Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to dive back into the perpetual anxiety nightmare that is Life As A Bocchi, and see how our girl fares in the wake of her first day at work. Manning the concession stand at Starry was indeed a harrowing experience, but it was clear that Bocchi was making progress by the end, and equally clear that Nijika has been a good influence on her. From that first crossing of the playground fence to her admission that “I’m having a better time because you’re here,” Nijika has consistently and compassionately drawn Bocchi towards comfortable socialization and the rich high school life she’s always dreamed of.

Granted, making an effort for one work shift is a little different from committing to a customer-facing job permanently, but the formalized, simplified interactions of the concession stand might actually serve as socialization training wheels for Bocchi, getting her comfortable talking to people within the confines of easy questions with easy answers. Regardless, I’m sure this preposterously ambitious team will animate her trials with flair to spare, so let’s see what’s cooking with Bocchi!

Episode 3

We return on Bocchi right back in her comfort zone, hiding in the closet in full Blanky Mode while lamenting the arrival of another melancholy Monday

Extremely good sight gag of Bocchi limply attempting to tame her ahoge with a hairbrush all through this conversation with her sister

“Even one day of missing school puts me at risk of being forgotten by my own classmates.” She doesn’t want to be forgotten, but she is also terrified of being known. Life is indeed extremely difficult for a Bocchi

“Guess you’re a real pain in your own ass, Sis!” A less kind way of putting it, but also yes

God, this show’s animation is so generous and distinct even in these incidental transition moments. This close cut pays remarkable attention to how the folds of her sweatshirt move in time with her arms, and then we jump to a mid-distance cut that delights in hyper-deforming Bocchi while still maintaining a clear sense of character weight. Feels like the animators are showing off wherever they can

“I could burst from the sheer amount of nuisance I inflict on myself.” That’s one of the worst parts about anxiety – not even being able to justify to yourself all these theoretically self-inflicted limitations, and thus feeling all the more shame for failing to do what comes naturally to others

“You can stream BAKWIMPS.” Radwimps expanding their domination from Shinkai films to anime in general

This show often defaults to a kagenashi (minimal shading) style for Bocchi’s sweatshirt, relying instead on the intricate linework of the garment’s folds to convey mass and character movement. I like how this creates a sense of nervous energy in Bocchi’s movements, like she’s always trying to hide herself behind herself

Bocchi manages to spin her classmates’ earnest curiosity into cruel judgment

A Bocchi is such a fluid being! They actually simplify her linework for this fantasy of her future self speaking confidently on a talk show, which seems to echo my earlier point – lots of intricate linework can convey a sense of stress or frustration, whereas fewer smooth lines conveys a sense of confidence or relaxation

Some passing girls mention the vocal talents of “Kita-chan,” our presumed singer

Even though this episode can’t quite match the first’s in terms of layouts, it’s still doing an excellent job of blocking the characters and creating depth in the frame, tucking Bocchi’s little hideaway into the absolute corner of the frame in order to convey her larger-than-life impression of this cool rocker girl

And then they even animate the whole background for this brief fisheye pan in on her despair. What is this show?

Man, listening to this OP makes me wish I could play this sort of guitar rock. I’ve practiced casually for years and years, but never really gotten much past simple chords, and my poor memory makes me awful with scales

We cut back on Bocchi leering at Mika from the hallway door. You’re not actually invisible even if you feel that way, Bocchi

She obsesses so much over what precisely she wants to say that it only comes out as an abbreviated series of vowel sounds. This show really is good at not just expressing anxiety through animation, but articulating all of the second-degree pitfalls that anxiety tends to provoke

And it’s just so endlessly inventive! Love this melancholy live action footage accompanying Bocchi’s sad memories song

As with Nijika, the barrier is only crossed when Kita approaches Bocchi in her own world, in this case some sort of supply closet

Another delightful alternate art style for Bocchi’s description of her bandmates’ luxurious lifestyles, with shading and linework that look like colored chalk

Kita admits she can’t actually play guitar for real, and that playing in a band is “beyond her.” A phrasing with clear resonance for Bocchi, who also believed basically everything she’s currently doing was impossibly beyond her. Is Bocchi going to inspire someone else to believe in themselves!? What progress for our Bocchi!

