The following contains spoilers for Bocchi the Rock! Episode 2, "See You Tomorrow", now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Bocchi The Rock!'s second episode subtly explores the depth of loneliness and anxiety Hitori Gotou experienced in her youth. While the series depicts this in an almost cringe-worthy comedic fashion similar to the way No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys' Fault I’m Not Popular! WataMote portrays loneliness and anxiety, many viewers may actually be able to truly relate to these moments and thoughts that Hitori has been through.
While Hitori gets to know her fellow bandmates Nijika Ijichi and Ryo Yamada, she outwardly expresses many of the awful experiences and thoughts that she had throughout her childhood so far. This is interesting to note because as anxious as Hitori is, her positive social qualities also show despite how lowly she thinks of herself. She's honest and open to both Nijika and Ryo when she highlights these sad childhood moments of hers. Here are the key moments that showcase just how lonely and anxious Hitori Gotou is.
Hitori Gotou Heads To The Club
Episode 2 begins with Hitori heading down to the club and expressing that her key motivation for going there is that it made her happy that she received a message from someone who wasn't a relative. The reason Hitori is happy to receive a text message from someone that isn't part of her family is because this is one of the first signs of acceptance into her society that she's received in her life so far. This is the closest she's ever been to having real friends.
She then worries about what people will think of her before entering the club and expresses that she wishes that she had someone to go in with. The spotlight effect is part of her anxiety, and what's been troubling her in the previous school years. However, it really isn't so much that she's worried about what people will think of her, but that she's ashamed of being a loner. To Hitori, being a loner means that she's an unwanted loser in her society -- an outcast. Hitori's low self-esteem is understandable as she's never had friends before and because of this she feels rejected by society. Hitori finding value in herself when it feels like no one values her can be difficult in childhood.
Hitori, Ryo, and Nijika Initiate Group Discussion
Luckily Ryo and Nijika show up to help Hitori inside the club where they begin their group activities, and learn more about each other. Thus begins Hitori's sporadic listing of her anxieties and experiences of loneliness that many people who struggle with social anxiety may be able to relate to. The group's first topic of discussion is talking about school. Hitori starts off by saying that she purposely chose a high school where nobody would know her past. This unfortunately causes her to have a 2-hour commute both ways.
Hitori then tells the group that she's always been alone in school and doesn't have any fun moments. Nijika comforts Hitori saying that Ryo doesn't have any friends either. This is where Hitori learns the difference between loneliness and being a loner. Ryo is genuinely content and comfortable being by herself, this is possibly due to her high self-esteem, although not expressively shown. It's said by Nijika later on that Ryo comes from a wealthy family, and this could definitely contribute to how she sees herself.
The next topic the group discusses is "our favorite music." Hitori expresses that she likes any songs that don't trigger her "seishun complex". A seishun complex is the anxieties that one has about their own youth. For instance, the teenage years used to be generally thought of as being the best parts of someone's life, such as enjoying times with friends at school life with clubs, parties, romantic relationships, or seeing the fireworks during a festival with others. When Hitori says she likes songs that don't trigger her seishun complex, it means she doesn't like songs that remind her of the positive and fun social lives that many people have -- and she doesn't. Naturally, she prefers darker songs that express sadness and the opposite of having a good life.
Hitori Has Had An Awfully Lonely School Life Thus Far
Hitori also briefly mentions that she spent the past nine years of her school lunch breaks in libraries. This is a brutally realistic loner experience that many people in their childhood school years might have been through. Having no friends, while the lunch break is an hour long, while others are enjoying themselves grouped up together.
Throughout the rest of the episode, Hitori runs through other sadly relatable things that loners in their youth may be able to relate to. Such as having imaginary friends, the idea of having a job, especially in customer service, being one of the scariest things, giving up on all chances of having a romantic partner, being too afraid to say no, and also showing excessive appreciation towards those who show care and friendliness.
All of this is a result of Hitori's lack of a social life and not having people to truly connect with. While it could be largely Hitori's fault that she hasn't initiated conversations with others in the past, it's hard to blame her as teenage group dynamics are often about cliques, which makes it hard for a person to be accepted into the group. However, Hitori has finally found the right people that accepted her and chose her to be part of their group. They're all weird in their own way, as Bocchi The Rock! perfectly shows that no one is perfect. Hitori with her overly worrying and analyzing situations, Ryo and her oddly high self-esteem yet not in the sort of typical way that is usually depicted, and the friendly Nijika who is just an absolute accepting and carefree joy to be around. Together the three connect perfectly along with their love of music.