The Most Relatable Anime of All Time (Bocchi The Rock)

Social Anxiety in anime can be hit or miss. I break down how one anime (Bocchi The Rock) is able to accurately portray someone with this type of anxiety arguably better than everyone's favorite anime girl Komi from Komi Can't Communicate and why.
SOCIAL MEDIA
linktr.ee/theanimetea
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Bocchi The Rock vs Komi Can't Communicate
0:56 Social Anxiety Definition
2:10 Bocchi the Rock is Relateable
5:45 Komi Is Not Relatable
10:37 Cute Girl Anime vs Shonen Romance
12:20 Advice for Writers/Future Mangaka
RESOURCES
Anime Mentioned:
Bocchi the Rock! | 2022
Komi Can't Communicate | 2021
K-ON! | 2009
References:
- Bocchi the Rock mangaka twitter (Aki Hamaji): / hamazi__
- Social Anxiety Definition: adaa.org/understanding-anxiet...
- Social Anxiety After COVID Article: adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-t...
- Manga Time Kirara Max Magazine Cover / 1592880352124891139
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MUSIC
PURPOSE
My name is Phoenix and I dive into the world of visual storytelling in anime and sometimes manga on a weekly basis.
#bocchitherock #komicantcommunicate #animereveiw
LEGAL INFO
I do not own any of the animated content in this video.
The Anime Tea is owned and operated by On Cash Flow LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in the state of Tennessee, USA. This content is for informational purposes only. Some links provided may be part of an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means of compensation for referring traffic and business to other companies.

[@bombshell454]

Yeah, I was disappointed with Komi Can't Communicate due to how it didn't feel relatable. She just seems like some perfect, "shy" girl trope who was exaggerated rather than a person struggling with social anxiety and such. Just some perfect "waifu" and she's a kid too which feels weird considering I see a lot of adults sexualizing her. You worded it perfectly lol.

[@lewa3910]

This^

[@TheAnimeTea]

I really wanted to relate to Komi because many other fans seemed to but just couldn't. And unfortunately the sexualizing part is really prominent towards high school girls in anime and a huge problem in the fandom especially when the creators of the series also promote it. Anywho... thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts!

[@xerxesmontes9828]

You mean the constant "She's so pretty!" every 2 seconds whenever a by stander sees Komi wasn't pleasant to you?? (sarcasm)

[@bombshell454]

@@xerxesmontes9828 lol I actually find that part endearing but still, yeah, she's constantly made to be the object of desire know it was sarcasm but I did genuinely find that stuff cute

[@xerxesmontes9828]

@@bombshell454 i just found it too much after the first 2 episodes. Similar to what "Rental Girlfriend" does to the main girl. Its like they're trying to stuff our throats with the idea that they should be valued because they're beautiful. Hate that they imply that girls not traditionally attractive shouldnt be adored as well. They put too much value on the physical of the girl(s), I just didnt care for it.

[@teapartypenguin1353]

I think my biggest thing in how Bocchi and Komi are different is how they choose to exaggerate social anxiety, usually for comedic effect. Like Komi's version of social anxiety is exaggerated to the point where she never talks, doesn't emote much, and can only communicate through writing or stuttered speech (to the point where some fans argue that she may also be on the spectrum). Which is an exaggeration for comedic effect, but can be less relatable because most people with social anxiety don't have it to that extreme. But Bocchi's exaggerations for comedic effect come from the artstyle changes to herself to show how she's feeling, or through her intrusive thoughts and daydreams. Which feels a bit more grounded and relatable because that's really exactly how my anxiety feels sometimes. Like the suggestion of socializing has me glitching out of framerate. Or intrusive daydreams take me right out of the now. Hope that makes sense.

[@miyuki-sama9559]

But the think is both series start basically with the same goal

[@reneesalinas]

The whole "wear merch" thing has got to be some unspoken tactic amongst people with social anxiety cause when she did that, it just made me think about when I wore a RWBY shirt to my college orientation and ended up with a new friend group in less than 10 minutes, and I couldn't help but laugh at myself cause like, that was me. New school, new town, new people, new fears, and 1 shirt got me 5 new friends who liked a LOT of the same sht I did before the semester even started. When it didn't work for her, it just made me think how if it hadn't for me, how different would my college experience have been? Probably significantly more boring, I know that much...

[@boshwa20]

I've done that thing hundreds of times and no matter how many times it works, the times it doesn't make me want to die

[@gj810]

Asa Mitaka from CSM is such a good representation of a socially awkward girl without being treated as a "cute" quirk but a real deal for her

[@STN4D]

One thing I like about the anime is the fact that Hitori is visibly showing signs of changes and growth even without being that obvious. One recent thing is the fact that she was the one who struck a conversation with Nijika to check up on her. And of course, we have her literally conquering her anxiety in other episodes. Also her thoughts are... somehow reasonable despite the anime exaggeration; it doesn't even feel like an exaggeration for me.

