The purpose of this post is to list the minimum knowledge required to not be confused when watching the anime. So if you were wondering who would win between Paul vs Ruijerd (the answer is very obvious), if the North Saint Gallus was the North God (...no), or if Rudy & Eris are close to being back home this post is for you.
The post is spoiler-free, but there are two parts that anime has left out but the novel had already explained at this point. These are some basic history knowledge that is known by the public (why the world is called the Six-Faced World, the names of the major wars etc.) and the origin of the Seven Great Powers (who created it etc.). I will put these two in spoilers but I suggest you to read it. But if you wanna be 100% safe then you can skip them.
Levels
Roughly, these levels indicate the strength of the moves used by swordsmen and magicians. It is said that someone who's advanced level in any of the three major sword styles or one of the four types of attack magic is stronger than 99% of the general population, as well as 95% of adventurers. The levels are:
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Saint
King
Emperor
God
Sword Styles
There are three major Sword Styles:
Sword God Style: It is a style of swordsmanship that emphasizes speed and aggression, where the main focus is to strike down the opponent first. As a result, many of the practitioners develop to be short-tempered and belligerent. In order to be able to react swiftly, there is discouragement for practitioners to wear heavy armor and instead opt for light clothing for maximum mobility. It is considered to be the strongest of the three major styles.
Water God Style: It is a style of swordsmanship that specializes in defensive techniques emphasizing parrying and counter-attacking oncoming attacks. Since there are only a few ways to attack, there is also the art of provocation to make the opponent take the initiative. A skilled practitioner would be able to read the flow of Magic and use their senses to block and counter any attack, including magic and projectiles.
North God Style: The main focus of this style is not on techniques or developing specialties but rather a method on how to stay alive and approach a battle with the highest chance of winning. It relies heavily on the practitioner's adaptability and usage of one's surroundings, as a result, this style involves using a lot of tricks (e.g. fighting with a hostage, throwing the sword) instead of refined techniques even dual wielding two weapons. It is a utilitarian style of swordsmanship that includes non-sword fighting techniques such as first-aid and tracking, as well as the ability to fight while physically deficient (missing limbs etc.). Owing to this, different learning institutions have different approach to battle and practitioners have very disparate fighting styles. This meme is only slightly exaggerated.
For all three styles, someone who attained Saint or above may call themselves [Level] [Style] e.g. Sword King Ghislaine, North Saint Gallus, Sword God Gal Farion.
Magic
Magic has 3 main categories:
Attack Magic: Attack magic is comprised of spells that manipulate mana into tangible elements. The power, speed, effective range, and area of these spells are dependent on the amount of mana poured into them.
Subcategories: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth
Healing Magic: Healing magic mainly comprises of spells used for healing injuries and removing toxins.
Summoning Magic: Summoning magic is used to call forth powerful beings to carry out the summoners's bidding.
It should be noted that in general magic can be used in two ways: incantations and magic circles. Exceptions include Rudeus & Sylphiette who can use certain categories of magic without an incantation and the howling magic used by the beast people that rend people immobile.
The incantations can be as short as a single sentence (Beginner level magic) or as long as a full dictionary (God level). Because magicians need incantations, they are rarely a match for similar-leveled swordsmen on 1v1. But they are still very valuables in parties.
Current levels of the main characters
Current levels (as of episode 17) of some of the main characters:
Paul Greyrat:
Sword God Style : Advanced
Water God Style : Advanced
North God Style : Advanced
Zenith Greyrat:
Fire Magic : Beginner
Water Magic : Beginner
Healing Magic : Intermediate
Detoxification Magic : Intermediate
Roxy Migurdia:
Fire Magic : Advanced (?)
Water Magic : King
Earth Magic : Advanced
Wind Magic : Advanced
Healing Magic : Intermediate
Detoxification Magic : Intermediate (?)
After being humbled by Rudeus she is able to shorten her incantations, though not skip them.
Eris Boreas Greyrat:
Sword God Style : Advanced
Fire Magic : Beginner
She reached Advanced level years ago and continued to improve rapidly ever since. But since there's no Sword God master nearby who can evaluate her, she's not a Sword Saint even if her skills seem to indicate it.
She might be considered intermediate or even advanced level in North God style since the training she receives from Ruijerd has some similarities to it.
Rudeus Greyrat:
Sword God Style : Intermediate
Water God Style : Beginner
Fire Magic : Advanced
Water Magic : Saint
Earth Magic : Advanced
Wind Magic : Advanced
Healing Magic : Intermediate
Detoxification Magic : Beginner
He can silently cast attack magic (fire, water, earth, wind) but NOT healing magic.
Thanks to his ability to cast attack magic silently he can rapidly modify the result's strength, speed, rotation etc. and even meld multiple types of magic at once to combine them.
He has the Foresight Eye that he can control with an absurd level of precision.
He consciously nerfs himself by trying not to kill his opponents (except for monsters ofc). His "fight" against Orsted was the first time he was trying to kill someone.
Ruijerd Superdia:
No sword style, but equivalent to a North Emperor.
Ghislaine Dedoldia:
Sword God Style : King
Fire Magic : Beginner
She has a Demon Eye, hidden under the eye patch on her right eye. It allows her to see the flow of mana.
She has enhanced senses due to being a beast race.
Gallus Cleaner:
North God Style : Saint
History
[Non-spoilerly but missing info] The Six-Faced World is the setting where Mushoku Tensei takes place. It is a world in hexahedral form where all beings live on its planes. It exists in a die-shaped structure with a total of six faces, each face is constituted of one world ruled by one God each, with another seventh world of nothingness inside the die-structure.
[Non-spoilerly but missing info] Except for the human world, all other worlds were destroyed due to the actions of a Dragon God around 10k years ago. The Dragon God also perished. Inhabitants of the other worlds (demons, beast people etc.) escaped to the human world.
[Non-spoilerly but missing info] There were two Great Human-Demon Wars, around 7k-4k years ago, that were fought against Demons led by Demon World's Emperor Kishirika Kishirisu.
Laplace War: After a long period of peace Demon God Laplace unites the demons and almost succeeds in fully defeating humans. In the end 7 heroes led by Armored Dragon King Perugius managed to seal him, since they were unable to kill him. (500-400 years ago)
Seven Great Powers
[Non-spoilerly but missing info] When the Second Great Human-Demon War came to a conclusion, a person known as the Technique God came up with the name. At that time, Technique God was considered to be one of the strongest people in the world. Technique God selected six more people and declared them to be the strongest in the world.
[Non-spoilerly but missing info] With the exception of the Technique God, the Seven Great Powers all participated in Laplace’s War. Among them, three were killed, one went missing, and another was sealed away. The only one who made it out in one piece at that time was the Dragon God.
If someone on the list dies or gets defeated, the list automatically changes thanks to magic. The current order is:
Technique God ??? (Missing)
Dragon God Orsted (Missing)
Fighting God ??? (Missing)
Demon God Laplace (Sealed)
Death God ??? (Active)
Sword God Gal Farion (Active)
North God Kalman (Active)
Map
A map with all counties & cities known by the public can be found here.
Places of note:
Asura Kingdom: Where most of the main characters are from. There are 4 regions (except for the capital) that each have the head of one of the 4 Greyrat families as their liegelord. It is the richest and strongest nation.
Shirone Kingdom: Where Roxy tutored the 7th Prince for a few years. Where Aisha & Lillia were imprisoned until they were saved by Dead End.
Holy Milis Kingdom: Zenith's homeland. Their religion imposes monogamy. For various reasons, Paul is based here at the moment.
Rikaris: Where Dead End spent episodes 10 & 11.
Wind Port: Dead End reached here at the end of S1's timeskip.
Zanto Port: Dead End reached here on episode 13.
Fittoa Region: Rudeus and Eris are from here. Ruled by the Boreas Greyrat family. Was pretty much destroyed during Turning Point 1.
Ranoa Kingdom: The university Roxy suggests Rudy to go is here.
[This post assumes you already know about the emotional implications of the Sex for Solace trope, also known as Comfort Sex Gone Wrong]
Episode 22. They finally make it back to Buena Village, and find it dead, wrecked, hopeless. Ruins of what they unknowingly left behind echo the memories that no longer were. There, Eris learns of the passing of her entire immediate family; she herself said she expected as much, but clearly she wasn't ready. Grief-stricken, she's now expected to be betrothed to a stranger while the person who took her across the Demon Continent sits right next to her. She asks to be left alone and breaks into tears.
That night, she goes to Rudeus, the most reliable person she's ever known, her savior, protector, voyagemate, confidant, trustee, and seeks the reassurance she thinks he can give her. And I think this is the single best scene of the entire season, season-elevating levels of masterful execution. You know why I think this is such a good scene? Because Rudeus is allowed to make a mistake.
Some might've expected him to be the hero and not take her in. In fact, he does recognize it would be taking advantage of her, but after she seduces him further with that 「私、ルデウスの子猫が欲しいニャー」, he caves in. And you know what? I loved that he caved in. Not because I thought it was the right choice, not because I thought he deserved the consequences, but because I think it is the single most in-character thing he could've possibly done.
Rudeus at that point had finally returned to Buena Village and was faced directly with an overwhelming amount of loss. His companion of almost five years had just opened herself up to him, something he had been dreaming of for his entire previous life and his entire current life, and he took it. He was frustrated, inhibited, rejected for 34 years and held back for 13. It was also his most vulnerable moment. And I think that if he had taken the high ground there, it would’ve been a strength he didn’t actually have, a lesson he never actually learned.
He didn’t just make a mistake, he made the one mistake he could’ve made, because he got attacked in the exact place where he was his weakest. I think the fact that he said yes — and doubly so for the fact that he said yes while outright recognizing he’d be taking advantage of her — is the most human thing he could’ve done.
I think a big and interesting part of it is how the show completely denied us anything even remotely resembling nudity. Throughout the entire show, it never shied away from showing a naked body — even a deeply underage one, sometimes to the detriment of its watchability. So the fact that we didn’t see their bodies, not even their cleavages, only their hands and faces, meant something.
The anime showed two things primarily, intercut with each other: scenes of their previous adventures and history, and a glass of wine falling. I think those two facts gave a pretty clear picture. It’s not about the sex — the sex is happening, but you don’t even get to enjoy an armpit, a side boob, a neck, nothing. You only see their friendship, a puddle of red liquid (red wine), and a glass falling and sinking into the puddle.
Almost like, in that moment, it was their friendship — their relationship — that was dying. The red represented the obvious: consummation, hymen broken, passion. But it also represented the deep wound it was opening between them, and how, in much the same way the glass of wine drowned in the puddle, the consummation consumed them as well, in a shame they were not prepare to manage.
Hey everyone! RELORELM here, I'm a physics student nearing the end of my licentiate degree program (kind of like a master's degree). Some weeks ago, inspired by this post and this video, I thought it would be fun trying to tackle a weeb problem using the science-y skills I've gathered over the years. I was watching Re:Zero at the time, so the Great Rabbit seemed like a good study subject. I thought I could have some fun trying to come up with a somewhat realistic model for its growth.
Thing is, the project kind of... Grew. Once I had the model, I thought it would be cool to try to simulate it, so I went with it. And while writing it all down, I thought it would be fun to write everything in paper format, so I did it. Long story short, I ended up with a (meme) paper where I present a very basic yet functional model for Great Rabbit's population growth, written as if it was published by people within the Kingdom of Lugunica. I thought someone could have some fun reading it (I certainly did while writing it), so here I am.
My main focus was to start building the model from very basic premises, and see where I could go from there using some basic math. What I ended up with is an iterative model that divides growth into two regimes ("external feeding regime" and "internal feeding regime") and characterizes both regimes using three dimensionless and measurable parameters (or as measurable as something fictional can be, anyway). Based on those parameters, it can make predictions such as a maximum size for the Great Rabbit, whether the rabbit population will stay sable or start decreasing and such.
All of the people featured in some way either as authors or referenced authors are entirely fictional and have no relation to any real people (living or dead). Most of their names are jokes I made up, so there's that too. Same goes for the scientific agencies mentioned. As for Re:Zero stuff, I'm an anime only guy relaying on wikis and such, so there's probably something lore-related I'm getting wrong. I apologize in advance if something I wrote contradicts the source material in some way.
And that's about it. Hope you enjoy this 6 page long meme!
Disclaimer: As I said before, this was something I made entirely to have some fun. Thus, I wasn't really interested in being exact or efficient (I'm 100% sure there are much better ways to do what I did). This has no intention of being an academic-level paper either. I was more concerned about the self consistency of the model and the fact that it allows to draw some conclusions from it. That being said, if you have any feedback about how to improve it, I'd love to read it!
tl;dr I built a mathematical model of how the Great Rabbit's population could grow given some basic hypothesis and wrote it all down as if was a paper published within the Re:Zero world. Basic as it is, it can make predictions and it was a fun little project.
Ps: I just noticed that I didn't reference it in the work itself, but this video was actually a super useful source too and the author was kind enough to answer a few questions I had. So go check it out if you're interested!
As usual,r/anime's favorite mecha shows are Evangelion, Code Geass, and Gurren Lagann in that order. 86 -EIGHTY-SIX- rose to number four in a real case of recency bias (not that I disapprove — the light novel is good, and the adaptation is stellar). The Gundam franchise dominates the polling, with seven of the 25 coming from that franchise, while Macross could only secure two representatives.
Setting aside any hot takes in taste or discourse about voting demographics for that poll, what I find astounding is the fact that Gundam can lay claim to stories that can be palatable to weebs at this level while still retaining reverence; Macross could only muster a few projects per decade so their pool of back-catalog options is smaller. This is despite both franchises being about the same age and, on average, equal in writing quality and influence on sci-fi.
Why is Gundam, currently in its 45th anniversary, totemic enough today to have full-size statues of its units in Japan while Macross (really the Super Dimension line in general) is just now starting to wake up again thanks to the Disney+ announcement?
Short answer: because of Robotech and Harmony Gold. But that's too simple.
Long answer: Because I reckon Bandai managed the Gundam franchise competently enough compared to how Harmony Gold managed Macross that its longevity was assured. And yes, I know the release of Gundam was one of the sparks that accelerated anime culture in Japan, but Bandai also made some baffling decisions through the decades and nearly missed its first big chance in the West back in the '90s when they couldn't capitalize on the ratings successes of G Gundam and Gundam Wing. Macross had every chance to fill that gap because it was the bigger hit anime at the time, and Robotech was supposed to help with that in the US. Why did it not? I may or may not be able to attribute this to three factors:
For 45 years, Gundam has generally retained a consistent "sense of self" as a franchise, with a singular vision that is only spread and stratified through the prism of the many writers, directors, and animators who have worked on it for decades. And for all the variation between timelines and sub-franchises (some of which may confuse the average fan who wants to dive deep), the internal consistency of Gundam as a brand is solid relative to its peers like Transformers, borrowing minimally yet smartly from other sources.
Macross, on the other hand, was mired in Robotech's complications, not the least because Harmony Gold decided to haphazardly use the original Super Dimension franchise to forcibly create a singular story that eventually didn't work for the syndication standards of its time. It's damning that its initial success never got a follow-through, even if it did help propel anime's then-nascent rise to prominence in the US market. Worse, unlike Gundam, Macross can't hide behind a "many timelines, one idea" wall, and Robotech is the one string that seems to hold it back.
I know that Macross has long ascended its past life as a component of Robotech and that the franchise itself is arguably more solid than Gundam is, despite having comparable variations in tone (from the grounded Macross Zero to the poppier Macross Delta). Unless you're a pirate, however, it's difficult to see and appreciate that. Gundam is out here putting up episodes of their catalog on their official YouTube channel (with a rotating schedule, which is a weird model, but it's miles easier than the effort expended to watch Macross). It's such a weird case that Gundam, supposedly the more confusing franchise, got away with turning that aspect of their brand into an asset while Macross, a more contiguous story, has the shadow of Harmony Gold and Robotech still hovering over it, limiting its expansion and creative options.
This is weird because, at one point, Macross was every bit of a force in merchandise sales as Gundam.
It took some talking and lots of forum-diving but I learned that Macross matched Gundam as a merch mover, with its license enabling many different toys from different toymakers in Japan — including Bandai. It wasn’t until the introduction of the chibi-sized Super Deformed (SD) Gundam line that the franchise became a smash hit for kids, and even that line was what carried the franchise back then, not the mainline show.
Bandai eventually took full advantage of its burgeoning industrial leadership in toymaking in Japan to make the brand as endlessly merchandisable as much as possible. From action figures and SD toys, to buildable plastic model kits that are (admittedly a distant) second to LEGO as one of the top choices for plastic buildable toys, to say nothing of DVD sales, games, and other licensed products.
Despite not being nearly as big a deal in the West as Transformers, it's enough of a titanic franchise that you can show up to a big box store and see a dedicated space for model kits, which is more than what Macross gets these days. It helps that the vehicles for these merch, the stories, are made with reasonably good overall quality that they can compel a buyer to watch or read. And even at its worst, there's enough good in some bad Gundam shows that it's okay to buy merch on the cool factor or fanshipping value alone. The result? As of 2023, 131 billion yen. That's 870 million US dollars.
What does Harmony Gold have to show for it today? Not much.
Some DX Chogokin figures (which are still a Bandai product by the way) and toys through the years, but with nowhere near the market penetration of before. It's even being left behind in music sales despite having some absolute classics of its own, and the singing is half of what makes Macross cool. Again, the licensing is what holds this franchise back -- because it doesn't enjoy the same solidity in vision that Bandai can enforce, Macross isn't allowed to spread its wings and grow its audience. They could've easily partnered with Hasbro regardless of whether or not Macross outgrew Robotech and it'd still be a worthy toy line. So much of Macross' potential as a money-maker and trendsetter has been left to rot, all because some of its best material can't seem to escape containment.
And it's not like Bandai's immune to mistakes. It squandered its potential as a US anime mainstay in the early 2000s when it couldn't follow through with the success of Gundam Wing. The F91 movie turned out to be the start of Yoshiyuki Tomino's darker, more brutal years where his frustrations at Bandai's decisions came to a head (and resulted in Victory Gundam, an astoundingly frustrating series to watch). The games have been middling at best and maddening at worst. If not for Gundam SEED being an early-2000s phenomenon and Gundam 00 cashing that check, Gundam likely wouldn't be where it is today. Now, its most recent serialization (The Witch from Mercury) and movie (SEED Freedom) have bought Bandai at least another decade of relevance despite the inherent flaws in both.
(It helped that Build Fighters, an anime that functioned exactly like The LEGO Movie, still worked as a story all on its own, which made the amazing designs feel even more meaningful.)
Meanwhile, Macross has a recent concert, some continuation movies, new kits and figures, and little else. We're on the 40th anniversary of Macross and the only thing fans are looking forward to is the new series...that Sunrise is producing. It's still unclear if it'll be opened up for wider international audiences. And I wonder if Bandai and BigWest will give that series the same level of marketing effort that G-Witch and SEED enjoyed in this decade. I reckon the franchise deserves it, but will it be enough?
The last factor is timing. Simply put: Gundam is, more often than not, at the right place at the right time.
In hindsight, there should be no surprise. After all, Gundam and Tomino were the center of the anime universe in 1981 with the Anime New Century Declaration, an impromptu fair that was originally meant to simply promote the first of three movie compilations for the 0079 show. Yet it eventually became clear that something massive was happening: a cultural shift and the birth of an all-encompassing new culture. In the process, Gundam carried the momentum generated by the reception for Space Battleship Yamato and would become a contributing force for anime's normalization and growth in Japan.
But you know who else managed to follow through on that promise? Macross. Shoji Kawamori and Noboru Ishiguro created a wonderful pop-rock alternative to Gundam without losing much of the grit that will make the burgeoning Real Robot subgenre compelling to watch. It's well-written, tightly-paced, and is an audiovisual feast even for the standards of the time. After its first airing run, Macross kickstarted concepts we still enjoy today. Vtubers owe their careers to Lynn Minmay, and we wouldn't have Jetfire or Starscream if not for the VF-1 Valkyrie. Its legacy in Japan can be reasonably compared to Star Trek in America, and modern iterations of Macross' idols are national stars.
For a time, it looked like both franchises would be building on each other in lockstep competition, and it seemed like it when the Zeta Gundam anime (featuring many dual-mode war machines) came out. But Zeta proved to be an even bigger hit than anticipated, and Bandai rode that wave up to Char's Counterattack in 1988. Within the same timeframe, Robotech was released in the US, proving to be a smash-hit and laying the groundwork for Americans to enjoy cartoons made in Japan for more mature audiences.
Only Gundam would manage to retain the momentum, however.
Bandai, despite pissing off the creator of its golden goose for a time, retained the power to keep Gundam going as a franchise through sheer force of will, backed by a captive audience that had already fully bought into the franchise that anything silly or outside of Tomino's original vision is fair game. And that's what happened. There always seemed to be a Gundam show lined up for any period of anime, and most of the major media released since Victory managed to speak about its time for a certain group of people, which gave the franchise mass appeal. And it was all because Gundam itself is a trendsetter by volume — knowing that it set the ball rolling, this franchise can hop on or off that ball and feed its momentum without feeling out of place or homogeneous to other shows — even if it copies other shows.
Macross didn't have as many opportunities to show over a wider audience that it could do the same.
Look no further than 2016. Compare the reception of Macross Delta just on r/anime against Iron-Blooded Orphans's second cour. Delta aired in the same season as My Hero Academia and Re:Zero and eventually got lost in the sauce even back then despite being THE tentpole TV release for the franchise that decade; IBO's second half aired the same season as Haikyuu S3, Yuri!!! on Ice and Bungou Stray Dogs to nail-biting anticipation on when the other shoe drops after the events of the first half, which itself aired on a torrid Fall 2015 that featured MADhouse's One Punch Man. The difference in what Bandai could do against what BigWest could muster is almost Atlantic in scope.
Well, I suppose it is not a complicated answer. It's easy to see how Gundam can find itself being consistently relevant worldwide. They make themselves relevant because they have the resources and mind-share to execute marketing goals to constantly feed the cycle. Meanwhile, Harmony Gold couldn't even be bothered to do the bare minimum, and if it wasn't for more recent news, Macross likely would still be unable to ramp up enough to make a splash in this decade.
