Many of us know what it is like to transition to a new school with few to no friends in a new environment, going through the arduous process of getting to know people again. Bocchi Hitori knows this struggle all too well, having just graduated from elementary school and thrown into middle school. Unfortunately, she suffers from extreme social anxiety: she faints when overwhelmed, vomits when nervous, and draws up ridiculously convoluted plans to avoid social contact. It does not help that her only friend from elementary school, Kai Yawara, will not be attending the same middle school as Bocchi. However, wanting to help her, Kai severs ties with Bocchi and promises to reconcile with her when she befriends all of her classmates in her new middle school class.
Even though Bocchi has no faith in herself, she is determined to be friends with Kai again. Summoning all of her courage, Bocchi takes on the daunting challenge of making friends with her entire class, starting with the delinquent-looking girl sitting in front of her...
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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TakaCode
The Spring 19 anime season is now finally over and I can definitely say that the spring season wasn't too kind to anime. We saw the fall of Shield Hero with its lacklustre second cour, as well the disastrous debut of Fairy Gone, we saw the over-saturation of anime seasonal showelware, and we saw the Isekai genre shit itself with the release of Wise Man's Grandchild as it showcased that stakes and tension don't matter when you can have sick self insert pandering to cover up your half-ass plot and characters. That's not to say that were not good anime to come out from the season asit's certainly not true.

Bungou Stray Dogs Season 3, Fruits Basket 2019, Sarazanmai were all great shows from the Spring 19 season.
Then there's Hitoribocchi my most anticipated of the season thanks to its premise about social anxiety. Despite it being a CGDCT Slice of Life I gave it a chance and ultimately didn't regret it because Hitoribocchi is a great anime that I liked from start to finish.
The plot centers around a young girl named Bocchi Hitori who suffers from social anxiety, making it hard for her to talk to others. Upon entering middle school, her only friend Kai Yawara not only moves to a different school who is attending a different school, tells Bocchi she is breaking off their friendship until she can make friends with her entire class. Thus, Bocchi is left with the task of befriending everyone in her class before graduation.

If, I had two words to describe Hitoribocchi's story it would relatable and charming. The plot may be simplistic but it makes up by execution. Hitroiboochi is at heart a light-hearted slice of life as the presents the lives of our main cast doing adorable things on screen.

This is only enchanted by the show's beautiful mini character arcs that were well-explored they also have a satisfyingly payoff. For, example Bocchi as a painfully timid girl but as the progresses not only we see Boochi slowly overcome her social anxiety my being more social she also makes a couple of friends in the progress.

Speaking of social anxiety the series goes a great job at exploring the theme of social anxiety in the most light hearted and relatable way possible. It never feels underdeveloped or ham-fisted to the viewer.

Coupled by the strong character chemistry and interactions and you got yourself a fun series that has heart and passion.
If, I had any problems with Hitoribocchi it would be the repetitive comedy. The comedy itself is not a problem in fact I found the comedy to pretty comedy thanks to the good comedic timing and once again great character interactions. However, I feel like this is one on those slice of life comedy series that reuses it's comedy/gags to a point where it's comedy/gags loses its charm
The best example of this is whole gag of Aru headbutting Nako after being called "unfortunate". It was funny the first couple of time by the 7th episode the gag started to lose its charm to a point where it's annoying. It's such a shame because I really like Aru and especially Nako as charterers and at times I wasn't of how the series used them just for that gag that got tiring overtime.
Character wise this is where the show shines the brightest. They are a colourful and unique bunch that managed to stand out from each other. All the characters develop nicely in the show thanks to the show great writing.
My favourite character in the show is Nako. I really enjoyed her interactions towards to the other characters as well her personality and character development.
It's not to say that Bocci is not weak lead because she's isn't. She a strong releatble character in her own right I just prefer Nako due to reliability.
Now Hitoribocchi won't be winning any awards in the production because let's face it the general production is at best passable.
The only good things about Hitoribocchi's production is the beautifully drawn characters and colorful background sincerely that uses a soft colour palette. Everything else ranged from competent to average.
The soundtrack while fits the show nicely is not memorable although both the opening and ending themes were pretty catchy to listen.
The voice acting is very good. The Seiyuus give great performances to the characters and are very lively in them.
Special mention goes to Minami Tanaka voiced Nako with masterful expertise and really fit the role.
There's currently no dub for this show so if you a dub fan such as myself well you're out of luck.

Hitoribocchi is a definition of a fun and relatable time. Yes, the show had it's flaws but the flaws didn't put a dent to this cute series that has a lot of charm thanks to its charming character interactions, strong thematic exploration and likeable characters.

Like a cute friend from your class that wants to be part of your group but at times has a hard time fitting in due to their timid personality.

Hitoribocchi is timid and it knows it but it has determination and passion and I think for those reasons alone Hitoribocchi is a nice addition to the already great slice of life genre and I won't have it any other way.
Fircoal
When I first saw Hitoribocchi in the seasonal list I was excited. Being a big fan of CGDCT, and very much enjoying those CGDCT that focus on real, relatable problems, I was excited to see what Hitoribocchi had to offer. While the issue of low self-esteem and social anxiety is not new to CGDCT, I personally like to see what each take on it is, and to gleem whatever there can be from the situations that the characters get into. There is a lot of potential in the idea, as the wholesome friendly tone of CGDCT allow for these more serious topics to be coveredwithout going too far down into the negativity spiral, and rather give hope, and show how one can be helped. Sadly, Hitoribocchi did not live up to this, and rather than use those factors to it's benefit, it ended up using them to its determent.
