A prequel film to the anime Bocchi the Rock! is set for release in 2027, the series' official X account announced. The movie, Bocchi the Rock! The Movie: Hoshi no Ashiato (Starlight Footprints), focuses on the Ijichi sisters, and a teaser built around its key visual has been released.
The announcement drew immediate reactions from fans who know the manga, many predicting they will cry. "Just the trailer made me cry," one wrote. Others posted "I'm definitely going to cry at this" and "It's too much, I'm already about to cry."
The teaser carries the line: "This is before Kessoku Band was formed — the story of a 'sisters' dream' that begins with a 'farewell.'" It shows Nijika Ijichi (voiced by Saku Mizuno) and her older sister, Seika (voiced by Maaya Uchida).
A staff drawn from hit series
Shin Wakabayashi, who directed Wonder Egg Priority, is directing. Yukiko Horiguchi, the character designer on K-On!, takes the same role here, and Erika Yoshida, who wrote the TV drama Tiger with Wings, is writing the script. CloverWorks is handling animation.
The original Bocchi the Rock! is Aki Hamaji's manga about a shy, guitar-obsessed high school girl who joins a girls band and grows through the experience. The series has been a major hit, expanding across media into a theatrical anime film and live events.
Fans also picked up on the pairing of Bocchi and K-On! staff. "The Bocchi and K-On! teams have joined forces… this is too godly!!" one comment read. Another guessed at the plot: "So it's about before she meets Bocchi… it'd be hype if it ended at the park in episode one."
“What a surprise. I'm happy, way too happy. This is living-proof levels of good.”a fan comment on the announcement post