ぼっち・ざ・ろっく! (IMC) - Volume 2

Chapter eighteen forms the remainder of episode ten, plus about the first third of episode eleven. Chapter nineteen is approximately the next, uh… five-twelfths… of episode eleven. From around the seven-and-a-half minute mark to just before the nineteen-minute mark (though there’s a bit of extra content added to pad things out).

Be aware that chapter twenty’s title image is a wide establishing shot rather than the usual album cover reference, so make sure you don’t read too far.

Meanwhile, chapter eighteen’s title image is from “Kongaragatta!” by NECRY TALKIE.

Chapter nineteen’s is from “DOMINATION” by BAND-MAID.

Kessoku Band start chapter eighteen at a famires in Shimokita - the name カスト is a reference to the ガスト chain (and boy did I have to zoom in to read that), but I can’t quite work out exactly where it is. In the anime, though, it’s a Denathan’s (reference to Jonathan’s), and it’s located right here. In the real world, it’s a Burger King, and so far as I can tell, it was never a Jonathan’s (it appears to be some kind of non-chain fish place from 2016 to 2019, and a KFC before that).

Page 44, the typical three Bs of bad boyfriends are reportedly bartenders, band members and beauticians.

Moving ahead to chapter nineteen, the post-apocalyptic thugs on page 52 are presumably a reference to something (Jojo? Fist of the North Star? Just the idea of the genre in general?) but I don’t know the reference well enough to nail it down.

Page 53, Bocchi in black tape is a reference to the music video of “HOT LIMIT” by T.M. Revolution, but I can’t find any site with the actual music video posted besides Apple Music, and you gotta pay for it. The words above Bocchi’s head in that panel are (mostly) lyrics from the song.

I probably don’t need to point out that most of the rest of the chapter is a solid barrage of maid cafe stereotypes.

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Boogeyman in the thing


Does anybody know what this is a reference too? I like a good urban legend or youkai story every know and then and it’s got me curious

Moolahman in the thing

I missed the ¥ in Ryo’s eyeballs the first time I read this chapter when she’s talks about making money by covering Bocchi in the black tape and all that, I thought it was just her eyes sparkling

Since I’ve been giving the spoiler tags weird titles, I thought I’d mention lately I’ve been formatting it as the top one being from the first chapter of the week, followed by the second

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Chapters 20-21

Start Date Chapter Start
Page
Page
Count
Mar 8 20 59 10
21 69 10

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Chapter twenty comprises the remainder of episode eleven, plus the first half of episode twelve. Chapter twenty-one is the second half of episode twelve, which brings us to the end of the adapted chapters… so far.

Chapter twenty’s title image is, as previously mentioned, just a regular old establishing shot. Chatper twenty-one’s is from “Saiminjutsu” by Queen Bee.

Not many references in chapter twenty. Manager correctly names Bocchi’s playing method on page 65 as “bottleneck guitar”, but Wikipedia also calls it slide guitar. Sake is definitely sold in jars like the ones shown (see: Ozeki One Cup sake), but I haven’t been able to determine if the Oni-koroshi brand has one of these. I did, however, find this product, which is clearly based on the packaging design shown in Bocchi rather than the reverse.

Chapter twenty-one, the background of the final panel of page 69 is Jimi Hendrix setting fire to his guitar at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London.

Page 72, they’re in Ochanomizu, which is indeed known for its instrument shops. On page 73, they arrive at Ishibashi Music, and it’s mildly interesting that its logo and name typography is used unchanged here (on the previous page, Ryo also mentioned nearby Shimokura).

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Chapter 20

Ouch that was heartbreaking for Bocchi :worried:

Chapter 21

Phew that chapter was very dense. The story about 星歌 was pretty funny haha.

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excited to go beyond the anime soon!

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So relatable


Also the parents keep walking in on her, what do they expect at this point.

Did I miss it or is there no particular reason to why the dad’s face is hidden as a gag?

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文化祭


This was some cool improv from Bocchi, it’s too bad she didn’t get to do her solo but at least the audience thought it was cool, I sure did

Stairway to some place idk I gotta keep these vague


I keep on getting surprised by stuff like this because I keep on forgetting they have stuff like the f bomb lol


I wonder if Ryo is more mad about the bass or the rare Bocchi roast

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My impression that she’s angry because previously she was admiring the beauty of the woodgrain, but now all she can see is Bocchi’s face.

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Chapters 22-23

Start Date Chapter Start
Page
Page
Count
Mar 15 22 79 10
23 89 9

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Alrighty, exploring new territory, here. New characters too.

Chapter twenty-two’s title image is from “DADA” by RADWIMPS.

Chatper twenty-three’s is from “Waitress, Waitress!” by Alexandros.

Not much to add otherwise. Page 90, the two magazines that, uh, Poison Yami mentions are real - Rockin’On Japan and Guitar Magazine

Gotta say, though, I found the second half of twenty-two to be genuinely painful to read.

Cliffhanger ending! Dun dun DUNNN!

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One chapter in, will do the rest this afternoon. Definitely having more trouble without the scaffolding of the anime. Let me see if I’ve got this right:

Chapter 22

I didn’t really understand the punchline to Nijika’s ghost story about the high-end guitar guy…

Bocchi spent the 20万 she was saving to cover her ticket quotas for the future to avoid having to work at Starry on effect pedals and other crap to post on the Twitter #newgear hashtag and got basically nothing out of it, and then the stage dive video took off instead? (Thankfully without her face in it?)

Qs:

p88

筆が乗らない = Can’t think of anything to write?
ぎゃりぎゃり = I’m not sure what SFX this is… spiky? screeching? the first hinative answer I saw was “i’ve never heard of this before” so I wonder if it’s otaku/band otaku talk or something
アクセス稼ぎ = earnings from site visitors?

/edit chapter 23 was a lot easier, so no qs

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Chapter 22

He’d returned the guitar, and bought a new one, for the likes.

Page 88

Reckon so.

Perhaps it’s simply descriptive of the sound of the type of band she’s looking for. Like Strong Bad going “meedley meedley”.

Yah.

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The forbidden edible


Looks like Ryo is back at it again, this time with something I’ve never even heard of

Snoopin doggin


Shoutouts to Nijika for stepping in, that must have been uncomfortable for Bocchi

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