Bocchi the Rock has beaten Chainsaw Man in popularity in an online ranking of currently airing anime.
Anime Senpai reported on the MyAnimeList popularity rankings for currently airing anime. For quite some time, Bleach's current arc and Chainsaw Man were in competition for the top spot. However, Bocchi the Rock beat out Chainsaw Man for the second-place spot by a 0.01-point difference. At the time of writing, Bocchi has now risen just a bit further with a score of 8.85. Since MAL is a popular website for anime fans to log their watching habits, the rankings are an accurate illustration of current trends.
By the time MAPPA announced their adaptation of Chainsaw Man, the manga was already very popular. The production studio MAPPA is behind other huge hits like Attack on Titan's final season and Jujutsu Kaisen, so fans highly anticipated their next anime adaptation. On the other hand, Bocchi was more obscure, especially among Western audiences.
Anime Fans Expressed Their Surprise
In terms of content, the two series are extremely different. Chainsaw Man is an ultra-violent shonen series, while Bocchi the Rock is a light-hearted slice of life anime about girls in a rock band. Action-driven shonen series, like Bleach, tend to dominate online rankings, so it was no surprise when Chainsaw Man exploded in popularity. A comedic, cute anime that's light on the plot was shocking for fans to see rated so high. Japanese social media users expressed surprise at the ratings and commented that "it wouldn't be something you see more than once."
Anime at the Opposite Ends of the Genre Spectrum
Chainsaw Man follows the protagonist Denji, a young man who makes a contract with a devil and gains the ability to turn his body parts into chainsaws. He takes on a superhero-like persona and joins an agency of devil hunters with the mission to protect Japan from demonic harm. The series is dark and violent but balances the grim parts with plenty of humor. Fans and critics alike have praised the manga due to its characters and world-building.
Bocchi the Rock stars a girl named Hitori "Bocchi" Goto, who is introverted and socially awkward. However, she's skilled in playing guitar and passionate about music. Another girl named Nijika convinces her to join a band, and despite the group’s first performance going poorly, they remain determined. The series follows the girls in a slice-of-life format.
Both series are currently airing and licensed by Crunchyroll.
Source: Anime Senpai