Bocchi the Rock Ch. 91 Review - In Stores Now!
Written by Rei Caldombra 10/17/25 Previous Chapter: Bocchi the Rock Ch. 89 + 90 Review- Crashing Out — Blog Under a Log
We’re back with Bocchi the Rock’s manga! This time the gang goes to a famous music store to work on promotions for their mini album releasing that day. We learn a bit more about what goes on in the background for music stores and musicians as Kessoku Band continues their path on being professional musicians. With Nijika being the main character of this chapter. Reminder that these are just my opinions and interpretations.
The gang is supposed to go incognito to avoid being recognized. Nijika does it to a casual degree, just sticking to a hat. Normally this would be successful at a more middle ground level of hiding yourself, but it distinctly does not hide her dorito so it fails as a costume in my eyes. I absolutely love that her dorito just floats in the air above her hat. I don’t think we know for sure whether the magical nature of it we see is matched in-universe, but I consider her dorito actually working that like my headcannon since we know for a fact that Bocchi’s crazy freakouts where she pops or turns to dust actually happen.
Also speaking of Nijika with a hat- Every time I see her wearing one, I can’t help but think of Lucy from Zenless Zone Zero. They are both blondes with red eyes who usually where their hair in a ponytail along with having 2 long bangs on the side and covering their forehead.
Kita and Ryo take incognito mode to the extreme, donning the stereotypical black hat, sunglasses and face mask combo. You see this a lot in Japanese media, often associated with someone hiding their identity and/or being a super introvert. But this can go so far that it ends up bringing attention to yourself. Bocchi does not hide herself at all, as she WANTS to be noticed as Hitori Gotoh of Kessoku Band. Her desire for recognition trumps her instructions. But in line with Bocchi the Rock’s usual comedy, this does not end up mattering as she naturally fades into the background.
The gang goes inside and meets with Kaneko, the sales floor manager of Chika Records. Considering this is a famous location in Shibuya, this is very likely a substitute for Tower Records. Assuming this is correct, I've been to this location! I bought the CD of Kessoku Band’s Kirara Tribute Collection there. I highly recommend going if you take a visit to Shibuya, there have a decent amount of anime and manga related things amongst the proper music merchandise.
Kaneki is a fan of Kessoku Band and put a lot of effort into the display for their album. I’m not a frequent shopper at music stores but the display they show here looks like what I have seen often in bookstores as well. Everyone has their own reaction to seeing their album in an official store. In particular, this new expression from Nijika is incredible.
My friend said this felt like a Mineta face from My Hero Academia. He’s right, but I couldn’t find a good reference. I also want to point out Nijika’s Born To Die Shirt that she wears in this chapter being the inverse colors of Seika’s Born To Die shirt from the Offering Flowers of Love to the Stars story (reminder that that’s one of the things in the manga and very important to the Ijichi sisters, you should read it if you haven’t. If Season 2 gives us an extended scene or an OVA or something along those lines for Offering Flowers of Love to the Stars I will cry). I guess they both felt like they were born to die. Which I thought was funny to say until I thought about how that story features their mom dying. But I’m guessing either Seika got multiple Born to Die shirts and handed down at least one to Nijika or Nijika got into the band too once her interest in music bloomed. I’ll take any sweet tidbit about these sisters I can get. They are one of my favorite sets of siblings.
Nijika isn’t unhappy about the display, she just had a lot of emotions come out upon seeing it and didn’t know how to express it. She says that she wasn’t quite ready to feel happy about it. I interpret this as Nijika initially putting off the acceptance that they have made it this far, and has been stopping herself from being as happy about it as she should. This is something I have felt myself, thinking that it’s “too early” to let yourself be happy. I wouldn’t call it a particularly healthy habit but is understandable and maybe beneficial in some situations to avoid getting genuinely ahead of yourself. I imagine it must be an intense emotional moment to see your own merchandise inside a popular store for the first time. It’s also really sweet that Nijika immediately wants to send a picture to Seika. I’m confident Seika is going to cry too once she sees it. Ryo we know for a fact is crying though, throwing her sunglasses back on while inside to try to hide it.