[@mnyasnobrat6010]

Oh a point I'd like to add is that bocchi is not only relatable as a character with social anxiety but also nails the musician aspect very well, for example the part with recording alone vs playing along with a band, concert quotas to fill up the club, stage fright and hearing that everyone from the band sounds worse than the rehearsals (that one was from a recent episode but it really hit home). Overall as a musician with social anxiety I thought this show was made for me, because it was so relatable

[@tokitobe2450]

Bocchi is *infinitely* more relatable -- especially how she makes all these unseen efforts so that people will take initiative and talk to her (new accessories, carrying the guitar to school), but the cold hard reality is nobody goes out of their way to talk to the shy girl or boy, they have to come out of their shel themselves. It really speaks to a lot of introverts' (myself included) futile "efforts" to make other people take the first step and talk to us. The only unrealistic part is all her friends feeling responsible for inviting her out to stuff. In real life, it's tiring to have to take care of a friend who lacks initiative. But other than that, Bocchi was a lovely anime about introversion and social anxiety.

[@jduff59]

Social Anxiety makes the life of a musician even more difficult than it already is. I had a similar problem and needed drugs and alcohol to be able to (barely) cope. Musicians have to meet so many different people - whether you want to or not. Some people love it and some people (like ones with anxiety) wish they could hide under a rock before and after a show. Bocchi is doing her best, and it's heartwarming to see her struggles. I hope we get a happy ending in this story. I opted to drop off the map and have been hiding from music ever since. I don't miss it. People are so scary.

[@kimaryor-c8614]

I really found Bocchi The Rock to be a much more "women centered" show indeed, it didn't make me feel like I was watching a depiction of someone "waifus" or wtv but a genuine group of girls just having fun, playing music and growing together. I was also very happy by the inclusion of Kita as a out sapphic character even though she didn't end up in a relationship with anybody I really found that touching to see her crushing on Ryo without it being played for laughs or sexualized in anyway it was super wholesome I also quickly point out that the author of the anime seem to be gendered in the feminine (she/her) for interviews with the production team, I've also heard their voice on their KZbin channel and granted they do sound pretty "masculine", I don't think they ever stated their gender and/or pronouns they use (outside of the emoji/ which isn't on their profile anymore btw) so I don't think it's very fair to assume that it is a man.

[@noahbossier1131]

Makes sense.

[@aprilclevinger9963]

"literally I'm screaming in my head 90 percent of the time" lol saaame but yeah I'm loving Bocchi so much, I love her anxiety-induced freak outs. I also enjoyed Komi as well, but I definitely also find Bocchi a lot more relatable and not just a cute waifu or whatever :D

[@noonecarestillyouregone]

Well, Komi was relatable in the first episode. There’s different kinds of social anxiety and I loved it at first because her anxiety is kind of similar to mine, but they were straying hard from that anxiety aspect and going more into cutemperfect popular girl who just can’t speak to people and it stopped being relatable and as hyped as people made it seem after the first episode. It was hardly funny to me too, just became generic unfortunately. That’s why the first season is more than enough for me.

[@Mariamox]

I do wish they went more into that

[@pasindudinusha6507]

Even though Komi struggles with her anxiety she doesn't have many issues because everyone treats her like a queen.

[@TheAnimeTea]

UPDATE: Just learned that the mangaka of Bocchi the Rock is a woman! When researching this there wasn’t much English public knowledge about their identity. Either way, my thoughts are mostly the same…With the caveat that we need more women creating cute girls doing cute thing series! Hey all! What are some of your favorite socially anxious/awkward characters in anime or manga? I also want to add that just because I don't find Komi relatable doesn't mean that she isn't relatable to others. Whether you relate more to her or Bocchi either way is understandable. Thanks for watching!

[@tothebeyond6318]

kobeni from chainsaw man and hitoribochhi

[@tothebeyond6318]

Ririka from Kakegurui

[@tothebeyond6318]

Aya Asagiri and Kosame Amagai from magical girl site

[@tothebeyond6318]

Tanaka Kun is Always Listless

[@tothebeyond6318]

Mikuru Asahina - Melancholy of Suzumiya

[@minmodulation]

Bocchi has taken more from Tomoko in Watamote or even from Welcome from the NHK - dysfunctional, highly imaginative, erratic, sometimes actually concerning and unhealthy, Meanwhile, many other depictions of social anxiety have them be too pure, demure, perfect, wonderful, kind - and also, like Komi, only ever seeing her from the Outside In from the perspective of the male lead. The original Komi One-shot actually had her be more awkward and weird but the series sort of whitewashed her more to make her a more perfect love interest. Bocchi however has no real romance which helps clear that up (Bocchi trying to get a boyfriend would be an absolute nightmare lol). Also nice Lio cosplay!

[@fats2010]

Your point about not really getting to see Komi's own thoughts is genuinely so good, it really puts into words why I didn't find Komi that great. A great paralleled show would be Kaguya-sama, it's another romance named after the main female character, except this one's seinen, and we see into both MC's psyche just as often. I honestly cannot imagine how differently I'd view Kaguya-sama if a narrator or Miyuki told us Kaguya's thoughts. I think the issue with Komi is that the mangaka wants Komi speaking to be a rare and big moment for her, and hearing her inner thoughts would change how special hearing her voice would be as the viewer. I do think the lack of sexualisation/people fawning over Bocchi also goes a REALLY long way in keeping it relatable, i really can't help but roll my eyes seeing everyone's insane obsession with Komi in the show and I feel like it kinda detracts from the whole 'socially anxious person trying to make friends' shtick

[@nadirafant6428]

Oh I see others also mentioned watamote xD just to spice things up, some other anime who have characters who experience social anxiety are the main protag from Welcome to the NHK and the main hero from jobless reincarnation, with the former being more realistic of the two, even with the rampant conspiracies theories lol Both main characters are NEETS and deal with anxiety around leaving their house and are almost trapped by the fear of other people ridiculing them. Even when most typical Isekai totally ignore the characters previous life, I did like how rudeous (jobless reincarnation) social anxiety in his previous life still was a factor even after he was reincarnated.

