The Bocchi the Rock! manga is resuming serialization after an extended hiatus due to creator Aki Hamaji's health, Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Max magazine announced on May 18, 2026. The four-panel comedy manga will continue in the magazine's next issue.
Details
The manga had continued its hiatus so that creator Aki Hamaji could focus on recuperation from an unspecified physical health condition. In a personal message, Hamaji emphasized that she had been in poor health for several months and clarified that the condition is physical, not mental. The series had already been on a break since December, with the magazine initially planning a May return before extending the hiatus.
Hamaji launched Bocchi the Rock! in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Max in December 2017. The series is ongoing with eight compiled book volumes as of November 2025. Yen Press publishes the series in English.
About the Series
"Bocchi finally takes the stage in English, and she's brought her best friend — crippling anxiety! Hitori Goto just wants to make friends, but the thought of approaching a stranger on her own makes her so nervous that she's spent the entirety of middle school teaching herself how to shred on the guitar." — Yen Press synopsis
The series follows Hitori Goto, a socially anxious high school girl who dreams of forming a band despite her crippling shyness. The manga inspired a critically acclaimed anime adaptation by CloverWorks in 2022, which became a viral phenomenon and significantly boosted the manga's sales and global recognition.
Community Reception
The announcement of the manga's return was met with relief and celebration across social media. On X/Twitter, fans expressed support for Hamaji's recovery, with the trending sentiment being "take all the time you need" rather than rushing the creator. On Reddit's r/manga community, threads about the return were filled with excitement — many noted that the anime's massive popularity had brought countless new readers to the series, and they were eager to see the story continue beyond where the anime left off.
The anime adaptation famously launched the song "Kessoku Band" into streaming charts worldwide and made "Bocchi the Rock" a household name among anime fans, with the manga's English release by Yen Press seeing significant demand.