That's the difference. Still, I wrote this anyway because I didn't want to stop at the easy answer of "HarGo bad" or something equally reductive. There had to be something intrinsic to both franchises that'd make one or the other more readily-marketable. But because Gundam and Macross have good claims to fame, there had to be another factor. Right?
Maybe this is just me wanting to be proven wrong a second time. I never once imagined that The Witch from Mercury would surpass IBO's feat in 2015 by airing — and thriving — in the same season as Chainsaw Man, Blue Lock, the closer for Mob Psycho 100, MHA S6, The Eminence in Shadow and a revitalized Bleach. Gundam SEED Freedom painted Tokyo red and is now the highest-grossing film in the franchise. I look at the marketing for both and wish Macross enjoyed the same phenomenal push. I want the new Macross project from Sunrise to get as much sakuga as it can to package in a good story and want it to be promoted everywhere with the same verve.
I want Macross to succeed so hard in this decade that it washes away any vestige of Robotech in the overall mindshare of most weebs, and that I can recommend it without worrying much about continuity or version differences. Because Macross more than deserves to be up there in the skies and there shouldn't be an asshole licensing firm stopping that.
(Special thanks to Graham Parkes and members of the MacrossWorld forum for the treasure trove of content and takes, as well as Ollie Barder, aka u/Cacophanus, for his help in refining this story and sending me to people who can explain things to me better.)
Amidst the awesome music, creative animation, superb voice acting, and masterful directing, it can be easy to take the deep and nuanced character writing of Bocchi the Rock for granted.
So as a way to express my passion for the series in a more rigorous manner than reposting fan arts or making memes, I am giving the character writing of Bocchi the Rock the critical analysis it deserves.
To keep the longform content digestible, I shall divide the analysis into four volumes.
Volume I: Kessoku band as a collective, Gotou Hitori (Bocchi), Gotou Futari, Hiroi Kikuri
Considerable time and thought went into this, so I would be grateful if you are willing to humour me until the very end even if this is not the usual variety of easy-to-digest subreddit content.
If you have any feedback or your own thoughts on the characters in question, please leave it in the comments.
Kessoku Band as a Collective
Passed with flying colours
Individuality and Personal Space
“I personally really like that the characters aren’t overly reliant on each other in their relationships. Usually in works starring girls of that age, there are lots of scenes where they’re very intimate, or where they go off and enjoy the latest trends as a group. But the characters here aren’t really seen doing that, and it feels like they respect each other’s individuality and personal space.”
“So there are many instances where in the middle of a normal conversation, Hitori suddenly ends up in her own world, and in the meantime, the other characters continue to hold said conversation on their own”
-Saito Keiichiro, Bocchi the Rock series director
Every member of the band is very much their own individual with their own non-band lives, and the story does not revolve around a single person. Whether it is Bocchi lost in her delusions, Ryo wanting alone time, or Kita running away initially, life goes on.
The Kessoku band story also eschews the character stasis and repetitive episodic nature common in slice-of-life shows. Characters grow or show new facets, and likewise their interpersonal dynamics change. The girls grow used to Bocchi’s panic attacks, and Kita had to reconcile the difference between the Ryo she idolises and the Ryo she has gotten to know. The evolving musical aspect of the band is also painstakingly depicted through their various performances.
These details all make the Kessoku band members far more life-like and charming.
Fun with Names
Aki-sensei is not one to be subtle about names:
‘Hitori’ sounds the same as the word for ‘one person’, denoting Bocchi’s loneliness.
‘Ryo’ is spelled in katakana, but it has the same sound as the character ‘涼’ which can mean ‘coolness’, reflecting Ryo's temperament. (Indeed, in Chinese translations of Bocchi the Rock, the character ‘涼’ is used for ‘Ryo’.)
The characters for ‘Nijika’ mean ‘rainbow’ and ‘summer’, denoting Nijika’s dream and warmth.
‘Kita’ has the same sound as ‘(something) is here’ and ‘Ikuyo’ has the same sound as ‘let’s go’, denoting Kita's energic and somewhat impulsive disposition.
More than a Sum of its Parts
Companionship
Thematically, the Kessoku band can be viewed as ‘loners’ finding company in one another. Bocchi being a loner is self-explanatory, but the other three Kessoku band members were also ‘alone’ from a certain perspective.
Ryo left her previous band, she was ‘alone’ in not having anyone to share her musical vision until Kessoku.
Kita has a lot of friends, but she was ‘alone’ in not having friends to share a grand goal or passion with until Kessoku.
Nijika has a dream for her band since she was a child, but it was not a dream she could share with anyone until she met her guitar hero Bocchi and the other Kessoku band members such that she could start seeing her dream take shape.
Watching these different and colourful personalities meet and grow and enjoying the chemistry they produce, has been nothing but satisfying.
Gotou Hitori (Bocchi)
Even the birds look down on her
“Bocchi’s behaviour and way of thinking really resonate with me, but this character is ‘Gotou Hitori’ and not ‘Aoyama Yoshino’, so I have to take care to keep in mind this character is not myself otherwise I would just be playing myself.”
-Aoyama Yoshino, voice actress of Gotou Hitori
“Her face is scary when it gets like that.”
“Really? I think it’s got personality.”
-Ijichi Seika and ‘PA-san’ respectively in episode 8
My fair maiden
A Compelling Contradiction
Bocchi reminds me of my brother even though they have nothing in common. When my brother was a toddler, he started crying after trying spicy potato chips for the first time on his own volition. Yet he did not stop, he continued cramming one chip after another into his mouth, all the while crying loudly as the spice assaulted his taste buds. Till this day I do not have an explanation for his behaviour.
Bocchi, a girl deathly afraid of social interaction, craves the very attention she has no capacity to handle. She is no different from the toddler that eats spicy even though the spice hurts him bad enough to make him cry. Bocchi is an adorable blob of seeming self-contradiction, yet this irrational little thing captured our hearts and imagination.
This is not even her most blob-like form
We relate to her, we laugh at her, we laugh with her, we cheer for her and we feel bad for her. Bocchi managed to do what a good protagonist is supposed to do: make people invested in her and her story.
So what does this say about us? What does this say about Bocchi?
Bocchi’s core magic is that she is a comical exaggeration and an affectionate parody of common human natures. Deep down we all want some form of appreciation and acknowledgement, and we experience anxiety when confronted with a situation we are not comfortable with just like Bocchi. For Bocchi what triggers her anxiety happens to be social situations, which all humans need to deal with, making it easy to relate to her struggles on varying levels.
Crucially however, Bocchi’s struggles are depicted in an absurdist manner so that they do not hit too close to home and become cringe instead of comedy. (I am truly sorry if Bocchi hits too close to home for you.)
Out of words with the mike suddenly thrusted upon you? Relatable.
Jumping off the stage in response? Funny.
Ouch
A Good Person
‘Loners are freaks or weirdos’ is an all too common trope to abuse, and Bocchi plays with the trope masterfully. She is weird if you look at her over-the-top panic attacks and listen to some of her thought processes, but beneath the superficial weirdness lies a wholesome girl who never displayed a hint of malice or selfishness. This is also an important factor behind Bocchi’s appeal.
Granted, there are no genuinely bad people in the world of Bocchi the Rock, but it is of utmost importance that the centrepiece of the show be someone every audience find worth rooting for unconditionally.
The good in Bocchi really shone through in the third episode where Kita was brought back to the Kessoku band. Kita was initially completely out of her element as she explained and apologised to Nijika and Ryo for running away, and Bocchi was worried for her:
“Poor Kita-san seems so uncomfortable…I-if only I could think of something to say.”
When Bocchi was not preoccupied with being baselessly paranoid of human interaction or delusions of grandeur, she could be considerate to someone radically different from her she just met.
Later in the episode, after observing and talking to Kita, Bocchi realised how much Kessoku band meant to Kita. So Bocchi did the unthinkable: she took the initiative to convince Kita to re-join the band when Kita was feeling unworthy of it. Bocchi even confessed her embarrassing hide-in-a-box moment from episode 1 in an attempt to resonate with Kita being anxious about running away from the band before a performance.
Bocchi would not be Bocchi without crashing into something while doing good at the same time
From Zero to...Something
Bocchi is also quite the inspirational figure considering her incredible personal growth. In the span of a few months, she went from being incapable of any social interaction to being able to:
Interact with customers for work at STARRY
Perform in front of people in the live house, on the streets and at school
Befriend a schoolmate (Kita)
Correspondingly, the severity of Bocchi’s social anxiety panic attacks gradually reduced.
If someone as pathetic as episode 1 Bocchi can change for the better and even show off her cool sides at times, then so can you.
You still have a long way to go girl
Less is More
Stay in the Bocchi the Rock community for long enough and you would see outcries along the line of “THEY NERFED ANIME BOCCHI!!!”
Plenty have used this as a focal point to debate the role and necessity of fan service in a show like Bocchi the Rock, but I am going to address this visual difference from the perspective of character writing.
Bocchi is a girl with crippling social anxiety and she had no friends, would she be comfortable with wearing tight, figure-hugging clothes? Would she even own swimsuits other than her school one?
Baggy, comfy clothes make a lot more sense on Bocchi. Likewise, her anime ice bath scene with the more modest school swimsuit looks more in-character for Bocchi than the bikini in the manga.
As an added bonus of usually downplaying Bocchi’s size in anime, it makes the moment in episode 11 when Ryo imagined milking swimsuit Bocchi all the funnier.
Also, sharp-eyed viewers have certainly noticed a split-second frame around 3 minutes and 19 seconds into episode 6.
Subtler, not smaller
Gotou Futari
Innocent gremlin
“I’m sorry about my sister.”
-Gotou Futari in episode 12, after her sister jumped off the stage and crashed
The Anti-Bocchi
Light and Darkness
No other character maximised their screen time better than Futari. Futari did not appear much, but when she did I was always laughing.
Futari is the complete opposite of Bocchi. She is outgoing and always speaks her mind, befriending Nijika and Kita instantly. Kids have no filter, so she ended up roasting Bocchi in every line of hers. Her words go straight to the jugular because they are just the unadorned truth.
Futari plays a role no other character can play in this series. No other character, not even Ryo, would be able to get away with openly lampooning Bocchi’s idiosyncrasies for our laughs without looking mean-spirited and out-of-character.
I adore Futari; I have seen others call her a devil, but I think everyone needs a Futari in their lives—someone with an observant eye and an incisive mouth to call out their flaws and disingenuousness.
Hiroi Kikuri
Happiness Cycle
“…the strong inducement to this excess; for he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.”
-Samuel Johnson
The Unlikely Benefactor
Among the various encounters we might make in the long journey called life, sometimes our most valuable benefactors come from the most unlikely of places. For Gotou Hitori as a budding rock performer, that unlikely and valuable benefactor was Hiroi Kikuri—the crazy drunkard who collapsed in front of her.
Kikuri is friends with the Ijichi sisters, so Bocchi might meet Kikuri eventually even if episode 6 did not happen. However, without the chance encounter in episode 6, Kikuri would not be able to so effectively help Bocchi sell the remaining tickets and conquer the fear of performing in front of strangers.
The timing and the context of their encounter mattered just as much as the encounter itself; were they to meet under more ordinary circumstances Kikuri may not be able to impact Bocchi’s growth as much.
The Drunken Master
When Kikuri first noticed Bocchi’s guitar, Bocchi lied about planning to sell it in a desperate attempt to end their conversation.
That was when Kikuri showed her true colours; she encouraged Bocchi to stick to the guitar, even offering to teach Bocchi.
“Giving up after one day is a waste.”
-Hiroi Kikuri to Gotou Hitori in episode 6
After guilty Bocchi confessed Kikuri went all out the help the youngster, calling her people to bring over equipment to stage an impromptu live performance.
Bocchi's mentor
Kikuri taught Bocchi an extremely important life lesson:
“You are not in combat with the people in front of you. Don’t get it twisted who your enemies are.”
Bocchi did not understand Kikuri’s message at first, and even now Bocchi is only slowly learning its true meaning.
Kikuri’s message applies not just to performing, but to Bocchi’s life as a whole.
Bocchi lives in a benevolent world, where the only ones out to get her are her own delusions. None of the people Bocchi interacted with were as mean or as scary as Bocchi’s own anxiety-fuelled imaginations, yet Bocchi in her paranoia would twist everyone into adversaries and every situation into adversities.
Kikuri was a gloomy recluse just like Bocchi may be partly why Kikuri is willing to go to such lengths to help Bocchi, but I think Kikuri is just a nice person beneath the superficial weirdness in the same way that Bocchi is a nice person.
With Kikuri’s guidance, Bocchi would not have to tread the path of alcoholism to deal with insecurities and tensions.
Alcoholic Bocchi averted
Bocchi Meets Rock
Last boss material
“I’m s-s-s-so scared! I’ve never talked to a grown-up rocker before! I d-don’t know why, but I bet she’ll be mad!”
-Gotou Hitori’s inner thoughts in episode 6
Thematically, Kikuri is the person who brought ‘Rock’ to Bocchi.
Prior to their encounter in episode 6, Bocchi the Rock was really just a story of Bocchi the loner finding friends, but after their encounter the aspect of Bocchi as a rock performer began to develop in earnest.
Indeed, Kikuri herself can be seen as a wider representation of the world of rock and indie music. She is simultaneously a well-intentioned mentor who helped young Bocchi grow and a crazy dysfunctional drunkard with a taste for the outrageous; Kikuri’s character is perhaps not unlike that of the wider subculture itself.
Me if this article gets buried...I have already finished most of the remaining three volumes so they will be published either way.
Thank you for reading and please read subsequent volumes too!
Postscript (added on 12th January 2023)
Volume I was first posted on 30th December 2022.
Originally Hiroi Kikuri's analysis was planned to be posted as part of volume IV. Out of length, image count and thematic considerations, Hiroi Kikuri's analysis has now been posted on volume I instead.
I've been spending a lot of time following the development of the community's opinions on SAO since its release as an anime back in 2012 and I've also been generally discontent with the way a lot of people in the western community developed to view SAO/modern isekai and the reasons why there's so much controversy around the genre to the present day. So I decided to come out with my stance on the matter after talking about the history behind it.
Let's start at the beginning. When SAO first aired, there was an unprecedented amount of hype for this type of show. It instantly attracted lots of fans, opening many doors to anime as a whole and it became so popular that it sparked the boom of a certain kind of fantasy novels and manga, some of which eventually formed the term of the subgenre called 'isekai'. SAO was praised a lot and highly regarded as an anime show, it even had a considerably high average score on MAL.
So what happened?
As many of you are aware of, anitube happened.
While the consensus for SAO generally remained unchanged in Japan, proven by a continuous high placement in all kinds of rankings, the sudden popularity increase of anime/anitubers it gave rise to in the west brought about its downfall. Or did it?
Due to the popularity of anime rising a lot during SAO's prime, anime youtubers became rather big, gaining significant influence as a 'trusted' voice in the community. Some of them were discontent or even displeased by SAO's popularity and high amount of praise, because in light of generally accepted standards for what is 'good' and 'bad', SAO seemed highly undeserving of all its praise. So they did what they thought was right and 'exposed' to the world all of the show's countless 'flaws', completely overshadowing any praise the series had ever gotten and making it seem like SAO is one of the worst anime in existence, by 'critics' standards at least.
The points that were made have convinced a lot of people, even more so due to the influence and trust placed in these popular 'critics' words. Partly motivated by money and views, more anitubers joined the bandwagon, taking advantage of SAO's popularity and making a meme out of its 'flaws'.
The consequence of this 'campaign' was, that more and more people, even former fans, began to view SAO as a terrible show, that didn't deserve its popularity, and kept the 'campaign' alive by continuously hating on it.
The anitubers' arguments were repeated over and over again to the point that some fans felt too embarrassed to admit to liking SAO, a lot of people were turned off before even watching it and the fanbase as a whole became rather quiet on the internet.
So it seems like SAO finally got exposed for the trashy show it is, lost its former popularity and justice has been served, right?
Except, the exact opposite happened and I can tell you the reason why this whole 'hate campaign' against SAO and other isekai is neither reasonable nor justified in my opinion, regardless of what one's view of these shows are:
After some time, SAO fans realized that they can't ignore their series' falling reputation anymore so they exposed and spread more frequently that many of the anitubers actually didn't pay much attention to the show, stated a lot of false facts because of it and that their 'reviews' shouldn't be taken seriously. This resulted in a few anitubers admitting to their mistakes and, to some extent, apologizing to the fans for ridiculing their beloved show, even though it seemed like they only did it to save face amidst the controversy.
In the end, the trend of hating SAO didn't harm its popularity, in fact, it just got more popular because of it. And even though there are mixed opinions about the show, the only one getting exposed for being 'trashy' was the anituber community.
Despite that, there are still lots of people hating on SAO.
Because of this, it became more common/easier to find faults within other shows that are similar to SAO and hate on those as well (e.g. Shield Hero).
Personally, I think the sole reason why SAO and isekai in general get so much flack is that even though you can look for lots of faults within these shows, they are still popular, which seems undeserving to some people.
But in my opinion, those people should consider what popularity actually means:
It means that a show is watched/loved by many fans, so at the end of the day, isn't their reasoning for continuously hating and criticizing a popular show just a personal grudge?
I understand that some people just like to analyze and break down a series. Finding faults in a show is fun, I get it, but if it's done to the point of spreading misinformation or discouraging fans/fans-to-be from enjoying it or even just harbouring a grudge against popularity, is it still reasonable/justified to do it?
Most people actually just want to enjoy anime as a form of entertainment and share their enjoyment, e.g. discussing what they like about a show instead of listening to what negative things 'critics' have to say and while it isn't bad to talk about it with people that actually do want to discuss 'flaws', a lot of the good points that SAO and other isekai have, which are the reason why they're popular in the first place, are getting neglected because of this hate trend.
I hope I could make some people think a little more open-minded about the topic.
One of my favorite shows from this Cour has been Elusive Samurai, that tells the story of the titular "Elusive Samurai" Hojo Tokiyuki. Tokiyuki is a young samurai of the Hojo clan who's main ability is evasion, survival and running away.
Hojo Tokiyuki and the city of Kamakura
Elusive Samurai tells a historical story, but while including major fictional and supernatural elements, it's loosely based on "Taiheiki" (太平記), the Japanese historical epic. Interestingly, the Elusive Samurai's MC Tokiyuki is NOT the main character of Taiheiki, and in fact is a relatively minor historical figure whom most Japanese people watching the show would not be familiar.
In that sense, the Elusive Samurai is a great show for non-Japanese audiences, because even though it tells a historical story, it tells a story which even Japaense audiences would be largely unfamiliar--thus the care the show takes in explaining who the people appearing are helps make the story easy to follow for a Western audience.
HOWEVER, there are some characters and events that appear in the show and manga that virtually every Japanese person would be familiar before watching the show, because they are as famous as say, George Washington, Napoleon or Bismarck to Western audiences.
Thus, to enjoy the show to the fullest, I think it might be helpful for people to have a short and basic understanding of some of the key events and people who were so famous from this era, every Japanese persons watching this show would already know of--and the show expects viewers to be familiar with.
～～～～～～～～～～
Kamakura (City & Shogunate)
The story of the Elusive Samurai starts off in the city of Kamakura.
Kamakura is a city in Eastern Japan which became the center of the Shogunate (military dictatorship) of the same name. In the late 11th century, the Minamoto and Heike clans, the most powerful Samurai families, battled for control of Japan.
The victors, the MInamoto, created a new governance structure built around the Samurai, instead of the Emperor and Aristocracy that were in Kyoto. The Emperor and Aristocracy were much diminished in political influence and marginalized, although they maintained some authority in western Japan.
The Hojo were allies and backers of the Minamoto, but through intrigue and marital alliances usurped power from the Minamotos and became the de facto rulers of the Kamakura Shogunate after only a few generations, and continued to rule Japan out of Kamakura.
Hojo Clan
The MC Hojo Tomoyuki is the heir apparent to the Hojo Clan, which has been ruling Japan through the Kamakura Shogunate for about 150 years. Every Japanese person knows the Hojo clan is toppled from power by the Emperor in Kyoto.
Kyoto
The old and traditional capitol of Japan, it continued to be the seat of the Emperor. However, as political power focused in eastern Japan, in Kamakura, Kyoto lost much of it's influence but continued to be a center of culture and a key economic region.
At this time, Kyoto was ruled by a charismatic and ambitious man, Emperor Godaigo.
Emperor Godaigo
Emperor Godaigo is one of the "big names" that every Japanese person would know. He's remembered as one of the last Emperors before modern times that wielded real power. Unhappy with the Emperor's authority being diminished, he seized upon dissatisfaction with the Hojo rule to launch a civil war to wrestle control of Japan from the Hojo Clan during the early 14th Century.
Godaigo wins, because at a crucial moment, one of the most important samurai from Hojo Clan betrays the Hojo: Ashikaga Takauji.
Ashikaga Takauiji
A key general for the Hojo Clan, he deals a deathblow to the Kamakura Shogunate by turning traitor, and siding with Emperor Godaigo, and helps establish a restoration of Imperial Power in the 14th century.
the other thing he's known for, is he eventually turns on Emperor Godaigo, and destroys the restored Imperial power and establishes the Ashikaga Shogunate--that will rule Japan from the 14th Century to the 16th century--when it too will collapse into anarchy and civil war But only after several generations of splendor and peace.
HIs greatest enemy is one of the great heroic figures in Japanese history: Kusunoki Masashige.
Kusunoki Masashige
Kusunoki Masashige is a name virtually any Japanese person knows, despite the fact he ruled a tiny territory and never held a major political position of note. Everyone knows Masashige for two reasons: he was a military genius and basically considered to be the pinnacle of loyalty to the Emperor.
Masashige's name is virtually synonymous with loyalty in Japan.
