#shinoda | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

manjuhitorie · 10 months

Text

Ongaku to Hito March 2023 Issue - Bocchi the Rock! Insights and Interviews with Bandmen

Shinoda from Hitorie: I’m a big fan of the guitarist who does the arrangement work for Kessoku Band, Mitsui Ritsuo (also known for his work in The Youth, Lost in Time, and la la larks). I’ve been listening to The Youth since I was a teenager, and now that I’m older have I gotten the opportunity to perform shows along with Mitsui-san, on top of getting to go out drinking with him as well. Before I had watched the anime ‘Bocchi the Rock!’ I had happened to stroll upon the music video of “If I could be a Constellation” from the soundtrack. I had assumed it was just any other old popular song, until I saw Mitsui-san’s name on it. “Holy shit, Mitsui-san is gaining traction?!” I thought, [he laughs]. To top it all off the song was absolutely brilliant. I had been hearing the name ‘Bocchi the Rock!’ floating around a lot at the time, but this song is what finally got me to sit down and watch it.

I had started with the manga, so I then got to really appreciate just how well the anime expanded off of the snail’s pace of the 4 comic. It made me realize just how mighty the anime really is. The creators’ sheer determination to shape it into something people would enjoy runs deep through every aspect of the show, and that’s what makes it such high quality.

Not to mention that it depicts real life. What had surprised me the most were how realistic the octopus rice crackers in Enoshima on the screen were, that scene alone made me feel like I was watching live-action instead of anime. Also the scenery of Shimokitazawa city and the guitar section of the music store and stuff. It made me go “Hey I’ve been there before”. When you actually know the city, it makes you wonder if maybe the girls really are out there in the city rocking out somewhere. That’s the level of attention to detail we’re talking with this show. The part I especially empathized with while watching was Bocchi-chan’s mentality, the way her mind works. Her mental struggle with people; the way she afraid of certain things when it comes to interacting with people… It all really hit home. I would never my crawl into a garbage pail or hide under a cardboard box to perform as she did but, the meta portrayal in scenes made me realize that I too may shelter my heart.

I’ve always been not so great at talking with people but, I’ve always enjoyed standing up in front of a crowd more. So concerts are nothing but a joy for me. That’s the difference between Bocchi and I. Though it’s true that playing guitar in the comfort of your own home versus performing on stage are two totally different worlds. There’s some things on guitar you can only play at home for some wild reason. I find that skills I’m technically capable of will, for some reason, just refuse to show themselves on stage. Possibly because when you’re aware that you’re standing up in front of an audience, along with the subsequent necessity to align yourself with them and the other performers, it all impacts your performance in a strange way. Bocchi-chan was stressed over this at first too, and I understand her sentiment deeply. I was like “I feel you!”.

After receiving advice from others did Bocchi-chan slowly but surely begin to find her own style and put her own twist on things- this part was really so much like what happens with real bands. By doing music with others do you actually reflect on yourself more. In my case, I was under the impression that I was the best guitarist in the world back when I first joined Hitorie. There, my bandmates politely told me that I needed to practice more, and I realized that in order to adapt to this band I would need to put much more effort in. My naivety chipped away at me. There’s so many things that you’ll never understand simply by mulling all by yourself. It’s all more the reason why doing things with others is so beautiful. That’s the epitome of bands if you ask me.

The most impactful episode to me was episode 8, when Kessoku Band had their very first concert. It was all going downhill, and I was thinking to myself “Been there, done that”. The bass drum flipping over during the intro was so realistic, merely listening to it made me feel nervous, yet then to flip the tables did Bocchi-chan improvise and rip out an ad lib guitar solo. Just wow that was so cool! Bocchi-chan’s talent and potential of which she was never able to unleash alongside the band finally awakened. It was so cool that I cried just watching. I can tell the people making the show have an abnormal amount of passion, they make us viewers feel as if they’re watching an actual living breathing band in action, and it’s just incredible.

