But such is the presence exuded by Hitori Gotoh, who goes by the nickname Bocchi.
Bocchi, though an introvert, always dreamed of becoming popular by starting a rock band.
And through a string of events, she accidentally finds herself in a group with girls from another school.
Bocchi may have trouble speaking her mind, but she loves playing guitar.
Bocchi’s extreme introversion even mumbling a single sentence can be excruciating for her resonates with viewers.
And finding a fan base in the competitive anime market is an impressive feat for Bocchi the Rock.
Anime is big business.
And the shows themselves are just one part of the anime pie.
Merchandise around anime is its own fast-growing market.
The fact that aBocchi the Rock cassette tape is up for preordershould hardly be a surprise.
Despite her lack of flashy charisma, fans are clamoring for more Bocchi.
Yet even with these impressive numbers,a second season of Bocchi the Rock hasn’t yet been approved.
The success of Bocchi the Rock comes down to the team at Tokyo-based animation studio CloverWorks.
The visual direction is led by Keiichiro Saito.
Bocchi from Bocchi the Rock glitching out in one of the show’s many visual gags.
“Because if I can surprise myself, I can surprise the viewers as well.”
Visual approacheshave included using paper cutouts, claymation and 3D graphics.
Capturing the awkwardness of Bocchi is voice actress and musician Yoshino Aoyama.
She seems very outgoing, with a happy disposition.
But that wasn’t always the case.
As a teenager navigating high school’s social minefield, she found it easier to withdraw.
“I had volunteered myself to be the leader of the group.
Come to think, everyone was pointing at me and laughing at me.'”
Bocchi’s introversion is captured by Aoyama’s vocal skill.
But it’s the animation that brings the show’s absurd visuals and musicality together.
It turns out that accomplishing this wasn’t easy, or cheap.
CloverWorks rented out a motion capture studio to see to it it was getting all the movements right.
For Saito, though, that’s not an issue.
“My work is to drop cute into real life parameters.”