[@aelvric7579]

She's one of those "Just like me, fr" characters. Bocchi, you're my new favorite

[@moth3506]

Thank you for making this video! I’ve heard of Bocchi the rock, but your video convinced me to watch it! I’m always looking for media about people with social anxiety finding friends. It’s comforting. I absolutely agree with you! While I do find Komi relatable, at the same time I kind of wish she was more weird, more of a mess, or at least had flaws that aren’t also super endearing and cute. She seems less like her own character, and more like a character for the audience to be like “Awww shes so cute I need to protect her!!!” She just seems too perfect.

[@dvillines26]

the problem even extends to Tadano, who is supposed to be the audience insert, but he isn't really flawed enough to be a good one. He's too good, too kind, too damn noble, and most of the time the narrative validates his perception, except when it would be funnier not to do so, or when it comes to his romance with Komi. Self-inserting as Tadano allows an audience member to imagine themselves as the nice guy that gets the girl. It's actually pretty cynical. When I think about a good shounen romantic lead, I think about boys with a significant flaw or problem, most notably Hachiman in Oregairu. He's a standoffish asshole, and the author deliberately suckers people into self-inserting in order to call out his behavior and show the problems with his attitude and approach to life. As a result, he's actually more relatable! That's how you write a GOOD shounen romance lead. Komi-san is a 'cute' show, but when it reaches for some kind of sentimental beauty, it hasn't earned it at all because its characters aren't emotionally real. It's a meta anime, in the sense that it's only comprehensible in the context of the genre it exists in, and in heavy dialogue with it, happily either playing into or subverting tropes, but still trafficking in tropes. It's a good show for what it is, but what it is has huge limits as an artistic approach, while having wide mass appeal. That being said, the show is not as popular in Japan as Westerners think it might be.

[@lilyarios1026]

Thank you for touching on "Komi-san can't communicate", at first she was relatable, but then they turned her into this perfect, shy girl waifu.

[@peachesandcream8753]

I love Bocchi The Rock because of how real her social anxiety is and the consequences of it. I'd say Komi and Bocchi are equally as relatable but for two different types of social anxiety. I had social anxiety as a teenager, kind of still do but it's not nearly as bad, while also being introverted, and would be screaming in my head while barely speaking a word (the words I do speak are blunt and to the point where people take it as a joke), appearing to be aloof instead of awkward, so more like Komi than Bocchi. I'm still like this to this day, I have entire conversations in my head and play out scenarios of how a social interaction could go (which never goes that way), but I have an aloof exterior where I've been told I seem intimidating or, as the girls at work recently told me, I "slay" (? I'm not sure what that means). I was popular at school too (I'm not sure how that happened because I barely spoke), and would get dragged around by the popular girls when all I wanted to do was go to the library to read or the art room to draw. Bocchi is tiring to deal with, she breaks down at the smallest of things that even I'm getting exasperated by her behaviour, but it's realistic from what I've seen from other people suffering with social anxiety. The fact that the girls are willing to put up with Bocchi, and her fits of awkward social anxiety, speaks a lot to *their* characters and how good natured they are, but I would really like to see, in later episodes, the girls getting tired of it too. Having to deal with someone elses anxiety does take its toll, which will hopefully spur Bocchi to change, and it's not fair to have everyone else deal with your problems by having to console you because you're anxious about something.

[@ronaldoalberto3510]

I haven't watched Bocchi yet but I'm assuming her social anxiety is a little bit more like mine where I have a nervous breakdown over the dumbest things (I'm gonna get help for it). I agree with you. It definitely takes a toll on other people, and it ends up ruining friendships and familial relationships. I'll be very happy if the anime included an episode where her friends are fed up with her, it will add onto its realistic portrayal of social anxiety. My sister and parents don't show it but I can tell they are fed up with me and my constant worrying. I had a friend in 9th grade who tried to be my friend but I was so stuck in thinking she secretly didn't like me and only hung around me because she pitied to the point where I actually did end up driving her away by the next year (I'm surprised she didn't leave me sooner).

[@blueegg4198]

A word I've come across recently and been really drawn to is "interiority", and it sprang to mind when you talked about the contrast between the portrayals of Bocchi and Komi. We see Bocchi's inner thoughts, feelings, experiences, and thus we can relate to her, we can say she just like me fr. On the other hand, Komi is a black box; it's harder to say she just like me fr when we can only infer what she thinks and how she feels. It's not impossible; after all, in real life we face that same challenge, but empathy can still connect us. But much of the power of fiction is the ability to dive into another person's mind, and whose mind we're diving into changes who we relate to. This comment is getting away from me. There's a lot more to be said about interiority and who it's granted to, but I don't want to write an essay here. Just wanted to back up what a spot on video this was!

[@pomaslept2075]

Exactly! Also your Mitsumi pfp is epic

[@shamilevergreen6200]

This topic reminds me of Tsukimi from Princess Jellyfish, she was a relatable character I loved, as a nerdy and socially anxious person whose inner thoughts we could see; and her interests weren’t portrayed as a bad thing. I haven’t seen Bocchi yet but I’m eager to, thank you for sharing your thoughts on it!

