Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
| Episode Count | 26 |
| Season | Fall 2004 |
| Genres | Drama, Music, Shounen |
| Source Material | Manga |
| Rating | TV-14 |
| Streaming | TBD |
BECK was one of my first loves when I started reading manga in highschool. It tackles Koyuki, a high school student who gets into rock music to impress the girl he likes, from there he begins to learn the guitar, makes friends with musicians and joins a band. I was impressed by the realism and the authenticity of the manga, as the series chronicles the band BECK (not to be confused with American alt-rocker Beck) from its very beginnings to their low points to their rise to relative fame. BECK’s characters and their struggles as musicians feel very real, in a way some music anime fails to. The characters feel and act like real musicians, it takes forever to learn a new instrument, they fail, they give bad performances some times, they flake out on their bandmates, and most importantly, they love music.
I had not seen the anime based on the manga until I was in college but I was happy that the team at anime Studio Madhouse under Osamu Kobayashi understood the assignment. Kobayashi especially brings a scrappy punk energy to the series that matches its subject matter perfectly. Visually the animation has a sketchy feel and performances are directed with real attention put into making sure it realistically matches the music. The music, as you’d expect is superb stuff, especially if you’re into J-rock of the time period with contributions by bands like Beat Crusaders to the soundtrack. They even get a Beatles cover in there believe it or not!
My only complaint is that unfortunately the show never manages to cover the entire manga, ending about a third into the series run. But hey, in one way, that just means when you’re done with the show, there’s still more you can check out and read!
- akasinan
With its combination of excellent storytelling, endearing and complex characters, outstanding animation, a soundtrack that will knock your socks off, and what has to be one of THE best cast dubs in any music-based anime, Beck has something to please any mature musical palette. It’s easy to write Beck off as just being a musical anime, but it’s so much more than that. There’s something for everybody here. If you want a coming-of-age series, Beck provides. If you want to sit back and enjoy the music, then Beck more than provides. Also, shoutout to the English Dub cast, including Greg Ayres as Yukiko and Brina Palencia as Maho. These two put on the most beautiful performance of “Moon Over Water” that has to be one of the best singing performances in any anime.
- KhakiBlueSocks