Keiichiro Saito will not return for Bocchi the Rock Season 2: Meet the new director
Bocchi the Rock's second season should still be in good hands though.
Bocchi the Rock Season 2 is official, but in a surprising turn of events, notable anime director Keiichiro Saito will not return to helm the upcoming season.
While Bocch the Rock wasn’t exactly the most anticipated show of Fall 2022, it quickly became viral among anime fans, enough that it became one of the season’s biggest highlights. Thanks to its success, a second season was a foregone conclusion, though it took quite a while before a follow-up was confirmed.
Finally, the anime’s second season was revealed via an announcement trailer and a key visual featuring Bocchi wearing a pair of shades. At the same time, the anime’s official website revealed details about the new season.
What got attention from many fans was the fact that the new season has a new director – Yuusuke Yamamoto.
The first Bocchi the Rock season was directed by Keiichiro Saito. While Bocchi was Saito’s debut as a proper series director, the show’s success skyrocketed his stature among anime fans. This is thanks to Saito’s creative direction and style for the series.
After Bocchi, Saito’s next project was Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End where he also served as the series director. It’s fair to say that Frieren was one of the best shows of 2023 and 2024 which, in a way, is a testament to Saito’s vision. As such, Saito is now easily one of the most notable new anime series directors among more “in the know” anime fans.
Given how integral Saito’s contribution is to Bocchi the Rock’s success, him not returning for Season 2 is a bit of a shocker for some, though it makes sense as he’s probably busy with Frieren Season 2. Thankfully, the series’ new director Yuusuke Yamamoto has worked on the series before.
Previously, Yamamoto was an assistant director in Bocchi the Rock Season 1. He also directed episodes 3 and 11 of the first season which show his eye for creativity.
As Yamamoto has played an integral part of the first season’s staff, the upcoming season should be in good hands. If you ask us, even with the director change, we definitely can’t wait for what the next season has in store.
Bocchi the Rock Season 2 is in the works, though there’s no word yet on a release date.