A second season of the hit 2022 slice-of-life music anime Bocchi The Rock! was announced last Sunday. The announcement visual showcases the titular main guitarist of the show Hitori Gotoh holding up two of her fingers in a piece sign, confirming the production of Season 2.
A teaser trailer was also released, further showing both live-action footage of live house SHELTER (the real-life inspiration of live house STARRY in the show) and several clips of the anime, before showing a board saying “We will Be back!”, directly referencing Kessoku Band’s Live Tour “We Will B”.
The announcement also came with the reveal of the main staff handling the project, with initial online reactions showing mild fan concern over Season 1 assistant director Yusuke Yamamoto taking over as the main director for Season 2.
News of a second season also came as a surprise to fans, as a recent special broadcast of the series’ spinoff radio show ‘Bocchi The Radio!’ saw Season 1 director Keiichiro Saito mentioning that he originally did not intend to make a Season 2 for Bocchi The Rock, citing the difficulties in the increasing focus on music in the upcoming plotlines in the source material.
However, it is worth noting that Saito has since celebrated the Season 2 announcement, giving his full support to Yamamoto.
Bocchi The Rock! is based on the 4-koma manga of the same name written and illustrated by Aki Hamazi which is serialized in Manga Time Kirara. The series received a sudden surge in popularity due to several clips of the anime going viral online during the initial Season 1 run of the anime. Hamazi also celebrated the Season 2 announcement with a celebratory illustration featuring the rest of the main cast.
The story follows the struggles of the anxiety-ridden but highly skilled guitarist Hitori “Bocchi” Gotoh as she longs to become popular by being part of a band. One fateful day, Bocchi was invited by the outgoing drummer Nijika Ijichi to join her band Kessoku Band. Together with the bassist Ryou Yamada and guitarist/vocalist Ikuyo Kita, the group works together as bandmates to further improve as musicians while enjoying their youth.
Source: Bocchi The Rock anime website
