much-needed band practice Kessoku Band takes to the stage with their new solo guitarist Bocchi but due to missing their vocalist and lead guitarist, the band puts on a less than subpar performance. Despite this, the band stays committed and vows to improve their musical talent and put on better shows before their high school days are over.

The charm of “Bocchi the Rock!” does not just come from the excellently composed musical pieces (as a guitar player the animation of Ryou and Bocchi playing is impressively accurate), but the author’s attention to each character. Not only does Bocchi receive a great deal of character development as she learns to manage her social anxiety and improve her guitar skills but each character whether they are a main part of the story or not each is equipped with a respectable deal of character development and challenges they each face. Yūki Andō made sure of this to create a memorable cast of characters that are well developed with unique personalities and goals.

I would recommend “Bocchi the Rock!” to anyone who is not just only a fan of the slice-of-life genre but enjoys music and can appreciate the work Yūki Andō has put in to develop a fun and enjoyable coming-of-age story, even if you are a typical Shonen anime fan or not an anime fan at all there is something for everyone to enjoy in “Bocchi the Rock!”.