The band then does some drawings and signatures as part of the decorations for the display. Kita draws a cute and upbeat drawing like the seasoned social media veteran she is, while Bocchi’s drawing is a bit scary looking thanks to her style of thick dark lines. Sorry Bocchi but I honestly cannot tell that that’s Ryo. She properly captured Kita’s energy though at least.
Now we get into the most interesting part of this chapter for me. The staff member talks about how important the displays are both for sales and for the employees. She says that she got promoted from part-time to full-time thanks to the quality of her displays. Apparently very good displays do have a notable impact on sales and can even improve the career of the staff member who created them by them getting recognition and further use in other stores. I hope what the staff member said is a real thing. I’ve never thought that deeply about store displays in this vein as personalized. It’s always cool to learn more sides of things that you don’t know about. It also makes sense that someone behind the scenes may be putting some real passion into displays, either out of a worker’s pride or wanting to support the item.
I think part of Nijika’s weird reaction earlier also comes down to her fear that it isn’t selling. Seeing the stand fully stocked may have given her the immediate reactions to be sad. Nijika has a moment of negativity, contemplating how she hasn’t seen any fans while they’ve been in there and may not be selling. But thankfully, two fans come in and excitedly go to take pictures and buy the album. Bocchi has a fantasy of them geeking out over her, but the reality is that she doesn’t get noticed even as she is standing right by an album with her on it while wearing her guitar case. I would like to note that apparently Bocchi imaged saying to them to “get physical” so if I am understanding this correctly this could be another point for the people who believe in Bocchi genuinely being gay. Which is fair, though you could also interpret it as another instance of her delusions fitting into the stereotypes of rockers. Which is of a male rocker having adoring female fans who want to get with them. I support both interpretations personally and don’t think we will get a firm answer either way.
For most people who create things, the greatest joy you can get is seeing your creation bring joy to others. That’s how I feel at least. Seeing people leave comments about enjoying something I made really does mean the world. Not to pressure anyone though! Any support, even if not vocal, means a lot!
Overjoyed at the sight of fans excitedly buying their album, Nijika has an out of character moment and exposes herself to thank them for buying the album. Nijika is the most strait-laced member of the band, who you normally wouldn’t expect to go against what she is supposed to do. But I cannot blame someone for being so happy at seeing support right in front of them that they have to express their gratitude. Nijika has been fairly pessimistic about the band in recent time, having trouble fully accepting that the band is doing very well. She even went to another album store earlier that day and didn’t see her album, thinking they didn’t even bother to stock it. This is a sentiment I can understand as someone who has lived most of his life with negative self-talk and low self-esteem. In the past I even convinced myself that actively hoping for something made it less likely to happen. Nijika could have something along those lines in her. Which is why when she sees firsthand that people want their album, she can’t help but finally let herself be truly happy. Which is very heartwarming. Also, Bocchi brings up a good point that they should never doubt having fans because they personally know multiple of their superfans like Fan 1 and 2. Speaking of Fan 2, apparently she found out about this and snuck herself into the official photo for social media like a ghost. It’s a good photo otherwise, showing off everyone’s personalities and Nijika in particular looking especially good. This chapter wraps up good with this making it clear that she is better accepting their success. Even if she and the others get knocked down a peg immediately after this when they see that Sideros’ album display is way bigger than theirs.
The squad lookin’ cute af.
I also want to note the sweet moment of Ryo and Bocchi both cutting Nijika some slack as they recognize she would only break protocol if she was truly happy.
This was a very nice chapter that is exactly what I’m looking for from an instance of Bocchi the Rock! We got progression for the band, light character focus on one of the members, good comedy, and wholesome moments too.
Reminder to support the official releases! I hope one day we can get officially translated chapter by chapter releases from Kirara series either on Comic Fuz or another service intended for international audiences. Please don’t let reading fan translations keep you from buying the volumes when they come out if you are reading them. Seeing international sales helps them be more willing to invest further in the overseas market. Thanks for reading!
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