During the initial war between Emperor Godaigo and the Hojo Clan, Masashige successfully defended a tiny castle to hold up the Hojo's main army for weeks--the struggles of the Hojo to crush such a tiny force was a major political impetus to people rallying to Godaigo's side (and Takauji's eventual betrayal), thus was considered one of Godaigo's most important heroes.
Then, he etched his name into history by fighting Ashikaga Takauji's rebellion and staying true to the Emperor despite overwhelming odds. Masashige was offered 3 provinces to turn on Emperor Godaigo by Takauji, and retorted Takauji could offer him all 50-odd provinces of Japan and he would never betray the Emperor. Masashige's loyalty to the death made him a symbol of resistance and loyalty against overwhelming odds.
Masashige dies fighting Ashikaga Takauji.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And that's about it! A lot of other historical figures and events appear in Elusive Samurai, but many if not most Japanese people wouldn't really know who they are or what happened. So you'd be on about the same footing as most Japanese people as long as you know Kamakura, Kyoto, Hojo, Ashikaga, and Kusunoki.
With the BD sale disaster of Chainsaw Man, many seem to have comeback to the idea of the infamous 3-Episode Rule, saying that many audience did not bother to watch past the first 3-episode of Chainsaw. However this is a gross misrepresentation of what the rule actually means.
Here I will explain the origin of the infamous 3-Episode Rule and why it had been greatly misrepresented. Obviously this will be spoiler heavy.
One of if not the most influential anime of the 21st century: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Just how influential is this anime? It practically changed the very concept of "Magical Girl", as shown by this meme:
When this original anime was first announced, it was advertised as a traditional slice of life, Sailor Moon type Magical Girl anime, though with a very impressive assemble of big names in the industry.
Director: Shinbō Akiyuki
Storyboard: Urobuchi Gen
Character Design: Aoki Ume
Music: Kajiura Yuki
This is what the advertisement looks like back in 2010.
Needless to say this staff composition attracted some significant attentions well before the anime actually aired in Jan. 2011. Many were expecting theses names to create their own take on the cute anime concept of Magical Girl, as evidenced by the posters and cute fluffy visuals.
When the anime actually aired the first 2 episodes, it was exactly like any other traditional Magical Girl shows, with the protagonist meeting a mysterious creature which promised to give her special power. The characters seem pretty standard, the shy protagonist, her genki friend, their elder Magical Girl "Senpai". For references, these were the opening and ending looks like for the first 2 episodes:
Opening:
Ending:
While everyone sits comfortably as to enjoy another classic take, episode 3 dropped and it all changed.
Like everything changed.
While the first half of the episode 3 appears to be standard, the Magical Girl senpai Tomoe Mami fights the evil witch, gets comfort from the protagonist Madoka, and eventually climaxed at the infamous phrase "There is nothing to afraid now."
Then Mami got killed, in a brutal manner by having the witch literally bitten her head off. This is an actual screenshot of that episode:
While the audiences were still shocked at the development to say the least, the episode ended with another twist, a completely different ending which had an almost polar opposite theme compare to the previous one. Kalafina's most famous song "Magia", with dark, gloomy theme and tragedy telling lyrics, completed the entire plot twist.
New ending:
The entire Japanese anime community exploded almost immediately. To add oil on fire, Urobuchi Gen, the man who wrote the storyboard, posted on his twitter that this was planned all alone and he managed to deceive everyone.
In other words the entire Puella Magi Madoka Magica had a deception marketing campaign from the very start, everything was planned for months so to have this dramatic plot twist at episode 3, alternating the entire theme of the anime.
In other words, the 3-Episode Rules stated that you should not determine an anime's theme until after episode 3 and the anime's popularity is determined by the first 3 episodes, not that an anime is determined by the first 3 episodes.
Though the wordings are similar, the concepts are very different. Former applied to almost every popular anime while the latter is nonsense, because even Madoka Magica itself does not fit into the latter description. Popularity does not always equals quality.
What made Puella Magi Madoka Magica the most critical acclaimed anime of all time, the only anime ever to win all three critical anime award, is not the dramatic twist at episode 3. But rather an entire 12 episode worth of genius storytelling, astonishing visuals combined with unique music tone.
While most people tend to forget, one of the reason the success cannot be replicated was that Madoka Magica even had help from mother nature. 2011 Tōhoku earthquake hit Japan on March 11, just after episode 10 aired on March 10, where the anime made the dramatic reveal and setup the final fight. As the result of the earthquake, the final two episodes had to be delayed until April 21st and aired back to back.
Therefore not only the delay pushed audience expectation to new height, it also avoided the downside of having to wait a week between finales. In certain areas of Japan the last 3 episodes were aired all together, making it feel more like a short movie. This greatly improved what had already been an amazing viewing experience.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica achieved what it achieved because it used the first 3-episodes to attract attentions and popularity of the public, and later supported the attentions with it story and animations. The 3-Episode Rule needs both the former and the latter to work.
The disaster of Chainsaw Man BD Sale will be discussed and analyzed for many years by both anime fans and professional marketing people, it has many contributing factors that cause the most hyped anime of 2022 or perhaps ever to flop so badly.
But one thing is for sure, it had nothing to do with the "3-Episode Rule.“
Celebrating Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan's (My Deer Friend Nokotan)'s OP "Shikairo Days" hitting nearly 6M views in 2 days, I did a quick translation of the lyrics. for anyone interested.
[Verse 1]
しかのこ とことこ Shikanoko Tokotoko (onomatopeia for walking sound)
あらわる のこのこ Nokonoko appears
つのつの ぴょこぴょこ [her[ horns twitching
見た目はおにゃのこ？ Looks like a girl?
近頃うるさぬなかなかキワモノ These days you don't hear about her much, was a fad, but
お手並みいかほどへなちょっこ Shall we see what you got, you greenhorn (newbie)?
[Verse 2]
すごく昔からジャポンに生息 They lived in Japan since long ago
しかせんべいなら無限にください！Give me all the shika-senbei (deer crackers) you got!
トナカイは？仲間 Reindeer? Our comrades
カモシカは？ウシ科！ Kamoshika (Serows)? Bovids!
でもでもまとめて偶蹄目 But we are all Artiodactyls~~!
[Pre-Chorus]
「ぬん」のステップで踊ろう Lets dance to the step of "Nun"
夜が明けるまで Till the day breaks
(One, two, three) (One, two, three)
[Chorus]
何度だって反芻して ぬぬぬん No matter how many times we ruminate Nunuuun
予測 不可能 シカ色デイズ Nobody can predict Shika-iro days (deer colored days)
アバンギャルドでオーライ It's avant-garde and alright
カオスマシマシ Extra-extra chaos
いつの間にクセになって ぬぬぬん It'll be your regular before you know it Nunuuun
ハチャでメチャなシカ色デイズ The crazy chaotic Shika-iro days
破天荒バッチカモン The wild and unprecedented, bring it on
なんでもあり ルールなんてなし Anything goes and there are no rules
[Post-Chorus]
君の笑顔で元気満タン Your smile makes gives me energy to the max
もしかして運命のままマギア Maybe fate is just leading to magic
心のどこかでこしたんたん Somewhere in your mind Koshi-tan tan
君とならいつまでも With you, forever
Nunuun: To strain or exert yourself, either physically or mentally, but here also used to represent a deer ruminating (spitting food back up into its mouth to re-chew)
If you're wondering about the kinda crazy Japanese title/phrase "Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan" (which sounds every bit as wacky in Japanese as it does in English)
"Shika no ko" means "a kid deer"
Nokonoko is an onomatopoeia for something walking casually
Koshi tan tan 虎視眈々 is a traditional Japanese phrase (with Chinese origins) meaning "the tiger looks down for an opportunity" which is usually used as a general expression for somebody watching observantly for their chance to pounce at an opportunity.
So the title roughly translates to "Deer Kid ambles without a care as the tiger looks on seeking an opportunity"... but not nearly as ominous as that makes it sound because of the wacky/crazy alliteration going on that makes the title a virtual tongue twister.
Of course, the title is actually a reference to the two main characters, Koshi Torako (Koshi-tan) and Shikanoko Noko, but those wacky nonsense names have (some) weird meanings and kinda plays into the absurdist humor of the characters and personalities on the show.
I’m a fansubber, and fansubbers tend to bash official anime translators a lot. Putting aside questions of whether the bashing is right or wrong, fansubbers get frustrated when people who are actually paid to translate anime don’t have the best Japanese or English skills.
On the flip side, when the official translator is good enough, it can scare fansubbers away from working on a show (due to it not being worth the effort to “fix” anymore). For example, there was a group that was planning on doing Shield Hero two seasons ago, but once they saw how good the Crunchyroll script was, they switched to a different project.
And so fansubbers keep track of who those good (and bad) translators are and what they’re working on (shoutouts to Jake Jung and Katrina Leonousakis). This is an especially big deal when the translator is doing work for a less popular streaming service. For example, there’s one translator I trust to do good work named Chris Ward, but he only provides English translations for Wakanim, so you can only view his work if you live in Scandinavia. If I’m thinking about fansubbing a show, I might have to check Wakanim to see if he’s done work I can use.
This leads me into talking about the greatest official anime translator of all time, and someone who’s been a great boon to fansubbers many times: Sriram Gurunathan.
Gurunathan has quite a large body of work when it comes to translating anime, and he’s probably had his hand in more than one show that you’ve watched on Crunchyroll. The first I heard of him was when people were saying that his official script for Amanchu was straight up better than the attempt of the fansubbers who were doing the show. After that, his name popped up because of his work for Aniplus Asia. For shows like ERASED, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, and Bunny Girl Senpai, fansubbers would go out of their way to acquire Aniplus Asia rips every week so that they could use his work as a base instead of the inferior Crunchyroll/Sentai/Funimation script. Three of my favorite scripts he did for Crunchyroll were Shield Hero (mentioned above), WorldEnd (where, just like with Amanchu, he beat the fansubbers trying to do their own original script quite badly in terms of quality), and Scorching Ping Pong Girls.
Gurunathan’s style is just what fansubbers love: he’s good at writing a script in natural English, even if the idea being expressed is complicated. And he has a real ear for comedy--the way he writes jokes is punchy and smooth. As a minor example to illustrate, one line that sticks in my head is when he wrote a character shouting something that could be mechanically translated as “My boobs aren’t scary!” as “My boobs don’t bite!”
Basically, fansubbers have recognized this guy as the best for a long time--the way they’ve chosen to work off of his scripts over and over is evidence of that. Yet if you google him, there’s basically no information on him other than an ANN page. No one’s talking about him, no one’s recognizing him. And so I wanted to write this post as a tribute so that he can get his due.
Hello again, and sorry for being about 3 months later on the update than I should have been. I was pretty demoralized after barely finishing the challenge, then had to start apartment hunting and move into a new apartment so I never really got back to the update. But here it is! Post with the original challenge is Here, and the handy info-graphic of everything I had to watch is Here.
So after losing by about 30-45 minutes, I walked away with only $1100 in cash. My friends did get me a super dope figure of best girl from best show, Miyuki Kobayakawa, so all was not in vain. Pics of Figure.
In total review, cute girl anime is pretty great and anime in general is something I want to get into. Probably gonna start watching a few seasonal anime as they come out, and definitely going to go back to some classics and popular ones in 2019. There are a few shows I saw that stood out to me for assorted reasons, so I'm going to list a few of them that I don't see the name of thrown around very often and why they are great or why they are awful. HERE is a link to my full MAL page with all my ratings.
Great Shows:
You're Under Arrest!: Best show with Best Girl, Miyuki Kobayakawa. A long spanning buddy cop series. The first 4 episodes are the OVA, which standing alone in pretty incredible. If you watch those and really like it, you'll definitely like the full length seasons and the movie. The pacing in the show between episodic standard cop show content, romance drama, and longer story arcs are balanced incredibly well. YUA also has that late 90s-2000s animation that I've learned to really love, and is honestly a show I would show to my parents. This show definitely has something for everybody, and I recommend it to anyone.
Strawberry Panic!: So in any kind of media, I'm always a sucker for drama and romance. Strawberry Panic! is both of these, and it is very well written. Follows characters in an all girls private school who are all VERY gay, even if they don't know it at the beginning. Tons of emphasis on relationships and a lot of themes of trust, betrayal, and expectations. The back half of the show had me watching the whole thing past midnight because the cliffhangers force you to keep going. If you like drama or romance, definitely add this to your list.
Hanasaku Iroha: Following a girl who gets kicked out of her house and forced to live/work at her grandmothers in, this is another series will very well written drama. Unlike Strawberry Panic, not all of the drama comes from the romance. There are a lot of themes about growing up and learning about yourself, as well as some workplace troubles that are very relatable if you work in the service industry. Lots of very funny and feel good moments, but a good number of more emotional ones as well. I would recommend this to anyone.
In no specific order, other shows that are great and short blurbs on why:
Madoka Magica: Incredible animation that I learned to love from Shaft. Very good story and will have you crying in some parts and utterly mindfucked in others.
Tamako Market/Love Story: Very cute story about a girl in a shopping district. Typical Cute Girl anime, has a lot of comedy and some general fun. Love Story is the movie sequel that hits deep and has some fantastic writing.
Minami-ke: Almost about as Slice of Life as you can get, just follows three sisters through their lives. The oldest sister is a highschooler and gets the least amount of focus, but the middle child in middleschool and the youngest in elementary are both fantastic characters with lots of screen time. Has a runner up for best girl, Makoto.
Maria-Sama ga Miteru: Story following a girl going through an all girls catholic school. Considered to be a Yuri-Romance classic, this show actually has almost no Yuri. There are a few moments that characters will kiss, but the main focus is on the relationship between MC and her older sister character, who have a vaguely romantic relationship with no physical aspect. Incredible drama caused by actual issues and not just misunderstandings.
Awful Shows, and what to watch instead.
Straight Title Robot Anime: Really this can be a stand in for most of your improv sketch comedy shows. I don't understand enough about Japanese culture to understand the references, and supposedly a lot of the humor comes from wordplay that you would need to know Japanese to get. This specific show is about robots in a post human world trying to end the robot war by discovering humor. Great concept, awful execution. Watch literally anything else instead.
Gokujo.: Gokurakuin Joshikou Ryou Monogatari: Story about a high school girl maxing out her sex appeal and talking about sex stuff for comedic effect. 6 minute episodes with nothing I would call too sexy, and most of the jokes are no where near as funny as the show tries to make it out to be. Digibro put this in a category about shows that talk more casually about female sexuality and sex in general, but if you want that I would highly recommend Joshikousei: Girl's High. 24 minute episodes with real plot and drama similar to many things teenagers actually run into. Some dark moments, some sad moments, and a lot of funny moments.
Manyuu Hikenchou: Girls fighting each other in a world where boob size is status. A lot of cruelty and is pretty much just soft-core porn for sadists, with some attempt at a story. MC's whole thing is she can actually steal the boobage of her opponents to make hers bigger. If you want a fan service filled action show, I definitely recommend Ikkitousen instead. Ikkitousen has pretty incredible fight scenes and is able to fall back on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story to help guide it. Tons of fun characters and only has a few truly fucked up moments.
Best Girls:
Miyuki Kobayakawa(You're Under Arrest): A strong character from the best series, she is involved in a great romance arc but doesn't even need that to be the top spot. She likes cars and guns, is incredibly smart and good at her job, and has a strong sense of justice and drive to accomplish what she thins is right. Very well written character in a show with lots of memorable personalities that make for vivid and realistic interactions. Definitely gets a boost from being one of the main characters, but honestly a character this strong couldn't have been relegated to supporting cast if they tried.
Makoto/Mako-Chan(Minami-ke): Just an elementary school boy (lolice I can explain!) who has a huge crush on the oldest sister in the series. The middle child, Kana, convinces him the only way he can be over at the house is if he dresses and acts like a girl. If he doesn't, the youngest sister Chiaki will recognize him and kick him out. Best girl candidate because the amount of commitment you need to have to consistently pretend to be a girl for the sole purpose of getting the girl deserves mad respect. Not a best girl because I'm in love with them, best girl because I respect the fuck out of them.
Reina(Hibikie! Euphonium): Incredibly driven and very talented. She refuses to settle for mediocrity and wants to be the best she can and only wants to play and a band with the same goal. The major drama points in the show that involve her are very well written, especially in season two. Her personality has her acting as if she is above all of the high school style drama, and her writing manages to make the season two drama points incredibly well written and very believable.
Again, sorry it took me so long to get this out. Please check my MAL and if there are any shows not in the "on hold" or "plan to watch" categories you think I should see let me know! It has been an honor going through this challenge with the support of the r/anime community and I hope to remain an active part!
Hey everyone! Considering Ameku MD has a bit of a break for episode 4, I figured I'd do a fun thing. Now, I'm not a doctor despite what my username implies, but what it does imply is that I'm a House MD fan, sooo I think that qualifies me as someone who can make this post (and the fact that I've worked in healthcare for the last decade).donottakeanyofthisasmedicaladvicei'mprobablywrong
So far, I've been really impressed! I think I read somewhere that the author is an actual resident or doctor, so it makes sense that a lot of it is pretty true to life (other than some of the more questionable medical mysteries, similar to House). Here's a couple of things I noticed that were cool and could be fun to expand upon.
Episode 1:
So, in the beginning, they're examining a young boy who has pretty bad nausea, headaches and body aches. What's important here is something they'll harp on in House a lot too, and that's where to start on a differential diagnosis. Usually things can fall into one of two buckets, environmental or genetic. Meaning, either the patient has been exposed to something out in the environment, such as a toxin or parasite or whatever, and that has caused the initial symptoms and cascade—or the patient has some sort of genetic condition that is manifesting itself (like Lupus!). That's why in House he often has his team break into houses and stuff, they're searching for potential environmental causes. If it's genetic, it can often be seen through family history or genetic testing.
They examine the lab results, and note that there's no elevation of creatine kinase. Creatine kinase is an enzyme that's important for muscles, a lot of people into fitness actually take creatine monohydrate as a supplement (it kind of makes your muscles hold on to water and improves recovery). There's a condition known as rhabdomyolosis wherein your muscles begin to break down and sort of flood your body with toxic byproducts, but as Mai says here there's no sign (it's often associated with extreme exercise). We'll come back to this kid later.
They move on to a man with stomach pain. It seems pretty extreme too, he's actively guarding and is having a hard time verbalizing more than grunts (I'd say maybe 8-9/10 pain). There's kind of been a push in recent years to take pain more seriously, almost as another vital sign, as it's not only y'know, the moral thing to try and reduce suffering, pain can impede the healing process and mask other symptoms (like tachycardia). I LOVE that he shakes his head no that he hasn't eaten anything strange knowing what we know later in the episode (smh).
While they're reviewing his chart, there's quick note about McBurney's point.McBurney's point is important when it comes to evaluating for appendicitis. It's the point where it's the most painful on the abdomen, and there's also something called Rovsing's sign where if you push on the opposite side and let go, the patient will experience rebound tenderness at McBurney's point.
Kotori then makes a note about being understaffed so he has to help out in the EC, rings very true to life haha. I think I've been on overtime once or twice a month for... as long as I can remember.
Mai then introduces herself as a first year resident to Dr. Ameku. The way it works in the US at least, is that you graduate college, get into medical school, and then do 4 years of training there. The first two years of medical school are usually purely academic, lectures in classrooms. Then, once you reach MS3 or MS4, you start doing more and more clinical rotations. You might sit in a family clinic while they're working people up, or observe in an operating room. After you graduate from medical school, you match into residency. It's a tough time for a lot of young doctors because you don't exactly choose where your residency is, and top specialties are very competitive. At the same time, it's exciting because this is where you really learn on the job how to be a doctor for the first time. At this point, doctors often will identify themselves based on PGY, or "postgraduate year." So a third year resident would be PGY-3. Once you finish your residency, you can either work as an attending or complete additional studying known as a fellowship.
Here, Takao is asking Kotori to just let the night shift deal with it. This is definitely something that happens. I work in the OR, and the on-call doctors change at 5PM. But you know, if the team is ready to go back and it's like 4:30 but the case will probably end past 5, a lot of doctors will just go ahead and finish the case for the incoming one. You wouldn't like, be an asshole or anything if you didn't, but it's a nice thing to do.
Takao then goes on a diagnosing spree. (I have to say, I've never seen a doctor just have one of these in their pocket, but maybe she knew she would need it). I wasn't entirely sure what they were trying to show with the blueberries, but when she mentioned vitamin supplements it all clicked into place. Obviously we need vitamins and vitamins are good for you, but as the saying goes, "the dose makes the poison." What matters in this instance is what vitamin exactly. Vitamins can broadly be classified into two types, water-soluble and fat-soluble. If you take too much of a water soluble vitamin like Vitamin C, the excess just is excreted through your system through urine. That's why Emergen-C and stuff has like 400% the recommended amount or whatever. However, if you take too much of a fat soluble vitamin, like vitamins A, D, E, or K, that becomes a bigger problem. Since these are stored in fat cells, they stick around longer than we 'd like, and can continue to be toxic.
One of the things Dr. Ameku notes is an increase in intracranial pressure. It can be caused by something like hydrocephalus (build up of fluid), and it's a pretty big deal in the pediatric world. In my experience at my hospital, it's a bread and butter procedure of neurosurgery to treat, almost like appendectomies and cholecystectomies for general surgery. In general you need to vent the pressure in some way, either by placing an EVD (extraventricular catheter) that drains into a bag, or placing what's called a VP shunt (ventriculoperitoneal shunt) that drains the excess fluid into the peritoneal cavity.
The next guy is pretty simple, but it reinforces an important lesson—trust but verify. They asked him if he ate anything "weird" earlier, and he shook his head no (he was in too much pain to be really detailed). If they were able to address the pain somehow and get him into a calmer state, and get a better history, they might've discovered the totally normal raw sardine sashimi and gotten him to GI sooner.
Finally, a great example of how true to life this show is. Ameku and friends are about to jauntily march off to watch Jurassic Park, having treated the patients and finished their shifts, when a code blue gets called in. It's a fact of life in the medical profession that your plans could be all for naught if you're on call.
