Kikuri Hiroi. In the main story of Bocchi the Rock, she’s Hitori Gotoh’s hero, the undeniably charming, happy-go-lucky bass player who pulls Hitori out of her shell and sets her on a hero’s journey of her own. But what lies beyond the mask, behind all the charisma and derring-do? Who is this girl who mysteriously manages to show up whenever Bocchi needs a boost? And more importantly, how has she not perished of alcohol poisoning yet? All of these questions and more are answered in the latest volume from the Bocchi the Rock franchise, and the premier volume in the BTR Side Story featuring our beloved bassist.

TL;DR – In terms of plot, the first volume of this side story sidles up close to the main story, rather than being a spin-off into Kikuri Hiroi’s backstory or life beyond BTR. So, every chapter lines up with key moments in the main series and features only characters we already know from BTR. In this sense, it’s more a gap-filling exercise than a separate story. And it works—for the most part!

Without any further ado, onward to the spoiler-filled, in-depth review!

The Author and the Art

The concept for this side story may have come from Aki Hamazi, the mangaka behind Bocchi the Rock, but she is not actually the artist behind this volume, which instead was drawn and written by established mangaka Kumichou. So, how does it stack up?

claire: For starters, I’ll admit that I read the whole volume before twigging that it was a different mangaka at the pen! So Kumichou definitely passes the stylistic check in terms of the art. They also do a nice job picking up this cast of characters and taking Hiroi—if not exactly forward, then at least for a bit more of a wander around. The first couple of chapters feel like Kumichou is finding their feet, and so the early part of the volume has the least to offer in terms of developing the characterization. I picked up this volume, not because I particularly like Hiroi, but because I was hoping to see something of a character arc for her, or at least something a bit more substantive behind her “human trash” characterization, apart from just “she drinks because social anxiety.” At first, this volume does not seem to be interested in either of those things. But the little details do start to add up to something more fleshed out by the middle of the volume, and by the end, I must admit that I’d be tucking the blanket over her passed-out form too, just like the little ghost who lives in her apt.

sleepy: Yes! And speaking of her little friends, I adore the cameos from the imaginary friends from the original manga, like the guitar friend that shows up to poke fun at the characters from time to time. Kumichou throws in little details like that to call back to the main series, and you can tell from that and the other details in their art that they put in the time to make sure this series matches the visual style of the original.

claire: It’s quite a challenge to pick up another mangaka’s cast, especially for a franchise that has struck it as big as BTR, so props to Kumichou for diving into the deep end! And by the end, despite the constraints of sticking very closely to the main series and being significantly limited by that story in terms of actually developing the character, there is enough going on here to make this worth the read even if, like me, you’re not thrilled about the alcoholic rocker trope and just want to see Hiroi get healthy and happy! There’s another volume on the horizon, and I’m hopeful this side story will eventually pay off.

The Humor

sleepy: On the subject of the alcoholic rocker trope… I know this is a bit of a controversial take, but I continue to adore how this series manages to take its characters seriously, all while eviscerating them at the same time. Kumichou doesn’t hold back when poking fun at Kikuri’s antics. Bocchi’s guitar friend shows up and clowns on Kikuri for all sorts of things, like drinking away all her band members’ trust or crumbling at the smallest amount of genuine affection. Other times, Kikuri gets herself into wild situations on her own. Apparently, it’s just a common occurrence for Kikuri to wake up at a random train station, clueless as to how she got there? That is quite concerning, admittedly, but it’s also pretty entertaining. 

And at the end of the day, it’s all a part of Kikuri’s happiness spiral. Overwhelmed by the horrors of everyday life? Not to worry! Just crack open a cold one, and the feelings will all go away! At least, until she’s sober again, and so the cycle continues…

claire: I’ll admit, this kind of humor doesn’t land very well for me, and some elements gave me pause. There is a massive suspension of disbelief that we, as readers, are buying into here that I think many may not be aware of. Kabuchiko is the most unsafe area in Tokyo for a woman to be alone at night, but Hiroi’s night of mooching free drinks and food in the district paints a much more happy-go-lucky picture. Don’t get me wrong, I’m relieved she has nothing more to worry about when awakening in random stations in the middle of the night with no memory of how she got there, other than who to call for a lift back or where to drink until the trains start running again; but it made for a tense read for me personally. Don’t try this at home, kids! That’s all I can say. Tokyo may be safer than a lot of major cities in some ways, but it’s not that safe for even a sober woman alone that late. (Check out Twitch streamer, the Angel of Shibuya)

