When Seika mentions Bocchi’s deteriorating morale to the other members of the band, they soon realize that none of them have invited Bocchi to any of the things they’ve been doing over the summer break. They come up with a plan to take her to the beach in Enoshima, kicking off what will be the nearly obligatory anime beach day episode, Bocchi The Rock! style.
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Summer Melancholia
While she was excited to get up to many social activities with her fellow bandmates, Bocchi is severely disappointed by how uneventful each day has been for her. The dwindling time she has left before the new school year has made her anxious about enjoying her free time to the fullest, not to mention the fact that her little sister’s innocent but deeply unsettling perception of Bocchi’s social situation sends her down a very tough spiral that leaves her gloomily making cicada graves in front of STARRY live-house. As usual, Bocchi’s mind goes to the most catastrophic conclusion of her most pressing issue, and she can’t see beyond the idea that she’s wasted her time. Seika tells the other Kessoku band members about Bocchi’s condition, urging them to invite her out to do something. When Nijika suggests they go to the beach, despite not being allowed to swim there, Bocchi sees the whole exercise as pointless. However, while incapacitated by another one of her elaborate daydreams, Bocchi is dragged onto the train, and off they go to Enoshima.
Train to Some Fun
On the train to Enoshima, Kita and the other band members get to talking about school when seeing how dire Bocchi’s situation is regarding the beginning of the new school year looming over them at the end of the summer break. Kita assumes that Ryō and Nijika are smart because they attend the prestigious Shimo-Kitazawa High School, but Nijika’s grades are average, and to Kita’s shock and dismay, Ryō is not just a student at the bottom of the academic pecking order – she’s so stupid that her brain literally rattles in her skull when her head is shaken. Throughout the entire train ride, Bocchi’s dread-induced daze continues to incapacitate her. Her friends mull over why Bocchi is isolated at school despite being so interesting and fun to be around. Kita tells them that she intends to talk to Bocchi at school when the new school year starts, and they agree with the suggestion, adding that it is imperative that she do so because at this rate, Bocchi’s only dream is to drop out of school. Soon after, they arrive at their destination.
For a while after their arrival, Bocchi’s dazed state continues, and she has no awareness of their location. She finally wakes up when they get a glimpse of the sea. The beauty of the landscape serves as the key to bring Bocchi back to reality; however, she is soon overstimulated again when some gregarious young men who work at a nearby restaurant attempt to get them to check it out. The “paripi” (Japanese colloquial portmanteau of “party people”) are such a shock to Bocchi’s system that she flattens out like a sheet of paper, and waves in the wind like a sail draped over Nijika’s shoulder as they run away. At Ryō’s suggestion, they stop at a stall that serves some strangely animated takosen; takoyaki that has apparently been flattened with “a ton of force”. Kita whips out her selfie stick to take a cute group photo of herself and her friends, citing that the takosen is big and cute, and therefore, photogenic. Bocchi is driven to tears by her friends’ attempt to take her somewhere, and it is safe to say it is exactly the kind of summer holiday she needed.
Stairway to Heaven
As they continue their exploration of Enoshima, Kita encourages the group to climb a huge flight of stairs to a temple and other attractions in the area. She clears the stairway easily, but for the other Kessoku Band members, fitness is clearly a bit of a problem. However, soon after starting the great trek, they come across escalators that can carry them up the rest of the way to the observation deck at the peak of the mountain. The escalator costs money to ride, so Ryō attempts to barter several bass guitars in order to get in. Bocchi ends up paying the fare for Ryō as well, later reconfirming that she will be repaid; however, Ryō is unfortunately not the most reliable person when it comes to paying back money that is owed, so Nijika assures Bocchi that she’ll take the amount from Ryō’s upcoming wages. Once at the top, the group briefly chats about how great the view is, and how wasteful it was of them to take the escalator up in exchange for the beautiful views they could have seen. Regardless, the top is still beautiful, and the girls take a fun group selfie before rushing off to the observatory deck to avoid witnessing any further flirting between a couple standing not too far away.
Once at the observatory, they are able to see Enoshima from a bird’s eye view. The profound beauty of the scenery prompts Ryō to quote an excerpt from the story of the Tower of Babel. The running gag in this observatory deck arc of the episode is how disinterested the other Kessoku Band members are in the scenery Kita is so excited to see, and Ryō’s Tower of Babel soliloquy draws further attention from the beauty surrounding them. Quickly satisfied and taking in very little, the band heads out to get ice cream, leading to Bocchi being attacked by Enoshima’s kites, which are notorious for stealing food from the hands of unsuspecting tourists and sightseers. The situation leads to Bocchi The Rock! making yet another reference to other anime titles, with the death of Yamcha from the Dragon Ball franchise being the Easter Egg this time around.
Benten
After Nijika drives the kites away, Kita carries the lifeless Bocchi and suggests that the last thing they do in Enoshima before heading home is to do a quick shrine visit. The shrine there is one dedicated to Myō-on-Benzaiten; known most commonly in Japanese Shinto mythology as “Benten”, the patron goddess of music and the performing arts who is directly inspired by the Hindu goddess of the aforementioned, the Tridevi, Saraswati. Benten also bears a connection to bodies of water, dragons and snakes. Kita had always thought about coming to Enoshima with the band, so they can wish for Kessoku Band’s success. After making their wishes, the group prepares to head back home to mark a great final day of the summer. In the train on the way home, Ryō and Nijika pass out rather quickly, leaving Kita and Bocchi some time to chat.
Bocchi thanks Kita for inviting her out, and tells her how much fun she had, indicating that Bocchi and Kita have developed their relationship a little further. For Kita, Bocchi’s good mood after the trip is the positivity she was hoping for from her socially anxious friend. Bocchi feels like she can tackle the school year and face it with her head held high, at least until the morning demands it of her. At school, Kita is seen meeting up with some of her nameless friends when she passes by a poster for the upcoming Shuka Festival, calling for performers to apply to perform on stage during the event the following month in October. It seems like Kessoku Band will be performing again very, very soon.
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