BOCCHI THE ROCK! Episode 4 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Jumping Girl(s)

Kessoku Band's rehearsal and meeting turn into a lyric assignment: Bocchi, who struggles to sing and write, is given the lyrics job and at first fails to produce anything. The band then goes to Shimokitazawa for a band photo shoot, where Nijika scouts locations and the group takes awkward pictures, with Bocchi overwhelmed by the social media push. Bocchi later meets Ryo at a café, where Ryo reads her notebook, urges her not to write generic lyrics, and Bocchi finishes the lyrics the next day, leaving the band satisfied while she dreams of staying together.

• Rehearsal and lyric assignment

  During band practice Bocchi cannot sing while playing guitar, and Nijika assigns her the lyrics for the band's original song, which she initially cannot write.

• Shimokitazawa band photo shoot

  Nijika leads a band photo shoot in Shimokitazawa, where the group's poses and reactions are awkward and Bocchi is overwhelmed by the idea of posting on social media.

• Café with Ryo and finished lyrics

  Ryo reads Bocchi's notebook at a café and advises against generic lyrics; the next day Bocchi completes the lyrics, which Nijika finds great.

Character Graph

PA-san

STARRY staff

The PA (sound) engineer on the staff of the STARRY live house. Her gothic appearance intimidates people, but she is kind and easygoing.

• Appearance

  Has an unconventional appearance that frightens Hitori on first meeting.

• Hitori (Colleague, Neutral)

  Kessoku Band's guitarist and a new part-timer at STARRY, who is frightened by PA-san's appearance at first.

• Seika (Hierarchy, Neutral)

  The STARRY manager she works under.

Hitori (Bocchi)

student · Kessoku Band

Kessoku Band's guitarist, a first-year high school student with severe social anxiety who secretly posts guitar covers online as guitarhero; she teaches Kita guitar and writes the lyrics for the band's original song.

• Secret identity

  Uploads song cover videos online as guitarhero and has many views and positive comments.

• Anxiety around social life

  Feels a sense of kinship with Ryo at first, but realizes Ryo chooses to be alone while she herself wants friends and cannot manage it because of her anxiety.

• Starry job

  Pressured into working at STARRY and tries to avoid the job by catching a cold, but cannot bring herself to lie to Nijika.

• Teaching

  Agrees to teach Kita guitar after work, despite fear.

• Nijika (Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Met when Nijika spotted her guitar and asked her to play; now her bandmate.

  Nijika is the first person who invites Hitori into the band and job. Hitori cannot refuse her and values the connection.

• Ryo Yamada (Colleague, Affinity)

  Bandmate who nicknamed her Bocchi; Hitori takes to heart Ryo's advice to write lyrics in her own voice.

• PA-san (Colleague, Neutral)

  STARRY's PA (sound) staff member, whom she is frightened of at first because of her appearance.

• Ikuyo Kita (Colleague, Affinity)

  Recruited Kita into the band; becomes her guitar teacher and shares a sense of kinship about loneliness.

• Seika (Hierarchy, Neutral)

  Manager of STARRY, where she works part-time, and Nijika's older sister.

Ikuyo Kita (Kita)

student · Kessoku Band

A popular, athletic first-year at Hitori's school, in a different class, who had lied about playing guitar to join Kessoku Band near Ryo and is now the band's vocalist and guitarist.

• Past with Kessoku Band

  Had first joined Kessoku Band as its guitarist to be near Ryo, but ran away before the band's first live because she could not actually play guitar.

• Ryo Yamada (Colleague, Affinity)

  An older bandmate she admires greatly; she originally joined Kessoku Band to get closer to Ryo.

• Hitori (Colleague, Affinity)

  Schoolmate who brought her back into the band and teaches her guitar.

• Nijika (Colleague, Affinity)

  Bandmate she once ran out on before the first live; after apologizing, Kita plays in the band with her again.

Nijika

student · Kessoku Band

Kessoku Band's cheerful drummer and organizer, who recruited Hitori and runs the band's plans, money, merch and promotion.

• Recruiter

  Drags Hitori to the STARRY live house to perform with the band.

• Band management

  Takes over the band's finances and plans the job arrangement to cover concert quotas.

• Sibling at STARRY

  Is the younger sister of the STARRY manager and is embarrassed by the manager's strict behavior at work.

