Bocchi the Rock! has been an interesting addition to the Fall 2022 anime season, particularly for those who enjoy quieter, slice-of-life anime rather than huge action productions. The story revolves around four female characters who form a band, so is Bocchi the Rock! a yuri anime?
This question is bound to arise in many works that feature a cast of two or more female main characters who develop a close friendship.
Given the small number of quality yuri anime that is not exploitative or tragic, fans are justified to hope that a new anime with sapphic elements will be the one. But is that the case with Bocchi the Rock!? Let's take a closer look!
Spoiler Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for Bocchi the Rock!
What Is Bocchi the Rock! About?
Bocchi the Rock! is a music anime by studio CloverWorks that is ideal for fans of slice-of-life anime.
Based on a manga written and illustrated by Aki Hamaji, Bocchi the Rock! follows Hitori Gotou (aka Bocchi), a high-school girl who starts learning how to play the guitar.
Hitori's dream is to join a band, but because she is very shy, she hasn't managed to make a single friend at school so far.
In walks Nijika Ijichi, a drummer who is looking for a new guitarist for her band, and who might be the key to making Hitori's dream come true!
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Is Bocchi the Rock! A Yuri Anime?
Bocchi the Rock! is not an official yuri anime, but it's already popular with yuri fans. Moreover, there's a scene in the anime that went viral for featuring a yuri moment between two characters, according to fans.
In Episode 10, Kita turns out to be very savvy about what Bocchi really wants, and the two share a cute moment together.
While this is not a confirmation that the anime is indeed yuri, many fans feel justified, as they shipped Kita and Bocchi from the beginning.
What Is Bocchi the Rock!'s Genre?
Officially, the show is classified as a CGDCT anime. This is not a genre as such but rather a descriptor of what you can expect from a given series.
CGDCT is an acronym for "Cute Girls Doing Cute Things." This descriptor doesn't indicate anything inherently romantic or sexual, though such a series can still be a yuri or romance anime.
An example of a yuri anime with a good ending -- which is also CGDCT -- would be YuruYuri.
YuruYuri features girls in an afterschool club, but there are also actual romantic pairings that we don't currently have in Bocchi the Rock!
The CGDCT descriptor typically refers to slice-of-life anime wherein kawaii-drawn teen girls go about their daily life doing cute things, such as engaging in hobbies, school, and after-school activities.
Of course, not being an official yuri doesn't mean that Bocchi the Rock! won't feature character relationships that might end up becoming ships.
The subtext isn't ideal, but the relatively limited number of good yuri anime means that implications are important for fans.
What we do know is that Bocchi the Rock! is already becoming popular with the yuri community:
Bocchi the Rock! might not be officially yuri but, as some fans put it, it is also not "not yuri!"
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Does Bocchi the Rock! Have Romance?
For the time being, Bocchi the Rock! doesn't feature romance, but this could change in the future.
Currently, the anime focuses on the budding friendship between the main characters who form a band together, but you never know how things might change later on.
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