Anime Staff Wanted More Changes in Bocchi the Rock, but Author Refused

Due to all the controversy surrounding Bocchi the Rock, an interview that Erika Yoshida gave to Shonen Jump Plus last year has resurfaced, where she talked about the changes she made in the Bocchi the Rock anime compared to the manga.

Below you can read excerpts from this interview, but before that I want to highlight something she mentioned: it seems the anime production staff wanted to change even more scenes from the manga, but the author didn’t allow it.

Anime Staff Wanted More Changes in Bocchi the Rock, but Author Refused

In this excerpt, Erika Yoshida mentions that there is an interaction between Bocchi and Nijika that works in the manga but not in the anime, so she had to add lines for Nijika:

“It’s this kind of dialogue adjustment that helps preserve the message and atmosphere of the original. In the end, it’s almost like ‘translating’ the manga’s expression into audiovisual form. The manga has its own resources — like serialization and the 4-koma structure — that don’t work the same way in anime. Sometimes what happens in the manga in the order A→B→C, in anime needs to become C→A→B to flow better on screen.”

Erika Yoshida also confirmed that the original author participated in the script meetings:

“In the case of Bocchi the Rock!, the fact that the original author, Aki Hamaji, always took part in the script meetings helped a lot. It was possible to discuss directly, but of course there were limits: when we proposed changes, sometimes she said, ‘this absolutely cannot be altered.’ In those cases, I would talk with the directing team, and we looked for other solutions to preserve the spirit of the work. This teamwork and division of roles is an essential part of audiovisual production.”

This excerpt is interesting for two reasons: first, it confirms that the author of Bocchi actively participated in building the anime; and second, that the staff wanted to change even more scenes compared to the manga.

We now have confirmation that the author put her foot down on certain changes but accepted others. In another part, Erika Yoshida says that when she proposes story changes to the original author, she explains them in detail so that most authors end up agreeing:

“That’s why, when I propose changes, I make sure to explain the intention. With proper explanation, many times the author not only accepts but even suggests new ideas.

As a scriptwriter, I believe it’s a natural process: trying to reflect the worldview and flavor of the original as much as possible within the anime.”*

Erika also stated in this interview that she always tries to stay in close contact with original authors to avoid unpleasant situations.

So, what do we take away from this interview?

• The anime staff wanted more changes, but Bocchi’s author refused in some cases.

• Bocchi’s author was convinced by the changes that were made and approved them.

• Erika Yoshida was very clear and detailed when proposing alterations to the author.

You can read or translate the full interview here.