Most CGDCT shows are to an extent a comedy. While iyashikei CGDCT aren't so much, the general bread and butter CGDCT usually will have some level of comedy in them. And while some will pare down the comedy to focus on other aspects, others decide to go full into the comedy and let it be the main focus along with the cute girls themselves. For Hitoribocchi most of the focus is placed on the comedy. Most of the scenes are comedic scenes in nature and are designed to make the audience laugh. However this did not work as well for me due to the issues that lay in Hitoribocchi's premise, and their game plan.
While I was hoping to be able to relate to Hitori and feel for her situation, the show's focus on comedy nipped that hope in the bud. Rather than get a character who felt down to earth, even if moeified, Hitori feels like a personification of r9k or r/meirl. She acts like a meme in the idea that she can't do literally anything without tripping over herself. And while to an extent that is understandable, the things that she does to avoid these situations that she doesn't want to be in are so comedically stupid that it's very hard to take her seriously. Her whole character is so overdone that it ends up being frustrating rather than enderaing. It feels not only played up for laughs, but existing purely for laughs. And while shows like Comic Girls can also play up the main character's issues for laughs, they make sure to put lots of care into her issues and don't have them exist just for jokes. This happens with more than just the main character too. While the show does try for more heartfelt moments with some of them, many of them are very gimmicky, and feel out of range when they try to hit more emotional moments despite most of their character being designed for comedy. Overall it feels like its trying to hit both the more emotional elements while also being a complete comedy but ultimately the two work against each other rather than with each other.
Furthermore the background of the show also messes with the general wholesomeness that I usually find in CGDCT. Even in the most comedic CGDCT there is a fiorm friendship that exists between the cast, one that hammers home the friendliness and fun that exists all throughout. And while Hitoribocchi has its moments that show this, it also has other moments where that feels completely absent. The biggest issue leading to this is the set up. Hitori starts making friends in order to live up to a promise she had with an old firend of hers to make friends with everyone in the class. In many cases there is less care put into the friend that Hitori is making and only into having a friend in name. And while I do believe the friendships do grow with time, there are certainly moments that just aren't enjoyable when it feels like the friendship that is there is a shallow vechine for Hitori to live up to her promise. Add to this the constant tired jokes that cylce throughout the show, and the friendship ends up feeling like an afterthought.
All things said I do think Hitoribocchi has it's moments. And there are characters in it that are cute and likeable. But frankly I don't like the comedy style at all, and the show is so heavily focused on comedy despite its premise. And while there are moments where it tries to live up to its premise, ultimately the show's focus on comedy hinders those moments and the overall fun feeling of the show. If you like the style of comedy bertter than I do then it's likely that you'll enjoy it more than I did. But I feel like if you're coming in here after reading the premise and hoping for a nice blend between social anxiety and cute fun, then you're likely in the wrong place. Personally even for comedy I feel like there are better comedic CGDCT that have more fun premise and that use it better. Ultimately I don't think the show is very good, and fails at the different types of CGDCT it tries to be.
KANLen09
SoL school-comedy anime are nothing new. BUT...what if making friends is PART of that problem? I'm sure we've been through moments like this, being awkward, then slowly opening up ourselves to more friends, and wash, rinse and repeat. This idea is too simplistic, it almost never works. But hang on for a sec. From the same author who brought us last year's Mitsuboshi Colors (damn, that was a great kids show), Katsuwo's 2nd manga adaptation outing, is based on a group of middle-school girls, starting with the one that has social anxiety: Hitori Bocchi (her literal name meaning 'all alone'). Being concerned over the fear thatBocchi has in making new friends, Bocchi's only elementary school friend Kai Yawara ((her literal name meaning 'soft'), abandons her in the prospect that she could develop the courage to make new friends and start all over again (which when we think of it, isn't a bad thing, but then again who knows). This is also the voice of an entirely new seiyuu, Chisaki Morishita, whose debut with Bocchi was a perfect fit. Looking forward to more roles from her.
The first friend that she is able to befriend with, is the fearsome, tough-looking appearance of Sunao Nako (her literal name meaning 'honest child'). Amidst the beginning filled with troubles from Bocchi in all 4 directions, Nako doesn't hesitate to criticize Bocchi, but also instead helps mother her and nurture her progress for the future friends in the series. She's one tough kid by appearance, but a kind and sincere heart on the inside.
The second friend, is my pick for the best girl in the series, the loser-faced, unfortunate-written class vice-president Honshou Aru (her literal name meaning 'having a hidden nature'). Despite her leadership, she often puts on facades to hide her other-self: a life that is unfortunate and heavy curses as she goes. AND despite all that, Bocchi is willing to put up with Aru, and Nako and Bocchi gain another friend, though after that point she becomes the "unfortunate" running gag of comical hilarity, always headbutting Nako.
The third friend, is the Naruto-girlish foreigner Sotoko Rakita (her literal name meaning 'came from outside'). Apparently, Sotoka (which is what Bocchi would mention her after they become friends) came to Japan on the affluence that ninja exists (and yes, she isn't technically wrong, just on a different timeline), and after her encounter with Bocchi, resolves her imaginations, on the hope with Bocchi would one day show her true colours. And yes, Bocchi is not (a ninja), taking this chance to clear things up with her and become from Master-Apprentice to full-on friends.
The fourth classmate, the no-friend-policy, scary-looking Kako Kurai (her literal name meaning 'dark past'). She is the stuck-up character, the person whom doesn't want to be affliated with anyone, the outcast. Her personality as a disciplined public morals officer/prefect already gives off the impression of friends avoiding her; a challenge to her policy of individualism. And with a spark, sets of the relationship of Bocchi and Kurai as rivals.
