Will there be a Bocchi the Rock! season 2? That’s the question that most of us have on our minds after watching the first season. After the first season’s wholesome finale, we are all eager to have another run of Bocchi the Rock!’s light-hearted comedy. But when to expect a follow-up season? If you’re here to find that out, keep reading as we talk about Bocchi the Rock! Season 2 release date and everything else we know about it so far!
Aki Hamaji’s manga series “Bocchi the Rock!” is often classified as a CGDCT title, i.e., ‘Cute Girls Doing Cute Things’ as it features only female protagonists in a slice-of-life setting.
But the series doesn’t have an aimless plot where girls are there only to show off their ‘cuteness.’ Instead, Bocchi the Rock! uses humor to depict the real-life struggles of an introverted artist who is desperate for human attention.
So, Bocchi the Rock! isn’t a CGDCT at all, but it’s something of a ‘seinen comedy’ as well.
With such a unique combination, Bocchi the Rock! manga ended up selling millions of copies, earning it 8th rank in the 5th ‘Next Manga Awards’ of 2019. This led fans to begin demanding an anime adaptation.
However, Bocchi the Rock!’s manga is arranged in a 4-Koma format where an entire bundle of emotions is conveyed through a single panel containing 4-equal-sized strips. In other words, the manga’s minimalistic content made it extremely challenging to create a worth-watching anime.
But CloverWorks Studio not only precisely adapted the manga into anime but also added bits of creative fillers that streamlined the flow of the story.
As a result, Bocchi the Rock! broke all rating charts for any slice-of-life anime, earning high ratings from otakus worldwide. Since the first season was a big success, it didn’t make sense that the finale gave no hint of a renewal.
This didn’t quite make sense to fans who rushed to the internet to find out if there would be a Bocchi the Rock! season 2.
Although we don’t have a confirmed answer yet, it seems there’ll be a season 2 because this series is popular. So, a second season will be profitable for everyone involved, including fans! So, the real question is not if there will be a season 2, but when will Bocchi the Rock season 2 come out?
Bocchi the Rock! Season 2 Release Date Expectations:
Unfortunately, the second season of Bocchi the Rock! is not yet confirmed. So there are no official release dates. As fans, we hope the series will come out soon, but I think the series will likely get delayed at least until next year.
The reason why I think so is not just because there was a 1½ year gap between Bocchi the Rock! season 1 announcement and release date. It’s because CloverWorks Studio has a jam-packed schedule for the year 2023.
The studio currently has titles like Horimiya: Piece, Wind Breaker, The Elusive Samurai, Spy x Family Season 2, and movies including Spy x Family Code: White and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out scheduled to come out in the coming months. Also, CloverWorks has already announced a sequel for My Dress-up Darling, but its release date is still not announced.
That said, Bocchi the Rock!’s manga has enough material available to create another season. Also, the anime’s hype is growing as it was recently crowned “Anime of the Year” during the 9th Anime Trending Awards 2023.
So, we can expect a renewal announcement soon enough.
Since the cast and crew will likely reprise their roles, we can expect CloverWorks to start Bocchi the Rock! season 2 production immediately after renewing the series.
If that happens, we will see Keiichiro Saito and Yusuke Yamamoto as the main directors. Meanwhile, Erika Yoshida, Yusuke Kawakami, Tomiki Kikutani, and Kerorira will return as the scriptwriter, animation director, music director, and character designer, respectively.
And so, we expect that Yoshiro Aoyama will voice Hitori Goto, i.e., Bocchi, Sayumi Suzushiro will voice Nijika Ijichi, Saku Mizuno will voice Ryo Yamada and Ikumi Hasegawa will voice Ikuyo Kita.
What is Bocchi the Rock! Anime All About?
Owing to her crippling social anxiety, Hitori Goto is unable to make friends. But after witnessing a shy musician’s interview, Hitori decides to become an artist as she assumes that having lots of fans will bring more opportunities for new friends to ‘find’ her.
As Hitori starts posting guitar covers of famous songs on her Youtube channel, she becomes famous under the alias “Guitarhero.” But she remains friendless throughout the middle school as all her plans for social contact rely on some ‘friends’ approaching her first.
But things change when a girl named Nijika Ijichi requests Hitori to replace their guitarist, who had abandoned their band moments before their live performance.
Unable to decline, Hitori follows Nijika to an underground bar only to play the guitar under a box to manage her anxiety. This causes her band members to name her “Bocchi” – the Japanese slang for ‘Extreme Loner.’
As the series progresses, Bocchi drains herself talking to strangers as she must now work in a bar to finance her band performances, sell tickets, and visit new places.
But her exposure to new people gives her enough courage to ask her class fellow, Ikuyo Kita, to become the lead vocalist. However, Ikuyo is revealed to be the same guitarist who had abandoned the band earlier. Later, Ikuyo confesses that she was only pretending to be a guitarist to impress others.
While the band spends a lot of time together, they often praise “Guitarhero” without realizing that Bocchi is the ‘Guitarhero.’
During the season 1 finale of Bocchi the Rock!, Hitori’s guitar chords break down during the live concert. Though her band members help her, Bocchi still panics and jumps off the stage.
Later, Bocchi’s father reveals that he had secretly monetized her ‘Guitarhero’ account and gives her money to buy a new guitar. But Bocchi struggles to talk to shopkeepers, so her bandmates come to guide her.
So, Bocchi the Rock! season 2 will likely feature Hitori’s secret of being ‘Guitarhero’ coming out. And so the series will show how Bocchi will deal with fame and social anxiety among bigger audiences.
We can also expect other band members to experience some growth. After all, the anime has also shown how introverts can flee situations when they feel embarrassed.
However, Bocchi the Rock! will probably not involve romantic tropes as it features an all-girl band and focuses on social anxiety. But if you wish to know exactly what will happen next, you can always opt to read the manga.
Is Bocchi the Rock! Manga Finished?
No, Aki Hamaji’s manga series Bocchi the Rock! is still ongoing and currently contains over 65 chapters, with most of them compiled in 5 tankōbon volumes.
The manga debuted in Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Max Magazine on December 19, 2017, and is updated in the same magazine on a monthly basis. So, there’s no telling when the series will come to an end.
That said, the manga is still only available in Japanese, but during Sakura-Con 2023, Yen Press promised official English translations by the fall of this year.
FAQs:
How Many Episodes Will Be There in Bocchi the Rock! Season 2?
Bocchi the Rock! season 1 contained 12 episodes covering 20 manga chapters, i.e., about two manga volumes. By extension, the second season of Bocchi the Rock! will also likely have 12 episodes covering manga chapters 21-40.
But there are more than 55 chapters in the series. So, after a second season, there is also hope for a season or even a movie adaptation.
Where to Watch Bocchi the Rock?
Since Bocchi the Rock! has been licensed by both Crunchyroll and Plus Media Networks Asia, the choice of streaming service will depend on your region.
So, if you are from Southeast Asia, i.e., South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, then Aniplus Asia or Bilibili will be streaming the series for you. Meanwhile, Crunchyroll will be streaming the series in regions beyond Southeast Asia.
Conclusion
Since Bocchi the Rock! isn’t renewed for a second season yet, we don’t know when it will come out. But we can expect an announcement in the near future as the series is very popular.
While the renewal announcement is still not made, I’ll keep updating this article as new information becomes available regarding Bocchi the Rock! season 2.
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