sleepy: When I was reading those parts of this volume, I definitely wondered whether Kumichou was exaggerating how safe those areas of Japan are. There’s a larger question to wrestle with here too: Is Kumichou making light of Kikuri’s alcoholism and self-destructive behavior? Do they let Kikuri get away with things that she shouldn’t be able to get away with, or downplay the consequences of her actions? And on the whole, does Bocchi the Rock! display a pattern of kicking Kikuri while she’s down and cracking jokes at her expense when what she really needs is empathy and compassion?

I don’t think so. I think Kumichou and Bocchi the Rock! as a whole really care about Kikuri. Even when this volume makes jabs at Kikuri’s lifestyle and shenanigans, it does so out of a place of love. I see that in this volume, which is filled with moments of hope and kindness. Kikuri never gets stranded at a train station without someone reaching out to her to help her out or give her a ride. Her bandmates know the highs and lows of her happiness spiral, but they won’t leave her even when it gets hard.

It’s a really complex topic, BTR‘s treatment of Kikuri’s alcoholism. For one, maybe we shouldn’t expect a fictional, comedic portrayal of a character to align with what would be healthy or normal for a person in that situation in real life. And there’s the added layer of the fact that it’s just hard sometimes to know what to do for a friend who is struggling with addiction or mental health. I do think the series as a whole struggles to strike a balance, both here and in its treatment of Bocchi’s mental health struggles.

claire: I’d agree. It’s also true that there’s a great deal of affection here for Hiroi (and the other characters). That said, I am a little worried for Bocchi and the implications of this deeper dive into Hiroi’s story for our OG precious heroine! The connection between Bocchi and a destiny of alcoholism like Hiroi’s has been made in the main series (most recently at the end of Volume 6, but also when Hiroi first arrives on the scene), and it’s reiterated implicitly here, too. When Hiroi is sober (or a high schooler in flashback), she is the spitting image of Hitori, and we’ve seen Hiroi’s propensity for advising underage high schoolers to take up drinking. She does it again here, and not just with Bocchi.

But there is one important difference: Bocchi is already learning how to perform in public without such “assistance.” And she has KSB. But these contrasts make me even more sad to see how little anyone in Hiroi’s life attempts to intervene in a lifestyle that they can see very clearly is messing her up.

Sick Hack & Band Dynamics

sleepy: And yet, I have to give it to Kikuri’s bandmates, because they certainly do a lot of heavy lifting for their wayward bassist. Shima driving an hour from Shinjuku to pick Hiroi up from the mountains of Tokyo? That’s dedication. Though I have to imagine she lectured Hiroi fiercely about it the whole drive back, haha. That’s the kind of friend Shima is—she won’t let Kikuri off the hook for her behavior, but she’ll stand by Kikuri no matter what. She might sigh and groan about how much she has to cover for Kikuri’s bad behavior, but the slight smile on her face betrays how much she cares about Kikuri. I think that’s really beautiful.

Eliza cares about Kikuri a lot in her own way, too. I thought it was really fun that she invited Hiroi for a summer trip when Hiroi was feeling down. Sure, she may have had some ulterior motives (trust me, girl, beach episodes are a lot less glamorous in real life). But you can really tell she enjoys spending time with Kikuri, and it’s nice to see their dynamic and know that Kikuri is surrounded by people who want the best for her.

That’s not even mentioning Seika, who will whine and complain about how annoying Kikuri is to her face and then gaze happily at her after she’s finally resting. No need to hide it, Seika; we all see right through you…

claire: You make some good points. (Also, Seika is Best Girl.) It’s funny, though—maybe it was just the mood I was in when reading, but for me, it was more the imperfections and failures within these friendships that stayed with me. The misses and the faltering intervention in particular.