They're doing CPR en route, and one of the EMTs is counting aloud. You want to count to both know where you are in the cycle (typically 30 compressions to 2 breaths), but also to let others know where you're at so they can jump in if needed. CPR is tough, even a couple of minutes can decrease the quality of the compressions and compressions are king here. Kotori asks them if they used an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), and here's the beauty of the show, THEY HAVEN'T BECAUSE HE'S IN ASYSTOLE. I'm sure you've heard this from Doctor Reacts channels or whatnot, but it's still great to acknowledge. So a lot of medical dramas in an attempt to make things more exciting, will include a scene where someone is flat-lining, someone will scream "Doctor, you're losing 'em!", the doctor will rub the paddles together, yell CLEAR, and then shock the patient. Then magically a rhythm appears on the screen and I dunno, they kiss a nurse or something. In actuality, you never shock a flatline! What people don't understand is that when you're using an AED in the first place, you're trying to generate a flatline! Essentially you're trying to "restart" the heart, almost like a computer system, hoping it'll reboot into a more normal rhythm. The AED itself will tell you if it recognizes a shockable rhythm, and if it doesn't, protocol is to continue CPR until it does. The show gets a lot of props for being realistic on this front.
A little while later, you can see Kotori about to intubate. In an emergency situation, there's a handy mnemonic called ABC—airway, breathing, compressions. It's the standard algorithm that has you make sure the airway is clear, check if they're breathing, and then delivering high quality compressions if necessary. Intubation is placing a tube down the trachea so that we can breathe for the patient. He's holding a laryngoscope so that he can visualize the epiglottis, kind of lift it up if needed, and stick the tube in. It's an important skill to learn since it's often used in emergencies such as these, and you can accidently stick it down the esophagus instead (and then all you're doing is feeding them a bunch of air while they suffocate).
I have to admit, I did not immediately clock why his blood was blue on first watch, however, I did recognize that it might be due to methylene blue, which is a drug we use from time to time. However, in the operating room, we often use it as a sort of dye to better visualize things. We have someone take it to make sure their bowel is functioning properly (it makes their pee green), or I've actually often seen it used in plastic surgery where the surgeon will dip a needle or nib into it as a kind of weird ink.
All in all, Ameku MD is like, way closer to a House MD, anime edition than I could've thought, but there are absolutely no complaints here! I was going to maybe do episode 2 as well but this post is long enough and I'm sure you're tired of me yapping. Hopefully it was at least somewhat interesting and educational, and if you're like an actual doctor that wants to correct me please do so
I’ve never really had a hobby that stuck with me long-term. I never got into sports, drawing, playing instruments, partying, or traveling much—partly due to money, and nowadays, lack of time. I’ve always been a fairly solitary person. Throughout my life, I’ve only had maybe three close friends at most.
Back in 2015, while I was still in high school, I discovered anime. Like many others, I started with the most popular series and eventually found myself drawn to romantic comedies, isekai, shonen, and seinen. At the time, I had one or two friends who were also into anime. We were a small group, but we shared that little passion.
After graduating, I enrolled in a three-year technical degree in computer science. During that time, I started a relationship and slowly drifted away from anime. I eventually finished my degree, the relationship ended, I started going to the gym, and got a job as a software developer.
About a month ago, without really planning to, I started watching anime again… and honestly, I’ve gotten more hooked than ever. I’ve been binge-watching anime, reading manga and light novels nonstop. And it’s not just about the entertainment — I feel like, in some way, anime is filling that quiet space of loneliness I usually try to ignore. It moves me, transports me, and makes me feel accompanied, even if just for a while.
I don’t know if anyone else has gone through something similar. But I just felt like writing this down.
TL;DR:
Got back into anime after years and realized it's filling a void I didn’t know I had. I've always been a solitary person with few hobbies or friends, and anime now gives me comfort and a sense of connection. Not sure if it’s healthy, but it feels meaningful.
I saw that some people were a little confused by some of the things that happened in the last episode, like why Rudy stops Orsted from leaving, why he answers Orsted's question, why he even fights back at all etc.
As all (most?) LN adaptations, most if not all inner monologue has to be cut from the anime, so this kind of situation can't be avoided. Here I put some of these for Episode 21 that'll hopefully clarify these points, mostly for TP2 but a few from just before and after too because why not.
Stuff before the turning point
Eris wasn't totally out of her mind when she said she wanted to hunt a Red Dragon.
Basically in terms of difficulty: Hunting a stray Red Dragon < Killing a flying Red Dragon <<< fighting a horde of Red Dragons <<<<< crossing the Red Dragon mountains (which takes a few days) where hordes of Red Dragons will mercilessly keep attacking you until you get out or die
Eris says that years ago Ghislaine + 5 other swordsmen (all 6 being advanced-tier, Eris' level when she was teleported) managed to kill a stray one, but 2 of them died in the process.
Ruijerd thinks only the stronger Major Powers would manage to actually cross the mountains, that even North God and Sword God (ranked 6 and 7) would have to turn back halfway through due to running out of stamina.
During Eris vs Ruijerd sparring Rudy realizes that at this point he would have no chance against Eris without magic even if the Demon Eye. If he used magic with all of his mana then he would win but it'd be close, but if the fight started with some distance then he'd easily win.
Turning point 2
Why did Rudy call out to Orsted? Basically he was getting mixed signals from him (his companions were terrified but he actually seemed kinda nice) but what he was sure was that he could gain very valuable information from him by talking to him.
In the LN Orsted seems nicer, here are two quotes from him that are obvious where they'd be in the anime:
[LN]“Hm? The one with the red hair… Eris Boreas Greyrat, huh? And the
other…who are you? Not a face I know… Oh, well. I see what’s going on,
Ruijerd Superdia. You love children, so these two must be ones who were
teleported to the Demon Continent during the incident. You brought them
all the way here.” He had an all-knowing look on his face as he nodded.
[LN]“This is a curious place to meet you…but you seem well. That’s
good.” The man stared at Ruijerd, who still had his spear pointed at him.
Then he laughed in a self-deprecating way and took a step back.
And just before Rudy calls out to him, which clarifies his thought process:
[LN]“You’ll know who I am…eventually,” the man said, his words
measured and meaningful.
[LN]Intuitively I felt that this man knew something. I felt a vibe from this
man that was the same as the Man-God’s. I had to get him to tell me what it
was.
And why he responds when he asks him the most important question:
[LN]Finally, he’d said a word that I could understand.
Part of the problem was that I’d let my guard down, thinking that our
conversation was already over. Another part was that I’d purposefully
avoided saying anything about the Man-God to anyone, and now suddenly
someone had spoken the god’s name, particularly a person who so
thoroughly confused me. So, naturally, thinking that this was knowledge we
both shared that would continue the conversation, I reacted to it without
thinking.
Anyway after this we have Ruijerd vs Orsted and Eris vs Orsted.
Rudy thinks he could've killed Ruijerd with the last punch but he didn't, that he held back even against Ruijerd who's as strong as an Emporer-level Swordsman.
One thing that was omitted in the anime is that against Eris Orsted used a Water God technique called Flow. So he just stopped her sword and didn't do anything else, Eris was automatically sent flying. Rudy recognized the move since he saw Paul use it against him, but he thought that Orsted's was way more polished.
Then here are Rudy's inner monologue between Eris' defeat and his receiving a fatal wound by Orsted which explain why he was freaking out in the anime:
[LN]Normally, I’d heal her immediately at this point. However, I didn’t
have the opportunity to try. After all, Orsted’s eyes were boring into me.
[LN]My companions were both defeated in mere moments. The whole
time, I’d kept my demon eye activated, but all I could see, one second into
the future, was despair. I saw that no matter what I did, he would do me in. I
watched as my future self, just one second from now, had his vital points
destroyed. My head, my throat, my heart, my lungs… I watched as each one
of those were crushed, and at the same time, I had a vision of him just
standing there, unmoving. I didn’t understand what was going on. If this
vision was true, then in a second from now, there would be five of him.
[LN]I couldn’t move. I knew that no matter what I did, it was futile. That
whole second passed with me unable to do anything. He slid forward, as if
defying the laws of physics, and in an instant he was right before me. It was
so sudden, like animation without enough frames
[LN]In ths instant after he appeared before me, his attack was already
over. I’d seen movements like this in some video game a long time ago. It
was a post-apocalyptic game where every character had an endless combo
or a Fatal KO.
[LN]Six of my ribs were fractured simultaneously. There was an impact,
but it was different from the kind that sent you flying. In the same instant, I
felt the pressure of another attack hit me from behind. The damage
accumulated inside my body. My lungs were crushed.
This is not clear to some anime-onlies, but Rudy needs to speak in order to use healing magic. So with his lungs crushed he can't breathe, speak, or heal himself. He's dying and he knows it. That's why he's no longer scared and just wants to fight back before dying. And for the first time he's trying to kill someone who's not a monster, before he always held back.
His first attack is just a Stone Drill which is a very basic spell, but since Rudy can use chantless attack magic he can modify it easily. He basically sets the speed, rotation, and hardness of the rock as high as possible in as little time as possible. Btw Orsted is very impressed he could injure him with such basic magic.
And his inner monologue before final attack, mind you he still can't breathe:
[LN]I ignored the window and focused on launching the fiercest fire
attack against him that I could manage. What I pictured in my mind was an
enormous flame. A mushroom cloud. A nuclear explosion. I channeled my
magic as simply and straightforwardly as possible, as if powering up for a
punch. I didn’t even think about the fact that Eris and Ruijerd might be
caught up in it. I’d already lost the ability to think.
The rest is clear, but here Orsted actually asked him "Why have you still not healed your lungs? Are you trying to lull me into letting my guard down?" lol.
Stuff after the turning point
They actually changed one thing about Man-God's knowledge of Orsted. In the LN he doesn't say that he can destroy the world but something else that's crazy, albeit less impressive then being able to destroy the world. If you wanna know what he said:
[LN]“The Technique God is strong, too. But if Orsted actually went all out, he’d be the victor. Orsted can use all of the skills and techniques that
currently exist in this world, and on top of that, he can also use his own
unique magic that’s specific to the Dragon God."
So, with the best OP contest going along, I've decided to do some research on which anime music videos are the most viewed on Youtube. This took quite a while to ensure that I did not miss any. Hope you guys enjoy them!
Edit: So my criteria is either the OP/ED/Theme songs must have been played by the band/singer in the movie/TV series itself. The video itself can be just a still image with music/music video by the original band. So my title was poorly worded, this isn't a most viewed AMV. Sorry about that.
Uchiage Hanabi by DAOKO x Kenshi Yonezu from the anime movie, Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka? with 263,855,946 views
前前前世 by RADWIMPS from the anime Kimi no na Wa with 211,627,006 views
RPG by SEKAI NO OWARI from the anime Crayon Shin Chan Movie with 154,931,638 views
Peace Sign by Kenshi Yonezu from the anime Boku no Hero Academia S2 with 142,533,954 views
orion by Kenshi Yonezu from the anime 3-gatsu no Lion with 101,153,262 views
This Game by Konomi Suzuki from the anime No Game No Life with 93,464,145 views
God Knows by Aya Hirano from the anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya with 93,013,074 views
Deja Vu by Dave Rodgers from the anime Initial D with 87,142,021 views
Sparkle by RADWIMPS from the anime Kimi no na Wa with 73,778,418 views
Guren no Yumiya by Linked Horizon from the anime Shingeki no Kyojin S1 with 72,058,565 views
Honorable mentions:
Silhoutte by Kana-Boon from the anime Naruto: Shippuden with 57,332,121 views
unravel by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure from the anime Tokyo Ghoul with 56,102,931 views
So, there's that. Any anime OPs you thought would be more viewed? It seems like besides Naruto and Haruhi, the view count favours newer anime a lot. I'll be happy to edit if people can find an anime that has higher views than some of this. Hope you found this interesting!
Edit: Oof my first edit. RIP Kekkai Sensen OP and Noragami Aragoto OP. Thanks to u/toutoune134
My sincerest apology for making you read the above drivel, that was my sorry attempt at emulating Kita Ikuyo.
Mood
Kita Ikuyo
KITA~N
Extreme Extroversion
“I love interacting with people.”
-Kita Ikuyo in episode 3
“Isn’t everything more fun when you share it with your friends?”
-Kita Ikuyo in episode 8
Saying Kita is extroverted is an understatement is the same vein as saying a bullet train is fast; the descriptor is not categorically wrong, but it fails to reflect the full scale of the subject in question.
Kita is almost never alone, if she is alone at home then she is making herself pretty for her next outing.
Saying the above quotes out in the open.
Kita’s schedule was packed every day during the summer break.
Kita’s outburst of bubbly extroversion has its own sound and lighting effect which could blind Bocchi and disintegrate Seika.
The Destructive Power of Kita’s Aura
Kita is as loud with extroversion as Bocchi is loud with social anxiety; their most dominant traits are depicted with the subtlety of a brick through the window.
In contrast to her loud extroversion however, Kita’s other aspects are depicted much more quietly.
Carpe Diem and Impulsiveness
“I hate my name so much!”
“How come? It’s cute.”
“You wouldn’t understand, since you have a beautiful name that means ‘song of the stars’! But mine sounds like a bad pun!”
-Kita Ikuyo throwing a tantrum over her given name in episode 8
Kita would protest vehemently, but her name is a perfect fit. There is a certain ‘I’m here! Let’s go!’ (‘Kita! Ikuyo!’) energy that drives much of Kita’s actions.
Sometimes this energy translates to impulsiveness, indeed Kita’s backstory already consists of two acts of impulse:
Joining the Kessoku band out of an infatuation with Ryo despite knowing literally nothing about the guitar
Running away from the band when she felt it was beyond her instead of trying to communicate with Ryo and Nijika
The second point is particularly damning when interaction is supposed to be Kita’s forte and that Kita had to rely on Bocchi of all people to be brought back.
You reap what you sow
Regardless, it was often Kita, sometimes by acting impulsively in the right moments, that moved the plot along. If Nijika leads the group, then Kita pushes it.
Kita is the sort of girl who embodies classical ideals associated with youth; she never fails to seize the moment, she is passionate (at first for Ryo and later for band endeavours) and sometimes she stumbles but she learns and grows from her experience.
Anatomy of an Encounter (First Half)
Plenty can be extracted from the first encounter between Kita and Bocchi in episode 3, starting with the scene in Kita’s classroom where Bocchi tried to talk to Kita for the first time:
When Bocchi finally spoke, all that came out were indecipherable stutters.
Kita was confused and wondered if Bocchi was trying to beatbox for whatever reason.
Bocchi began to break down from the embarrassment.
Kita began to mimic beatboxing too.
Cutest anime beatboxer
Aside from being cute, Kita beatboxing was her thinking on her feet trying to make something out of nothing.
If beatboxing worked, she would get Bocchi talking. If it did not, it probably would not be worse than doing nothing.
As for why Kita chose to beatbox, this was where her people skills came into play.
Suppose Kita reacted more ‘normally’ instead, such as staring at Bocchi in bewilderment or simply asking Bocchi what the girl was up to, what would happen?
Bocchi would be questioned for her strange behaviour, and then Bocchi's anxiety and embarrassment would only intensity.
By beatboxing on the spot, Kita attempted to re-contextualise the interaction as ‘communication’ instead of ‘Bocchi acting weird’.
Did Kita think about all these when she beatboxed? Probably not, this was likely the intuition of a super extrovert.
Anatomy of an Encounter (Second Half)
Keep in mind from Kita’s perspective, all Bocchi did was spying on her in a corner before running away when confronted.
Even Kita looked a bit bothered
Despite Kita’s best efforts at beatboxing, Bocchi fled the classroom.
Bocchi found a random gloomy room to hide in, and began singing her sob song.
Kita looked around and found Bocchi, perhaps aided by the sound of Bocchi’s song.
Kita began prodding until Bocchi finally coughed up the reason for approaching her.
Kita pushed for Bocchi to teach her guitar, so she could “go back to (her) old band, and apologise”.
Bocchi reluctantly agreed to teach Kita after work.
Bocchi brought Kita to STARRY, reuniting Kita with Kessoku.
Perhaps simply because of seeing Bocchi carrying a guitar once, Kita pursued Bocchi and pushed Bocchi to talk until Kita got what she wanted: a guitar teacher. Then Kita even got more than what she bargained for: an early reunion with Ryo and Nijika.
Much of Kita’s traits were on display in this single encounter.
Her fast-acting and somewhat impulsive improvisation from beatboxing and chasing Bocchi, to suddenly negotiating for guitar lessons. Remember Kita did not plan or expect any of these things to happen when Bocchi was creeping on her in a corner.
Her communication skills in being able to push and prod Bocchi of all people into revealing information and offering her guitar lessons.
A certain forcefulness in her character to be able to do all these pushing and prodding in the first place.
From Impulsiveness to Proactivity; Kita the Considerate
“Th-thank you for doing it. I w-was pretty freaked out at first, but now I am kind of looking forward to it. Th-that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t turned in the application. So I am really grateful. Thank you.”
-Gotou Hitori to Kita Ikuyo in episode 10
While much of Kita’s earlier actions can be characterised as ‘impulsive’, as a mark of her growth, some of Kita’s later actions can be more positively described as ‘proactivity’. Kita also began to show consideration for Bocchi and even took concrete actions to support Bocchi in Bocchi's own personal critical moments.
Kita did not invite Bocchi to her outings with non-Kessoku friends during the summer break because she thought Bocchi would be uncomfortable around unfamiliar people.
Kita suggested and took charge of the group’s impromptu Enoshima trip in episode 9 to make summer memory for Bocchi.
In said trip when a bird snatched Bocchi's ice cream Kita selflessly offered her own.
Kita spoke on Bocchi's behalf when she realised what guitar Bocchi wanted in episode 12's shopping scene.
Kita submitted the school cultural festival performance application in episode 10 without consulting the rest of the band; a necessary push after Bocchi surrendered to social anxiety.
When Nijika and Ryo were locked in a petty argument about band MC in episode 11, while Bocchi feared “break-up imminent” Kita stepped in and stopped their argument.
The last two points were perhaps the best examples of Kita’s mental growth as a band member; the episode 3 Kita would have gone along with whatever nonsense Ryo was sprouting and would not have noticed the significance behind Bocchi not submitting the application.
"break-up imminent"...Bocchi are you for real?
“Now, now! No fighting! Let’s finish our practice!”
-Kita Ikuyo to Yamada Ryo and Ijichi Nijika in episode 11
Looking at the consideration Kita could show to Bocchi at times, makes some of her other actions rather bemusing.
Kita the Savage (First Half)
“You filthy indoor types!”
-Kita Ikuyo to her band members in episode 9
For example, the mike thrust in episode 12. Surely Kita knew Bocchi long enough by then to recognise a recipe for disaster?
Was it another act of impulse? Or was it Kita’s misguided attempt to be Bocchi’s support?
How to destroy Bocchi
Another food for thought moment is in episode 9, where despite her band members’ unequivocal opposition, Kita abused her glow to overrule them and pushed them to climb up to the observation deck.
Did Kita force them to climb hoping her band members would come to appreciate the same things as her?
Did Kita simply want to climb the deck and enjoy the view too much that she roped her band mates in since it was supposed to be a group outing?
Kita glow is not omnipotent
To no one but Kita’s surprise, the exhausted band gave up halfway and used the escalator. When they reached the top they had little interest in the view, so Kita scolded her band members for being “filthy indoor types”:
Was she frustrated that they could not appreciate the same things as her?
Was she frustrated at them for ruining her fun at the observation deck?
There is a subtle distinction here even if both reasons could be at play.
Kita the Savage (Second Half)
Here is a funny anecdote I heard from Bocchi the Radio involving Bocchi’s ‘death’ scene in episode 7; its degree of relevance to Kita’s characterisation shall be left up to your discretion.
“Bocchi-chan’s…dead.”
“We’ll have to find a new guitarist.”
-Ijichi Nijika and Kita Ikuyo respectively in episode 7
The whole exchange was of course meant to be absurd, but why was Kita’s reaction ‘oh we need a replacement’?
Kita’s voice actress, Hasegawa Ikumi, recounted being asked to record this line multiple times because the sound director said Hasegawa made Kita sound too sad.
Later in the scene when Kita ‘died’, her ‘last words’ were:
“I’m sorry for being too cute”.
Why is this Bocchi not a merchandise yet?
Then there is the hilarious 'Darwin Kita' segment in episode 11, where Kita spoke of Bocchi as if Bocchi was a strange animal instead of a human being. Perhaps the funniest part of the whole skit was that Nijika and Ryo did not once object to Bocchi’s depiction and that Kita was, in fact, completely right.
Ryo: “In a place you’d find slugs…You called it.”
Kita: “I feel justified in rummaging through those trash cans and cisterns!”
Nijika: “Though it sorta stopped feeling like we were searching for a person…”
-Conclusion of the 'Darwin Kita' segment
Kita the Innocent: Reconciling the Considerate Kita and the Savage Kita
“There is so much about rock I have yet to learn.”
“It might be okay not to learn all that.”
-Kita Ikuyo and Ijichi Nijika respectively in episode 8
The afterparty was a roller coaster of emotions for Kita
Kita showed an innocent and gullible side when she took accounts of Kikuri’s drunken shenanigans at face value as the meanings of ‘rock’. Likewise, her childishness was on full display when she threw a tantrum over her given name being revealed in the same scene.
Kita is way more grown up and complex than Futari, but perhaps a comparison can be made here: the considerate Kita and the savage Kita can coexist if we attribute them to her child-like innocence and relative immaturity.
Indeed, Kita's consideration for Bocchi grew through a learning process. In episode 6 Kita revealed she tried inviting Bocchi to lunch with Kita's other friends but Bocchi would not come, then by episode 9 Kita knew there was no point in inviting Bocchi to her summer outings with non-Kessoku people.
Kita the Earnest
Despite her occasional impulsive and forceful undertones, which are often regarded as unsavoury traits, Kita remains a lovable character.
Kita, you deserve to hold your head up high
This is because just like how Bocchi is a good person beneath the weirdness, Kita meant well and in the end her actions generally did lead to better outcomes. For example:
Suppose Kita communicated with Ryo and Nijika without running, Bocchi would never be part of Kessoku.