Also the music itself is purely and simply great too. Mitsui-san had mentioned in an interview at some point that he had purposely wrote the songs with fewer notes. He refused to use instruments other than the ones the characters use, and he eschewed from letting instruments drown each other out as much as possible. And the fruits of his efforts turned the album “Kessoku Band” into a single collection of an unbelievable amount of electric guitar. Just last year was there discourse and theories on the internet about how guitar had become obsolete and unwanted. Because many artists are skipping the guitar solo and stuff. Yet this album pays no heed to such and is just a raw unadulterated masterpiece of rock.

When I see albums like this take the number 1 spot in rankings, it makes me realize just how much of a farce discourse on the internet is. I’m sure there’s people out there whose interest in rock bands was piqued after watching the anime but, I want people to take this opportunity to start forming their own bands and come on down to see some shows as well. Also, if the anime is going to continue on into the future then I would love the chance to be a part of it. Please let me write a song for ‘Bocchi the Rock!’!

————————————————————

Takamura Yoshihide from BLUE ENCOUNT:

Our bassist, Tsujimura (Yuuta), had told me about “a cool anime” he had seen, and that’s what got me to watch it. I had spotted the name in Twitter trends prior but I was sitting on the fence, like “It must be good if people are talking about it, maybe I should watch it too”. Then only once I saw the incredible quality of the first episode did I too get hooked.

Bocchi-chan’s shut-in tendencies and negative vibes were striking. Such as playing guitar in her closet, or getting so depressed that she sunk into a trash can. Nobody in real life would actually go to such lengths, yet that's exactly why the exaggerations were so impactful. This kind of thing is only possible in anime, and I love it when people use extremes to portray. Not only does is it exciting to watch, but they painted the scenery of Shimokitazawa so vividly and realistically that it brought back memories of back when we were in indie band and we performed there ourselves. Between the year 2010 and 2011, we were constantly performing at a venue called Shimokitazawa ReG. Not many people came to see us back then but, when we opened for KISD the tickets sold out off of reservations alone. I was thrilled, yet then on the day of the show only about half the people showed up. So in episode 8 when due to a storm people who payed for tickets didn’t show up, it really struck a chord. Plus, there really are people who only show interest in the band they came to see, and don’t so much as bat an eye at the other. And how to attract their attention is the number one struggle of an indie band. Playing a guitar solo to do so, as Bocchi did, is one orthodox method. I myself jumped down on to the floor once (he laughs). I just wanted the audience to at least look at one of us, so I just desperately threw myself out there. That’s why I personally really understood how the girls on stage must’ve felt too.

The other part which left a huge impression on me was Hiroi Kikuri. Ordinarily she’s just another sake-loving drunk, yet when she gets up on stage does her other charismatic side show its colors. I think they really hit the nail on the head with this. People whose livelihood is a tad off from the humdrum; people whose sensibilities are a bit strange, they can still become a star. That so the impression I got. They may have exaggerated it, but I do believe this was the kind of message they were aimimg to express.

Also, for indie bands and amateurs, are the managers of livehouses actually big people in their lives. So I thought the fact that they included a relationship between Kessoku Band and a livehouse manager, Seika, was great. The first livehouse manager to ever support us was someone by the name of Kumamoto B.9 Fukuda-san. Unlike in the anime though, he was a big scary dai-senpai who made chills run down my spine whenever I saw him (laughs). Yet, it was until later did I learn that behind the scenes he had actually been looking out for us, had been taking care of things for our band, and had gotten us a lot of connections. It’s really thanks to people like him that bands are able to grow, slowly but surely. Having someone close who supports you is just so important.

