"A Lonely Life in XX" is a four-panel manga currently being serialized in Dengeki Comics NEXT. It was written by Katsuwo, who is also known for "Mitsuboshi Colors." It's been decided that an anime adaptation of the same title will be released in 2019, and the work is currently garnering a lot of attention. The protagonist, Ichiri Bocchi (Hitori Bocchi), is extremely shy and only made one friend in elementary school, Yahara Kai (Yawaraka Kai). The two become separated when they graduate from elementary school. So, Kai and Ichiri make a promise: "If he doesn't make friends with everyone in his class by the time he graduates from middle school, they'll break up." Will Ichiri be able to make friends when he enters middle school? Today, we'll be introducing some relatable scenes from "A Lonely Life in XX" that are unique to "Bocchi," and ranking them in our own way.
10th Place: Tends to Behave Strangely
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Ichiri Bocchi is a prime example of a "loner." It seems that loners tend to behave strangely in a variety of situations. Before speaking to someone she doesn't know, she flaps her hands as a relaxation exercise, and has even been seen flapping her hands as she jumps over hurdles while approaching the person. Another time, she brought yogurt from home and suddenly greeted her friend Sunao Nako with "Good morning, yogurt" just to make her smile. These are common scenes where, precisely because she is a "loner," she comes up with all sorts of secretive behaviors.
9th Place: Lots of Unfamiliar Places
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
When Ichiri Bocchi goes to karaoke for the first time, he doesn't understand the drink bar system and chooses to drink water instead of juice, fearing it would be sad if the bar went out of business. Furthermore, when he went to take a Purikura photo, he didn't really understand the setting and was simply moved. Furthermore, Bocchi, who only had one friend in elementary school, was troubled when he didn't know how to pray at a shrine during the New Year's visit. If you're often a loner, you're likely to get into trouble when you go to karaoke or an arcade with friends because you don't know how to use the facilities. This is a scene we can all relate to.
No. 8: Researching How to Make Friends
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Shortly after Ichiri Bocchi became friends with his classmate, Sunao Nako, who sits across from him, Bocchi was engrossed in a book titled "How to Make Friends" in his room late at night. It said things like, "If you share your worries, there's no way you can't become closer," and Bocchi smiles and says, "Now I can become closer to Nako-chan...!" as he acts somewhat confident, alone in his room. This scene, in which he researches ways to make friends in order to escape being a loner, is one that any loner can relate to.
No. 7: Unusual Thought Process
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Ichiri Bocchi was telling her classmate, Inakane Mari, that she wanted to be friends with everyone in the class. Mari responded, "That's even harder than correcting your dialect." The reason? She explained that there was a student in the class who wasn't attending school. So he decides to ask Minagawa Rau, who has been friends with Nunofuji Kaoru, a classmate who is currently not attending school, since elementary school. Rau says that she still occasionally stops by Kaoru's house on her way to deliver school supplies, out of concern for her. Hearing this, Bocchi makes the outlandish remark, "Mina-chan is so kind... I wonder if she'll come and see me if I refuse to go to school too."
6th Place: Greeting Practice, Then a Failure
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Ichiri Bocchi has just entered junior high school. On his first day, he approaches Sunao Nako, the girl sitting in front of him. However, due to extreme nervousness, he suddenly starts behaving in mysterious ways, such as plunging his head into his desk or running off to buy a drink. Bocchi is dejected at having failed on his first day, but on the way home that day, he manages to become friends with Nako. The next day, Bocchi, who only had one friend in elementary school and doesn't seem very used to friends, is practicing saying "good morning" on his way to the classroom. When he sees Nako, he heads over to greet her "cheerfully," but when it comes time to say it, he bows his head too vigorously and ends up headbutting Nako. When Nako asks him "What are you doing?" Bocchi replies, "I was just trying to greet you cheerfully..." After that, Nako says, "I see... good morning Bocchi," and Bocchi happily bows again with all his might, saying, "Oh, good morning Nako-chan," and the two end up bumping heads again. This is a typical Bocchi scene, where he practices greetings and then fails again.