• Band role

  Sets the band's topics and plans, and assigns Bocchi to write the lyrics for the original song.

• Hitori (Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Recruited Hitori as the band's guitarist and has become her friend; she is pleased with the lyrics Hitori writes.

• Ryo Yamada (Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Close friend and bandmate whose puns, such as the band name, she finds exasperating; Nijika keeps Ryo's spending in check.

• Ikuyo Kita (Colleague, Affinity)

  Bandmate who ran away before the first live and has rejoined; she is now the band's vocalist and guitarist.

• Seika (Family, Affinity)

  Her older sister and the STARRY manager.

Ryo Yamada (Ryo)

student · Kessoku Band

An inexpressive bandmate of Nijika and Hitori in Kessoku Band.

Bassist of the band who handles the music side and is blunt with Bocchi.

• Social circle

  Nijika is Ryo's only friend.

• Solitude

  Chooses to be alone and has no friends apart from Nijika.

• Recruitment

  Wants Kita to join so the band pays only a quarter of studio and quota fees.

• Past band

  Was in another band in the past and then quit.

• Hitori (Colleague, Affinity)

  The guitarist she nicknamed Bocchi; Ryo opens up to her about quitting her old band and urges her to write lyrics in her own voice.

• Nijika (Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Her only friend and bandmate.

  Her bandmate and the only friend she has. Nijika manages her finances and keeps her in check.

• Ikuyo Kita (Colleague, Affinity)

  A younger girl who admires her and had joined Kessoku Band to get close to her.

Seika

STARRY staff

Manager of the live house STARRY and Nijika's older sister. The Kessoku Band members work part-time at STARRY under her.

• Nijika (Family, Affinity)

  Her younger sister, Kessoku Band's drummer, who works part-time at STARRY.

• Hitori (Hierarchy, Neutral)

  Part-timer at STARRY and the guitarist in her sister's band.

• PA-san (Hierarchy, Neutral)

  STARRY's PA (sound) engineer, who works under her.

Recent Timeline

• First live performance at STARRY (Episode 1)

  Hitori, recruited by Nijika and Ryo and nicknamed Bocchi, performs with the band at the STARRY live house for the first time, hidden inside a cardboard box. It is the band's first stage show, and Bocchi resolves to overcome her social anxiety before their next performance.

• First day of work at STARRY (Episode 2)

  After failing to fake a cold with an ice bath, Bocchi starts her first shift at STARRY. She panics around customers and hides, then helps Nijika at the bar and takes a small step forward by taking an order and meeting a customer's eyes. The day ends with her catching the fever she had tried to fake, showing how hard the job pushed her.

• Kita joins Kessoku Band (Episode 3)

  Kita, invited by Hitori to join her band, confesses that she cannot actually play guitar. She had claimed experience only to join a band near her senpai Ryo Yamada, and she asks Hitori to teach her so she can return to her old band. Hitori agrees to teach her after work, and Nijika then invites Kita to join Kessoku Band, which she accepts. Ryo welcomes her because it cuts the band's studio and quota fees to a quarter.

• Band merch and Shimokitazawa photo shoot (Episode 4)

  Nijika designs the band's merchandise as cable ties in every color, which Ryo sells for 500 yen each or 650 yen when signed. Nijika also leads the band on an outdoor promotional photo shoot in Shimokitazawa, scouting locations for a promo photo that will make an impact at the live house. A jump picture taken on the second attempt turns out well.

• Lyrics completed for the band's original song (Episode 4)

  After a week of struggling, Bocchi finishes the lyrics for the band's original song with help from Ryo at a café. She completes them at the live house, and Nijika approves them as great.

Music Releases

• Seishun Complex (OP)
• Karakara (ED)

Season Summary

Season 1 — Season 1

Episodes 1–4

Hitori keeps struggling with social anxiety and loneliness while the band's debt and survival depend on her showing up at STARRY. Kita, a popular classmate who admits she cannot really play guitar and joined to get closer to senpai Ryo, makes up for running away by working at the live house, then agrees to join as Hitori teaches her guitar. When Hitori is assigned the lyrics for the band's original song, she first cannot write them, until Ryo urges her away from generic lyrics and she finishes them, leaving the band satisfied while she hopes to stay together.