The fifth classmate (probably the last to showcase), Mayo Ojosa (her literal name meaning 'I'm a rich girl'), she has having problems with the shift in classes (something that Bocchi has to constantly worry about EVERY year), leading to her loneliness, with her butler the only "family member" due to the heavy absentia of her parents. And as always, Bocchi aims to do something that would make her feel belonged, and the friendship games never stop.
Phew, I'm about almost done, as more characters actually show up in the manga source material, but for the sake of the anime adaptation, what's added is added into this review. Throughout the course of friendship, Bocchi has been gaining some and losing less, and that is a good thing. In the midst of these challenges, some nudges are needed to create a catalyst for things to happen, and Bocchi took all advice from her new-found friends.
(And we all secretly wished we needed more of "Zan'nen" Aru, she's so fun and great as a support character!)
Over on the graphics department, Studio C2C's bright colourful colour palette with plain but calming visuals give the series a look that probably can only exist within the settings of the said environment itself. Bringing the 4-koma manga adaptation into colour all around, I must say this is quite the experience. Simple-looking but vibrant to the sights. Sound-wise, it's OK really, nothing that really stands out quite per se, good set of OP and ED plus the entertaining background musics of serious and comedic moments.
Overall, Katsuwo's efforts of a resurgence with this anime adaptation isn't gonna turn many heads (like how Mitsuboshi Colors does), but at least it's a good time to spend upon the times of friendship. Making new friends and hanging out together, this serves as the crux of the series, and nothing more. Definitely felt the sleeper-hit charm that it has, and it will always stick that way, at least for this season.
Me: Now I really want to make friends...here on MAL? There's TOO MANY, I too shy already :(
AbnerA
Hitoribocchi no ○○ Seikatsu (Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu) is a sweet comedy slice of life series featuring Hitori Bocchi. She is shy and has no friends at the beginning of the anime. This anime features the slightly awkward Bocchi trying to befriend the whole class. Why does she need to befriend the whole class? This is because Bocchi's previously only friend, Yawara Kai decided to stop being friends until Bocchi manages to befriend the whole class. Thus, Bocchi, who highly values her friendship with Kai, feels compelled to do so. If you understand some Japanese, you might have noticed how Bocchi is named. Hitori Bocchi translatesto being alone, or lonely. That fits with Bocchi's traits. This amusing approach in naming Bocchi is applied to all the characters in the series. For example, Bocchi's teacher is named Oshie Teruyo, when combined roughly translates to "I'll teach you". So with that, let's talk about the characters in this show.
Hitori Bocchi is awkward and has a hard time talking to other people. However, she wants to be able to have fun interacting with friends. Bocchi will do some quirky methods to do normal things. She does things like making scripts for daily conversations only for it to fail when the other person doesn't talk like in the script. Bocchi also often misinterpret what other people say. This behaviour of hers makes for some humorous situations.
Including Bocchi, we have four characters in what I see is the main group. There are Sunao Nako, Honshou Aru, and Sotca Luckythar.
Sunao Nako translates to "honest child". She is frank and straightforward. She is the first person to talk to Bocchi in her class. She is often sweet to Bocchi, but sometimes, she likes to tease Bocchi as well. Her most amusing interaction is with Aru, which I will introduce next.
Honshou Aru roughly translates to "having a hidden nature". She gives a facade of her perfect self in front of everyone. But in truth, she's just really unfortunate. She wears clothes with hangers still attached and mistakenly put on wrong uniforms. She creates a fun dynamic with Nako. Nako knows Aru's real condition and often makes fun of it. Aru, of course, wants to deny it. This becomes a running joke throughout the series that I can say doesn't get old or never becomes a drag to see. Despite this, Aru is great at helping Bocchi and the others with their problems.
Sotca Luckythar is read as "sotoka rakita", which translates to "came from the outside". This relates to the fact that she's not Japanese and indeed came from outside Japan. Sotoka is amazed by ninjas and came to follow Bocchi after thinking that what Bocchi does is ninja-like. I feel like Sotoka is under-utilized for most of the anime. She lacks impact, unlike the other characters. The good news is, she gets her spotlight later in the show.
This anime focuses on two parts, the comedy and sweet/heart-warming moments. I would say the comedy is above average. Hitoribocchi's author, Katsuwo, also made a superb comedy series, Mitsuboshi Colors. If you're familiar with that show, you might find some of the same types of comedy here. The comedy revolves around things I've said before, like Bocchi's awkwardness, Aru being unfortunate, and among other things.
The other part of Bocchi doesn't disappoint. Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu succeeds in making sweet moments, frequently relating to Bocchi growing to be more friendly. Other characters get their time too because Bocchi's growth, of course, won't happen if Bocchi is alone. As Bocchi becomes stronger from slowly making friends, others are also influenced by Bocchi. The music does an excellent job to complement the comedy and sweetness in Hitoribocchi.
In conclusion, Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu is an anime that does two things that it wants to do well. It has sweet scenes to put smiles on your face and some light-hearted comedy to keep you entertained. The characters are shortly defined by their names, but they extend beyond just those names. Hitoribocchi has great character dynamics coupled with character development in just the right amount. It's a great light-hearted show to watch.