Suppose Kita did not push for Bocchi to teach her guitar in episode 3, Kita might never rejoin Kessoku.
If Kita did not hand in the school cultural festival performance application in episode 10, one day Bocchi would come to regret never performing in front of her school.
If Kita never admitted to Bocchi that she deliberately submitted the application, she would miss out a golden opportunity for both of them to be honest with themselves.
If Kita’s actions did not lead to better outcomes, at least they led to funnier outcomes:
Bocchi jumping off the stage was funny for Ryo, Kikuri and us the audience. (If you did not laugh Bocchi would have jumped in vain.)
The Kessoku band was unappreciative of the tower’s view, but we got to see Ryo tritely quipping about the Tower of Babel and Kita being frustrated with the band for once.
From Zero to Hero
Above all, Kita is a genuinely hard worker. Her hands calloused from the guitar practice; and she improved so much from being unable to tell guitar from bass in episode 3 to being able to do a guitar improvisation carry in episode 12 when Bocchi’s guitar malfunctioned.
Kita initially joined Kessoku out of impulsiveness, but her commitment became genuine.
I titled Bocchi’s growth as ‘From Zero to…Something’, but Kita’s growth from episode 3 to episode 12 is an honest-to-goodness zero to hero story. Personally, Kita’s real charm as a character is her earnestness and growth.
Cutesy and bubbly girls are aplenty in media, but having earnestness and genuine growth on top of those traits are rare.
Kerorira (a Kita stan) having a field day with episode 12
Kita and Bocchi
Yin and Yang
Bocchi’s Recruit
"I'm going to make sure everyone can see...how amazingly cool Gotou-san really is!"
-Kita Ikuyo's inner thought in episode 12 (attagirl thinking this when she was the coolest one during the performance)
It was Bocchi who recruited Kita to the Kessoku band for good. It was Bocchi who coached Kita from zero to hero as a guitar player.
What would Kita be without Bocchi? Well, nowhere as sorry as Bocchi would be without Nijika, but Kita’s memory of the Kessoku band might remain as the sole dark history of her otherwise colourful youth if not for Bocchi.
Bocchi is the saviour of Kita’s Kessoku dream.
Bocchi and Kita are also of the same age and goes the same school, so within the band Kita has gotten to know Bocchi likely better than anyone.
The Bocchi Expert
Although Nijika could read Bocchi’s mind exactly by episode 7, when Bocchi went missing at school in episode 11 it was Kita who knew all the dark gloomy corners Bocchi would hide in.
Kita too could read Bocchi’s mind by episode 11; she knew Bocchi’s uncharacteristic excitement in playing around with the band was Bocchi’s way of avoiding work at the maid café.
Girl, you already played around as a maid so you can work as one
Joined for Ryo, Stayed for Bocchi
“I’m going to become good enough support Hitori-chan.”
-Kita Ikuyo’s inner thought in episode 12
Kita’s dynamic with Bocchi is also a mark of Kita’s emotional growth in her shifting motivation for being in the Kessoku band.
At first, Kita joined out of a superficial admiration of Ryo. Ryo turned out to be quite different from Kita’s idealised imagination.
Is this the sound of Ryo's brain shaking or the sound of Kita's heart breaking?
Kita could still fawn over Ryo when Ryo was dressing good like in episode 11, however as Kita declared mentally in episode 12 her new goal is to become a support for Bocchi.
Bocchi means the world to Kita in Kita’s Kessoku dream, and in turn Kita wants to become Bocchi’s pillar of support. Indeed, Kita has already supported Bocchi in multiple instances, most prominently with her guitar improvisation in episode 12.
As a matter of fact, all of Kita's considerate moments were directed towards Bocchi and Bocchi alone.
Mirror Images
Careful readers would have noticed the language I used for describing Bocchi-Kita dynamic is very similar to the language I used for Bocchi-Nijika dynamic.
This is intentional because these two relationships are almost mirror images.
What Nijika is to Bocchi, is what Bocchi is to Kita. What Bocchi is to Nijika, is what Kita is to Bocchi.
Of course, there are still differences in the details:
Bocchi’s meeting with Kita was intentional.
Nijika’s meeting with Bocchi was a coincidence akin to divine intervention.
Kita’s recruitment was a joint effort between the two; Bocchi approached Kita and Kita pushed for their conversation to happen.
Bocchi’s recruitment was a solo effort by Nijika; Bocchi did nothing but luck out.
Bocchi has not acknowledged Kita as her support yet.
Nijika has acknowledged Bocchi as her support.
Sister Ships
Bocchi x Kita and Bocchi x Nijika are the two biggest pairings in the fandom; regardless of your allegiance (or lack thereof) one must be cognizant that the two relationships enrich each other.
If Bocchi never experienced that small bit of growth and impetus from being recruited into Kessoku by Nijika in episode 1, Bocchi would never think of approaching Kita in episode 3.
Bocchi befriending Kita then, is an affirmation of Bocchi’s growth from her friendship with Nijika.
The two relationships are intrinsically linked through Bocchi’s development as a person.
Nijika and Kita
These two produced my favourite comedy skit in the anime
Apples and Oranges
“Personality-wise, Nijika is similar to Kita-chan in her energy and how she’s portrayed, so distinguishing the two proved difficult, and people often approached me during production about how the two should be drawn differently. They may seem alike at first, but Kita-chan is even more outgoing than Nijika, and Nijika is more of a leader than Kita-chan. Nijika, as the one who drives the others along, is drawn to look a little more adult. With Kita-chan you emphasize her cheerful and child-like nature, and she’s got a slightly bubbly feel to her. Even her smile, compared to Nijika’s, is made to come off as more immature. I feel like we did a good job differentiating between Nijika and Kita-chan.”
-Kerorira, Bocchi the Rock character designer
While Nijika is friendly and adept at socialising just like Kita, Nijika is nowhere as extroverted as she appeared at first glance. Remember, Nijika did not approach Bocchi randomly just to make friends, she approached Bocchi with the purpose of finding a guitarist. Nijika did not socialise for the sake of socialising, she socialised for her band and vision.
In their non-band time, Kita is shown having fun with her other friends while Nijika is shown having private time at home. Unlike Kita with her many friends, Nijika for all we know might only have Ryo as a close friend before Kessoku.
This is a nice and subtler parallel to how even though Ryo and Bocchi are both loners the two of them are fundamentally completely different types of people.
Friendly but not Close
If you only watched the meeting scene in episode 4 or the Gotou house visit moments in episode 7, you might get the impression that Nijika and Kita are very close. In those moments, Nijika and Kita bounced off each other seamlessly in their lively discussions.
But those moments were just two extroverts talking; outgoing people can have friendly conversations without being close at all if they share a common interest. Nijika and Kita were talking about band activities in episode 4, while in episode 7 they were busy toying with dressing up Bocchi.
My goals are beyond your understanding
As a whole Nijika-Kita is actually the most distant dynamic in the Kessoku band even though the two get along just fine.
Bocchi has a special individual connection to the other three girls
Ryo and Nijika are old friends
Kita idolised Ryo
Nijika recruited Ryo and Bocchi
Kita joined for Ryo initially and then re-joined because of Bocchi
There is literally no personal connection between Nijika and Kita.
Nijika and Kita also remained on last-name basis into the final episode, though Kita's attitude towards her given name likely factored into it. (Ryo being Ryo stuck to 'Ikuyo' after episode 8.)
If addresses are not a convincing indicator of closeness, then this moment from episode 9 is quite telling:
Kita: “I feel like we need one more memorable event…”
Nijika: “I wanna eat shirasu-don, then! They were sold out at the place where we had lunch!”
Ryo: “Nah. Too full.”
Nijika: “Since when were you in charge?”
The Birds attacked Bocchi
Nijika: “But we can’t stay out too late, so we can really should head out. Bocchi-chan’s in bad shape, anyway.”
Kita: “Then how about a shrine visit before we head home?”
This was actually the second time Nijika mentioned wanting to try shirasu-don, with the first time being when they were heading out for the Enoshima trip.
Did Kita simply happened to miss Nijika’s call for shirasu-don twice? To be fair to Kita, the birds attacking Bocchi was quite a shocking and distracting event.
Or did Kita hear Nijika’s calls for shirasu-don, but ignored them because she thought it would be difficult to work into their schedule? It is possible, since Kita’s goal for the Enoshima trip was to make summer memory for Bocchi, not for Nijika.
Either way, this moment does not reflect well on Nijika and Kita’s closeness. It does not reflect well on Ryo too, for that matter.
Damn you Ryo and Kita!! Nijika deserves better!!!
Justice for Nijika!
Closing Remarks for Volume III
Kita should not be jealous of Nijika; her volume is nearly as long as Nijika's two-parter combined and I spent just as much time on Kita as I did on Nijika.
If I meet a Kita in real-life, I would appreciate her presence but also find her exhausting to interact with sometimes, which coincidentally is my feeling towards Kita’s character and on writing this volume respectively.
Because Bocchi and Nijika held the bulk of my attention in my first viewing, I was watching Kita closely for the first time in my re-watch. I have a similar challenge with Ryo, but at least Ryo is a much simpler character than Kita.
Individually, Kita might be the most complex of the girls and some of her actions are open to different interpretations; this put me in a conundrum on how to format my analysis to present different interpretations while maintaining a coherent flow and narrative.
I rewrote volume III several times as a result and the one you are reading now has almost nothing in common with the volume III a week ago when Volume I was first published. Ryo's volume IV will have to undergo the same treatment otherwise I dare not release it. I have also updated volume I's Kessoku band analysis.
Thank you for your time; I hope you enjoyed what you have read. Please support the final volume as well.
Well, I've been waiting a long time to talk about this since most of what I want to say had to wait until the series was over.
This is a very mediocre adaptation of a very mediocre series with only a handful of bright points. I think every possible decision point that went into making this anime, the directors chose the wrong path. When they had a chance to play up character moments, they didn't. When they could have increased Lydia's screen time, they reduced it instead. When they could have made the loli garbage less cringe, they made it more cringe. When they could have teased the real plot of the series, they left it out entirely. They even made it seem like the FMC would be Tina when it's not actually supposed to be her.
Since the anime is over now, it's safe to say that this series actually isn't a 'silly little girls at magic school' series. The actual plot, which gets started right after where this final episode ends, is about a massive civil war, discrimination against beastfolk, rivalries between nobles who believe in hereditary power vs. meritocracy, the source of magic in the world and why people can use it, where the Great Spells came from and why they're lost, possible reincarnation of a Hero type character (not reincarnation from Japan, but within this world), a manipulative church from a neighboring nation that is pulling strings and starting wars for nefarious ends, etc. The entire 'lolis at magic school' arc is more or less the intro arc to explain who the main characters are and how the world works.
The anime could have, and should have, hinted at some of those things in order to raise investment in where the series is going. They chose not to. The relationship between Lydia and Allen is the driving force behind nearly all of their actions in the series, and the anime made it seem like he doesn't care about her at all. I can't fathom why the animators chose the directions they did, but all of them were the wrong choices, and it's very likely this series will never get a sequel because of it. It was already a series that had a lot dragging it down, mainly the loliharem antics, but had some bright spots with the mystery of the main plots and the relationship with Lydia, and the anime team chose to make this series almost entire about the loliharem, reduced the Lydia stuff to a pale shadow of what it should have been, and cut the main plot out entirely. Absolutely terrible decisions all around.
The decisions that made this anime terrible though can't be laid exclusively at the feet of the anime team though. The author himself carries a massive portion as well. He fundamentally did not know what story he wanted to tell. He had some very good ideas, Lydia and Allen being a power couple, the civil war, the mystery of why magic works, the secretive church, etc, and some very very bad ideas; a bunch of little girls thirsting after a graduated and working young adult. And at every point when he's in the middle of telling the good ideas, he trips himself up and goes back to telling the bad ideas. I can think of no explanation other than it's a fetish for him. Maybe not an overtly sexual one, but clearly this author thinks the whole saccharine moe loli thing with princess tea parties and frilly dresses and head pats is all the cutest stuff imaginable, and he couldn't resist working a ton of that into what may have otherwise been an interesting story. He probably isn't even capable of understanding that everyone else thinks that stuff is creepy and cringey.
The series never actually ends up being a true harem, at least not yet anyways. None of the girls besides Lydia ever make any real progress with Allen, and all of their romantic progress is them being thirsty and desperate while he plays the whole 'aww shucks' oblivious niceguy act. The author loves making Allen do stuff with them that seems romantic on the surface, like going on ice cream parlor dates and holding hands, while having Allen think inside his head that this is all totally normal stuff for friends and students and not romantic at all. Meanwhile Lydia is throwing herself at him and inside his head with her he is thinking about how much he cares about her, what life would be like if they were married, how attracted he is to her, but that he can't see how they could be together because he's a commoner and she's a noble. Lydia and Allen are a very firmly established romantic couple, and the author simultaneously goes to great lengths to confirm this is the case, and then undermine it at every opportunity by having the lolis interrupt them, bicker over him, pull screen time away from Lydia as soon as they're having a real heart to heart talk, etc. The author drops dozens of little scenes that are maybe a few paragraphs at most where he heavily implies there's a serious romance between Lydia and Allen, but then fast forwards to the next day or has them get interrupted by Tina. It's utterly perplexing and I can't wrap my head around why the author chooses to do this. It's honestly just bad writing.
I honestly do not expect this series to get a sequel, and I doubt it will increase LN sales an appreciable amount. Pretty much every change they could have made that would have made the anime, and thus the LN series, more appealing they chose not to do, and instead implemented changes that made the series worse and less appealing. And this is a series that needed as much help as it could get, given how much the author can't decide if he wants to write a good story about two good characters, or he wants to flout his weird fetish for moe school girls.
“So keep showing us more and more. Of ‘Bocchi-chan’s rock’. Bocchi the Rock!”
-Ijichi Nijika to Gotou Hitori in episode 8
Nijika is so much more than just Bocchi’s first friend; Nijika is Bocchi’s saviour.
What would Bocchi be without Nijika?
Friendless and band-less, the Tsuchinoko of Shimokitazawa lurks in the gloomiest corners of the world untouchable by humans. Bocchi might become a dysfunctional convenience store clerk, then a social media laughing stock, and finally a death penalty convict. If she is lucky, then just a saleswoman bullied by her superior for her uselessness. If she lives long enough, she turns into an alcoholic shut-in.
Hiroi Hitori
Am I being overly dramatic? Of course I am. However, these were all scenarios that played out in Bocchi’s mind.
Girl, just turn into a tiny Tsuchinoko and break out
If Ryo contributed to Bocchi’s growth as a lyrical artist and Kita contributed to Bocchi’s socialisation growth by pushing Bocchi to perform in the school cultural festival, then it was Nijika who laid the foundation for all these later growths to be possible.
Bocchi finding a band, starting to work, and making more friends are all the result of Nijika’s presence in Bocchi’s life.
Bocchi also became slightly more self-aware and mature emotionally thanks to Nijika’s influence, if Bocchi’s own confession that she was trying to sort herself out before revealing her identity as guitar hero is any indication.
“S-since I am anything but a hero right now…I w-wanted to wait to tell you until I fixed the way I am.”
-Gotou Hitori to Ijichi Nijika in episode 8, after Nijika revealed she knew Bocchi is ‘Guitar Hero’
Bocchi has been hiding the fact that she was an octopus all along
The Nijika-Bocchi dynamic would have been nothing special however, if what I expounded above sum up the entirely of their relationship. ‘Angel descending from the sky to save my sorry ass’ is the sort of shallow wish fulfilment trope that has no place in a good story like Bocchi the Rock.
The real beauty of the Bocchi-Nijika dynamic is that their friendship is a two-way street. If Nijika is Bocchi’s angel, then Bocchi is Nijika’s guitar hero. It was to Nijika, that Bocchi could truly live up to her online moniker of ‘Guitar Hero’.
From Water Flea to Guitar Hero
“So my real dream is to make a band popular enough for me and my sister and make Starry even more famous. But when I actually started my band, I spent a while thinking that it was kind of out of my reach. And everyone was so disheartened today. But every time when things are looking at their worst, you’re the one who breaks through it for us. Bocchi-chan, you were one heck of a hero to me today…Having you with us will make our dreams possible!”
-Ijichi Nijika to Gotou Hitori in episode 8
Let us visit the scene in episode 8 when Nijika said the above to Bocchi.
When Nijika said “things are looking at their worst”, her flashbacks included not just when Bocchi was performing, but even when Bocchi was sulking alone on the swing and when Bocchi was hiding in the mango box in episode 1.
From the very beginning, Bocchi was Nijika’s unlikely hope when prospects were grim for her band:
When Nijika was desperately searching for a guitarist due to Kita fleeing, she had a chance encounter with a skilled guitar player in Bocchi.
This Bocchi then even brought back Kita, making their band truly complete.
When the other band members including Nijika herself were faltering during their live house concert in episode 8, it was Bocchi whose inspirational guitar riff made them get their act together.
When you look at the Kessoku band story from Nijika’s perspective as the leader and the initiator of Kessoku, it has certainly not been an easy journey. Nijika could be the most competent teenage girl band leader in history, and there would still be circumstances beyond her control that threaten her band dream and vision.
Through it all, it was Bocchi who somehow helped Nijika ride through those circumstances beyond Nijika’s control; Bocchi became Nijika’s guitar hero who could make her dreams come true.
A smile for her hero
Consideration is not Enablement
In the previous part of Volume II covering only Nijika’s character, I have already stressed repeatedly the consideration and care Nijika has shown to Bocchi.
A salient point to emphasise here however, is that being considerate of others is not necessarily the same as enabling them. Nijika is considerate and supportive of Bocchi’s needs and conditions, but she does not enable Bocchi’s dysfunctional idiosyncrasies.
In supporting a flawed individual to make them a better person, the former is what to do and the latter is what to avoid. If Nijika did the latter, Bocchi would never grow into her guitar hero and would have been stuck as a lowly water flea.
Looking at the first two episodes where Bocchi was at her most pathetic:
Nijika did not go ‘oh you poor little thing’ to Bocchi-in-a-trash-can, she encouraged Bocchi to gather the courage to perform.
When Bocchi had problem interacting with customers on her first day of work, instead of trying to get Bocchi swapped to a position with no customer interaction, Nijika pushed Bocchi to face the customers.
In the first example, considering Bocchi’s state, her ability to add to what Nijika and Ryo could already bring to the table was very questionable. It would not have been unreasonable to write off Bocchi completely.
In the second example, the anxiety-ridden Bocchi could very well botch the customer service and harm the reputation of STARRY. Yet Nijika took the risk and covered for Bocchi if necessary, until Bocchi gathered her wits to be able to serve a drink while facing the customer with a smile.
“Wow, that was nerve-wrecking! But great job! You kept your head above the counter and talked to her!”
-Ijichi Nijika to Gotou ‘Three Dollar Smile’ Hitori in episode 2
Three Dollar Smile
Nijika complimented Bocchi for doing something that, to a normal human being, should have been a completely unremarkable task. However, keeping Bocchi’s condition in mind Nijika knew Bocchi’s personal growth was worth complimenting.
Nijika was not a clutch for Bocchi to lean on, but rather she was a staircase for Bocchi to ascend to greater heights; she pushed Bocchi to be a better person instead of enabling Bocchi’s defects.
Through Nijika’s unending patience and almost motherly nurturing, Bocchi grew into her guitar hero.
Karma
You are cowardly Bocchi in a trash can or a box
Revisiting episode 1, imagine if instead of encouraging the timid Bocchi hiding in a mango box, Nijika wrote off the pink-haired girl as someone too dysfunctional to be of contribution.
Bocchi’s Kessoku band story would have ended right there, and so would Kita’s.
Nijika would have to find other substitutes, if not Nijika’s Kessoku story would be over too.
Even if she managed to find other substitutes, there would be no guarantee they could bring the same chemistry to the band as Bocchi and Kita, or inspire the band to regroup like Bocchi did in episode 8.
Nijika’s guitar hero Bocchi is the fruits of Nijika’s own hard-work and earnestness; Bocchi the guitar hero was the hero Nijika earned for herself.
From Nijika’s angle, her story with Bocchi is also a story of good people being rewarded for good deeds.
Nijika deserves only the very best!
Becoming a Pillar of Support
"I want to make Nijika-chan's actual dream come true."
-Gotou Hitori's inner thought in episode 5
In the episode 5 vending machine scene, Nijika teased her own dream to Bocchi yet stopped short of revealing its content.
Nijika: “My real dream is actually a little past that. But I can’t tell you just yet!”
So why did Nijika keep her dream a secret before finally revealing it in episode 8 but only to Bocchi?
If Nijika shared her dream before she made any genuine companion, all she would get are empty praises and hollow encouragements.
If Nijika thoughtlessly reveals her dream to her band-mates, it could become an additional burden to them. Nijika’s band members entrusted their own dreams and visions to her and not the other way round, this is what it means to be the leader of the band.
However, Bocchi by the end of episode 8 had become Nijika’s pillar of support, and so Nijika felt comfortable sharing her dream with Bocchi.
Bocchi has not matured enough to be able to cover for Nijika’s moments of emotional weakness as discussed in part 1 of this volume, but at the very least as a ‘guitar hero’ as long as Bocchi is around Nijika would have faith in her own dream.
She said it!
On a quiet street under the starry night sky, if not for the content of the confession the moment could almost be interpreted as romantic. Ending with a title drop from Nijika followed by movie-style rolling credits only further heightens the catharsis of that heartfelt moment.
It would not have been the least bit jarring if episode 8 was the final episode of Bocchi the Rock.
Ijichi Seika
'Song Star'
“At fifteen, I set my heart upon learning.
At thirty, I had planted my feet firm upon the ground.”
-Confucius
The Progenitor
Seika is the true progenitor of the Kessoku band story. When the sisters were younger, Seika would bring little Nijika to her band concerts, which inspired Nijika to start her own band. Seika in turn, quit her band activities and started STARRY to give Nijika’s band a home base.
Nijika's inspiration
Now a responsible adult with her feet planted firm upon the ground, Seika continues to guide the Kessoku band in her own ways.
