Bocchi the Rock Ch. 89 + 90 Review- Crashing Out

Written by Rei Caldombra 8/23/25 Previous Chapter: Bocchi the Rock Ch. 88 Review - Kita Ballin’! — Blog Under a Log

We have a double feature today, chapters 89 and 90 of the Bocchi the Rock Manga, with the best thing I could come up with that a character can go through something that could remotely be called a crash out. We have two chapters, one focusing on a silly adventure and another recounting the value of encouragement and the bond between creator and fan. One of these chapters I think is just okay and one I like a lot.

Chapter 89 features a ridiculous driving trip with Nijika, Ryo and Ohtsugi that amounted to little more than a funny story to be told in the future. Ryo has pretty much made Nijika be her personal chauffeur. In previous chapters we focused on Nijika and Ryo aiming to get their drivers licenses, with Nijika succeeding and Ryo dropping out because she couldn’t handle it. Ryo being unhelpful is a trend that continues into this chapter. Ryo wants Nijika to take her to an instrument store to get another rare guitar, and Ohtsugi tags along to give Nijika driving advice. It seems that absolutely no one has any confidence in her driving abilities, including her sister and Ryo who both cover the van in inexperienced driver stickers. Out of the main cast she is the one I’d trust on the road the most. She’s not perfect but she does not have crippling anxiety like Bocchi or Ryo like Ryo. I don’t think we have much reason to believe Kita wouldn’t be able to drive, but I still give more props to Nijika. When it comes to the tertiary characters, Kikuri can drive well when she is not drunk (she does not drink and drive fyi, as much as this series makes Kikuri likeable and competent despite being an actual alcoholic they wouldn’t go as far as to let her do that) which they call back to in this chapter. And Ohtsugi despite being experienced is apparently not a great driver considering the beat-up car we saw previously is actually new, rather than an old beat-up car she got for cheap. And as we go through this chapter, we see that Nijika certainly can do it, but not especially well. So maybe Kita will end up being the good driver of the group or we’ll get a twist that Bocchi can lock in when she gets into the car. At least Otsugi came prepared, bringing things like chargers and snacks that Ryo devours as the starving musician gremlin she continues to be. One more note on her is that Sideros got to be on the radio recently for an interview, with Nijika noting that they are currently working towards making that happen too but worries about her and Kita’s ability to have entertaining things to say (considering Bocchi and Ryo aren’t exactly talkers). Nijika will get her interesting story by the end of this. Moving on, we get our conflict for the chapter, which is that Ryo needs to go to the bathroom despite saying she didn’t need to at the previous stop. Anyone looking to have kids in the future, this is something you will inevitably experience. I certainly have a memory or two or putting my parents through this as a kid. Ryo gets some well-deserved divine retribution for her money borrowing scams while she suffers in the car. They do make it there, with Ryo seemingly having an epiphany towards changing her ways. But nope, she is still the same old Ryo borrowing money instead of taking from her guitar budget. But again, divine retribution slams down on her as she not only doesn’t get the guitar she came for, but this story can still serve as funny talking material at her expense. I consider Ryo’s suffering and the difficult driving in this chapter to fall tangentially enough under crashing out. I think this chapter is kinda just okay honestly. The only notable thing to me is that it reveals that they will go on a radio show. There are some funny moments, but I can’t imagine myself remembering it or revisiting it later. It focuses a lot of Ryo’s behavior, which has been very well established at this point to the point that this doesn’t really add anything.

Now onto Chapter 90, which focused on Fan 1 and Fan 2 and fandom culture. I still think it’s hilarious that these two are officially known as Fan 1 and Fan 2. I hope we don’t get their real names, it's much funnier this way. Now onto the real crash out of this batch, Fan 2 is becoming a bit of a toxic fan. She doesn’t like how “tourists” or people akin to “filthy casuals” are flocking to Kessoku Band thanks to their recent successes. She talks about how they don’t know the names of the songs, don’t actually go to any concerts and only listen to the mainstream songs like things that get used as background music in short videos. After her tirade, she starts to realize that maybe she has fallen to the dark side of the fandom and become a villain. A fan who gatekeeps, acts like they are above other fans, spends more time criticizing people than cheering for the band, and acts like they have a position in the band just because they’ve been around longer. She gets called cringe after leaving a comment correcting a newer fan and realizes she needs to change. This prompts her and Fan 1 to go on a nostalgic journey revisiting notable locations for them and Kessoku Band to purify her corrupted soul as a fan so she doesn’t have to leave the fandom. This is my favorite part of these two chapters, as it is nice to get a bit more on their perspective of these events and look back on some earlier moments of growth for the band.

Fan 1 and 2 have been Bocchi’s fans since the street performance she did with Kikuri to help her sell tickets to Kessoku Band’s first live show, that’s them in the middle in the Yukatas. The presence of these two here has always been super memorable for me because of the encouragement “You can do it!” that Fan 2 shouts at Bocchi when she could tell she was nervous. You feel the sudden emotion in her words in the voice acting for the anime, it gets me emotional every time I revisit this scene. In this chapter they talk about how Bocchi has given them courage, but that only became possible because Fan 2 encouraged Bocchi into locking in and putting on a good performance. After the performance, they both get tickets for the live show and become the first legit fans of Bocchi and Kessoku Band.

It’s super sweet that Fan 1 and 2 have both been holding on to their tickets for Kessoku Band’s first live show. And apparently it actually works like a magical talisman or charm as it can even make body pain go away! It could be an extreme case of placebo, but I don’t think that’s the only possibility. I’m pretty sure this is actually not the first time an object related to Bocchi has shown to have magical properties in this series, but I can’t find the proof of that right now. If you remember definitely share! But it really is heartwarming that the bravery they saw from Bocchi has had a real impact on them, making them feel more courageous. This is another example of how Bocchi has a positive impact on the people around her, even if she doesn’t think her actions can do that. She is much better now and has more self-respect and self-awareness, but even during that street performance way back then she was able to inspire someone.

They are happy looking back at their memories, but Fan 2 is still crashing out over her identity as a fan. She thinks she has become a nuisance both to Kessoku Band and the community, with everyone better off with her gone. But it turns out that at some point during their nostalgia trip Fan 2 dropped her ticket. She was considering getting rid of her ticket in this moment of extreme self-pity, but she can’t bring herself to let the ticket go in that fashion. And because it could curse them if it really is a magical talisman. They return to Starry to look for it, with Kessoku Band showing up just in time for Fan 2 to give up. Fan 1 and 2 still have a special place in Kessoku Band’s hearts. It’s perfect that Bocchi is the one to return the lost ticket and inform them that they are the first ones she thinks of when she finishes a new song, hoping that they will continue to like them. This comes back to the reciprocal nature of support. Bocchi gets to hand over the ticket again, with both sides acknowledging how they encourage each other. And now Fan 1 and 2 have officially been offered volunteer work with the band, which they happily accept. We also get some more Fan 2 lore, she is an art student living with her rich parents so she can afford to support Kessoku Band with everything she has. I’m a big fan of this chapter! The sentiment is very sweet, and I am glad that Fan 1 and 2 will continue to be relevant even as the band gets more famous. They may be minor but their impact has not been at all. I genuinely do like them a lot and hope to see more of them. Thanks for reading!

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Discussing my thoughts on season 2 of the anime: Bocchi the Rock S2! - Discussion and Predictions — Blog Under a Log

The previous car-focused chapter: Bocchi the Rock Ch. 84 + 85 - Interviews and Cars — Blog Under a Log