WEBVTT

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- [Isaiah] It's Isaiah
Colbert, the otaku of Kotaku.

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The year 2022 has blessed us

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with plenty of anime's most
meme-worthy characters.

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Take "Chainsaw Man's" Kobeni,
(scene whooshing)

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"G Witch's" Suletta,
(scene whooshing)

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and "Mob Psycho 100" season
three's Reigan Arataka

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to name a few.

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Although some would crown

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"Spy X Family's" peanut-loving
telepath, Anya Forger,

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as 2022'S meme queen,

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there is another unsung
pink-haired hero to rule them all.

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"Bocchi The Rock's" Hitori Gotoh.

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(Hitori speaking in Japanese)

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Much like the cute girls

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do cute things in music anime "K-On!"

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"Bocchi, The Rock!" follows
a group of high schoolers

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as they form their own after-school band.

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However, our titular
character, Hitori Bocchi Gotoh,

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carries a heavy cross.

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She's got severe social anxiety.

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Like, I'm talking will
curl up in a ball and die

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if she's ever put into a social situation

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type of debilitating social anxiety.

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The anime sometimes pulls the
deepest anime reference pulls

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to illustrate Bocchi's social awkwardness

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and many of Hitori's freak out moments

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push the barriers of how
far the anime medium can go

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to show us exactly what it's like

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to be a terrified little bean.

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Look no further than this
scene in episode four,

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where Hitori is confronted
with the reality

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that her friends want to
take pictures with her.

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(static crackling)

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(Hitori screaming)

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(Hitori's friend speaking Japanese)

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That scream isn't digitally
edited, by the way.

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Her Japanese voice
actress, Yoshino Aoyama,

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really did that with her human voice.

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But anxiety be damned

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because this girl can shred on a guitar.

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She might be a puddle of depression

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and angst rolled into a limp
noodle rocker girl's body,

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But Bocchi truly makes earnest steps

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towards becoming more
confident in her abilities

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and worth as the show goes on.

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Like a basketball team
pulling off a comeback

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40 points down in the fourth quarter,

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Bocchi's anime fail woman antics

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and meme-worthy freakouts

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snatched the meme queen crown

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from "Spy X Family's" little orphan Anya.

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Do you agree with our decision

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to crown Bocchi as 2022's
sovereign meme queen?

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Let us know in the comment section below.