The interesting but difficult part of being in a band is that you’re a bunch of different people all striving for the same goals. Each member of Kessoku Band has such unique personality, they’re all enjoyable, and I must say, that they start off with such a high level of musical ability. Bocchi-chan is absolutely incredible at guitar, and the other 3 are way past the high school level. We could never have held a torch to them back when we were in high school ourselves (laugh). Yet unfortunately throughout my life I’ve seen my fair fill of players whom may be incredibly skilled individually and yet never make it as a band. When it comes down to the aspects that aren’t just raw technique, they run into a wall, such as the struggles involved in creating something together with other people, or the questions posed about how to make their concerts a success. The difficulties and challenges involved in being a band, they’re all represented in episode 12. And that’s what made it feel so realistic. Getting emotional and snapping at each other mid-concert, snapping their guitar strings.. By getting through it bit by bit did Kessoku Band’s concerts improve bit by bit too. All the little things add up and make bands grow.

With that said, if you were to compare Bocchi-chan in episode 1 to her in episode 12, it’s evident that she hasn’t changed much. And I love that. Her shyness is part of her core personality, it wouldn’t just change overnight. Just performing a concert at a shool festival won’t turn your whole world upside down, the next day is just any other old day, and that’s the end of it. I absolutely loved how that was the ending for the show. Despite life not dramatically changing, obtaining a single, small valuable experience may just impact one’s mentality and the way one interacts with the world even just a teensy tiny bit. That’s why it felt so relatable, and natural to watch.

I haven’t read the manga yet so I have no idea what will happen next but, if it’s to follow the same patterns as other classic media then I’d imagine they’ll strive to become mainstream. However, I’m also interested in just seeing more of whatever antics the gang gets up to at school and at the livehouses.

————————————————————

Takeuchi Kiyoka:

Strolling down the streets of Shimokitazawa, passing by a giant merchandise store on her way to a concert venue, Goto Hitori. As soon as she arrived at her destination “STARRY” did her face turn pale, as she internally screamed the words “Is this hell on Earth…? “. The venue “STARRY” of which Kessoku Band makes their base of operations is modeled after the real life venue “Shimokitazawa SHELTER”. When I first entered SHELTER I too had shared the same sentiment as Hitori going down that dark stairwell in the first episode. The accuracy astonished me.

The anime is stuffed with countless moments, spectacles, and sights of which anybody who’s interested in bands has surely seen in their life at least once. The streets of Shimokitazawa are obvious but, the insides of SHELTER were even depicted with such detailed accuracy. From the stairwell when you first enter, to the big clock, the wall covered to the corners in band posters, and the arched steel pipe chasing the walls. In reality the steel pipes are a blackish color while the anime instead opted for an eye-catching red, plus the size of the backstage area is slightly different but, even though they did switch things up a bit for the sake of the anime, the overall faithful re-creation and the sincere delicate process with which they made it is just pouring out of the screen.

The home base of the alcoholic rocker Hiroi Kikuri, Shinjuku FOLT, too is lovingly modeled after the existing venue, Shinjuku LOFT. The black and white checkerboard floors, the screen veiling the stage, the stage passes plastered across the backstage walls- they’re all sure to evoke a strong sense of familiarity for anyone whom has ever been there. Countless anime have been incorporating real life places into their stories over the years but, what makes ‘Bocchi the Rock!’ unique is that they potray the places and environments surrounding Japanese band culture with minute detail. There’s never before been a “band anime” that explained about how livehouses are treated as restaurants, or about their ticket quota. They don’t merely display a place, they go the extra mile to depict the various affairs and experiences which accompany band life. That’s what gives the show such a high resolution, that’s why it feels as if the members of Kessoku Band are drawing breath before you.

Things may be adapted for the animation but, a reality that brings real life and entertainment together is truly within ‘Bocchi the Rock!’. So I can’t help but wonder if maybe the girls are out there rehearsing in a studio right now, or maybe they’re off doing some part time work somewhere, or what if they’re planning their set list for their next show- these flights of fantasies of mine just naturally take off. Yet more so then anything, do I think this. To a livehouse I want to go, to a concert.

#shinoda #hitorie #bocchi the rock!#BLUE ENCOUNT

24 notes · View notes