This week’s chapter constitutes roughly the middle third of the anime’s fourth episode, from approximately the eight-minute mark to the fifteen-minute mark, though the cold open comes from the first two pages, with some alterations, and the final (non-omake) strip comes just before the closing credits. The remainder of the episode is based on next week’s chapter.
The title image this week is from Sugar Song to Bitter Step, by UNISON SQUARE GARDEN.
The anime adaptation takes place on the streets of Shimokitazawa for the entire chapter, rather than how the first few pages are set in Starry here, in true “show, don’t tell” fashion. The anime versions of the list on the whiteboard on page 62 are all real locations in Shimokitazawa (and may possibly be references to other bands’ アー写 or album covers, I’m not sure), though I’ve not been able to pin most of them down.
However, at one point, they stop for drinks here (which is where they have the conversation shown in the second strip of page 62):
Street View
They then keep walking, for what’s implied to at least be a little while, except that the wall they wind up taking their photo in front of is the right-hand end of that vine-covered building in the background of the shot above.
Unfortunately, there’s no street view here, but there is this uploaded photo:
Ryo’s comment about jumping in anime openings in the first strip of page 65 is what’s called the “Kirara jump” in Japan, based on the tendency of manga published in one of the Kirara family of magazines to have the characters jumping in the OP. Bocchi, to be clear, is also published in Kirara, though ironically, aside from it depicting the photo they’re about to take in the next strip and following page, they don’t jump in the OP. Ryo’s imaginary depiction of them jumping in the final panel appears to be a reproduction of the jump in K-On, which is often said to be the instigator of the Kirara Jump trope.
In the anime version of the second strip of page 64, instead of recovering on her own as she does here, Bocchi starts glitching while letting out a scream that sounds like a modem having a battle with a fax machine. Reportedly the episode’s director was planning to produce that sound digitally, until Bocchi’s voice actress Aoyama Yoshino just opened her mouth and did it herself.
Lastly, it’s another odd-numbered week, so it’s time for another poll. This time, as per popular request, an apathy option!
Are we ready to speed up?
- Yes
- Not yet
- Like, whatever, man
(could also have something to do with the fact that there was a ヲ in what I’ve read just before)