[@nmx0014]

One subtle scene I loved was when Hitori left the club and was running happily, because it was such a strong change from appearing miserably scared to fully expressing how much fun she was having only AFTER she left and was alone. And it relates to when we first saw Hitori meet Nijika, because she didn't appear cutesy and shy, she was actually really standoff-ish. I feel like it shows how social anxiety can cause people to be so scared or closed-off during socializing, but it doesn't have to ruin socializing completely. It also shows how the friendliness of her bandmembers does affect Hitori positively, even if she can't show it in the moment.

[@Andyxws]

Bocchi can be so relatable at times, is not like I got socially anxiust all the time like her but there are moments that it gets just like that, some parts are a bit extreme of course for the comedy (which they do a fantastic job honestly) but the base of it really makes you go "Damn I get that, been there"

[@chiyoeatyourtomatoes]

I think the reason why BTR is so relatable is that the mangaka is because she may be female. Not sure why ♂️ is included in the Twitter bio because it has nothing to do with the translation given by Google, but the link to their VTube channel was also included, where you can hear the mangaka's voice. Loved your analysis overall! It seems like all the character's names in Komi Can't Communicate are meant to be a play on words, so I always thought there was a lot of attention on that and how cute Komi is instead of the subject of her development as a person. At least, that's how it is in the anime. [Spoiler territory ahead, so turn back if you haven't read the manga] It seems like the mangaka may be weaning Komi off relying on Tadano, though. Although there are romantic implications in the anime and Komi's feelings get confirmed in the manga, the real subject of the series seems to come to the forefront as Komi makes a friend who is finally real with her and spells out exactly where it is she needs to grow. I haven't caught up by any means, but I've rather enjoyed Komi's time away from Tadano, as I've also gotten tired of the quiet female interpreter trope I'm seeing with manga series. Better to have a female protagonist like Nino from Arakawa Under the Bridge, in which no one may know what Nino is thinking, and we get to see her speak for herself. I am looking forward to seeing your work as a new subscriber!

[@MMapleJuice]

This is exactly what I fell about but not able to put in words. Your work is great !

[@TheAnimeTea]

Thanks for watching! Glad I could help in some way 😊

[@spage9010]

This video came out a while ago but I just wanted to say that I was so excited when Komi can’t communicate because of social anxiety rep but then I dropped the show because I wasn’t feeling it and I didn’t understand why. And you just made me understand exactly why I didnt feel it. I’m going to start the other show it sounds like how I wanted Komi can’t communicate to be.

[@CamWinks]

Thank you for this vid. I enjoy komi yet while watching you compare the two it made me realize that I related to Komi because I hadn't heard of Bocchi the Rock. I think back and realized that I personally recommend Bocchi over anything else I've seen in a heartbeat and hearing someone else discuss the two shows makes sense why.

[@blookester6583]

BTR has been out for barely a month now and I already see people make "She's literally me" jokes, while Komi has been out for a while and I have yet to see a joke similar to that of Bocchi or Ryan Gosling.

[@megugu2155]

if your character is being called a "literally me" character, then you know you really made a good character.

[@goodnightprince]

me personally, when I feel social anxiety I go totally blank minded. when people speak to me I truly lose the ability to conjure up thoughts, so the lack of insight into Komi's thoughts never made her less relatable to me, on top of having struggled with selective mutism which Komi does fit into. I do agree she wasn't particularly written to be relatable though. the way I see it, I find it hard to believe a person with social anxiety could see themselves as being desirable the way she's portrayed, so in a way the whole premise of the series is built to be from an outside perspective rather than her own

[@114Freesoul]

I have to admit, there was a time when I bought into Komi hype and got into the manga. It was a light and enjoyable read, but looking back at it now, and especially since the anime came out as well, it has definitely went down in my estimation, especially when compared to other rom-coms (like Kaguya-sama) and now, another show with social anxiety as a major theme in Bocchi. Komi does eventually start feeling like a romanticized look at social anxiety. With Tadano being the POV character, it's really more about how other people perceive her, rather than Komi and her own struggles. Also, I've seen some people bring up a point (with which I tend to agree) that Komi has more than just social anxiety too - some of the behavior she shows is more in line with autism spectrum disorder. Definitely agree with all of your points about Komi, too. I think one other thing that really set apart Bocchi and Komi for me is the difference in how they end up dealing with their issues. In Komi's case, she stays very passive for the most part - most of the time, it's up to Tadano to read her mind and figure out what he should do to make her feel good in a moment; Komi herself rarely acts on her own initiative. On the other hand, Hitori makes intentional strides to get better, she gets out of her comfort zone and slowly gets better, working through the challenges as they come - almost as if doing a kind of exposure therapy to herself. In that sense, I feel like Bocchi The Rock sets up a more of a positive and constructive example of how to address social anxiety in real life, too.