Mythologically
Before going into this show, I expected to watch a generic CGDCT—certainly not something that I would review. Yet, as I made my way through Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu's 12 episodes, I found myself more and more inclined to write the text you are now reading. While the CGDCT genre is normally as inoffensive as can be, Hitoribocchi was often a thoroughly unpleasant experience. How, and more importantly, why, did this happen? The show follows Hitori Bocchi (English: "alone") as she struggles with social anxiety after entering her first year of middle school. As her misadventures continue, she becomes friends with characters such as Sunao Nako(English: "honest child"), Honshou Aru (English: "has a hidden character"), and Sotoka Rakita (English: "came from the outside"). The names are all you need to know for the characters. Bocchi has social anxiety, Aru gets unlucky/makes stupid mistakes despite seeming capable, and Sotoka is a foreigner obsessed with ninja culture. That's literally it. Nako is the only character that isn't defined solely by a trope.
As with most CGDCT shows, the comedy is centered around the characters. When 3/4 of the main characters are defined by a single trope, the comedy becomes repetitive. If you ever want to get alcohol poisoning, just play a drinking game where you take a shot every time Nako calls Aru "unfortunate". Other jokes present in the show are either about Bocchi's comically crippling social anxiety or about Sotoka's obsession with ninjas. The jokes got so predictable that I could often guess exactly what a character would say/how she would react. Indeed, with every week of watching the show, I continually enjoyed it less and less.
The main problem with Hitoribocchi, however, is that the entire premise of the show is to make light of social anxiety. Take, for example, the very first episode. Nervous about starting her new school life, Bocchi puts up a sign on the classroom door, which reads "Class 1 has been abolished, so we kindly ask that you all transfer schools". I'm not sure what I, as the viewer, am supposed to do. This is obviously presented as a "funny" moment, but what would I be laughing at? That the character has social anxiety? I'm not sure who greenlit a show with this premise, but it certainly does not work.
There's really not much else to say about Hitoribocchi. At its best, it's a generic CDGDCT, and at its worst, it makes fun of serious issues in a way that I found unsettling. It's not the worst show in the world, but due to the repetitive comedy and mediocre production values, there's really no reason to watch it over anything of the same genre.
Stark700
It’s 2019 and even now in our generation, many people suffer from social anxiety. Even if you don't, I’m sure someone you know who does. The bottom line is, social anxiety is a problem that everyone has heard of before. But if you take a careful look at Bocchi, then you’ll really understand what it means to have social anxiety disorder. That is to say, Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu isn’t marketing itself as some kind of psychological thriller. No, what we get is a slice of life story that touches on a sensible subject but can bring smiles to our faces. For a four panelmanga, I initially believed this would have been a half-length show given the amount of context. As a full length anime, it actually works wonderfully well thanks for its small yet colorful cast of meaningful characters. At the centerpiece is Bocchi Hitori, a girl who has trouble talking to people and making friends. The first few episodes makes it clear that she lacks self-confidence when it comes to befriending others. Prepare for a lot of comedy gags as we see how Hitori behaves around others and very often, she even passes out when interacting with certain people. It becomes a running gag that tackles on the case of social anxiety in a lighthearted spirited way.
Joining the cast includes her classmates, Nako Suano, Aru Honshou, Sotoka Rakta, and Kako Kurai. Unlike Bocchi, most of them are sociable although some can be hard to approach such as Nako. In fact, Nako becomes the first friend that Bocchi makes at her new school. Despite sporting on a tough appearance, Nako is actually a friendly girl that over time grows more affectionate towards Bocchi. Their contrasting personalities brings in a great deal of humor as we see how two very different characters interact with each other. Aru, the vice representative, displays a sense of authority in class although over time, we can see the type of vulnerable character she really is. Considering this anime is a light comedy, we also Sotoka Rakta, the foreign self-proclaimed ninja girl. Perhaps being the most energetic of the cast, humor follows her wherever she goes. And finally, who can forget about the public morals officer Kako Kurai? For what’s worth, having this cast of characters with various personalities sets up for a lot of storytelling.
But if you came into this show expecting a deep engaging story, then look elsewhere. This isn’t some psychological exploration of the human mind. Every episode depicts the misadventures of our characters’ lives with lighthearted comedy. It’s also plainly obvious that the show is very self-aware of itself and its character personalities. In fact, several character names are derived with meaning such as hitoribocchi (meaning all alone) and honshou aru (meaning having a hidden nature). The anime does a clever job at showcasing their actions rather than just telling. This includes Bocchi’s various antics at trying to make friends or Aru making a fool of herself. The more I watched this anime, the more I felt attached with Bocchi’s character. She can be very relatable if some of us look at our own childhood. As someone who is also cheerful, Bocchi becomes more optimistic with her attempts to make friends as the series progresses. Whenever she does make progress, Bocchi celebrates with herself that can’t help but draw a smile.
Now you’re probably wondering if this anime is like a meme. Some may also find it comparable to Watamote as both main characters displays extreme social anxiety. Personally, I see Bocchi as a character who evolves. She grows out of her shell and becomes more confident as her friend list grows. It’s not just overcoming personal demons but also showing that even someone like her with social anxiety problems can become a strong person. On the other hand, viewers may find this show to get rather repetitive with the amount of comedy gags. It’s not made with the intention to develop a complex plot but rather focuses on showing how a character can change.
C2C may not be a juggernaut in the anime studio industry but they made an impression with the overall animation quality. Character designs are delicate with a charming look. This is especially made with care for characters such as Bocchi. The innocence of her flower accessory in her hair and personality makes her a very believable character. However, I believe the character expressions is what sells the most of this anime’s concepts. Displayed prominently in Bocchi, there’s endless amount of moments when she reacts with social anxiety in very humorous ways. The vibrant energy in the show also decorates the main theme songs with rainbows and joy. We can see how lighthearted this anime is despite having a sensible topic.