Bocchi melts into a Bochblob upon being complimented for her guitar skills. Seriously though, she is actually fantastic at guitar, particularly for the amount of time she’s put into it

Kita’s overwhelming praise and passion rope Bocchi into agreeing to give her guitar lessons. You don’t have the social stamina for all of this, Bocchi!

The two make for an adorable pair as they head to the club, with Bocchi attempting to hide behind Kita, and Kita suffering the dawning realization that she’s about to face the band she previously ditched. Excellent slug forms for both of them

I like that Kita is getting her own distinctive brands of goofy expressions. Excellent surprised cat face as Nijika pops up behind her

This show really embraces the base emotive qualities of different kinds of linework. I mentioned the distinct impression the simplified versus detailed linework offered earlier, and now Kita’s panic is conveyed through a completely different style, with wobbling turns, incomplete lines, and extremely thick line weight all conveying a sense of panic and emotional disarray. The seemingly dashed-off nature of this drawing emphasizes Kita rushing to come up with a response to this situation

And then the show makes a further joke of jumping from this Kita-perspective image to a neutral drawing of all three in frame, with Kita’s weird eyes being the only deviation from normal aesthetics

“Poor Kita-san seems so uncomfortable. If only I could think of something nice to say.” Giving Bocchi someone in even more pathetic straits than herself does seem to be helping her confidence

Nijika demonstrates more of her signature affability and consideration through immediately forgiving Kita

And thus, somehow, Kita ends up cleaning Starry in a maid costume

More wonderfully fluid animation for Bocchi sulking in despair at Kita immediately outdoing her in all Starry tasks. This show’s animation ranges from remarkably realistic portrayals of how the folds of clothing would react to a body’s movement, to entirely farcical stuff like this, where a guitar can bend almost in a circle in order to emerge from some corner of Bocchi’s garbage bin. Whatever works to convey the precise tenor of some specific Bocchi moment

Additionally, Bocchi’s songs are actually good! Believable off-the-cuff compositions that always fit their moment perfectly

Bocchi attempts to preemptively end the series for the second time, by jumping to a post-episode artist illustration. Not just the animation, but even the formal elements of episode structure are employed for humorous purposes

A great dynamic already emerging between Kita and Bocchi, with Kita’s perky fascination serving as Bocchi’s kryptonite

Kita was apparently inspired to pursue music by Ryo

In spite of her extroversion, Kita is driven by the same impulse to find a community that propels Bocchi. Additionally, her reasons for believing she doesn’t deserve to be in a band are familiar to Bocchi, as well. Through her rambling, she’s naturally helping Bocchi realize that her feelings are neither abnormal nor shameful

And thus she crucially takes the first step of inviting Kita into the band, though it admittedly ends with her tripping and slamming into a pole

Some intimate, Yamada-reminiscent partial cuts of Kita’s face and feet as the joy and relief of joining through the band echoes through her body

“It came out like a mess, but I’m glad I stopped Kita-san from leaving.” Even imperfect efforts can yield great results, Bocchi! Don’t be afraid to try!

Oh jesus. Apparently Kita accidentally bought a six string bass rather than a normal guitar. No wonder she’s made no progress

And then we end on one of the simplest joys in music: your bandmate setting a chord progression and waiting for you to join in

And Done

Oh, how the trials of Bocchi wind and ramble! Although actually, Bocchi kinda killed it this episode, and demonstrated some remarkable personal progress in her quest to bring Kita into the band. From a position of being too nervous to even speak full words to Kita, she soon realized that her dazzling classmate was actually suffering from many of her own anxieties, in spite of her general extraversion. That point of connection was what gave her the strength to actually challenge Kita’s view of herself, and at last earn us our final bandmate. All that satisfying emotional growth plus more reliably dynamite animation made for an excellent episode, and I’m eager to see our first full band practice!

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