[@valipop1425]

I love Bocchi! it’s an anime I’m also able to watch with my boyfriend who is very introverted and anxious. And for me,I’m someone that would always overthink every interaction with people,so very relatable

[@dvillines26]

Komi is also hampered because a significant portion of the supporting cast are cartoons or poorly drawn characters, while Bocchi gets much more developed personalities to play off of. Kita, Ryo, and Nijika feel a lot more real, and drunk bassist lady is a wild character, but also totally a kind of person that exists in real life, and we've all either known or know of. Komi's initial group of friends are unrealistic, pointedly because the series is an awkward welding of poignant romcom and wacky stock character-driven comedy. Even, I would argue, Tadano is unrealistic, because he has a remarkable ability to understand people. It's what makes anything that happens possible, but even the show basically understands that he has a superpower. Some of the later characters that are introduced feel way more likable to the point that the Yandere and even the Chuuni feel like holdovers from when the author didn't quite know what he wanted the series to be. In the second season, the school trip introduces what I think are the best members of the supporting cast to date - the shogi girl and the yo-yo girl. Because they're not 'types', per se. They have a hobby that they're really passionate about, but they're both very much characters in their own right, and their interactions with Komi feel a lot more real. They're the friends Komi needs to have, and it's kind of a shame how much focus has been put on the more cartoonish characters to milk them for comedy. especially when the Yandere is not funny and everyone that watches the show hates her guts.

[@lewa3910]

This show feels like K-On but more to my tastes instead of typically cute and moe-fied for weebs. I gotta check it out ^_^

[@TheAnimeTea]

I love K-ON! for what it is but Bocchi is the relatable rock and roll queen we all deserve. Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy the show!

[@lewa3910]

@@TheAnimeTea valid👍

[@francisconavarrete3031]

@@lewa3910 u mean anime fans ?

[@allyalysia]

i love ur videoss i dont understand why urso underrated

[@nadirafant6428]

Komi can't communicate is very cute, but has no substance, so the show will give you a good laugh but can be quite episodic. Another anime that deals with social anxiety in a non-cutesy way Watamote which shows the negative aspects of the main heroine who wants to be able to make friends and find love but almost self sabatogues herself in every attempt. It is a bit overexagerated, but it is more relatable than komi chan lol

[@milkwater1204]

I like how Bocchi seems like a sort of positive reflection of Tomoko. Sure, Bocchi wishes others would engage with her, but she has the self-awareness to see that she needs to put herself out there in a meaningful way to have others understand her. Tomoko lacks this self-awareness. She expects others to engage with her and to understand her, and when this expectation falls flat she curses the others and learns nothing. You want both Bocchi and Tomoko to overcome their anxiety and be accepted, but while you want to encourage Bocchi, you just want Tomoko to stop being such an idiot. Despite this, they are both extraordinarily relatable characters. We all probably want to be more like Bocchi - someone who, despite her extreme anxiety, throws herself out there and gives it her best go - but I at least can't help myself from slipping into similar thought patterns to Tomoko from time to time.

[@kohanesluvr]

Ehh Tomoko still gives me the irk. Especially after that one episode.

[@christianstephan7301]

@@milkwater1204 I think the point is that Bocchi acknowledges having those flaws and tries to work around or even with them. It's a story about overcoming herself and learning from the process. Tomoko is just the opposite of this. She does not admit to herself to have those issues and tries to blame everyone else for everything she herself is responsible for failing at all. Tomokos first step towards learning should be to accept, that she herself is making mistakes instead of blaming others for not understanding her intentions. We still get Tomokos assessments and understand her. But at the same time we inherently know that it's a selfish conveniet outburst to not take responsibility ourselves. Usually we only think stuff like Tomoko just for a moment but settle down and arrive at Bocchis inner world of "was this too much? Did I do this right? What if I did not? What if others see this? What if everyone did it right and I am the only one who failed at it? Ah... I can't face them. I have to hide it. Or pretend I didn't finish on time!" That's why Tomoko comes accross as being childish and "cringy", while Bocchi is mature and relatable.

[@davidsabillon5182]

I love this show! Like commented and subscribed 👍

[@SamRandolph]

For those looking for more series with a similar premise to Komi but with an actual focus on the female protagonist's inner thoughts and feelings, I highly recommend Kimi ni Todoke. It's a very cute and sweet show that doesn't present Sadako's awkwardness as a cute quirk (in fact, people think she's really creepy and scary), but as a serious and realistic issue that she is working on because she wants to make friends. Extremely relatable, and just a good shojo manga in general!

[@noahbossier1131]

Cute

[@Ultrazucced]

ah yes. another vriminally underrated channel reviewing bocchi. really well made video!

[@mekhalaiyengar5726]

This was a really great video! I’m surely going to check out Bocchi The Rock. As a person who is also in the social anxiety spectrum I think I’m also interested to see more substance in anime than the cuteness ❤

[@TheAnimeTea]

Thank you for watching and I hope you enjoy the show! Its nice to have something to relate to and that also encourages you to try your best and work on your anxiousness.

[@katarinaclaes96]

Wonderful video thanks so much for explaining these two Animes. I've seen Komi Can't Communicate i really loved it I'm going to watch it again. I'll check out Bocchi Rock and give it a watch.😁👍

[@gsgaming6976]

I've been waiting till this one finishes so I can binge it. I have a feeling watching it episode by episode would be too much of a wait for me in between.

[@grebublina]

I love your videos so much….

[@xXchrisXx010]

There were some things I could relate to in Komi, but it mostly was interactions where other people had a main impact, while I keep finding myself thinking "Damn I did that recently" when watching/ reading bocchi. And Aki the mangaka is a girl btw :)

[@FieryKanata]

So I looked up the Mangaka (Aki Hamaji) for bocchi the rock and it does appear that she is in fact a woman. She has a picture on myanimelist and theres some other sources too. Just a minor correction :) great video though!