What we have here is an anime executed with excellency with its given premise and characters. Even without a deep plot, it’s a thoughtful show that managed to entertain me all the way through. I also recommend the manga if you want to indulge yourself into more misadventures of our adorable cast. As a full length show, I’m more than pleased to see it become an anime adaptation. Can we have more shows like this? Please?
BaronBrixius
Crippling social anxiety is by no means a joke. Inside a socially anxious mind, there is a constant irrational feeling that all people around you are hostile and scary. That is one thing Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu understands well - and to my joy, instead of capitalizing on this subject to make cheap fun of the millions of possible situations where one with such a condition can embarrass himself to the point of becoming a social outcast, Hitoribocchi chooses to create comedy from a much more wholesome possibility - one in which everyone around Bocchi is everything but hostile. And it works. Story : 8.5/10 Hitoribocchi noMarumaru Seikatsu is the story of Bocchi, a first-year middle school girl trying her best, despite her social anxiety, to make friends.
Despite the name of the show, Bocchi was never a loner - since kindergarten, she always had a friend named Kai around her. However, one day, Kai decided that Bocchi needs to be strong in order to tackle the real world (or, well, at least her new middle school - since Kai herself was going to a different one).
Kai knew that Bocchi would inevitably cling to her without making any friends from her own school, and in what surely was a heartbreaking decision for her, she temporarily broke off her friendship with Bocchi along with an ultimatum to her - make friends with your entire class before middle school ends, or we won't be able to be friends again. This ultimatum starts the plotline of Hitoribocchi.
Characters : 10/10
This is where Hitoribocchi truly shines.
Bocchi herself is one of the most likable characters I have ever encountered. Throughout the show you laugh, cheer for, and sometimes even cry with Bocchi as she tries to overcome social hurdles that for her are truly insurmountable at first. As someone who had severe social anxiety once and still has a good chunk of it left, Bocchi portrays it in a very realistic way, and even does many very specific things I've personally done in the past as a result of being socially awkward.
The rest of the main cast is great as well. They're more than just Bocchi's friends - each of them has a distinct personality of her own, and I'd gladly watch a spinoff with each of them as the main character. Certain episodes can even make Bocchi feel like a side character in order to focus on the side characters' antics and development.
Art - 9/10
No complaints about the art. Everything looked smooth, the character designs are great, and most importantly - the animators did an excellent job at adding life to the Bocchi manga, which is a very low-on-backgrounds 4-koma. For a slice of life show, the art passes with flying colors.
Sound - 10/10
The studio making this show and the VAs (especially Bocchi's) truly gave it their all here.
First, Bocchi's VA, Chisaki Morishita, is a complete newbie. This is her first role. And she did an absolutely incredible job, similar to Koga Aoi who performed the role of Kaguya from Kaguya-sama : Love is War last season. Everything, from Bocchi's crying noises, to her normal voice, and to all her weird voices, was nailed perfectly. The other VAs also did a great job, and their voices fit the characters very well.
C2C themselves decided to have some fun with the source material, and created 2 bonus songs - one from a single manga page, and one from a running gag in the show. The first one was used as a special ED and the second as an insert song, and both were the highlights of their episodes. It doesn't sound like much, but those two songs really made this adaptation feel special to manga readers and got a very good laugh out of anime-onlys.
Enjoyment : 10/10
Easily one of my favorite shows. You can't get much more wholesome than this show, and Bocchi is my spirit animal. Me liking this show goes way beyond just me being a CGDCT fan - it truly managed to become special to me.
Overall : 10/10
While the show's theme is indeed social anxiety, once again, do not worry - at no point does the show overwhelm you with cringy moments of the main character getting ridiculed after embarassing herself. The entire show is completely light-hearted in nature and will easily put a smile on your face.
If you're looking for a heartwarming slice of life show and this premise sounds good to you, then by all means, watch this show. You will not regret it.
Awwrawr
Youkoso, Hitori Bocchi! Hitoribocchi makes an attempt at moefication of social anxiety by presenting in comedic fashion a school girl trying to make friends while fighting her condition. It's not often that a character with social anxiety is made a protagonist. As someone with SA, at times I can relate to her, especially during the show's more heartfelt moments. This show is pretty unfortunate then to stay in the comedy realm whenever possible and not delve deeper. Watching Hitoribocchi is like eating junk food. It's kinda hollow when it comes to depiction of SA. Most of the time Bocchi makes friends by bumping/barfing into or near themenough times. Well, that's comedy for you, it's not like there were going to be any guidelines for making friends (could you send one over though?). You keep watching because of the idea behind it, or that one character was actually any good (Nako), or you root for the mc. The VAs are pretty good, at least in case of Bocchi and Nako. One of the few redeeming things about this show is the 6th episode. This is where the show gets some character, and that ED is stuck in my head now.
But hey, you know what's the absolute worst about this show? The "best friend" character. The one who disowns Bocchi as a friend to get her to socialize. She doesn't deserve to be friends with anyone with that attitude. If her goal was to get Bocchi to make friends, it's obvious she's been making good progress. Drop the act already. It's unbelievable how much of a plot device she is. The reason for Bocchi to make friends is to reconvene with that person of a friend. Every friend Bocchi makes is persented as a far better human being than the "best friend" that she does it all for. It is impossible to feel anything but total contempt towards her best friend and pity for herself in this situation. If that character's to be fully turned down by Bocchi at the end though, that would be a good twist there.
Featuring safe, immediately forgettable soundtrack with the exception of ep6, sterile locations and moe visuals, it doesn't even try to impress in any way outside of the story department. What's up with the old man fairy anyway?!