5th Place: Not Good at Speaking
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
One day in the classroom, Ichiri Bocchi, wanting to ask Sunao Nako for her email address, appears to have written something on a cue card. Botchi begins to read the cue card monotonously, "Nako-chan is always playing with her phone..." When Botchi asks, "What are you... doing!?" Nako answers, "Games." Botchi then, searching for his cue card, impatiently asks, "Gaming isn't an option, so can I skip it?" Botchi then begins crying, saying, "I, I don't use my phone much because I don't have any friends..." Nako, realizing that Botchi wants to exchange email addresses, replies, "I'm your friend, right?" and prompts, "So?" But again, Botchi replies, "I, that's not an option, so we can skip it..." This scene, which shows how being a "loner" makes it difficult to speak to others and therefore speechless, and how flustered he becomes when the other person says something he didn't expect, is surely one that only a "loner" can empathize with.
4th Place: Chewing Too Much
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Lonely people often stumble over their words because they have fewer opportunities to communicate. Ichiri Bocchi often stumble over their words even when greeting, which is the very beginning of a conversation. When he bumped into Inagane Mari, a classmate he had never spoken to before, Bocchi tried to greet her cheerfully, but it didn't go well and he ended up saying "Oh, oh, hello!"
3rd Place: Sensitive to Conversations Breaking
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Ichiri Bocchi had a dream in which his classmate, Kurieda Kinsho, told him, "You never seem to be able to keep a conversation going when you're with Ichiri-san, do you?" While Bocchi believed Kinsho would never say something like that, he became worried that the conversation might not continue. So he decides he needs to be able to tell interesting stories, and immediately searches the internet for "interesting stories." Furthermore, before talking to Kinsho, he asks his good friend Sunao Nako to listen to some interesting stories and practices. However, although Bocchi has memorized several interesting stories, he seems to realize that he can't use any of them. Bocchi seems flustered, but after receiving advice from Honjo Aru that "stories about appearing in a dream usually leave a good impression," he goes to tell Kinsho about his dream. It's a relatable scene, as he worries that the conversation won't last.
No. 2: Searching for something as soon as it comes up
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
One day, Ichiri Bocchi made Sunao Nako angry. Having only had one friend in elementary school, Bocchi seemed unaccustomed to such situations. He knew he had to apologize, but he panicked, worrying about what to do. So, on a whim, he looks up how to apologize on his phone. However, when it says "dress modestly, bring a box of sweets, and apologize sincerely," he doesn't know what "modest clothing" means, and seems to be worried about whether he should wear his gym clothes. "Loners" who are not used to trouble in relationships often turn to the internet, so they will search for something to solve the problem. This is a typical "loner" scene.
No. 1: Asking Questions
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Ichiri Bocchi fears not being able to keep a conversation going or being seen as boring. One day, in a dream, his classmate, Kurieda Isho, says to him, "You never seem to be able to keep a conversation going when you're with Ichiri-san, do you?" Bocchi becomes worried that his dream might come true. He seems to be planning countermeasures, such as searching the internet for "interesting stories," but he still seems anxious. However, he and Isho manage to close the gap a little by talking about their dreams. The day after that, Bocchi, who usually has casual conversations with Sunao Nako, feels that she might find their conversation boring, so he bombards her with questions like, "What's your favorite bread?" and "What's your favorite rice?" Bocchi's barrage of questions, which he finds difficult to converse with, is a scene that any "Bocchi" who doesn't often converse can relate to.
A compilation of scenes that are uniquely Bocchi-like!
Source: A Lonely Life ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION
What did you think? This time, we've picked out some relatable scenes from "A Lonely Life" that are unique to the "loner" lifestyle, and ranked them in our own way. While the world is becoming more accepting of "solo people," we believe there are many people who don't choose to be alone. In this situation, you may empathize with the words and actions of Ichiri Bocchi, who could be said to be the epitome of a loner, and at times even find them inspiring. Please pay attention to the fact that he is a loner. Thank you for reading to the end.
