10 Books/Manga Like Bocchi The Rock
Bocchi The Rock is a comedy manga written and drawn by Aki Hamaji. This four-panel manga contains excellent insight into the music industry and tackles relatable mental health-oriented issues. It received a phenomenal anime adaptation in 2022 by Studio Cloverworks and fans ate it up like it was a Thanksgiving feast. With clever writing, well-rounded characters, and handling of serious subjects, Bocchi The Rock will certainly rock your world.
If you’re in the mood for more music or comedy books/manga that offers a similar vibe, fear not! We’ve gathered together 10 books/manga to check out when you’ve caught up with Bocchi The Rock. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, do comment below and let us know!
Detroit Metal City – Kiminori Wakasugi
Similarities – Music & Comedy
Detroit Metal City is a fun comedy manga with strong musical elements. Based on the cover art alone, you’d expect it to tackle its music segments from an over-the-top approach. However, the manga’s anything but that. It follows Souchi Negishi, a kind-hearted college student who happens to be the lead singer of a popular band.
As a stage performer, Souchi’s known for being extremely crazy. Despite being a skilled musician, Souchi doesn’t like his occupation and would rather live a peaceful life. Therefore, the manga chronicles Souchi’s attempts to balance his twisted band life with his normal one. This manga offers incredible comedic beats ranging from likable deadpan humor to witty banter.
Fans will cheer for Souchi a lot through the work as he struggles to balance both lifestyles. It won’t be an easy feat and you’ll adore seeing how he overcomes the obstacles that stand in his way. Unfortunately, not much character development occurs in the work, so don’t expect many of its cast to undergo drastic personality changes. If you’re okay with a work that leans heavily into its comedy and music components, check out Detroit Metal City.
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life – Keiichi Arawii
Similarities – Comedy
If you adored the humor in Bocchi The Rock, you’ll love the over-the-top nature of Nichijou: My Ordinary Life. The premise is as straightforward as you can get for a school-themed manga. Readers will follow the lives of five female characters who like to engage in all types of mischievous scenarios. The manga’s goal is to make people feel relaxed and happy.
It accomplishes its mission by inserting our girls in bizarre scenarios. From wrestling deer to beating people up over ruined artwork, this story pulls all the stops to get a chuckle out of its readers. The art style isn’t jaw-droppingly gorgeous. It’s simple and utilizes its normalcy to give readers effective and well-executed humor scenes.
Fortunately, the characters have defining traits and don’t feel like they’re fulfilling common archetypes. Everyone has a unique personality and contributes something flavorful to the narrative. For those looking for a comfy comedy manga, Nichjou is worth reading after Bocchi The Rock.
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad – Harold Sakuishi
Similarities – Slice of Life & Music
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad is a manga that will help you understand what it’s like to be a phenomenal musician. It contains likable characters, a gritty environment, and a gripping storyline. Like Bocchi The Rock, it depicts a character struggling to attain popularity while pursuing a music-based career. At its start, our protagonist, Koyuki, lacks purpose.
One day, he saves a dog from strange children and meets its owner Ray, an emerging guitarist. Ray shows Koyuki his band’s hideout and plays a song for him. Koyuki picks up a guitar himself, plays a song, and asks Ray if he could join his band. With Ray’s sister and others, the two men launch the band BECK and plan to make it the best band ever.
Like Hitori and her friends, BECK will severely struggle to attain a following. They’ll suffer from poor performances and terrible synergy. Unlike the Hitori’s group, Koyuki and the others will engage in heated arguments. This is due to them having different ideals and goals for the band’s future. This captures the realistic issues that occur between bands in our world. If you were disappointed by Bocchi The Rock’s lack of intense drama amongst its cast, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad should grip you with its storytelling.
Komi Can’t Communicate – Tomohito Oda
Similarities – Themes, Comedy, Characters
Komi Can’t Communicate is a wholesome romantic comedy. It follows Tadano, a boy who requires a calm high school experience. One day, he sits next to his school’s popular girl Komi. Despite being a notable figure, Komi suffers from extreme anxiety and has a communication disorder that prevents her from talking to others. She’s the only one who knows this.
Tadano has Komi interact with him by writing on the blackboard. Komi tells him about her issues and her goal to achieve hundreds of friends. Therefore, we examine Tadano helping Komi achieve her goal. Like Bocchi The Rock, readers will enjoy learning more about Tadano and Komi as we advance the plot forward. The characters’ chemistry strengthens over time and you’ll admire their qualities.
This series handles its heavy topics well and is a great motivator for others who suffer from disorders like Komi’s. Unlike Bocchi The Rock, this manga contains some romantic tension between Tadano and Komi. However, it never strives to make things feel awkward with fan service or other sexual themes. It’s healthy, cheerful, and sweet. With touches of comedy sprinkled in to make people laugh, Komi Can’t Communicate is a great manga to read after Bocchi The Rock.
A Place Further Than The Universe – Meme Yoimachi
Similarities – Characters & Themes
A Place Further Than The Universe is a character-driven work that will warm anyone’s heart. It’ll make people want to embark on a satisfying adventure whether it’s small or large. It has great characters, charming storytelling, and mesmerizing artwork. In it, we follow Mari. She doesn’t know what the future holds for herself but is deadset on embarking on a satisfying quest.
