Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Max magazine just announced that Bocchi the Rock! will return in its upcoming issue. The four-panel manga had been on hold so creator Aki Hamaji could focus on recovering from an unspecified health condition.
Hamaji personally shared that she’d been dealing with health issues for several months, but wanted to clarify it was purely physical—not related to mental health. Interestingly, the magazine had actually planned to bring the series back this month before confirming this latest update.
Yen Press, who handles the English release, describes the story like this:
Bocchi finally takes the stage in English, and she’s brought her best friend—crippling anxiety! Hitori Goto just wants to make friends, but the thought of talking to strangers leaves her so nervous she’s spent middle school teaching herself guitar through anonymous (but impressive) YouTube covers. Hoping to seem cool enough for someone to approach her, she brings her guitar to school…only to get zero interest. Just as she’s ready to give up, Nijika Ijichi spots her moping on a playground and begs her to fill in for her band’s flaky guitarist at their first live show. It’s like a dream come true…but can this extreme introvert actually handle performing for real people?
Hamaji first launched Bocchi the Rock! in Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Max back in December 2017, and it’s been chugging along ever since. Houbunsha released the eighth compiled volume on November 27, while Yen Press put out their seventh volume on November 11.
Source: Manga Time Kirara Max
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