Bocchi the Rock!recently released its first compilation film,Bocchi the Rock! Re:, and it’s already become a major success. Not only did it place first at the Japanese box office in its opening weekend, but with an opening weekend of over 210 million yen, it had one of the biggest debuts for a compilation film, something made even more impressive by there being little to no new footage.
Bocchi the Rock!is a massive success even at the box office, and that serves as more proof that it deserves a second season. Despite how popularBocchi the Rock!has been with fans and critics alike, almost two years have gone by without any word of it receiving a second season. There are probably some outside factors that have gone into that, but regardless,the success ofBocchi the Rock!Re:shows thatBocchi the Rock!will only grow in popularity, so the anime receiving a second season is more justified than ever.
Why Bocchi The Rock! Hasn’t Received A Second Season Yet
What’s been delaying Bocchi the Rock! season 2?
As odd as it might seem thatBocchi the Rock!hasn’t received a second season, it’s not hard to see why that would be the case. For starters, as popular asBocchi the Rock!ended up becoming, there was no way of knowing the anime would become a hit when it first aired, especially since the manga hadn’t truly taken off in popularity at that time. Between the success of the anime and the first compilation film, however,it’s impossible to seeBocchi the Rock!as anything other than a major hit, so a second season feels much more plausible.
Another reason probably stems from the director of the anime, Keiichiro Saito. Keiichiro Saito famously directedFrieren: Beyond Journey’s Endfrom 2023 to 2024, and considering howBocchi the Rock!’s animation was one of its biggest appeals,CloverWorks likely didn’t want to greenlightBocchi the Rock!season 2 while Keiichiro Saito was committed to other projects. WithFrieren: Beyond Journey’s Endhaving ended some time ago, though, Keiichiro Saito should be available for big projects again, and with any luck, that would includeBocchi the Rock!season 2.
Why Bocchi The Rock! Season 2 Would Be Even Better Than Season 1
Bocchi the Rock! is produced by CloverWorks; based on the original manga by Aki Hamaji
The prospect ofBocchi the Rock!getting a second season is nothing but exciting. For starters, with how much of a success it’s proven itself to be, a hypothetical second season would probably draw in an even greater lineup of animators than what season 1 had, soBocchi the Rock!season 2 could potentially have even better animation than season 1. Season 1 was already lauded for its visuals, so if a second season could go even further with them, it become one of the best-looking anime of all time.
More than that, of course, is the story that a potential second season would tell. The arc in the manga that follows where the anime left off not only expands the cast, but also greatly develops the main characters both as a group and as individuals. In many ways,everything past whereBocchi the Rock!season 1 ended is when the story truly comes into its own; seeing that play out in animation would be nothing but great, and with how big a success theBocchi the Rock!film was, that day hopefully won’t be too long off.
How Bocchi The Rock’s Box Office Success Compares To Other Big Anime Movies
Does Bocchi The Rock! Compare To Other Big Films?
The box office for theBocchi the Rock!filmsis impressive, but it’s more complicated when compared to other anime films. The cumulative box office for theBocchi the Rock!films is approximately $5.3 million worldwide, but by comparison, other big anime films of the 2020s all grossed tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, withDemon Slayer: Mugen Train’s box office of $507 million still unmatched by any anime film.Bocchi the Rock!’s box office is far less impressive when compared to other big anime films, and most of them surpassed its entire gross in a single weekend.
As for why the films' box office fell short, there are several factors to consider. For starters, while the films had wide releases in Japan, they were only met with a very limited release in the United States and other Western territories, a far contrast from how films likeSuzume,The Boy and the Heron, andDragon Ball Super: Super Herowere in theaters for weeks.The incredibly small release window for theBocchi the Rock!films prevented it from succeeding at the box office, and it didn’t do that much better than the average anime film because of that.
Another problem stems from the nature of the films.Bocchi the Rock!’s films being compilation films makes them hard to sell as an alternative to the original anime, so there was likely too small a niche in its appeal for it to make an impression with Western audiences. By comparison,Studio Durian’sLook Back, which also had a very limited release, has grossed $11.6 million worldwide and had a higher domestic opening thanBocchi the Rock!with $690 thousand, and that’s likely due to how it offered people something new as opposed to simply reworking what they already knew.
Why Bocchi’s Success Is So Impressive
Bocchi The Rock! Is Still A Hit
Bocchi the Rock!’s box office falls short of some of the bigger anime films, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. Most of the time, it’s a struggle for an anime film to make even one million at the box office, especially overseas, but not only did both films surpass that figure in their opening weekends in Japan, they then grossed far more than most anime films ever do.The box office of theBocchi the Rock!films is only unimpressive when compared to the absolutely biggest anime films, so it would be disingenuous to call them failures.
As much as theBocchi the Rock!films being compilation films might have turned people away,the fact thatBocchi the Rock! Re:andBocchi the Rock! Re:Re:made as much as they did while just being compilation films is a testament to the franchise’s popularity, and it’s unlikely that most other anime would have had similar box office success in and out of Japan with something like that. The financial success ofBocchi the Rock!’s films shows that it’s as popular as ever, and there’s no better time for it to be renewed for a second season.
Bocchi the Rock!
Cast
Bocchi the Rock! follows Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou, a shy high school student with social anxiety who dreams of becoming a rock musician. Despite her introverted nature, Bocchi joins a band called Kessoku Band and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and friendship. Set against the backdrop of a lively music scene, the series explores themes of personal growth, teamwork, and the power of music to connect people.