Unfortunately, Mari’s social anxiety holds her back. Luckily, she finds solace when she meets Shirase. Shirase wants to travel to Antarctica to locate her missing mother. With help from two other colorful girls, Mari and Shirase plan a trip to Antarctica. Although their reasons are clear, they’ll obtain something even more beautiful by the time they reach their destination.
Like Bocchi The Rock’s cast, A Place Further Than The Universe consists entirely of females. Some characters have goals to achieve while others simply want to tag along for the ride to help. Our girls will endure many mental and physical hurdles before, after, and during their trip to Antarctica. This is a story containing themes of personal growth, discovery, and friendship. If any of that sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend giving this one a read.
K-On! – Kakifly
Similarities – Themes, Slice of Life, Comedy
K-On! kickstarted the craze for “cute girls doing cute things,” better known as the moe sub-genre. Like Bocchi The Rock, this manga offers a female dominant cast with remarkable personalities, goals, and chemistry. Everything about this manga feels optimistic and it offers an excellent take on friendship. Unlike Hitori, the girls in K-On! have excellent communication skills.
You’ll adore seeing how they interact amongst themselves. Furthermore, this manga has our girls participating in many activities that aren’t music oriented. From visiting local shops to helping each other with their studies, K-On!’s cast loves to enjoy life to the fullest. However, K-On!’s emphasis on music and competition will be what drags people into its storytelling. If you’re looking for a relaxing manga to read alongside Bocchi The Rock, you can’t go wrong with K-On!
Nana – Ai Yazawa
Similarities – Themes
This manga provides excellent commentary on fame, music, and romance. Ai Yazawa’s gothic art style is visually pleasing to the human eye and allows the work to stand out from others like it. Its tale is about two girls named Nana. They travel to Tokyo to seek out something remarkable in life. One desires romance while the other craves popularity.
Eventually, the two females meet and we explore how their relationship goes from there. This manga doesn’t offer as much comedy as Bocchi The Rock. It’s targeted toward people who want a serious story about music, fashion, and romance. The characters receive excellent development throughout the narrative, thanks to the emotional hurdles Yazawa places in front of them. If you’re looking for a manga with a rich art style, compelling cast, and intricate narrative, check out Nana.
Your Lie In April – Naoshi Arakawa
Similarities – Music
Your Lie In April is a great manga that touches upon music, romance, and loss. It tackles these ideas with great integrity and readers are guaranteed to shed a few tears along the way. In it, we examine the downfall of a talented pianist named Kousei. He gave up on music after his mother passed away and has no desire to return to it. That all changes when he meets Kaori, a skilled violinist.
Therefore, readers will examine their relationship as it grows gradually throughout the narrative. Your Lie In April’s story is well-written, emotional, and down-to-earth. The artwork is more stylish in comparison to Aki Hamaji’s simplistic designs for Hitori and the other characters. The panels involving our characters playing music are extremely breathtaking.
This manga offers darker elements than Bocchi The Rock, though. You can expect Kousei to undergo a roller coaster of emotions at the start and by the manga’s conclusion. If you’re okay with all that, by all means, give Your Lie In April a read.
Romantic Killer – Wataru Momose
Similarities – Comedy
Romantic Killer received genuine praise when its anime was released. Although it didn’t develop most of its cast well, many people praised it for its strong female and male leads. This manga is unlike most romantic comedy series. It follows a high school freshman named Anzu, who’d rather play video games, eat chocolate, and spend time with her cat than date a guy.
When she pops into a new video game, a strange wizard named Riri appears. He takes all of Anzu’s belongings but promises to return them when she’s achieved romance. Frustrated, Anzu vows to defy any romantic opportunities Riri sends her way. However, she’ll realize that it will be a lot harder than she anticipated.
Although Bocchi doesn’t have a speck of romance, Romantic Killer’s comedy is on par with it. It offers fun slapstick, exaggerated facial reactions, and excellent deadpan humor and jokes. You’ll find yourself having a hard time reading through this one without laughing. If you enjoyed Bocchi The Rock’s comedy but want something with a spice of romance, give Romantic Killer a shot.
Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu – Katsuwo
Similarities – Story, Characters, Comedy
Bocchi Hitori is an extremely anxious middle schooler who has a tough time adjusting to things. She finds herself vomiting, fainting, and performing other weird actions when someone pays attention to her. She receives no help from others as they want her to defeat her problems alone. Despite lacking faith in herself, Bocchi’s determined to make new friends.
Expect this Bocchi to endure many uncomfortable scenarios like Bocchi The Rock’s Hitori. Many readers can relate to both Bocchi’s struggles to make friends and communicate with others. It’s not a simple task and Katsuwo makes sure Bocchi works hard to free herself from her insecurities and mental illnesses.
Although you’ll cheer Bocchi on when she improves, you’ll giggle at her for her mistakes. If you’re looking for another laidback manga with a protagonist who acts and has the same name as Bocchi The Rock’s protagonist, check out Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu.
So there we have it, our 10 books/manga to read after you’re caught up with Bocchi The Rock.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
A nice selection of content. I’ve been looking for some more stuff like it. Keep up the great work!