Bocchi the Rock vol. 2
You could boil my review of vol. 1 down to me saying, “The anime was better.” It didn’t mean that volume was bad, but it was still true. That continues to be the case for vol. 2 of this series as Bocchi angsts about not hanging out with her bandmates during summer vacation, dreads performing at her upcoming school festival, and freaks out when she finds out how much money her YouTube channel has made. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as mangaka Aki Hamazi’s comic timing is solid and they continue to find a good balance between putting Bocchi in cringily funny situations, and showcasing her actual growth in spite of these things.
The manga also manages to do one thing better than the anime in a key scene, even. It happens during Kessoku Band’s performance at the school festival and while the anime has them performing a killer song at the end of their set. While I could tell that one of her guitar strings broke during it, I was always unclear on the specifics of what else went wrong with it. The manga slowed that scene down and gave me the additional information I needed. As a result, her recovery comes off a lot more smoothly here.
Better still is that the manga’s story finally moves past the part the anime covered and we get a look at what’s in store for the future of Bocchi and her bandmates. While I wouldn’t say any of the developments showcased here are surprising, they’ve got the potential to be interesting. Particularly the introduction of an online critic who’s super-hyped for Bocchi’s future – to the point where she wants her to ditch her bandmates and make a proper solo debut. Even if that’s not going to happen, her appearance does give the narrative some direction and momentum for the next volume.