[@jimigarbage0206]

Honestly it feels like the mangaka herself cares about the characters alot in bocchi the rock that's why it feels very authentic

[@gensai93]

Kimi Ni Todoke is one of my favorites

[@danshive4017]

Bocchi the Rock is sharing in Hitori’s experiences. Komi Can’t Communicate is like a nature documentary.

[@g5-joyce505]

I don't know if you watched this but I would suggested you to watch and analysis Mob Pyscho 100. It's a groundbreaking and coming of age of anime about a young boy nicknamed as Mob who was struggling in his school and social life, despite having the most powerful psychic power. Similar to Bocchi The Rock, the show portrays the emotion turbulence of the main character in an expressive and relatable way. I hope you could try watch the show and see what's your thought about it. 😊

[@diddliewinks3486]

Great fucking accurate video. I love Bocchi.

[@zalonics5177]

I honestly relate to Watamote more, but totally get Bocchi. Loving the show

[@_F_Me_]

OMG , HI - I'M PRETTY MUCH COMPLETELY NEW TO THE CHANNEL , BUT I'M LIKING YOUR CONTENT A LOT -..! :)

[@TheAnimeTea]

Welcome to the channel! Thank you so much for watching!

[@_F_Me_]

@@TheAnimeTea TY For creating - :)

[@anthony0apex]

Watamote is relatable too...too much

[@starrshort6403]

Honestly I found it annoying and unrealistic how Komi is so loved and she’s not relatable at all despite enjoying the anime . I totally agree with this video

[@YiyiMochi]

Aki Hamazi, author of Bocchi the Rock, is a woman jaksjks that emoji was remove from her Twitter and she "uploaded" a photo of her

[@Bozzyman2]

I love her and Manga Version of Watamote, sad girls are cool in media

[@Jenny-mr6tn]

I think Komi can't communicate is like Zelda, in the sense that the main character of Zelda isn't Zelda but Link. It's already a lot harder than it should be to find anime with female characters who aren't passive objects of desire, so it's extra frustrating that having a woman's name in the title doesn't mean she will be the main driver of the narative.

[@twgok3162]

Handa Kun is literally the same thing

[@mitsume_slay]

Ya

[@Helpames]

Although Komi isn't as relatable as how Bocchi the Rock is, they do give off how someone with social anxiety will act, although there are less scenes that I can relate too there's also the factor of over exaggerating stuff, like Bocchi over exaggerates her social anxiety to a few extents, but on the other hand Komi Can't Communicate rather has the whole plot over exaggerate the stereotype of not being able to communicate being basically mute, Bocchi is more relatable as how she does have the drive and the spirit to do stuff but she lacks the confidence to do so and the scenes that show how she over reacts to simple scenes become relatable and familiar they are as we all in one way or another could connect to Bocchi unlike with Komi there aren't many people who do struggle to communicate like Komi does, there definitely are but not to an extent to where we can relate to it. At the end of the day they're still both great animes/manga series and they're both an anime which reaches the goals that THEY want to achieve

[@theloverofnothing7120]

It would be cool if you could do a review on Charlotte. That is my favorite anime and so deep. It hard to find reviews on it for some reason and one of the ones I found didn’t even get the story right!

[@BoobaMilkTea]

I see this stuff more common in cgdct anime because less male characters so there's no typical male protagonist to uh interfere lol. Not to say Tadano is bad but cgdct always seem to have more substance like you said.

[@XYpsilonLP]

Thank you for this insights ^^ I for myself like Bocchi the rock more then Komi can't communicate as well - but I for myself would not narrow it down so far... Having a narrator vs listening in to the "true" insights is something even is used often even in films. It opens your storytelling to things like "unreliable narrator" and stuff. Something you don't have if you have everything the main char says and thinks clearly spoken out... An in my eyes extreme example is "Hunger Games" as it has no narrator at all in the films. So these are more "Nikita like" and very different to the books where you can read every discussion she has with herself (and, oh boy, is'nt it internal monologues on end ^^°) For the musical part - well, I think this is a matter of personal preferences. I like the music from bocchi the rock more then k-on, but this can easily be just me.. But I think it adds a LOT to the story telling as to which band plays which kind of music...

[@luuua3682]

great video going into how bocchi is such a good rep for socially anxious people!! one thing i just wanna say tho is that the creator of bocchi the rock is actually a woman, if you check out her yt channel you can see some streams she's done

[@brolow3380]

I'm surprised you didn't mention watemoto

[@Blah64]

Oof, Watamote's relatableness is painful. Such cringe, not cute. Would be neat to hear Phoenix's comparison of it with the other series.

[@TheAnimeTea]

I totally forgot about Watamote! I've only read the first volume of the manga but I love the mc as well. Very relatable, to the point where I she almost makes me cringe but in a good way .😅

[@gensai93]

It's too relatable it's almost painful

[@megugu2155]

I dont even like channels like these i just gave you a view and a like because i love it when people love Bocchi. SUPPORT KESSOKU BAND: STREAM ANO BANDO STREAM SEISYUN COMPLEX STREAM GUITAR, LONELINESS & BLUE PLANET GUITARHERO IS QUEEN SHE UNITES EVERYONE

[@MilekEagle]

Bocchi is most relatable to most viewers watching it and has good comedy in it. Komi is more focused on comedy than anything else, but Komi does have relatable moments to people with selective mutism Speaking of that, there is also the Watamote anime: The most relatable and most awkward of them all. Tomoko is the character that i think every person with mutism like me understands pretty well. All of these are very good in their own way, so i recommend giving them all a watch

[@CoyotesOwn]

Hoenstly wathcig the aniem (haven;t read the Komi manga) I never got the feeling that komi was the protagonist. She is the title charter but Tandon is the protagonist since he's the PoV character.