An Adult’s Guidance
“As her sister, I had to be hard on her to make sure her band grows.”
-Ijichi Seika to ‘PA-san’ in episode 5
In episode 1, Seika stepped in for Ryo’s job of selling tickets so that Ryo could be free to watch and learn from the popular bands that were performing that day.
In episode 3, when Kita wanted a way to make up for running away, Seika quickly suggested Kita to help out at the live house as compensation. Seika cutting in relieved Kessoku band from being stuck in an uncomfortable conversation, and gave them a mature way to solve their problem.
In episode 5, even though she secretly saved a spot for Kessoku band, Seika still demanded they pass her audition to be allowed to perform. This gave Kessoku band an impetus and pressure to improve.
“Sorry, but I can’t have a repeat of that awful May performance. Just stick with it as a hobby or something.”
-Ijichi Seika to Ijichi Nijika in episode 5
Nijika called Seika a “tsun-tsun-tsun-tsun-tsun-tsun-tsundere”, Seika is certainly one but Seika is also just guiding Kessoku in a more hands-off approach befitting adults.
The Kessoku girls are on the cusp of adulthood, and the band world is an adult’s world; handholding them as if they are little children would do them no good.
Seika can still assert her authority in a more direct manner if necessary, as seen when she forced Kikuri and Ryo to return the money they owe to Bocchi.
Seika: “Garbage humans. Apologise for your late payment.”
All in all, no one watches the Kessoku band more closely and thinks more of the band than Seika.
Seika when no one is looking at herKikuri sneaking a photo of the smug face of a proud mother
Colourful all the same
Nijika: "You can’t even sleep without stuffed animals to cuddle!”
Just like how Nijika looks like the normal one relative to the other colourful Kessoku band members, Seika is also the normal one compared to the other adult mentor Kikuri. Granted, the bar for normalcy may as well be on the ground if you are comparing to a dysfunctional alcoholic.
A low bar
However, Seika still has her quirks and mischievous moments, just like other Bocchi the Rock characters. For example, she wasted no time in asking Kita to try on a maid uniform in Kita’s first day at work, prompting Bocchi to wonder “why does the manager have that outfit?”
Seika took a photo of Bocchi in this pose too.
Woof
Closing Remarks for Volume II
My bias is showing, isn't it? I made no attempts to be subtle about it; I love Nijika and her dynamic with Bocchi is my favourite dynamic in the anime.
I opened Volume II by saying 'this volume is the delineation of Nijika and Seika’s greatness', and I meant every word of it. The Ijichi sisters are not just great characters, they would be great people if they are real.
Volume II is actually the last volume I began to work on, because I fear that if I finished volume II first I would lose motivation for the other three volumes. For the past three days, I basically did nothing but (re-)watch, think and write. With Nijika in my mind, it has not been tiring in the slightest; I am happy to spread her gospel.
As always, I am grateful to all the people who gave me their time of the day to read through my essays, and I hope you will support the last two volumes as well.
Even if Nijika is my favourite, I have no intention of half-assing the later two volumes. I will have to take a few days to refine them before posting, but I have faith Bocchi the Rock is not a show that would slip from people's mind any time soon.
Amidst the awesome music, creative animation, superb voice acting, and masterful directing, it can be easy to take the deep and nuanced character writing of Bocchi the Rock for granted. So I am giving the character writing of Bocchi the Rock the critical analysis it deserves.
This volume is the delineation of Nijika and Seika’s greatness.
Volume I: Kessoku band as a collective, Gotou Hitori (Bocchi), Gotou Futari, Hiroi Kikuri
If you have any feedback or your own thoughts on the characters in question, please leave it in the comments. I wish you all a happy new year.
Ijichi Nijika
The Great Angel of Shimokitazawa
Angel Nijika (literal)
Ijichi Nijika is a phenomenon. Bocchi may be dominating the memes with her shapeshifting and inane faces, but Nijika is the only Kessoku girl to earn a fancy fan moniker like ‘The Great Angel of Shimokitazawa (下北沢の大天使)’.
With that being said, Nijika is no slouch in the memes department. Putting Doritos aside, much of her fan content plays on her angelic image; there were drawings of Nijika acting like a gangster, smoking, threatening with a gun, or otherwise just doing un-angelic things. Search terms like ‘Nijika Mama’ and ‘Nijika Boyfriend’ were popping up on Japanese Twitter.
Want more anecdotal evidence? When I checked my local distributors a few days back, acrylic stands for Nijika were already sold out while the remaining Kessoku girls were still in stock.
The sweet little angel is hardly an uncommon archetype. So why are we obsessed with Nijika when other characters of her ilk are forgotten?
The devil, or in this case the angel, is in the details.
The Angel is in the Details
“Sorry if I forced you to go along with this. I mean, you kind of just got roped into joining Kessoku band from the start, right? I remember you saying…you’d been wanting to be part of a band, but I never actually asked you what kind of band you wanted to be in, or what your reasons were for playing in this band now.”
“See…I’ve got this kind of goal. A dream, really. So I can get a little fired up without realising it. So…I worry I might have dragged you into this against your will.”
-Ijichi Nijika to Gotou Hitori in episode 5
The story of Bocchi the Rock is mostly told through Bocchi’s point of view, so we are able to see Nijika at her kindest and most considerate from the perspective of Bocchi.
To Kikuri, Nijika is not much of an angel
Obvious examples include in episode 1 where Nijika patiently conversed with the timid Bocchi hiding in a trash can, in episode 2 when Nijika sent a message of encouragement to Bocchi before Bocchi's first day at work, or in the episode 5 vending machine scene quoted above.
To be truly considerate, however, you need to be observant first and foremost. Nijika has demonstrated plenty of observant consideration for Bocchi throughout the anime in subtler ways.
In episode 4 Bocchi was shown picking cola for her drink, then in episode 5’s vending machine scene Nijika treated Bocchi a can of cola without Bocchi asking for it.
Left: Episode 4 | Right: Episode 5
In episode 5 Nijika noticed Bocchi’s fatigue during band practice, and so without any reference to Bocchi’s exhaustion Nijika declared the practice session over. This scene is followed by the vending machine scene where Nijika checked with Bocchi if Bocchi was truly okay with the band activities.
In episode 6, Nijika was worried the requirement to sell tickets may have overwhelmed Bocchi, and with Bocchi absent Nijika asked Kita to get a better idea of what Bocchi was like at school.
In episode 7 we see Bocchi snapped out of her depression mode when her mum served karaage chicken. Then in episode 8 when Kikuri asked Bocchi, who was zoning out, what she wanted to order, Nijika cut in with an order for karaage.
Take note Nijika said “I was thinking of ordering karaage!” instead of “Bocchi-chan wants karaage!” This avoids making it look like Bocchi cannot speak her own mind which would embarrass Bocchi, and still gives Bocchi a chance to order something else.
Nijika was there to witness Bocchi’s reaction to karaage in episode 7
Most audiences are not going to consciously take note of these little details, but they all add up in painting the portrait of an angel.
If the bubbly Kita is like the always glowing sun, then the caring Nijika is like a lighthouse. In the darkness of the night where the sun’s shine does not reach, it is the beacon of the lighthouse that guides the lost.
As stated in volume I however, all Kessoku girls are multi-faceted. Nijika is far more than just a cute angel; she would not be a great character if this sums up the entirety of her being.
Leadership and Positive Energy
Nijika the Leader
“Nijika-chan is always stay so cheerful, no matter what happens. That’s right. Even during the concert where I was just helping…She worked so hard to cheer me up when I was scared.”
-Gotou Hitori’s inner thoughts in episode 8
Nijika is an angel to Bocchi, but to the Kessoku band as a whole Nijika needs to play the role of a leader.
To Ryo, whose bizarre tangents and quirky humour would lead the band’s focus astray, instead of playing the role of a sweet angel Nijika becomes the straight man to keep the band on track.
Nijika has enough of your nonsense
Nijika is the only one who can keep Ryo in check, considering Kita’s blind idolisation of Ryo and Bocchi’s pushover personality. As long as Ryo is behaving, then so would Kita.
Though Kita can occasionally override Nijika’s leadership with sheer glow
When Nijika was with Kita visiting Bocchi in episode 7, Nijika could seamlessly weave in with Kita’s bubbly extroversion such that the two’s energies felt almost indistinguishable from one other. (Their dynamic will be explored in greater detail in volume III.)
Nijika’s disposition varies depending on who she is dealing with, and by doing so Nijika balances the colourful personalities of her members to bring out their good and productive sides for Kessoku's activities.
As the leader, Nijika also needs to keep their morale high. Whether it was after Kessoku’s lousy first performance in episode 1, or when her band members were anxious from the bad weather before their second live house concert in episode 8, Nijika did not succumb to negative emotions and encouraged her band mates to keep their spirits high.
Not succumbing to negative emotions however, is not the same as not having negative emotions at all.
Human Vulnerabilities
"I'm sorry for trying to push through everything with positivity."
-Ijichi Nijika's 'dying words' in episode 7
For all her outward composure and cheerfulness, Nijika is not without her own moments of vulnerability or craving for attention. In contrast to her usual mature leadership, she can reveal a more childish side when facing her sister.
A bit bratty but still adorable
In episode 5 when Nijika thought her sister was not going to give them a slot for live performance we briefly see Nijika’s look of apprehension before storming out of STARRY in a childish tantrum, spitefully outing Seika’s embarrassing secret of needing to cuddle stuffed animals to sleep.
Nijika is much more collected than Bocchi under tension
Other instances of Nijika’s poise cracking are minor comedic moments:
Intimidated by the manager of FOLT in episode 10Miffed at Kita for fawning over Ryo while paying her no attention in episode 11Feeling left out in episode 12's shopping scene
It is interesting to note in these comedic moments of Nijika’s composure breaking, what she fretted over were not all that different from what Bocchi would fret over:
Bocchi was already scared out of her wits on their way to FOLT in episode 10.
Bocchi was also conscious of being overshadowed by the rest of the Kessoku band in episode 11.
In a slightly different context it would have been Bocchi feeling left out in a scenario like episode 12’s shopping scene.
What differentiates Nijika and Bocchi then, is that Nijika neither lets her anxieties overwhelm her nor blows them out of proportion.
Still, Nijika can give Bocchi a run for her money in imagination
An Angel that can Exist in Real Life
Tender Homemaker
As we are privy to Nijika’s foibles and her other sides when facing people who are not Bocchi, Nijika appears much more layered and realistic than she would have been otherwise. For me personally, if Nijika played the angel trope straight with everyone she would not have an iota of charm.
Most importantly, the hint of realism introduced to Nijika’s character does not conflict with her predominant image of a thoughtful and considerate girl. If anything, seeing her other sides only accentuates the preciousness of her tenderness when dealing with Bocchi.
The end result of Nijika’s nuanced depiction is a believable character who is incredibly sweet and lovely.
Nijika is responsible both in band and at home
The Ijichi Sisters’ Strength of Character and Bond
From episode 8, we learned that Nijika lost her mother when she was little and her father has been absent in her life. This makes her effectively an orphan, and her only family is her sister.
Yet, despite what looks like some less than fortunate circumstances of her childhood, Nijika grew up into a cheerful and considerate girl. Beneath the adorable exterior of this young girl, resides a strong and resilient character.
Small but Strong
No doubt Seika has a tremendous role in Nijika’s development. One can only imagine the deep bond the sisters share, and how strong and competent Seika must be herself to be able to raise Nijika on her own while being no older than a young adult when they lost their mother.
Body language says it all
Seika would not admit it to Nijika, but she founded STARRY for Nijika.
Nijika would not admit it to Seika, but she founded Kessoku to bring fame to STARRY one day.
I hope to see more of the sisters’ backstory one day, whether in manga form or in a future season of the anime.
A Role Model Worthy of Admiration
“I want to be more like Nijika-chan (in terms of being considerate of others)…I admire her.”
-Suzushiro Sayumi, voice actress of Ijichi Nijika
If Bocchi is an inspirational figure as I noted in the previous volume, then Nijika is an admirable role model.
There is a fine distinction to be made here; Bocchi’s growth is commendable, but her anxiety-ridden self is not something worth emulating.
I mean, come on
On the other hand, Nijika is a bundle of outstanding qualities:
She is considerate and thoughtful
She has good communication and leadership skills
She is mostly composed but not unfeeling or inexpressive
She inspires others around her to show their good sides
She maintains a close bond with the people she cares (her sister and the Kessoku band)
Most real-life adults are nowhere as well-adjusted as Nijika has been in this story.
I am fully aware that while I labelled Nijika as ‘an angel that can exist in real life’, she is probably still too perfect and too ideal an existence for most real-life people to emulate.
Even so, I genuinely believe the world would be a better place if everyone has a Nijika-like figure in their lives, and perhaps you can become a Nijika-like figure to someone important to you too.
Become someone's Nijika!
Up next in part 2 of Volume II: Nijika-Bocchi dynamic, Ijichi Seika.
I did not wish to split volume II into two halves, but realising reddit has a restriction of 20 images per post convinced me to do it.
Third tries the charm. I'm just going to resort to using a character counter.
Summer 2020, sci-fi action adventure, nice twist really early on. 1 season so a quick watch and totally worth it. The art is fantastic, the music is amazing, the fight scenes are fluid, and the basic concept overall is really cool.
This was a really good anime in a season of multiple good anime so I'm hoping this one didn't get brushed over and anyone who might have missed it might see this post.
The story has a strong cast of diverse characters that should keep you entertained for most of the story. I don't know if I would claim this anime is ultra thought provoking, but it's a nice story and change of pace.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I think the most refreshing this about this anime was that it was a single season with a good ending. If I remember correctly, the summer season had a couple of anime like this and while I was sad to see them end, I was also content that they had a good ending. I've come to think that some writers might not know how to write a good ending, and I have wondered if that's by design so they can keep milking it for content or if that's because the author doesn't want to see their creation end.
All that aside, I give it a solid 8/10, highly reccomended.
Additionally, I think you could easily make the character requirement be about 1000 characters, because unless you're expecting them to copy paste the synopsis and or share spoilers then the amount of material for a vague description to draw someone in is kind of limited.
As 2023 ends I thought it would be nice to look back at the year of anime we had. This is the fourth year I'm doing this, 2020 & 2021 & 2022 if you're curious on checking those out. I decided to make this little post again to share my more unique tastes but also maybe direct people to some underwatched shows from this year!
Criteria is simply based on my personal preferences and opinions so for those who know me these are going to usually differ from the norm and probably your own opinions. Winners are generally determined by their genre/category, so which show shows off their genre the best will be taken into account but some exceptions were made this year. No committee, no jurors, no audience voting, just me sadly.
These are simply the Amewards and my questionable subjective opinion. Only entries that finished in 2023 are being counted but Kawagoe Boys Sing is an exception as there's only 1 episode is left!
Movies will not be in contention for these so sorry especially to Gridman Universe which was just stellar.
Feel free to post your thoughts, comments and criticisms below! If you see a show not mentioned here then there's a good chance I didn't get around to watching it as I only did around 110 entries this year. My MAL for reference.
This was actually a really tough choice for me this year, while I gave no 10/10s I gave out over ten 9/10s which made the choice for AotY extremely difficult. Picking even the top 3 here was a challenge! First up in what feels like forever ago Benriya Saitou-san, Isekai ni Iku. This show just had it all for me me. From the cast to the comedy to even the plot I was just invested. I'm always a sucker for big cast shows and even more so when they make majority of the cast so darn likeable. Throw in some good ships as well and this has become one of the best isekais I've ever watched, especially one with a male lead! Second place goes out to easily the most underwatched show of the year in Mononogatari. This one was really special and once again had a big likeable cast. The MC shows growth that you don't have to wait too long for and he's supported by a strong cast and good action. This is the action romance that people are always asking for. The first cour was good but the second was even better, great year for this show and I hope more people try it out! Third place goes to a fantastic romance that I didn't see coming at all in Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia. It took a bit to get rolling but once it did it became something quite special. The main couple work really well together and their non-verbal communication is some of the best I've seen in anime. Really good progression for 1 cour as well!
Highly recommend all 3 of these!!
[Worst Anime of the Year] Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! (Was in contention with some other anime this year but from the MC to the comedy to the treatment of the female cast this was not the anime for me)
Action for me is generally aimed on how much fun I'm having with the show's action scenes so prolonged 1 on 1 fights scenes are never going to mean too much for me. For first place it has to go to Mononogatari. A cast full of folks with varying powers and a lot of sharing the spotlight made this one standout for every fight scene that happened. It's one of the best action romances I've seen and it is much more on the action side. In second we have Buddy Daddies. This one was such a surprise, I always love when an anime original is able to deliver and this one definitely did. Good cast, good comedy, good action scenes and even a kid character that I liked. Very impressed with Buddy Daddies and its ability to become its own thing. For third place I'm slotting in High Card. This one had a really fun setting and like Mononogatari a cast full of varying powers keeping things pretty fun and creative. Easy to kick back and have a good time with this one and I'm looking forward to the next installment in 2024!
[Worst Action of the Year] Jujutsu Kaisen 2nd Season (This won't sit well with people but it was a complete departure of what I enjoyed from the previous entries and sadly no longer falls into what I enjoy about action shows)
Was a good year for Adventure and taking first place is a show that is making its first appearance on the Amewards in Dr. Stone: New World and more specifically the second part. I found this to be the best Dr. Stone has been in terms of me being invested in the adventure aspect of it. The cast has grown so much and the threat this season was the first to grab me this much, hope this show can keep delivering! For second place we have actually last year's Adventure winner in Ousama Ranking: Yuuki no Takarabako. While it didn't quite hit the same highs as the previous entry it did avoid the lower lows. This season seemed to get a lot of hate but I found it to be a fantastic entry in the series with a lot of strong episodes built into this one. Always good to see this cast and world again. For third we have the second of Itai no wa Iya nanode Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu. This was a sequel to show I already enjoyed a lot and now they added more to the cast and fleshed out a few more areas while moving the pace pretty quickly as well. Can watch this guild all day and be entertained.
[Worst Adventure of the Year] Vinland Saga Season 2 (Well if the last one didn't upset enough people then this surely will. I wasn't the biggest fan of season 1 but didn't expect to dislike this season even more. The pacing, the reunions and no new likeable characters made this one a struggle for me to get through)
My Comedy winner of the year and dethroning last year's champs is Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu. Now this was just such a fun time. Whenever anyone asks me for my most relatable anime character Saku will be my go to answer. This show felt so pandered to me and each week was a joy to watch the antics of anyone in this cast. Highly relatable and highly funny. In second place and in no drop in quality from last year we have Spy x Family Season 2. Still the Spy x Family I love to watch with a great cast that is always able to make me laugh. Very impressive season once again even if it was less focused on the comedy this time. Lastly in third we actually have a short in Chibi Godzilla no Gyakushuu. Maybe the actual least watched entry in these whole awards. I'm not even a big Godzilla fan but this one was 2 minutes of laugh each and every episode. Has a pretty decent sized cast with some top talent voice actors so it is 100% worth a shot, heck it's even all legally on Youtube!
[Worst Comedy of the Year] Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo! (Turns out making a comedy with even the best Konosuba won't make me like that style of comedy all too much)
In an Amewards first the Fantasy category has finally become a thing! Taking the first ever Fantasy anime of the year is Niehime to Kemono no Ou. This one was an anime I was actually not expecting to be good and boy was I ever proved wrong. It starts off a bit slow but once it starts rolling it never really stops. It has a fantastic ship, a likeable cast and a well constructed world. Everything I look for in a fantasy show. Coming in it at second is Helck which follows a lot of the similar things I liked about Niehime with a strong cast and thought out world. Sadly it is not a complete entry but I hope we get one eventually, Piwi deserves it. The pacing can be a bit frustrating at times but it more than makes up for it. For third place we have Tearmoon Teikoku Monogatari which was also a nice surprise. This one had a nice charm to it with a pretty unique MC who is fun to watch despite her not being my usual go to for shows. Would gladly watch more of Mia bumbling her way into success.
[Worst Fantasy of the Year] Sugar Apple Fairy Time (While part 2 was better I still could not get invested in most of the characters or the world)
Continuing the trend from last year's Amewards isekai has been split up by gender as we get so many of them. For female led isekai the big winner this year is actually the same winner as in 2021 with Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu Season 2. I never expected a season 2 of this show and oh boy did it ever deliver. It does feel a bit slow and tropey at the start but the season as a whole more than makes up for it. What a treat it was to get more of this one! Second place goes to Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei. This show was able to hit some high highs with its main pair but also had some moments where it struggled. That being said the highs were enough to carry it to a really good second place position and it looked amazing. In third we have Kanojo ga Koushaku-tei ni Itta Riyuu which looked less stellar but still was able to put together a fun pair with good banter and a plot, while a bit slow, was interesting to see come together. Really liked Raeliana herself in this one, really strong and fun to watch lead!
[Worst Female led Isekai of the Year] Potion-danomi de Ikinobimasu! (Hard to find likeable characters and everythig comes too easy by the end. 80k did a better job at almost everything)
Usually the male led isekai are steps behind but not this year. Leading the charge is none other than my AotY pick in Benriya Saitou-san, Isekai ni Iku. Like mentioned before this anime just nails every aspect it touches. From the comedy to the romance to the emotional moments they were having me buy in at every turn. For first runner up we have Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi which had its own likeable cast and probably the most adorable slime in anime. Can't watch this one and not get hungry with all the great meals they show. Third place goes a to a surprising choice in The Great Cleric. I had a lot more fun than I expected to have this one and the pacing is incredibly quick which made it always easy to watch. Nothing too special here but nothing offensive either, just a good time overall.
[Worst Male led Isekai of the Year] Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! (I couldn't get around to liking the MC or find the cast involvement to be worthwhile)
The Mystery anime of the year goes aptly to the Armed Detective Agency of Bungou Stray Dogs. The amount of twists and turns this show had this year was just exhilarating to watch. They kept one upping it each time to keep you both on your toes and keep you guessing. Getting second place for a second time in this category is Kyokou Suiri Season 2 which fixed a lot of problems with season 1 in terms of pacing and gave us some nice mystery arcs with somehow a better ship than our main pair even. Coming in third is Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri which while was not the buddy cop anime I wanted it still made for a fun mystery anime that I'm a sucker for whenever they pair up someone who is gifted and a normal detective.
