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EP. REVIEW: Bocchi the Rock!

NeedMoreCats wrote:

I think my favorite part of this episode was all the visuals of dams—better than sparkles any day! I laughed out loud

Yep. I kinda feel like I can't just come in here every week and say the same things.. but once again, this show continues it's fantastic visual creativity.

And after I said last week they only used static cameras (admittedly to great effect) they stuck one to the end of Bocchi's guitar for a bit. I'll consider myself suitably chastised.

also go watch Ongaku (anime film)! and then watch Swing Girls - for Hibike! Euphonium/ Waterboys for Free! etc (Naoto Takenaka stars in all 3 movies)

So Swing Girls is like a live action version of Sound! Euphonium? I've always wanted to watch Euphonium because it sounds like a cross between K-On! and Nodame Cantabile, which I love. I'm having trouble finding a decent-looking/decently priced copy of Linda Linda Linda, sadly, but I can definitely see how it inspired the concert scene in Haruhi. Wasn't there also an anime/film focusing on the saxophone?

I tend to dislike GoPro guitar headstock mounts in real concert footage since that's not how anyone actually experiences a live concert (although it's fine for vlogging and guitar hero YouTube videos), but dynamic cams are strangely appealing in anime, and obviously helpful for rotoscope animation.

Euphonium is pretty different from K-on, closer to Nodame between the two but not really the same either. Its less humour base and more drama I guess, sorta romance in some way.

I think it works here because quite aside from being a bit novel and different within the context of this series... it's the sort of thing an amateur band does? It's kinda weird and clunky and would be motion sickness inducing for any period longer than a couple of seconds...and therefore it's perfect.

meiam wrote:

Euphonium is pretty different from K-on, closer to Nodame between the two but not really the same either. Its less humour base and more drama I guess, sorta romance in some way.

Good to know. I don't mind that, actually -- it's great to have some variety in the musical genre. I wouldn't want all music-centered anime series to be comedies (although I found that tonally Nodame managed to strike a good balance between humor and drama).

Thesarum wrote:

I think it works here because quite aside from being a bit novel and different within the context of this series... it's the sort of thing an amateur band does? It's kinda weird and clunky and would be motion sickness inducing for any period longer than a couple of seconds...and therefore it's perfect.

It's definitely fitting here from an aesthetic perspective, yes, and it's also a very widespread filming technique among streamer guitarists because of its DIY-aspect. So in that sense, the headmounted cam is also particularly appropriate for Bocchi, given her background.

EDIT (11/13): Just watched Ep. 6 and read the review, which was great because of how it captures the show's underlying sense of empathy (although I beg to differ regarding the humor being lackluster this week).

Damn, Bocchi sure can shred. I loved every second of the street concert. The introduction of Kikuri/unnamed girl was side-splitting and as an "old rocker" myself I can totally relate to her "happiness spiral". As we keep saying every week, this show continues to be breathtakingly creative from a visual perspective, from the "mother-father-ticket" multiplication bit at the start to the fireworks ending the episode with a literal bang. This has easily become my favorite series of the season (I'm still planning on checking out Do it Yourself!! and Bibliophile Princess, for the record). Also, does Ryou sneezing at the end of the episode mean that someone is going to have to fill in for her at the concert?

Ryou sneezing was because Bocchi was talking about her. spoiler[Bocci saying "This feels strangely familiar" is a reference to episode 4 when Bocci had to pay for Ryou's lunch because she was broke again.]

XR250rdr wrote:

Ryou sneezing was because Bocchi was talking about her. spoiler[Bocci saying "This feels strangely familiar" is a reference to episode 4 when Bocci had to pay for Ryou's lunch because she was broke again.]

I got the reference to Ep. 4 and realized that she meant Ryou but I admit I didn't get that this was the reason for her sneezing. It definitely makes sense in hindsight but I didn't make the connection at first (I was initially reminded of Bocchi getting sick earlier, and I thought that it's almost too much of a coincidence that the new girl also plays bass, so I was convinced the sneeze might actually be foreshadowing later events.)

You know, it's sort of a meme joking about bass players in the rock/metal community. So no wonder both bassists we saw here are... quirky.

If she doesn't find another way to cope, ol' "Kikuri" is going to find herself inducted into the 27 Club. :/

I was really glad to see Bocchi knew well enough to not follow Kikuri's path for exorcising her demons.

I had a friend in college who was in danger of going down that road. She amazed me one morning after a round of serious drinking by resolving to go sober --- and and impressed me when she followed through on that goal.