Is “Bocchi the Rock!” Mean to Bocchi?

Something I’ve been considering almost since the start of Bocchi the Rock! is the central source of the show’s comedy and how that intersects with a compassionate understanding of mental health. Whenever you have a story that wants to mine a character’s struggles (in whatever form) for laughs, inevitably it raises the question of whether the humor is coming from a place of understanding or cruelty.

And thus, the question: Is Bocchi the Rock! mean to Bocchi?

Bocchi the Rock! OP
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Winter 2020 Anime Midseason Check-In

“So,” she asks. “You said that you were going to try to do better about watching anime this year. How’s that coming along? After all, we haven’t seen a blog post since Weathering with You, and that’s not even a seasonal anime!”

Ordinarily, I think to myself, I’d be expecting to have to go on the defensive. But not this time. I’ve been watching anime, you know.

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