REVIEW: ‘Bocchi The Rock!,’ Episode 4 – “Jumping Girl(s)”

Bocchi The Rock is a slice-of-life anime produced by CloverWorks. With the final member of the band found, Bocchi The Rock Episode 4 sees the girls seeking ways to gel as a group. Merch, photos, and social media are all on the table. Meanwhile, Hitori has to craft the lyrics for the band’s first song.

A lot of little threads get woven through this week’s story. Starting with its opening with Hitori helping Kita with her guitar playing, the show does an impressive job of taking its central characters from one situation to another, allowing each to come together to form a far more cohesive narrative than I’d expected.

At the core of Bocchi The Rock Episode 4 is a band meeting where the girls set their immediate goals now that the band is at full strength. The two immediate objectives are crafting an image for their band and getting their first song written. This scene wonderfully captures the enthusiasm and passion of youth. Among the realistic concepts the girls work out, there are also big projects like fan clubs that are getting a bit ahead of where they clearly are. The excitement of the group delivers the sensation that anything is possible when you are just starting a monumental task.

Along with the larger planning, Hitori gets reminded that she was chosen to write the lyrics for their first song, while Ryo writes the music. This has the effect any viewer of the show would expect. Hitori spirals into a montage of procrastination and worry over whether or not she can write lyrics that will resonate with others, until she gets a message asking her to meet up with her bandmates once again.

How Bocchi The Rock! Episode 4 depicts Hitori and her assumptions about the meet-up is yet another instance where I felt like the show had been written about me somehow. The worst-case scenario Hitori crafts is as ridiculous as it is believable that she would think it is real. Rather than her worst fears, Hitori and company end up having a fun sequence of building themselves together as a band.

But while the whole of the band has some great moments, the stand-out of this part of the story is Ryo. She has some truly wonderful moments where, after some monumental effort, Hitori confides in her about the lyrics and her struggles with crafting them. How Ryo responds is touching and just what Hitori needs. Plus, the scene is capped with a perfectly executed joke to let the moment go out with a genuine laugh.

The show’s visual presentation does a great job of keeping up with the episode’s shifting energy. The excitement of the band is delivered with just as much skill as the show has given its star and her many panic-induced fantasies.

Bocchi The Rock Episode 4 comes together to help solidify its core cast and push them toward their next step on the road to rock stardom. I can’t wait to hear what Hitori’s first song will sound like.

Bocchi The Rock Episode 4 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.