And yes, it doesn't end there. There is little to no resolution to anything within the first season. What is the backstory for Bocchi being the way she is? Some characters are inspected closely and others are left out. Maybe we will see this answered in the next season.
I keep wavering whether to leave it at 5 or bump up to a 6 as originally planned. I'd give it a 6 if it wasn't aggressively bad in parts. The character discussed two paragraphs before is that part that's bringing the score down. Yet it wouldn't be simple to remove a character so instrumental to the plot from the anime itself or your thoughts about it. The ending is marred by it as well, which makes things much worse if that bothers you, because it sure bothers me. If only the anime finished its first season without driving in the worst about itself.
I'll leave it at 5.4 for this. I'm kind of locked into the show now, so I will be watching if anything else comes out, so please do better if you ever get the 2nd season.
Agent_Redacted
Another meme done. Getting friends. It has always been hard the more of an introvert you are. Sticking like crazy inside your comfort zone will never bring you anywhere and you will never be able to become a better functional person of society. But what if somebody pushes you out of your comfort zone? Hitoribocchi is a story about an extremely shy, introverted girl with no friends ( except from one ). She decided to get some friends after transferring into another school but her shyness keeps her from doing so. As a result, her only friend pushes her away and strikes a deal -"I will never be your friend again until you befriend your entire class", and thus begins the CGDCT story of Hitoribocchi.
I've always hated CGDCT. However, my hate does not target CGDCT in general but only specific, certain variations. Sometimes CGDCT can be good if it meets the specific requirements or rather variation of what I want. Fortunately Hitoribocchi was under acceptable terms so I was able to finish the show with no regrets whatsoever.
It's fun. It's cool. All in all just another CGDCT. Cute. Adorable. Must be protected. Soft comedy. Started for the memes, stayed for the teens(?). Another 10/10. Recommended to all CGDCT boys ( and girls ) or people who are simply curious. You might actually like this like me.
nyja-chan
First of all, Kai is a piece of shit. No actual friend would do that to you. The main character should have ditched her. She is a not a good friend at all. Second. I hate the fact the main character goes through with it and tries to make friends with this reason. I wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who would only be my friend because she needs to make friends. The comedy was horrible, I did not laugh ones and I just find the characters very unfortunate. The jokes were unfortunate and unfortunately it was repeated too much to make it even slightlyentertaining. Unfortunately I had to watch it to the end because it was for my anime club.
The characters were annoying too watch. The character I hated the most were the main character because her whole personality was based around the fact she needed to make friends to get a friend back. Fuck that shit. She was at points insufferably desperate at forcing you to become her friend. She just won’t leave you the fuck alone.
Next is the stupid ninja girl, who has apparently no other personality trait besides having boners for ninja’s. She just existed there in the show and I hoped she would vanish like a ninja.
The headbutt girl was also a piece of shit as she was quite unfortunate to have only one personality trait as well. Her jokes were the least funny of all and I can’t say more than that cause there isn’t more than this to her.
That stupid teacher, who the fuck becomes a teacher if you are that anxious? Why is she like that even? I totally couldn’t comprehend the way they decided to create this character. She also is one dimensional and has no other trait than being scared of her students.
The rest of the cast was forgettable as I don’t remember them.
The art and animation was fine and I have nothing to say about that.
This show was boring and not funny and not worth your fucking time. It wasn’t wholesome as I just thought the whole concept was stupid.
GonzyChan
Have you ever seen an anime so unbelievably adorable that you wish you could cuddle with it for hours on end? Well, there is no shortage of anime that gives off this sensation. The past decade has had no need for Cute Girls Doing Cute Things, or CGDCT for short, to over-saturation. Some have been good, bad, or entirely forgettable. Regardless of quality, they all follow the same formula even when they do a few unique tropes to the characters, narrative, or setting. The only way that I can consider one to be good is if the show manages to be fun to watch froman entertainment aspect and not if it does anything distinctive from other CGDCT anime. Thankfully, Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, or Hitoribocchi, managed to perk my interest from the 1st episode onward.
I don't even know how I can express why I had so much fun watching Hitoribocchi because all of it stems from other CGDCT shows I have seen: everything about it screams festive sugary fun. Is it because the voice acting is what put it over the edge in giving the show its enjoyable energy? The relatable story involving the main girl's social anxiety refusing to let her freely make friends in her new junior high school? The adorable art design is complete eye candy? How about all of the above.
The fact that the main character, Bocchi Hitori, is played by a seiyuu's debut leading role shocked me. Chisaki Morishita is perfect in this role. Her hilarious and cute voice inflections she puts on Hitori are so much fun to listen to and see how the animation plays it off. All of the other seiyuus do amazing jobs as well. Minami Tanaka as Nako sells it as the more stoic girl of the main cast. Akari Kito is also hilarious as Aru in her role as a serious senpai who is just as clumsy and forgetful as our main heroine. And Yuuko Kurose does a splendid job as the foreign exchange student Sotoka Rakita. These four main seiyuus made for a fantastic cast that could be the best of the year thus far.
Now I won't mince words here. The characters in this show do come across as if they were copy-and-pasted from another slice of life high school anime. You have the foreign exchange blonde girl, the class representative senpai that plays a facade of being dignified, the shy girl, and the unemotional girl. We have been conditioned to see these things so many times that it's not even worth trying to form a critique about for those of us that still watch these and haven't given up on them. If they do not give you any feelings of charm, then that is a sign the girls did not work. With Hitoribocchi, I found all of them to have their unique appeal, whether from their cute and hilarious personalities or whatever antics they do in each episode.