[@re-kfpceilingfan3325]

I almost agree with everyrhing but one thing: Bocchi's music slapped me harder than K-On's

[@Ash_Yu]

Small correction; the mangaka of Bocchi the Rock, Aki Hamaji, is actually a woman. I dont know why she uses the male bow emote in her Twitter profile, but you can find pictures of her online and I haven't read anything that indicates her gender identity is different from her birth sex.

[@Oz-gv5fz]

6:10 BtR author, Aki Hamaji is a female

[@ppboy69]

I feel like Komi isn’t really meant to be relatable. Its using her communication disorder as a plot device, and i feel like a lot of people don’t get that; Its all glorified manga tropes, not an accurate depiction of the struggles of having a communication disorder. What do higher ups at manga publishing companies think will sell, cute shy girl makes friends and gets into cute quirky situations or accurate depictions of a socially anxious person trying to make friends? If you can look past the blatant attempts to appeal to well.. that type of male gaze.. and just see it as a show thats using communication disorders in a not-so-serious way and just as a way to have an original plot to start off with, it can be an enjoyable read or watch! I think the manga is better, but in general its not too notable, as at some point it does get generic

[@biggreen1456]

The author is actually a woman! You can watch her streams on youtube!

[@zigzag8392]

Goodness I love Bocchi the rock so much. It’s my perfect anime.

[@maggot1111666]

Bocchi is so funny and wholesome at the same time. Every comedy I think of is inappropriate like Rick and morty or South Park. I like those shows too but Bocchi is so refreshing and creative

[@Reymax164]

It's relatable at times, irl im just worried that I might say things that will make people offended… I can talk alot in the internet tho 😆 But staying away from socialization, I developed enjoyment of being alone so im more of Ryou type of introvert now… while also talking alot in my mind. It's a spectacular series〜❤️ I've been also watching 'Hitori Bocchi no Marumruseikatsu' these past days.

[@dawnseeker176]

middle school almost completely demolished my trust in people and friends. i could rarely make any friends irl it was always on others to drag me along and keep the friendship going. eventually they all drifted away. so me being alone so much i learned to enjoy being alone cause when you enjoy being alone it doesn't hurt. the pain of desperately wanting friends, but being unable to take the extroverted initiative, disappears when you realize that friends are temporary they all will leave and you will always return to being alone.

[@jordandavis258]

I think an anime called Handa-Kun does it pretty well too watamote too, that one is harder to sit through tho lol

[@spooky2466]

anime of the year btw

[@KirbyJason210]

Bocchi The Rock has got to be one of my favorite anime shows this season...

[@bobbynjord2260]

hamaji aki bocchi the rock mangaka is female, her twitter bio implies more like "sorry guys (emoji and male symbol) the anime official is here"

[@xshingie]

What about Kimi ni Todoke? ;A; I really loved that shoujo manga so much.

[@shelbyhoopes6724]

Have you read the manga or watched the anime for a series called My Little Monster? If so, what did you think about it, and if not, I’d really recommend it as a really cute and unique slice of life romance series

[@dvillines26]

I like that the female lead in that show is an asshole, it's awesome.

[@burmessafox3939]

I'm wondering. What do you thinking of Watamote. It's about a girl struggling with social anxiety and is determined to make feelings, but she sucks at communicating

[@Sarfiaholic]

This!! Watamote encapsulated my style of social anxiety the best, to the point I was cringing over poor Tomoko the whole time because I'd found myself in a lot of similar situations to her...

[@Zoroasto1]

This anime is so good

[@kaguya6900]

I think Aki Hamazi (the zi is pronounced ji in Japanese) isn't a male manga-ka. They have a KZbin channel, and the female-sounding voice on there does not sound altered. (Sorry, it's all in Japanese.) I can't say for sure though, but the way they present themselves in Japanese sounds very female. www.youtube.com/@hamazi__ That doesn't change any of your points, which I mostly agree with. Absolutely Komi isn't the main character. She's basically a dream girl who has to depend on the viewpoint character for some reason leading to romance, which has become something of a boom in manga recently. In the case of Komi, it's because Tadano is so good at reading the room that he is the only one in the school who can accurately guess what she is trying to say. By the way, Tadano never actually had social anxiety himself. He used to have chu-ni-byo--putting on airs you think are cool in middle school only to feel embarrassed about them later--but that doesn't really affect him presently. He also is overlooked because he is so average, but again, that isn't the same as social anxiety. Fully agree that Hitori is a great character, and I wish there were more like her.

[@makotomachiyuki]

One making story for fans/readers One making story because there's no other story has done it before

[@2D.is.anxious]

my favourite rep is tomoko kuroki from watamote shes realistic and shows the very awkward truth of it

[@livingreverie5951]

Not to mention This show’s funny af Comparing Comedy of this show to Komi is like saying you’re comparing a Breakfast McGriddle from McDonald’s to a sunny side egg on flatbread Both are considered breakfast, but one’s got more flavor to it (This is a poor example I’m well aware)

[@TheEmolano]

The most relatable by far is Watamote, that's why a lot of people can't swallow that anime

[@Meowtavern]

Komi was cute but something I watched while eating cause I couldn't find anything else LMAO just a chill anime but not really relatable for social anxiety. Great video

[@syzLETMEREGISTERGOD]

Big season for anxiety between Bocchi, Kobeni, and Suletta. My only knock on Bocchi is that her family seems... kinda mean to her about it? But maybe that's just another point in the "relatable" column.

