We’ve picked out some of our favourite references in the series for bands that you’ll probably recognise from other anime or J-rock in general. Read More: The Best Anime Soundtracks of All Time, Ranked
In reality, this only scratches the surface when it comes to Bocchi the Rock’s band references! If you want to see more, the best way is to check out the Bocchi the Rock manga, which is stuffed with amazing illustrations! Some anime fans will recognise the band from their song Haruka Kanata, which was the second opening to Naruto. They also performed theme songs for Bleach, Erased and the original Fullmetal Alchemist. In Bocchi the Rock, Kessoku Band itself is a reference to Asian Kung-Fu Generation, with each character’s surname being connected by their role in each band (with the exception of the singer & guitarist who are swapped): Some fans have also suggested that Hitori may live in Yokohama, which is where Asian Kung-Fu Generation formed while studying at Kanto Gakuin University. While their involvement in anime music is less pronounced – their most recognisable track is the opening theme for Platinum End – they are widely seen as flagbearers for J-rock on the international scene while also having a huge domestic following. Bocchi the Rock’s manga regularly parodies music videos and albums in its chapter covers, and one of its most popular parodies is of Band-Maid’s music video for the single Domination. The level of detail in the illustration, down to the fine china, is impeccable! It’s not just a meaningless parody, though – the chapter involves the band members working at a maid cafe during a high school cultural festival. The four-piece has a strong following in Japan, with their albums regularly charting domestically. In Bocchi the Rock, the club Starry (itself modelled on a real club) is filled with band posters, and almost all of them are parodies of a real-world group! In the scene below (from around 13 seconds), you can see a poster for Sleeping Day by Champ of Human. That poster is a tribute to Bump of Chicken’s Sailing Day, a single which was also used as the ending to the 2003 One Piece movie Dead End Adventure! This is a parody of Yuzu, a popular duo who fans might recognise as the singers in four of Hunter x Hunter’s six endings (Reason, Nagareboshi Kirari and Hyori Ittai twice)! It’s not clear what BLACK is a parody of exactly, although they do have a few songs named after colours. HAKO-BOON is a parody of KANA-BOON, a Japanese four-piece rock band that’s synonymous with anime music! The group performed the first Boruto opening song and also performed an opening for Naruto. More recently, they provided the song for My Hero Academia Season 4’s hugely popular second opening: The group’s vocalist, Maguro Taniguchi, is also helping create the songs for Bocchi’s anime! The first ending, Distortion, was written and composed by her: Most of the posters in Hitori’s closet are related to a particular release. In the clip below (around 46 seconds) you can see an astronaut poster peeling off the wall and another featuring people carrying colourful boxes. These relate to the KANA-BOON singles Full Drive and Nandemo Nedari respectively. Perhaps Hitori’s tastes come from the mangaka, who herself is a huge fan of the band: Get the latest news and trends direct to your feed by following us on Twitter @epicstreamanime or on Facebook.