I found Hitori's story an excellent selling point for the show. Her eagerness to try to make friends in her new school to make up for her lack of doing so in her previous school felt relatable. I would not say that it significantly succeeds, as it does seem like they leave that off to the side to focus on other character arcs. But for what those arcs are, I didn't mind them. I thought Aru's arc was the most hilarious out of all of the supporting casts'. While I did feel that Hitori's story could have had more meat to it, it does not necessarily bog down the show too much.
We all expect moe shows and CGDCT to have an adorable art style, and Hitoribocchi is no exception. I adored Hitori's design to her hairstyle with that lovely hairpin. Everyone else has a similar look or quirk that fits well and makes them distinctive and memorable. I can't say that for a lot of recent CGDCT anime as of late, that's for sure.
Do not be ashamed if you feel giddiness in your body when you see cute girls doing cute things. It is a normal reaction if you have a sensible outlook on the preciousness of life. Although I do not think Hitoribocchi is the cutest CGDCT anime of all time, it certainly is this year I've seen thus far. If you're feeling down and want to see cute girls feel cheerful or maybe see a relatable story of trying to make friends despite your social awkwardness, I can't think of a better anime in recent seasons that can alleviate those feelings.
Grade: A-
eb2
There’s been a lot of great stuff this season, and Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu is up there. If you came here expecting a serious show, then this isn’t what you’re really looking for but if u came here for a heartwarming experience than this is it. Story/Plot: In the beginning all i really expected was a boring slice of life probably filled with cringe and a monotonous plot, but it ended up getting more interesting and funnier every week. The comedy and jokes are actually good, and it has a fair share of cute and heartwarming moments which will easily put a smile on your face. Thecharacters are super lovable, and they will grow on u easily. The show starts out with Bocchi being afraid of talking to anyone and finding her unable to make any friends because of her social anxiety when she moves to a new school and is separated from her only friend Kai but as the story goes on bocchi continues to evolve as a person and ends up making many great friends along the way as they experience new things every day. I personally think some of us can relate to the social anxiety part within bocchi which helped form a deep connection with her (at least for me). The story is heartwarming, funny and interesting to watch.
Art/Sound
The art is pretty good, and the character designs are amazing enough to make u fall in love with the cuteness of the characters. The sound is cheerful and goes completely with the anime's cheerful and funny mood.
Overall:9
I ended up finding it much better than i had expected and would totally say it’s worth the watch as i really enjoyed watching it myself.
Butteranium_0509
I went into this show with pretty decent expectations as I read reviews saying it was good. Starting off with the premise, it was decent, you know the shy, socially awkward girl trying to make friends so she can change for the better. But the fact that her friend Kai de-friends her for the sake of her making friends is kind of iffy for me. But Bocchi as a character was someone that frustrated me more than I could even empathize with her. Like I can look past her being very shy and bad in social situations, but at the same time, she's pretty dumb and naivetoo. I don't understand how a main character can be both shy/socially awkward and dumb/naive at the same time, its just a recipe for disaster in my personal opinion. Bocchi was just a poorly written character. What also triggered me was the fact that she had almost 0 character development, like sure she made friends and had fun with them, but the fact that she's scared that they'll forget her is just ridiculous to me, even after making all those friends, I seriously salute Nako for putting up with it, she has a heart and head made of steel. And you'd think after making all these friends, Bocchi would be more confident in interacting with other people, but NO, she still runs away and acts as if she's gonna be eaten or something.
All in all, the first half of this show was pretty good and funny but then it started getting really frustrating and redundant how Bocchi doesn't show any big developments as a character. It was like saying that Kai's purpose of not being her friend anymore meant almost f*ck all, cause I am sure Kai not only Kai wanted Bocchi to make friends but also wanted her to change her shy and awkward nature. I'd say that Bocchi as a main character really left a sour taste for me in this show, this Anime would've been better if she was less frustrating or had some character development.
I'd rate it a 3/10 cause some of the other characters were pretty decent/okay especially Nako.
SanaeK10
Whenever I'm picking out something to watch each season, a safe bet is usually the "Cute Girls Do Cute Things" subgenre of slice of life. These typically involve the same character archetypes done to the death and with the same general feeling and structure to them. Bocchi is no different in this regard. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or redefine what it means to be CGDCT any more than Wataten or Kiniro Mosaic. In spite of this, Bocchi is still an enjoyable show. Like the titular character, it does what it needs to accomplish decently competently and you can't help but love it. It's anabsolutely adorable show that's just relaxing and fun to follow. Nothing special or extraordinary, but a good way to wind down after work and spend an evening to.
While Katsuwo's other work, Mitsuboshi Colors had the themes of innocent childhood and nostalgia going for it, Bocchi's setting and tone is less relatable on a personal level. Bocchi's show doesn't quite stand out amongst many other similar shows. Nor are the character designs, the music, the interactions or anything else really. The show doesn't falter in any aspect but I struggle to think of anything exceptional to it. The Sotoka-Bocchi interactions were really cute, but it's really nothing special.
And it hasn't been easy writing this review. If a show is bad or really good, then I'd have plenty of material to work with. But with Bocchi, all I can say is what I could have said for the hundred other CGDCT shows that fall into the category of "pretty good, but nothing special". It's the definition of a safe bet, it's riskless, it's easy, it's comforting, but it doesn't challenge the viewer with though-provoking questions or ask the viewer to guess if the main character's arm will grow back in the following week. It's a good show, of consistent quality, to look forward to each week. And perhaps, shows like these are what we need. To contrast against other, more colorful shows that may vary wildly in quality each week.