[@megugu2155]

nah bro itd be more insulting to her if her family cuddled her on it. it worsens the anxiety if your parents just started acting as your wingmen on social events. thats what happened to me at least. bocchi probably fronts a lot on her parents just like she did during the five ticket quota thing.

[@letsreadtextbook1687]

What are you talking about? Bocchi's family may be a bit too blunt but is super supportive about her.

[@kmalavika]

I recommend Watamote manga which is also relatable but the main character also is her own person

[@danielvanstarkenburg2852]

Bochi's mangaka is a women. more recently found out after the series blew up and people wanted an interview. probably only got posted to seinen for the same reason it would get posted to "fiction" instead of "women's fiction" as they don't really have gender neutral genre brackets in Japan.

[@davidho1258]

watamote is relatable

[@duque7087]

I can say with certainty that Bocchi is a character, and a Human Being. She actively (with her strange methods) tries to get close to other people, """And""" if it doesn't work, she realizes that she did something wrong, or that if she did it a different way, she could make it. Her overthinking is extremely relatable, often being her biggest obstacle. Her social anxiety genuinely affects her life with others. And she consciously "Knew it -> Couldn't change -> Kept trying (Ganbare Bocchi-chan!!)". As for Komi... I find myself uncomfortable calling her human, since, as also said in the video, we are not shown what she herself is thinking, so I can't connect with her, nor with most of the problems that she has. She may not be able to communicate properly, but aside from the "wanting friends" factor, she doesn't have any real problems, as "everything conveniently always works out because she's pretty"... Look, I know this is the one "anime joke", but exactly because it removes these possible problems that she would have being a normal person, which makes her less relatable. Besides, most of the time she's just reacting to what happens around her, or what her friends do to help her. I know she will probably become more active and less passive as time goes on, but I no longer feel like following along until that happens.

[@anrikuroki823]

I was wondering if a mention of Tomoko or Watamote would be brought up.

[@seriouslygavintherandomer]

Same

[@cameron5417]

I thought this was about Hitori bocchi

[@dvillines26]

god, that show is great. Hitori Bocchi is an autistic icon, imo. Hitori Gotoh is just sociall anxious and neurotic, but Hitori Bocchi is a full-blown spectrum case, and I love her dearly. I don't know if it's intentional but all of her quirks, her inability to properly read social cues, her naivete, her strange fixations, it all fits.

[@umbraemilitos]

We don't really see into Komi's mind like we do with Bocchi. Komi is also not as much the subject of the story the way Bocchi is.

[@ronaldoalberto3510]

Komi was probably the most unrelatable character with social anxiety for me personally (if you are someone who relates to her, you are valid, I'm not taking that away from you). In her universe she has the beauty of a goddess and attracts people left and right, if someone talks to her they may as well be talking to a brick wall bc she never speaks, yet people still hang around her and include her in everything (most people would be annoyed with her at this point). For me, the only thing relatable about her was the fact that even though people undoubtedly like her, she felt like everyone hated her. Her character almost glorifies her anxiety because it makes her seem more desirable. I'll acknowledge that she was not meant to be relatable. I really wanted to like the anime, if not for its relatability, then its fun side characters. After midway into season 1 I realized I get annoyed with 80% of the side characters and each episode always felt like a chore to watch and I kept trying to convince myself that I like it.

[@otomatic3668]

OMFG I did the exact same thing as you when I went to Anime Midwest for the first time alone and I still didn't really have anyone come up and talk to me lol While I agree Bocchi is definitely the best depiction of social anxiety we've gotten in anime (certainly better than Komi or god forbid Watamote, bleh) I still think it misses the mark because most of the time it still depicts Bocchi's anxiety as cute, even when we're seeing things from her own perspective. We don't really see how absolutely debilitating it can be considering most of the time her friends manage to figure out a way to work past it - I've never been this bad but I do know some people who struggle to hold a job or even get groceries because of how bad their social anxiety is. Though I can understand why they aren't more realistic with Bocchi, likely because it wouldn't be super enjoyable to watch and also to conform to general anime tropes. I do think Bocchi does something extremely well in that it shows that someone with social anxiety can still make friends and enjoy your life. If you develop and work on yourself, work on your social skills, work on your anxiety and develop your hobbies you can connect with people and become friends. That's basically what happens to Bocchi, even though irl most prospective friends won't push you as hard as Bocchi's do in my experience. I think the show is most effective in saying "see here what happens when you put yourself out there and try". Awesome vid, I found this channel because of this getting recommended. Subbed!

[@corel7966]

cool vid also I think the author is actually a woman but im going off of memory here

[@FlubbedPig]

Looking into it, I believe Bocchi's mangaka is a woman, actually. Myanimelist has some pictures of them, and I'm seeing some stuff about them entering the women's category of the 71st Newcomer Comic Awards in 2012. And running their twitter bio through translate, the mars symbol isn't contextualized at all so I don't THINK it's meant to signal their pronouns, at least as far as I can tell?

[@tradebabyblu3s]

Actually the author of Bocchi The Rock is female ^^