I’ve heard testimonies from recovering alcoholics where they share that people preferred to be with their “fun” drunk persona rather than their sober selves, with all their worries, fears, insecurities, and emotional messiness. When they were drunk, they were the life of the party! Everyone wanted to be with them, to be like them. 

It’s heartbreaking to see this dynamic play out with Hiroi, too—not just the Sick Hack fans who go wild when she misbehaves on stage, but her oldest and most responsible friend, Shima, too. When Shima is reminded, in the middle of an attempted intervention, of what Hiroi’s stage performance was like when she wasn’t drunk, Shima cringes and stops trying to talk to Hiroi about sobering up. That was a pretty raw moment, pointing to the hidden complexities that the gag humor here often breezes over. It was a powerful moment, if an uncomfortable one. Which Hiroi do we enjoy more? Carefree, outrageous genius performer (drunk) Hiroi? Or panicky recluse spiralling out (sober) Hiroi? She calls drunkenness her spiral of happiness in part, I suspect, as a contrast with the spiral of anxiety she is trapped in when sober. 

sleepy: It really is tragic. I’m glad that the series doesn’t shy away from that dynamic, as uncomfortable as it is. Sometimes awareness is the first step to growth, even if a series doesn’t include that growth.

That being said, I don’t think Kumichou ends the story there. One of the final chapters of this volume begins with Hiroi lamenting the sorry state of her life and the world and ends with her sharing a fun summer day with the Sick Hack squad. She realizes that, as tumultuous as her life often is, she can still find contentment in the small, everyday joys. I can’t help but connect that realization to Hiroi’s anxiety about her own life. What if the path forward for Hiroi looks like awakening to the beauty and happiness that is already around her? It’s a nice thought, and I think Hamazi wants her to get there.

But of course it’s not that simple. The other side of that dynamic is the fact that Kikuri can’t help but feel like her luck’s gonna run out one day. Sure, Sick Hack is doing well with the critics and fans right now, but how long can that last? How long before the pressures of fame and her struggles with alcoholism prove too much to handle? How can she keep enjoying her present life with those fears about the future looming over her? Hamazi doesn’t give us a clear answer, and we’re left wondering.

Who is Kikuri Hiroi?

claire: Ultimately, what I’ll take away from this volume is how incredibly accomplished Sick Hack are, and especially Hiroi. She really is a skillful musician and performer; we see the scope of this a bit more clearly through this volume, starting right from the first chapter, where we discover, along with the folks in the bar, just how major a figure she is in the indie scene. 

I was also struck by Hiroi’s charisma. She really does carry Sick Hack, and to an extent, all the Folt line-up. And the tension she feels between her awareness of her responsibility to keep carrying them, on the one hand, and her now baked-in belief that, without alcohol, she has no charisma, is painfully palpable. I hope that future volumes see her able to face this discomfort and the fear of failure and of not being enough that she’s carrying around, rather than continually running from it through drink. 

At the end of Volume 6 of BTR, we get to see a fully sober Hiroi. No alcohol for 48 hours. And yes, she’s a worrywart. She’s a lot like Bocchi. But she also finds peace, however short-lived (only one panel!). I’ll keep tuning into this side story because I want to see that version of Hiroi finally win. I want to see her truly free, and not just escaping her demons for a few hours at a time. Because in spite of all the horrible things she does to herself and those around her through her dependency on alcohol, she really is a compelling character. I guess she’s won me over, too, now, huh? (But I’m not letting her use my shower, no way!)

sleepy: Hey, you did say you might let her sleep on your couch, though! Baby steps…

Final Thoughts

So there you have it! We may have pretty different takes on this volume, and particularly its brand of humor, but we’re agreed that this is a worthwhile addition to the Lore of Bocchi. For each of us, it’s more-ish in its own way! We’re looking forward to what comes next for Hiroi and Sick Hack, and to seeing how Hamazi and Kumichou continue to navigate such fraught topics. Will we see Hiroi grow into her own character arc? Or will she remain a perpetual spiked punchline that doesn’t always land? Only one way to find out!

Bocchi the Rock! Side Story: Kikuri Hiroi’s Heavy-Drinking Diary is published by Yen Press.