And because of this, I will always seek to watch the many other CGDCT shows that will come after this. There were hundreds of shows like this in the past and there will no doubt be hundreds more to come.
7/10
ThatGabss
For starters, at first I was not giving anything to the anime, I was not even in my desire to watch, but the first episode came out and how I was already on impulse, because I had seen a new 3 the same day, I thought and watch and it was the best thing I could have done. Hotoribocchi is a very funny anime with an incredible premise, super charismatic characters even the main one, with his problem of shyness, captivates whenever he talks, I am horrible to point out mistakes in works, but what bothers me a little is the way in which thechallenge of being "friendly" is implied for the main character, but I think it's more of a personal annoyance to have to see Bocchi sometimes go through it, in a somewhat "forced" way, but even so, in the end you understand the reasons , if you are looking for a comedy anime with charismatic characters and some very emotive points, I highly recommend it!
lycoping
This was a cute "cute girls doing cute things" anime. There's nothing wrong with it. The OP was pretty good, the animation was decent, all the girls are cute, there's plenty of humor, just enough unrealism... there's nothing I can really criticize this anime for too much. There's also not a whole lot that makes it stand out. Hitori Bocchi, an unrealistically named just-entering-middle-school girl with extreme social anxiety, is given a challenge by a friend - make friends with all of your classmates or I can't be your friend. So, wanting to get her friend back, she starts the "process" of makingfriends with everyone in her classroom, to varying success.
At points, this anime is cute, at times heartrending, at times beautiful, at times funny, at times cringey. It really does tick off all the boxes. But it just, well, ticks off all the boxes. There's nothing about this anime or story that made me actually *love* it, or feel anything particularly strong for any of the characters. Bocchi is a cute, but amazingly gullible girl who gets run over frequently by her tsundere classmate. Honshou Aru is a well-meaning, outwardly perfect but unfortunate girl ("I HAVE A NAME") who is mostly used for comic relief. She has a couple of other friends I can't even be bothered to remember. And then there's her teacher, Oshie Teruyo (yes, every name is a play on a Japanese word or phrase) who is scared of her own shadow and somehow got the idea, well... I won't say.
There are a few breakout amazing moments, though. The song at the end of Ep. 6, for example, is amazingly memeable and catchy. The heartbreak in ep. 7 can cause you to shed a tear. And, well... the characters aren't unlikable at all, well, mostly.
At the end of the day, it was a cute but mostly unmemorable anime that I watched and then pretty much forgot about.
That's pretty much what you're getting with this anime.
If that's what you like, well, you could do worse. In the "Pure CGDCT" genre it pretty much ticks all the boxes. I'll recommend it, you'll probably like it, and then promptly forget about it, like I did.
mashiro_47
The only thing that pissed me off in the entire series is Bocchi herself and also Kai-chan. Every episode Bocchi is gonna cry like a baby (I know because that's part of her personality for being overwhelmingly anxious.) and it pisses me off even a slightest mistake that she did she's gonna cry. Now, I'm gonna explain why I didn't like Kai-chan from the start of this anime. Kai gaslighted Bocchi. She told Bocchi that she will end their friendship because Bocchi should befriend all of her classmates in her new school because Kai and Bocchi are gonna be in separate schools and if Bocchisuccesfully did that Kai will go back to Bocchi and resume their friendship. Kai is aware of Bocchi's emotional and psychological state that's why she did that.
On the positive side of my review, I only enjoyed the whole series was because of Aru and Nako. I love how Nako teases Aru about her being the unfortunate girl and it's freaking hilarious how Aru responds to Nako's tease!
Personally, I won't watch this anime again just because of Bocchi. Hated her personality from start to finish of this anime.
Keesasha
What can i say, it's one of those anime that you can re-watch every few years and take great joy in it, because of its episodic nature and lack of a serious main plot. The characters are great and the humor is fitting for such a "cutesy" series! The voice actresses all did a phenomenal job, and as a piece of interesting trivia, there are no male characters in the whole anime. Hitoribocchi does suffer from a somewhat ambiguous ending, giving the impression that a 2nd season or at least a few OVA episodes were pretty necessary, but unfortunately that hasn't happened yet, and probably neverwill, but i like to think that they all went on to have a lot of fun in their remaining school life!
DarknessReality
Hitoribocchi is the newest level of wholesome and adorable that I never knew existed. The whole concept of a shy girl who over reacts to everything in itself is a great premise and its beautiful here. The series has my kind of comedy in which it gives a lot of quick reactions like "huh" and "Eh" with a pause which I find hilarious especially in Bocchi's case where she freezes because something makes her happy as she passes out. The characters are funny as hell especially Bocchi who's always giving priceless reactions to every moment someone even slightly acknowledges her with one of the best being herconstant instance on telling her friends "I'm Hitori Bocchi" which is funny on multiple levels as its like she's saying I'm a lonely person please be my friend. Bocchi easily earns best girl of the season and is such an adorable character I doubt many will not want to protect her.
The music for the series is to expected of a slice of life adorable and sung by the characters. Most of the songs fit the theme of making friends and the fact Bocchi sings in them adds another level of wholesomeness that makes me wanting more. The best song of the series is an insert song later on which is so catchy it hurt smiling so much and smiling long after it was over.
Overall Hitoribocchi is the perfect kind of wholesome slice of life a fan of cute girls could ask for and is a definite must watch for just Bocchi alone but the rest of the cast are great as well. If you love wholesome anime you'll be pressed to find one more wholesome than this.
9/10 with most of the episodes being 10/10 cuteness absolutely loved it and need a second season.
