LIVE STAGE "Bocchi the Rock!" (2023)

LIVE STAGE Bocchi the Rock!
The main key visual.
Japanese	LIVE STAGE「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」
Romaji	LIVE STAGE "Bocchi za Rokku!"
Information
Genre	Comedy, music, slice of life
Original run	August 11, 2023 - August 20, 2023
Staff
Director	Akira Yamazaki

LIVE STAGE "Bocchi the Rock!" (LIVE STAGE「ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！」, LIVE STAGE "Bocchi za Rokku!") is a stage play based on the manga and anime series Bocchi the Rock!. It is performed in THEATER MILANO-Za, Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo on August 11 until August 20, 2023. A sequel play has been set on September 2024.

Promotion and release

The stage play is announced on the anime official Twitter account on 19 June 2023 and on the same day, the separate account for LIVE STAGE has been made online in Twitter.

Full list of casts is revealed on June 26. Ticket pre-sale also has been launched in ANIPLEX+ site as well, with e-plus pre-sale follows 2 weeks later.

The main key visual has been released on July 4, while the promotional video premiered on July 12 in both stage and anime series Twitter and Aniplex official YouTube channel.

The character visual for the main casts is revealed on 22 July and the rest of the characters on July 29.

Ticket pre-sale also has been launched in ANIPLEX+ site as well on June 26, with e-plus pre-sale follows 2 weeks later. The general sale follows on 29 July where it will be available to purchase from e-plus and Ticketpia site.

Cast comment videos has been released starting July 30 where each cast will talk about the play in the videos.

A paid live stream is announced for the first and last day of performance on August 9. Tickets are available to purchase in e-plus and Zaiko, and the price were set as low as 690 yen.

Cast

• Hitori Gotoh: Mamo Mamono
• Nijika Ijichi: Miki Otake
• Ryo Yamada: Karin Osanai
• Ikuyo Kita: Mirai Ohmori

Staff

• Original Story: Aki Hamazi (Serialized in Manga Time Kirara MAX by Houbunsha)
• Director & Script: Akira Yamazaki
• Art: Natsuko Takebe
• Lighting: Katsumoto Eiji
• Assistant Director: Megumi Fujishima
• Music Director: Takuya Kusunose
• Music Coordinator: Kuboty
• Props: Kenichi Hatori
• Costumes: Haruko Kimura
• Photography: Sumire Mori & Hiroki Arakawa
• Stage Manager: Teruhiko Nakanishi & Ryo Nakazato
• Hairdresser: Mio Motegi
• Sound: Satoshi Nakajima
• Promotional Art: Satoru Hashimoto (threelight)

Media releases

Home media release

The play is released in a special Blu-Ray and DVD release as follows.

LIVE STAGE "Bocchi the Rock!"

Release date	February 28, 2024
Price	¥11,330 (Aniplex Online Limited Blu-ray Set) ¥10,230 (Aniplex Online Limited DVD Set) ¥10,780 (Blu-ray) ¥11,330 (DVD)
Product no.	ANZX-16341~16342 (Blu-ray) ANZB-16341~16342 (DVD)
Specification	2 disc set (with bonus DVD) Extra DVD for Aniplex Online edition
Main contents	Full performance recording from the afternoon show of August 19, 2023 (175 minutes) Digest video of performance highlights from other days (30 minutes)
Bonus DVD contents	Behind the Scenes - exclusive meetings and rehearsal footage (72 minutes) Kessoku Band Bonding Document - follow up of the main cast from audition to the performance day (70 minutes) Curtain Call Collection - collection of curtain calls footage from the performances (72 minutes)
Aniplex Online Special Edition bonus DVD contents	Performance Visual Commentary - live comments from the main casts of the performance rewatch (110 minutes) Audition Visual Commentary - comments from the main casts from their rewatch of audition footage (15 minutes) Kessoku Band Performance Footage Collection - collection of performance clips during the matinee performance of August 19 (including Guitar to Kodoku to Aoihoshi in the encore)
Other benefits	Three-sided case Digijacket specification 56-pages booklet - including photos of characters, song lyrics and stage photos.

YouTube releases

A temporary free viewing has been made available where the entire performance (last day matinee) is streamed in YouTube on August 24, 2024 along with special live stream of LIVE STAGE 2024. The upload lasted until evening of August 26.

Another free viewing session has been held between September 14 to September 17, 2024 in conjunction of LIVE STAGE 2024 premiere.

Gallery

Promotional video

LIVE STAGE "Bocchi the Rock" 30 seconds PV

LIVE STAGE "BOCCHI THE ROCK！" - JLOX Evaluation Preview

An official preview of the stage play with English subtitle for evaluation of JLOX scheme

Key visuals

Hitori Gotoh key visual

Nijika Ijichi key visual

Ryo Yamada key visual

Ikuyo Kita key visual

Seika Ijichi key visual

Kikuri Hiroi key visual

PA-san key visual

Naoki Gotoh key visual

Michiyo Gotoh key visual

Futari Gotoh key visual (Nanami Oka)

Futari Gotoh key visual (Arisa Tsukui)

Fan 1 key visual

Fan 2 key visual

Blu-Ray cover

Blu-Ray and DVD release cover

Trivia

• The play covers the story up to end of Episode 8 of the anime series (or equivalent to the entirety of Volume 1 of the manga). The presentation is mostly based on the anime adaption including all internal depiction of Bocchi's mind.
  • The play however skips some scenes like the Episode 1 prelude part (flashback to when Bocchi starts playing guitar) and the after-party izakaya scene in Episode 8
  • As such, characters appeared later in the series like Shima Iwashita or Ginjiro Yoshida does not appear in this play nor have any associated cast.
• The play is performed for 9 days, with a break on 14 August. Performances on weekend days (August 12, 13, 19 and 20) are doubled into afternoon and evening session (matinee and soiree), while performances on weekdays is only once per day with schedules happening either between evening or afternoon.
  • Coincidentally, 14 August was the date for the in-series Kessoku Band first live performance in STARRY, and weather forecast for that day predicted a typhoon will hit Tokyo that day. The director Akira has this reminded in his post in X.
• All insert songs played is in full-length duration, in comparison of short version played in the anime series.
  • The play includes Seishun Complex as the third song played during the Kessoku Band live performance scene (Episode 8 scene), which was never revealed in the anime.
  • During the last day of performance, two songs were performed as an encore after the play ends, Guitar to Kodoku to Aoihoshi for the matinee and Seishun Complex for the soiree.
• All cast in the play are women, including cast for Naoki Gotoh which is played by Miki Sawada.
  • All main actresses is capable to play their designed instruments and some of the actresses is involved in music industry. For example, Miki Otake has been participating in bands and involved in drumming competitions and Rei Tsukikawa (actress for Kikuri Hiroi) is a bassist in a band
  • Futari Gotoh is double-casted by Nanami Oka and Arisa Tsukui, which would be related to their capacity as child actresses. Nanami and Arisa will play the character Futari for alternating days, with Nanami starting on 11 August and Arisa starting on 12 August. However on the last day, Arisa only performed in the matinee before Nanami takes over for the soiree.