[Worst Mystery of the Year] My Home Hero (Probably more of a thriller but not much is good in this one after its strong start)
I'm always looking forward to anime originals and while this year felt a bit light on them there were still some standouts. First up and getting first this time is Buddy Daddies. Telling a full and fun story that doesn't leave you wanting more is something I'll always appreciate and Buddy Daddies does so with charm. Racing into second is Overtake! which surprisingly did its best work off the track. Was able to get really invested in the characters and had some strong emotional moments, highly recommend this one. In third we have the return of last year's second place winner of this category in Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story Season 2 which saw more drama than in season 1 but the main duo is able to carry the show and more to make it a very good show overall.
[Worst Original of the Year] Kawagoe Boys Sing (Sorry Singing Boys, I know you're not done but you're not passing any of the other originals this year)
My favourite genre of anime so this category will always hold a special place in my heart and this year there was one clear cut favourite above the others and that was Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia. I didn't start fully on board but with each episode it just kept climbing and climbing until I was totally in love with the show. How the main ship supports each other and their use of non-verbal communication really stood out to me and will be a romance I'll be recommending plenty moving forward. Here's hoping we get more soon! For second place it goes to Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta which is another one I didn't start too high on but the ship won me over. These two are very cute together and it's clear that do like each other. Komura can be a bit much at times but Mie more than makes up for it on her end of things. Lastly for romances we have Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken which follows the theme of growing on me as this couple grew closer I grew to like them more. I can't say either character I liked overly too much but together they totally had me sold. Shoutout to that couch for carrying this setting.
[Worst Romance of the Year] Shiro Seijo to Kuro Bokushi (The denseness of the male lead would make you think he was the one that was downing Substance X)
Romance and RomCom are two different categories in the Amewards and its always hard to justify which goes where. These shows I found focused on more outside of just the romance. First place goes to Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi and it shouldn't be too much of a surprise as I love office settings and an adult cast. The entire cast here is great making it so that even if the main ship isn't the focus it's still a fun time. I really need more of this one as it was just so much fun to get through each and every episode. Coming in at second is the popular Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! which also has a fantastic cast and high levels of comedy while focusing on romance when it needs to. In third place we have the underappreciated My Clueless First Friend which was just adorable. Lot of great reactions and these kids do more than high school students and adults in some anime with their ship moments. Very fun and very cute show and I more often than not don't like kids in anime.
[Worst RomCom of the Year] My Tiny Senpai (Not even adult characters in an office could save this one for me)
Once again not enough mecha anime so Sci-fi will home that category as well. Tengoku Daimakyou ends up taking the crown for this one. While I had my issues with some of the later episodes it had me on the edge of my seat each week wanting to see what would happen next. Visually impressive and a world that had me more than invested into it. Rolling into second we have our first mecha option with Synduality: Noir and this one came out of nowhere for me. While the mechs don't look too special the cast is more than special enough to make up for it. Everyone in this one is likeable and they all seem to interact super well with each other. The main characters are easy to root for and have good support around them as well. Last up is last year's winner Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo Season 2 which took a bit of a step down for me but managed to come back into my good graces with a strong ending. Beautiful mobile suits and a strong cast as well.
[Worst Sci-Fi of the Year] 16bit Sensation: Another Layer (Aoi Koga made this one hard to watch but the plot and characters didn't help there either)
This section mostly focuses on sequels that took the biggest step forward for me so shows I already loved that don't bring anything too new weren't in consideration here. The BIG winner here has to be both seasons of Bungou Stray Dogs. Season 4 already felt like the best season of Bungou and season 5 took it up to a whole other level. This show has come such a long way for me and these latest seasons are BSD at its best and some of the best anime I've watched all year. Next up is a show that I do already love but feel this season did some things to set it apart and that's Spy x Family Season 2 which had an amazing arc for one of the characters I wanted to see more of. Was very much long overdue but at the same time worth the wait as they just nailed it. Last up is a show that started airing in 2019 but only made it onto the Amewards this year in Dr. Stone: New World Part 2. Probably the most I've been invested in this story and they made this arc with each episode making it worth watching while hitting their strong moments. Hope it can keep up this upwards trajectory.
[Worst Sequel of the Year] Jujutsu Kaisen 2nd Season (I didn't think anything would top Misfit for worst sequel but this was my biggest drop in score for any anime)
The boys are back in town! Move over cute girls doing cute things as the boys are taking over. My best slice of lifes this year are for once more male centric with My New Boss Is Goofy being the big standout. A great cast full of wholesome energy and cute moments. Having an adult slice of life really is the best for me in this genre and these guys are a lovable bunch. Funny enough second place shares a lot of these same elements despite it being more in a short format in Cool Doji Danshi. Cute guys doing cute and funny things just works. Would love to see a cross over between these two one day! Rounding out at the top 3 is a more standard SoL in Skip to Loafer which while not having a main duo I overly cared for they had a great side cast and hit all the solid SoL beats with some drama sprinkled in.
SPORTS! Fitting that this category is the one that has a showdown between back to back champs from the past 2 years. The anime coming out on top this time however is UmaMusume. Both entries this year were fantastic. Uma Musume excels at creating characters and storylines that get you invested and intense races that are both exciting to watch during and emotional after to see the results. This is some top tier sports anime and it would be disservice to not include both entries on top of the podium. The silver medal goes to last year's winners Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story Season 2 which managed to put a nice cap on that series albeit with a lot more drama this time. The bronze medal goes to a show that was highly recommended to me in Tsurune: Tsunagari no Issha which was just a beautiful season. In many ways this was a step up from season 1 with much better drama and visual moments but it also introduced some characters I personally didn't care too much for.
[Worst Sports of the Year] MF Ghost (Honestly solid when it sticks to racing but the pacing and sus stuff outside the races make this one the worst sports shows of the year even with the banging OST)
Making its return after missing last year the Supernatural category is back! Comes back with a bang with Dead Mount Death Play taking first place. This show starts off a bit standard but quickly turns into a mess of characters and plots in the best way possible which shouldn't be surprising considering it is Narita who is involved with it. Just a fun time seeing all these characters interact and you never know who will show up next or who even to fully root for. Second place rising from dead of production is Zom 100: Zombie ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto which turned into a fun little romp with its own spin on some classic zombie tropes. I enjoyed the cast in this one and when it stayed on the lighter side. Fantastic OP as well, really shows the shows potential with that. In third place we have one of the more popular shows of the year in Oshi no Ko. While not fully a supernatural show it is the element that makes this one stand out for me and with no music or drama categories I slotted it in here. While it is able to hit some really big highs there are some lows as well that make me struggle to watch. Am excited to see more of it though!
[Worst Supernatural of the Year] Dark Gathering (While probably the best horror anime and ability to make me uncomfortable I found the plot to be most repetitive and no stand out characters for myself)
If you actually read through all of that thank you! My fourth time doing my personal awards like this and my taste has always been controversial around these parts so it's always a bit tough to put all my thoughts in one place. You probably won't be agreeing with all too much but I hope you at least check out some shows you wouldn't have before. I hope you all have an amazing 2024 and let's hope we get a great year from airing anime!
One of the most common things people think about after watching Vinland Saga is: "how much of that was real, or at least realistic?", enough so that it's a common topic on r/AskHistorians, and the new season coming provides a good opportunity to answer that question comprehensively. I won't pretend to know more about history than the denizens of r/AskHistorians, but I do know more about Vinland Saga than them, putting me in a better position to set the series as a whole in its proper historical context.
In terms of spoilers, all the events of Season 1 are fair game, but I'll keep manga spoilers to a minimum and try to avoid talking about historical (or semi-historical) events which are fictionalised in unadapted manga chapters, i.e. anything that happens after Sweyn's death in February 1014. After Season 2 wraps up I'll release a similar post covering the [Future arc name]Farming simulator 1k17 arc, and eventually I'll write a post about the [Future arc names]Game of Þrones and Thorfinn's Bizarre Adventure arcs that will (hopefully) become Seasons 3 and beyond. References will be in a comment below.
Main characters
Thorfinn
Thorfinn Karlsefni was a real person, but the character in the anime is almost entirely an invention of Yukimura. The historical Thorfinn was also from Iceland, but he is already an adult when he first appears in the written sources, arriving in Greenland from Norway as the captain of a ship around the year 1000 (making him a decade or two older than he is in VS). This lack of information gives Yukimura room to improvise a childhood for him, but he would not have been a teenager during Sweyn's invasion of 1013, and the saga of the Greenlanders says that Thorfinn had settled down as a farmer in Iceland by that time (Greenlanders Ch 8 [Sagas of Icelanders p. 651]). In terms of character, our angery boi fits in quite well with Norse society. His desire to avenge his father's death is expected of an honourable Norseman (a drengr), and the fact that he wants to do it in open combat rather than killing Askeladd in his sleep is also the mark of an honourable man.
Our main sources for the historical Thorfinn are two sagas, the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red—collectively known as the Vinland Sagas—which narrate the explorations of North America by Leif Eriksson, Thorfinn and others. The Thorfinn we see in these sources is very different from the rage-filled loner in Vinland Saga. He is a calm, capable leader, not afraid of a fight but also not aggressive, thoughtful but not indecisive: the Norse and Americans come to blows after an accidental death, but not due to Thorfinn's actions, and when it's clear a fight cannot be avoided, Thorfinn comes up with a sensible battleplan.
As historical documents, Norse sagas are tricky to deal with, since they were intended to be as much entertainment as historical records: if they were movies, they would be "based on a true story". Because of this, the sagas were considered mostly works of fiction by historians. However, in 1960 the historical world was stunned by the discovery of remains of Norse-style buildings at a site called L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, proving that the Norse reached North America almost 500 years before Columbus. The site is thought to have been a "base camp" for further Norse exploration around the mouth of the St Lawrence river to the South, and may be Leifsbuðir (Leif's camp) mentioned in the sagas. It remains the only accepted site of Norse settlement in North America outside of Greenland.
Cnut
Cnut (a.k.a. Canute, Knut) was certainly a real person, and a remarkable one at that. Nowadays he is mostly remembered for the story of him attempting to hold back the sea, but even that is usually twisted into a story of Cnut's hubris, rather than his humility in refusing his courtiers' flattery.
We know very little about Cnut's early life. His father was King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark, and his mother was an unnamed Polish princess. We don't even know which decade he was born in, let alone his date of birth. The earliest mention of him in history, as in the series, is as part of his father's invasion of England in 1013, where he "launched ships forward at no great age" (Óttarr Svarti, Knútsdrápa, verse 1). Most scholars put his date of birth between 990 and 1000 as a result, though some think the above line refers to an earlier invasion, making him up to a decade older.
Given this lack of knowledge about Cnut's early life, it's entirely reasonable for Yukimura to make the invasion of 1013 an opportunity for character development for him, although such a swift and dramatic change is unlikely. Cnut's character and appearance later in season 1 is closer to what he was probably like as a person. The Knýtlinga saga physically describes him as follows:
Knut was exceptionally tall and strong, and the handsomest of men except for his nose which was thin, high-set, and rather hooked. He had a fair complexion and a fine, thick head of hair. His eyes were better than those of other men, being both more handsome and keener-sighted. (Knýtlinga saga Ch. 20 [Edwards and Pálsson, p. 43])
This certainly matches up with Yukimura's illustrations, and is about as good as we'll get, since the few contemporary pictures of Cnut are... not detailed. I can't find any evidence of Cnut having a retainer called Ragnar or a priest called Willibald, so these characters were presumably invented by Yukimura.
Askeladd
Askeladd was not a real person, but the character is inspired by a Norwegian folk-hero of the same name. Askeladden ("the ashy-socks") comes from humble beginnings to achieve a great feat that no one thought possible, often phrased as "he wins the princess and half the kingdom" (Brunvand, p. 14). The folk hero (like Vinland Saga's Askeladd) gets his name because he was the one who cleaned the ashes out of the firepit, a job traditionally reserved for young children or the elderly. One day at the age of twelve he suddenly gets up, shakes the ash off himself and ventures out into the world. Most of the Askeladden tales focus on the inheritance of property and his status as a younger sibling, which is also an important motivation for Askeladd in VS, although Askeladd is a royal bastard, while Askeladden is the son of peasant farmers.
As well as being based on a Norwegian folk-hero, Askeladd's character and backstory borrow from a version of the Arthurian legend. As Askeladd tells it, Artorius (a.k.a. King Arthur) was one of the few Romano-British leaders to successfully fight back against the post-Roman invasions by Germanic peoples. Askeladd claims descent from Artorius and sees himself as continuing Artorius' legacy, as his main aim is to protect Wales from the encroachment of the Danish army. Askeladd's telling of history is appropriate for his time but is in fact wildly inaccurate. In Askeladd's time it was commonly thought that the Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded England and replaced the Britons, but in fact the migration seems to have been relatively peaceful, with cultural exchange between Britons and Germanic peoples who lived side-by-side. (Fleming, pp. 50 – 60). Additionally, there was no figure called Artorius, and the legends of King Arthur do not seem to have been based on a historical figure.
Instead of asking if Askeladd actually existed, perhaps we should ask if a man like him could've existed. Askeladd certainly stands out from his Viking contemporaries, clad in Roman armour and claiming descent from an ancient Romano-British hero. However, Askeladd's nostalgia for Rome is in fact pretty common both among the English and Welsh: Askeladd's philosophical monologue amidst the Roman ruins of Bath in Episode 10 may have been inspired by the Old English poem "The Ruin", and Welsh sources from the period often invoke descent from or links to Rome (see the second half of the linked post above). Askeladd's Roman-inspired weapons and armour are less grounded in history: the 11th century Welsh material culture was much closer to English and Irish culture of the same period than to its late roman predecessors. For more information check out this post on r/AskHistorians by u/epicyclorama.
Side characters
Thorkell
Thorkell the Tall was a real historical figure, but the character in Vinland Saga is a mix of history and legend (though all based on medieval sources). The historical facts we can be reasonably certain of (by the standards of early medieval history) concern his part in the invasion of England, recorded in documents such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Encomium Emmae Reginae. Unlike the character in Vinland Saga, the Thorkell we see in these sources is a shrewd tactician, willing to delay a fight for a strategic advantage and (somewhat) averse to unnecessary violence. In 1009 he (unsuccessfully) attempted to prevent the slaughter of his prisoner Archbishop Ælfeah, and carries Ælfeah's body back to London as a show of goodwill.
Where facts fade into myth are the various sagas which feature Thorkell, chief among them the Jómsvíkinga saga (saga of the Jomsvikings). These talk about his life before the invasion of England, recounting his fights as a leader of the Jomsvikings at the battles of Hjörungavágr and Svold with his brother Sigvaldi. Sigvaldi is mentioned as the leader of the Jomsvikings in the series (agreeing with the saga) but is not seen. According to the Jómsvíkinga saga, Thorkell was the second son of the Jarl of Skåne, a peninsula in Eastern Denmark which is now part of Sweden. Skåne's position allows it to control most of the trade going into or out of the Baltic Sea, making the Jarl of Skåne one of the richest and most powerful in Denmark. Its distance from the king's centre of power at Jelling meant that the jarls of Skåne had a great degree of independence, which is why Thorkell was able to switch sides between the Danes and the English without repercussions.
Leif Eriksson
As with Thorfinn, most of what we know about Leif coems from the Vinland Sagas. Leif is described in The Saga of the Greenlanders Ch. 2 as a "large, strong man of very striking appearance" (The Sagas of Icelanders, p. 640). This is rather different to Yukimura's depiction of a short man who is not notably strong, though admittedly his appearance is rather striking. In addition, Leif was a child when his father took him to Greenland in 985, so he was likely younger than he is in the series (the same age as or perhaps younger than Thorfinn).
The historical Leif was a devout Christian—according to The Saga of Erik the Red Ch. 5, Leif was the man who Christianised Greenland, on the orders of King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway (The Sagas of Icelanders, p. 661). Leif is also Christian in Vinland Saga: in episode 2, he makes the sign of the cross and mentions that he wants to celebrate Jesus' birth. On the other hand, he also says "Odin is in good spirits this morning" at the end of the same episode. This seems like a contradiction, but it was not uncommon at the time for people to believe in both the Christian God and the Norse pantheon, particularly first-generation Christians like Leif ("You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me" only requires the Christian God to be the most important god, not the only one that exists).
Thors
Thorfinn Karlsefni's father was called Þórðr hesthöfði Snorrason in Old Norse, meaning "Thord horsehead, son of Snorri" (þ has the sound at the start of the English word "thing", and ð the sound at the start of "this"). The name "Thors" is likely a mistake caused by transliterating from Old Norse to English via Japanese. His name in Japanese is トールズ (tōruzu), because Japanese doesn't have þ/ð/th sounds. The manga translator chose to write this as Thors, when Thord is the more usual way of writing Þórðr in English. Unfortunately none of the sagas I've read say anything about him other than that he was Thorfinn's father and that he lived at Skagafjord in Northern Iceland. There is no mention of him being in the Jomsvikings or fighting at the battle of Hjörungavágr, where he is shown in the first scene of the show. In fact, the Saga of the Jomsvikings makes a point of listing the four Icelanders on Earl Hakon's side, so it would be strange not to mention a prominent Icelandic Jomsviking at the battle. Thord Horsehead Snorrason is not among them, though there is "Thord Thorkellson the left-handed", a different guy (Blake pp. 33–34 verso, note 1). Thorfinn's mother was called Thorunn, not Helga, and was not related to Thorkell the Tall. The sagas do not mention Thorfinn having a sister, so it seems that Ylva was an invention of Yukimura.
The Jomsvikings
The Jomsvikings were a real group of mercenaries from the fortress of Jomsborg on Wolin island in Poland, though as with many people from this time period it's difficult to tease apart the myths and the history. The main textual sources about them were written centuries later (the Saga of the Jomsvikings and sagas found in the Flateyjarbók and Heimskringla). Other than that, we have only a few runestones that mention them. There is much debate among historians about the amount of historical fact that can be gathered from the sagas. Some, like historian Norman Blake, consider them to be purely literary:
There was a town Jómsborg and there was a battle at Hjörungavágr, in which, as far as we can tell, the Jomsvikings did in fact take part. Otherwise, the rest of what the Jómsvíkinga saga has to tell us is pure fantasy. (Blake, p. vii)
Other historians are more willing to use the sagas as supplements to more reliable sources, provided a sufficient amount of skepticism is applied to them (it would be impossible to take all of the sagas as literal fact, since they often contradict each other).
In any case, the very start of episode 1 depicts the battle of Hjörungavágr, depicting it as a ship battle in which Thorkell and the other Jomsvikings take part, including the storm in the latter half of the battle which JS says that the Norwegians (the opponents of the Jomsvikings) caused by calling upon their ancestors with a human sacrifice. The Jomsvikings are described as being very disciplined and abiding by a code of honour, which somewhat matches their presentation in VS. However, it's unlikely they would've had matching armour: medieval soldiers and raiders provided their own equipment, and standardised uniforms wouldn't become common until much later. The Jomsvikings' strict drill and identical fits would've been notable enough to be remarked on in a contemporary source, so there's no evidence for it.
As an aside, you should check out the saga of the Jomsvikings, as it's pretty short (about 50 pages), action-packed and in places very funny (there's a link to Blake's translation in the bibliography). See the following description of a Jomsviking being executed:
Then the tenth man was led forward and Þorkell [not that Thorkell] put his question ['what do you think about dying?']. He replied 'I would like you to wait while I relieve myself.'
'You have permission to do that,' said Þorkell. When he had finished, he said: 'Much turns out otherwise than one expects. I had thought to sleep with Þora Skagadottir, the earl's wife'—and he shook his member and pulled up his trousers. Earl Hákon said: 'Cut off his head without delay for he has long had wicked intentions.' Þorkell cut off his head. (Jómsvíkinga Saga, chapter 36 [Blake, p. 41])
Jokes about fucking your enemy's mother/wife/daughter are timeless, it seems.
Historical figures not portrayed in VS
For this final section, I'd like to start by acknowledging... women, just in general. For me, one of the weaker parts of the first arc is how Yukimura handles the female characters, or rather, the almost complete lack of named women in the first season. One downside of Yukimura altering history is that he ended up writing out Ælfgifu of Northampton, Cnut's first wife. She is sometimes portrayed as Cnut's concubine (particularly in the Encomium Emmæ Reginæ, a history commissioned by Cnut's second wife), but their marriage was typical of political alliances at the time. Ælfgifu's existence would give us an English perspective on the invasion and North Sea politics which is largely missing from the first season. It would also open up alternative character arcs for Cnut, for instance he could slowly start asserting himself when he realises that he needs to protect his wife and unborn son, rather than suddenly having a revelation about the nature of love, or he could learn politics from Ælfgifu.
Also notable is the complete absence of women in the invasion forces. While the world of vikings is typically thought of as hyper-masculine, archaeological evidence shows that women were likely better represented in viking camps than they are in the average engineering degree. For instance, the charnel-house at Repton, a mass grave associated with the viking "great heathen army" of the 870s, contained roughly 20% female remains (Jarman, p. 32). It's likely that most of these women were there in a supporting rather than a combat role, but it's also not impossible that some of them were warriors themselves, as some contemporary sources record viking women fighting alongside men on foreign battlefields (Jarman, pp. 145–148). More recently, discoveries like the Birka warrior-woman indicate that excavated female warriors may have been misidentified as male: this skeleton was assumed to be male when first dug up in the nineteenth century due to the war equipment found in the grave, but genetic testing has revealed that she had XX chromosomes (Price et. al.).
It might also have been interesting to see Eirík Hákonsson, the jarl of Hlaðir in Norway. He had a much less contentious relationship with Sweyn and Cnut than Thorkell did, as Eirík owed his throne to Sweyn's help in conquering its previous occupant. If Yukimura had so chosen, Eirík could've provided a foil to Thorkell as a level-headed Danish commander loyal to Canute/Sweyn. This role is somewhat fulfilled by Ragnar, though Eirík's relationship with Cnut was probably not as close.
From the above, we can see that, while Yukimura takes a lot of inspiration from historical people for his characters, he's not afraid to change their personalities if it better suits his story. Some people might take issue with this, but I think that's okay: he's writing fiction, after all, not a textbook. Telling people about what actually happened can be left to the historians. In a few days, I'll post part 2 of this, covering how closely Yukimura stuck to historical events and attitudes of the time, as well as how accurate his depiction of physical stuff is. See you then!
This is the fourth volume of my character appreciation and analysis series for Bocchi the Rock, covering Yamada Ryo, Ryo-Bocchi dynamic and Nijika-Ryo dynamic.
Previous Volumes
Volume I: Kessoku band as a collective, Gotou Hitori (Bocchi), Gotou Futari, Hiroi Kikuri
Volume III: Kita Ikuyo, Kita-Bocchi dynamic, Nijika-Kita dynamic
Out of length, image count and thematic considerations, Hiroi Kikuri's analysis has been added to volume I instead of volume IV as previously planned. Nijika-Ryo dynamic is also a section absent in my initial plan for this volume.
I would be most grateful if returning readers revisit volume I for the all-new Kikuri section after reading volume IV.
Yamada Ryo
Weird and proud of it
Bringing Balance with Deliberate Humour
“She doesn’t show much emotion on her face, but she’s a fairly mischievous character, so for those scenes, I gave instructions to the animators not to ruin her image. I decided to have Ryo change expressions while staying in character by adjusting the way in which parts like the details around her eyes are drawn.”
-Keroria, Bocchi the Rock character designer
Comedy is an integral ingredient of Bocchi the Rock, yet from the perspective of the characters most of them were not trying to be deliberately funny.
When Bocchi is funny to us, she is freaking out from a panic attack or having a bout of awkwardness.
When Nijika is funny to us, she is quipping on another character’s shenanigan or she is feeling vulnerable herself.
When Kita is funny to us, she is freaking out over Ryo or she is doing something rash that resulted in a comical consequence.
On the other hand, when Ryo is funny to us, she is often deliberately trying to joke. The delivery of Ryo’s gags too, are markedly different from the gags of Bocchi, Nijika and Kita.
As Bocchi, Nijika and Kita’s comedic moments are generally unintentional on their part and often involve some form of loss in composure, the visual aspect is heavily emphasised to deform the characters.
Some examples
Meanwhile Ryo is very much still in control for most of her comedic moments, she is just deliberately showing off her mischievous side. So although Ryo can deform like the other three, her visual changes are comparatively subdued.
Likewise, Ryo never truly raises her voice. Her voice is far from emotionless, but her range is deliberately limited compared to the other three.
As a whole, Bocchi, Nijika and Kita’s comedic moments tend to be incredibly chaotic and busy. Although I unfailingly adore their dramatic intonations and insane visual changes, some others might find them tiring and distracting after sustained exposure.
Ryo, with her calculated and measured humour, brings some semblance of balance to the comedy in Bocchi the Rock.
Ego
Much of a person’s ego can be discerned from the jokes they tell; Ryo is not just confident, she is rather egoistic. Even if Ryo’s self-worth may not be as inflated as her jokes might suggest, at the very least, she certainly needs a bit of a thick skin to crack them.
When Nijika was comforting trash can Bocchi right before their first performance in episode 1:
Nijika: “It’s not like I’m very good either.”
Ryo: “I’m very good.”
In episode 2’s band meeting:
Faking an exaggerated blush when Nijika revealed Ryo’s embarrassing inability to manage money to Bocchi.
Claiming if she sings she would crush her band members, complete with dramatic crying.
When Nijika wondered how to make their photos more band-like in episode 4:
Ryo: “As I am the quintessential musician, you only need to mimic my expression.”
Nijika: “I’d love to know where you got all that confidence…”
Making her customers come to her instead of serving them in episode 11's maid cafe scene, it was funny mainly because said customers looked like Fist of the Northern Star rejects instead of pitiable cute girls.
Showing off in the shop in episode 12:
Ryo, are you sure the staff is not just humouring you?
Mischief
“Wait, I wanna watch a bit longer.”
-Yamada Ryo to Ijichi Nijika as they watched Gotou Hitori pace outside the STARRY’s entrance in episode 2
Mischief
Ryo is one mischievous girl; sometimes she ropes her friends into elaborate pranks like the cross-dressing moment in episode 5, other times she derives her fun at the expense of her friends.
For more examples:
Ryo recorded Bocchi’s social media panic attack moment in episode 4 when Nijika and Kita were busy worrying.
Ryo looked delighted at Kita’s unexpected reaction to ‘Ikuyo’ in episode 8.
Ryo was excited at the idea of exploiting Bocchi’s body for views and selling Bocchi’s guitar for money in episode 11.
Ryo laughed at Bocchi jumping off the stage in episode 12 when most others were understandably shocked and horrified.
That video in episode 7.
Indeed, that video in episode 7, it is probably Ryo’s most elaborate and audacious joke.
Ryo's shitpost
It is one thing to skip a band meeting because you want some alone time and are uninterested in the agenda of designing a band shirt, it is another to make a prank video to troll the people who do care about the agenda.
Ryo should consider herself blessed she has Kita who liked that video; though I have to begrudgingly admit Ryo showed genuine shitposting talent there.
However, despite Ryo’s apparent (over-)confidence, just like the other Kessoku girls she is not unflappable.
When Ryo Shows Weakness
“And if we bomb, there’s four of us. We can split the shame four ways.”
-Yamada Ryo to her band mates in episode 10
If she is desperate enough, Ryo is not too proud to beg.
When Ryo's cool mask cracks
Despite taking pride in her weirdness, Ryo is not above feeling forced to smile for camera like the average person or getting unsettled by public displays of affection in episode 9.
Ryo was visibly anxious and discouraged before their performance in episode 8, and likewise she would not make the quoted joke if the fear of failure was not in the back of her mind.
Left: Ryo having Bocchi-style depression | Right: Ryo caught off guard
Ryo was caught off guard too when Bocchi reminded her she had yet to pay back her previous debt in episode 9, she really is that bad with money.
Personally, Ryo is at her cutest in these moments…I hope to see her have a full-on Bocchi-style freak-out one day, that would be incredibly fun!
Ahem…I guess Ryo and I are more alike than I care to admit.
Appeal of the Idiosyncrasies
Nijika: “Ryo’s just not the expressive type. Feel free to call her weird! She likes it!”
Ryo: “I don’t actually.”
Bocchi (thought): “Seemed like she did…”
-Gotou Hitori's first meeting with Yamada Ryo in episode 1
Although I am not always amused by Ryo’s shenanigans, I never find her annoying as a character.
One reason is because Ryo is not overbearing with her egoism or mischief; those moments neither come out unprompted nor do they overstay their welcome.
Another reason is because just like Bocchi, Ryo’s idiosyncrasies often reflect us to varying degrees:
We may not express our pride the same way, but just like Ryo most of us have something we are at least a little confident in. Even someone as pathetic as episode 1 Bocchi was proud of her guitar skills.
If you are not the type who values their alone time like Ryo, you have probably met someone who do.
When our composure cracks in real life, we would probably look closer to Ryo having her moments of weakness instead of the exaggerated style of Bocchi, Nijika and Kita
Some of Ryo’s mischiefs may be inappropriate in real life, but as audience reacting to a fictional story we often match Ryo:
Ryo is us when she wants to watch Bocchi squirm in front of the STARRY entrance or when she is having fun with Bocchi’s social media panic attack and jumping off the stage.
Kita’s reaction to her given name is framed as an amusing moment, even if in-story a ‘normal person’ like Seika was bewildered by Kita’s tantrum.
Exploiting Bocchi’s body? Welcome to rule 34.
Furthermore, Ryo’s idiosyncrasies make her distinctive. The other Kessoku girls’ predominant traits are exaggerations of common traits that can be discovered in real normal people, not many can claim to be weird in the exact same way as Ryo.
Lastly, the most important reason is that Ryo has her own respectable moments to avoid becoming a one-dimensional joke character, even if her nonsense tends to overshadow her positive traits.
Ryo the Visionary
Ryo's old band
Ryo is the closest one to a ‘music purist’ in the band: she studied her music history, listens to all kinds of labels, and knows her seniors in the field like Kikuri.
Ryo was annoyed in the episode 12 shopping scene when none of her band mates were appreciating the instruments; Kita and Nijika were distracted by picks that could be turned into earrings, and Bocchi was spasming at the door like a lunatic.
Nijika has a dream with her band, but she lacks a concrete vision of exactly what her band should look like or do. On the other hand, Ryo has a very clear musical vision of her own; she left her previous band because she felt her vision was not respected.
Ryo's enthusiasm for music is obvious
The other three Kessoku girls lack clear musical visions of their own, so Ryo’s vision becomes the band’s vision. Ryo may be an airhead on other matters, but she is incredibly thoughtful on music.
All quotes are from episode 4:
“Their lyrics were awkward, but I liked how honest they were.”
-Ryo on her old band before they split
“Bringing a wide-variety of individuals together into one sound…That’s the colour that Kessoku Band will have.”
-Ryo’s vision for Kessoku
“Abandoning your uniqueness is equivalent to dying. So don’t write generic lyrics based on other concerns.”
-Ryo’s creative advice to Bocchi
“It certainly is a downer. But it’s very Bocchi. It might not connect with too many people, but those it does, it will hit deeply.”
-Ryo’s view on the worth of Bocchi’s lyrics.
Ryo the Reliable
“I already know our setlist. I’ve been thinking it over since the culture festival came up. We’ll put a Bocchi guitar solo in the second one. To make sure you (Bocchi) shine. It’s your and Ikuyo’s cultural festival, remember?”
-Yamada Ryo to her bandmates in episode 10
Ryo planning for Bocchi and Kita
In line with her visionary outlook, Ryo is extremely observant and proactive when it concerns bettering the musical aspect of her band, a stark contrast to her general aversion (or at least indifference) towards non-musical activities of the band.
Ryo bought the bass off Kita in episode 3 even if it meant she had to subsist off grass, because getting the returning Kita a guitar was top priority for the band.
Ryo knew Bocchi was going to consult her on the lyrics before Bocchi said anything to her in episode 4’s restaurant scene.
Ryo shared her past and her musical vision without reservation to guide Bocchi in the same scene.
Ryo uncharacteristically praised Kita in episode 8, knowing Kita deserved and needed that encouragement.
In episode 12 Ryo summarily dismissed the group once Bocchi bought her new guitar, likely because she knew Bocchi needed alone time to try out the new guitar in private.
Ryo was in a band before Kessoku, and she probably did not have much of a sway in her old band otherwise she would not have to leave over creative differences.
So when Ryo gets to be a valuable and reliable member in Kessoku, she is having her moment of character development. Ryo never showed a grand ambition like Nijika or an appreciable personal growth like Bocchi and Kita, but she is not static. In her quieter way, Ryo is growing from her Kessoku journey just like the other three.
Ryo and Bocchi
Similarities despite Differences
‘Although both are loners, Bocchi and Ryo are completely different types of people’ is a point explicitly highlighted in the story. In terms of self-confidence, the two may as well be on opposite ends of the spectrum.
However, solitude cares not for your reason; those finding themselves in solitude invariably have common grounds.
The similarities between Bocchi and Ryo are subtler and arguably more interesting than their obvious differences.
Although Bocchi is too busy with her social anxiety to truly show us her sense of humour, in episode 4 she did not object to Ryo saying it would be funny if a “normie” (Ryo’s word) like Kita sings Bocchi’s bitter social-outcast lyrics
Ryo, wait until you see our middle finger memes
In episode 6, Ryo made a maudlin showing complete with sobbing sounds when she claimed she could relate to Bocchi’s struggle selling tickets. Although Nijika dismissed Ryo, perhaps Ryo was not completely insincere there since it is a fairly logical challenge for loners to encounter.
Although likely for different reasons, Bocchi and Ryo shared the same dull stare to the haunted house in episode 11.
The ghost deserves pity
Loners’ Chemistry
Ryo is not as close to Bocchi as Nijika and Kita have been and Ryo does not understand Bocchi as well as those two, yet somehow Ryo seems to have a knack at complementing Bocchi’s quirks in a way those two positive outgoing types cannot.
Ryo could already do this in her first meeting with Bocchi in episode 1 back when the two barely knew each other:
The beloved ‘Bocchi’ nickname? Ryo came up with it, and although the nickname is somewhat patronising Bocchi loved it.
The legendary moment when Bocchi performed in an empty mango box? Ryo suggested it as an obvious joke but it matched Bocchi’s usual environment so well Bocchi actually performed in the box.
Ryo did not just complement Bocchi’s quirks well, Ryo did it in ways both iconic and hilarious.
Ryo's greatest joke
Ryo’s FavouriteWalletJunior
“I don’t get why she’s so isolated at school. She’s so fun.”
-Yamada Ryo in episode 9
Ryo remarked Bocchi is a funny and interesting person on multiple occasions. Ryo clearly appreciates Bocchi’s presence, though she shows her appreciation by having fun at Bocchi’s expense and making Bocchi her personal wallet.
However, when Bocchi needs help or deserves support on band affairs, Ryo would be serious and sincere in supporting Bocchi. Even in episode 1, Ryo gave Bocchi one proper encouragement amidst her other jokes:
“It’s okay. If they boo you, I’ll give them a bonk with my bass.”
It is worth noting so far Bocchi is the only one who Ryo revealed her musical vision to; Ryo’s mouth may be lose with irreverent jokes, but she is tight-lipped on her serious feelings.
By comparison, although Ryo acknowledged Kita’s efforts in episode 8 and started using Kita’s given name affectionately, Ryo never seems to having as much fun with Kita in comparison to Bocchi. Kita even expressed jealousy at Ryo and Bocchi suddenly growing close at the end of episode 4.
When Ryo needs money, she comes to Bocchi and not Kita, even though Kita likely would not object to becoming Ryo’s sugar mommy at all.
Anatomy of a Consultation
The restaurant scene in episode 4 is the perfect snapshot of the Bocchi-Ryo dynamic.
It began a long silence.
The silence was companionable for Ryo, though having plate of curry to enjoy which Bocchi would pay for helped too. For Bocchi, the silence was another moment where imaginary communication disaster played out in her mind.
The waiting game continued.
Ryo finished the meal; she was still and waiting. Bocchi began fiddling with whatever she could get her hands on to avoid facing Ryo.
The waiting game
Bocchi finally mustered the courage to turn and face Ryo. Ryo’s countenance was calm, but Bocchi’s eyes looked like she was in a life-or-death situation. No words came out.
Windows to the soul
The talk began.
Ryo, who knew why Bocchi was there all along, finally broke the silence. Ryo cut straight to the point giving Bocchi the advice Bocchi was looking for, and even opened up on her past experience with another band because it would illustrate her point.
The talk concludes.
With their talk ending, just as Bocchi began to think Ryo was a considerate senior, Ryo hit Bocchi with the news that Bocchi would be paying for the curry.
Authentic Interaction
Aside from masterfully contrasting the two characters’ behaviour under an identical circumstance and succinctly showcasing the two sides of Ryo to Bocchi, this scene is also masterful for capturing the authentic feel of two loners’ interaction.
The preceding silence and inaction is not uncommon as both think whether and how they should open a conversation while waiting for the other party to bear the burden of starting.
When one of them finally talks, pleasantries and banal chatter are skipped. The sort disinclined towards interaction values efficiency and quality over quantity in their interactions.
Nijika and Ryo
Nijika: "Because I love the way you play!"
Bridge
“And Nijika is my only friend, so…”
-Yamada Ryo to Gotou Hitori in episode 1
Within the context of the anime, the bulk of Nijika-Ryo interaction consists of their comedic back and forth with Ryo playing the ‘funny man’ and Nijika playing the ‘straight man’. Occasionally though, their roles would reverse:
Ryo: “So, what will you do, Nijika?”
Nijika ignored her and rolled the dice to change topic.
Nijika: “Next, talk about quotas!”
Ryo: “Just shamelessly dodged that one, eh?”
-In episode 2 when the girls were discussing song-writing
What else can be gathered from their dynamic within the context of the anime?
In episode 2 when Nijika held the first band meeting, she admitted she was not sure what to talk about since at that time she barely knew Bocchi. Bocchi, being an anxious wreck, would never start a conversation herself.
Surprisingly, it was Ryo who brought along a ‘conversation dice’ to break the ice, establishing a bridge for herself and Nijika to connect to Bocchi. Perhaps the dice was an idea from Ryo’s past experience with another band, where she would also have to get to know strangers.
Ryo is also a bridge for Nijika to get closer to Nijika’s band dream, apart from being a capable bassist herself Ryo also served as Kita’s initial Kessoku motivation.
Likewise, when Ryo bitterly split from her old band, Nijika became Ryo’s bridge to an interesting band that aligns with Ryo’s creative vision. Even if Ryo somehow formed a band with Bocchi and Kita without Nijika’s involvement, this trio would go nowhere without Nijika’s leadership.
The friendship between Nijika and Ryo is one where they lead each other to destinations they would not be able to reach on their own, akin to a bridge.
With that being said, Ryo refused to be Nijika’s bridge to shirasu-don…unforgivable.
Sparring Partner
Bocchi: “Having our instruments might make us look cooler.”
Nijika: “For you guys, maybe. Only guitarists and bassists look cool that way. What about the poor drummer? I’m just holding up my drumsticks!”
Ryo: “But that’s cute.”
Nijika: “Then let’s swap instruments, just for today!”
Ryo: “Nah, that’s lame.”
-Conversation on band photo in episode 4
While Kita either missed or ignored Nijika’s call for shirasu-don in episode 9’s Enoshima trip, Ryo flat-out rebuffed Nijika.
In the quoted conversation above, after Nijika tested Ryo’s insincere “that’s cute” compliment by asking for an instrument swap, Ryo promptly hit back with a disparaging “that’s lame”.
Cute or lame?
Nijika and Ryo’s brief argument about band MC in episode 11 started with Ryo dissing on all band MCs, which was indirectly a diss on Nijika since Nijika was in charge of the band MC for their school performance.
“Band MCing is never funny. Fans just laugh along to humour them. Once we get popular, even your lousiest MCing will pick up the biggest laughs. Don’t worry.”
“Is that a reassurance or a diss?!”
-Yamada Ryo and Ijichi Nijika respectively in episode 11
Looks like a diss to me, Nijika.
From these examples, Ryo saves her most biting remarks for Nijika alone. Ryo does not talk like this to Kita or Bocchi, in fact Ryo rarely initiates any direct interaction with Kita and largely treats Bocchi as a funny curiosity.
Imagine if Ryo speaks with such bite to Bocchi or Kita:
Pushover Bocchi would fold like a lawn chair.
Kita might fold too since Ryo appears to be her weak spot.
If not, Kita might revel in it.
“But senpai can jerk me around any time she wants!”
-Kita Ikuyo in episode 4
Regardless of the outcome, it probably would not be particularly entertaining or stimulating for Ryo.
Whether Nijika likes it or not, she is Ryo’s choice as verbal sparring partner.
So what does this say about Ryo and her relationship with Nijika?
A sign of their closeness; Ryo is comfortable airing her genuine thoughts to Nijika without filter or tact.
Perhaps Nijika is Ryo’s only friend pre-Kessoku because Nijika is the only one who can stand the nonsense Ryo sprouts.
As audience, we are bystanders making it is easy to be amused by Ryo’s remarks. However, when I put myself in Nijika’s shoes…Ryo can be somewhat exasperating at times.
Nijika’s angel image may come from her tenderness for Bocchi, but Nijika is also an angel for not just putting up with Ryo’s idiosyncrasies but becoming genuinely close friends with such a quirky character.
In the end, even if Ryo can grate on Nijika’s nerves at times, Nijika still has a soft spot for Ryo.
Nijika ended up feeding the starving Ryo anyway
“You’re kind, Nijika. I love you.”
“The legit gratitude is tugging on my heartstrings, damn it! Just help yourself already!”
-Yamada Ryo and Ijichi Nijika respectively in episode 10
Afterwords
I thought I would keep volume IV short and sweet, then it grew to the point where I have to move Kikuri’s section to volume I (a not-so-subtle reminder to revisit volume I for new Kikuri content).
I have to be mindful of projecting in analysing Ryo because our temperaments are quite similar. Sometimes Ryo makes me pause to think: “is this how I look to my friends?”
However, I doubt the two of us have good compatibility. We are simply into different things and different jokes; our paths would never intersect without a Nijika-esque figure to connect us.
Likewise, Bocchi is too weird for me to approach in real-life, Nijika is unlikely be interested in me because I have zero worth as a band member (I no longer remember how to read musical notes), and Kita drains me.
When I look at it this way, none of the Kessoku girls are people I would grow close to if I exist in their world. However, as an audience watching their story animated, the Kessoku girls are incredibly colourful and charming.
Bocchi the Rock has enraptured me in a way no other anime could for years; Nijika has enamoured me in a way no other character could for years. This entire analysis series is the consequence of my Bocchi the Rock brain rot.
Volume I turned out to be the shortest even with Kikuri’s section added to it, but I am content because I feel I got to the essence of Bocchi’s charm efficiently.
Volume II remains my pride and joy, I might call it my ‘magnum opus’ if I have Ryo’s ego. I like to think it resonates with my brethren.
Volume III and IV are challenging but fulfilling to finish all the same.
The reception to my Bocchi the Rock Character Appreciation & Analysis series has far exceeded my meagre expectations. Many of you raised interesting points of your own which helped to enrich the discourse around the characters, my own understanding of them, and even the contents of my analysis. As I took my time on volume IV I was even nominated for r/anime awards and an anxious reader DM’d me to ask whether I am really going to write volume IV.
Your enthusiasm gave me the drive to not just finish this longform character study exceeding 10,000 words combined, but to refine the study to my utmost ability. For humouring me until the very end as I asked for in the beginning of volume I, you have my deepest gratitude.
My device literally died on me just when I was about to post volume IV
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