Koyuki Tanaka was feeling the rut, though he’s only a teenager. Between the sheltered and stifling grind of school and the girls that spend their time not noticing him… Every day was just another day of being a total nobody. Enter Ryusuke: a local rock n’ roller haunted by a shady reputation. Together they form Beck, a dynamic band that just might be the salvation of the stagnant music scene. Sure, it’s going to take hard work and obsession to make it, but there’s something special in the sound. If the guys can stay true to their vision, the world awaits. Music can change your life, sometimes against your will. Just remember… When it’s live, anything can happen.
Stills from Beck (Click for larger image)
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Buy “Beck: Box Set “ For Only $82.83
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May 3, 2010
#1
This anime looked very interesting to me when i first picked it up at the nearest fye in the mall. So…i took it home popped it in my dvd player and gave it a go. At first with the opening theme song and all the anime struck me as nice and upbeat, but boy was I wrong! Despite my assumption i soon found that the anime was rather depressing alot of scenes seemed to be “over or under acted” especially the violence of gangs and baseball games…Also sometimes in the series what i oftened noticed was alot of chances for being “lost in translation” to occur(little details that play a key role,yet you don’t understand the meaning for it submerged in Japanese culture and all). The charactors are for the most part what young adults and teenagers would be like in todays society although sometimes i found myself questioning how they were getting away with going to local bars and drug hangouts being around 15 and 14 years of age (even a couple getting drunk! some parents they have) As far as mention of old rock idols like the Ramones and what not there are actually very few the anime could go without the mention pretty much. Last of all, the art didn’t seem to me to be much in tune with Japanese style anime at all to me it actually seemed much more american to me than anything else.
If your considering buying the boxset, don’t!!!!!!! spend your money on a diffrent anime thats more worthwhile if your asking me.
May 3, 2010
#2
This isn’t a review but a question. What’s the difference between this DVD and the old one? I bought the old one and I’m just wondering if this one has new extra features. Please reply to this review. The show is good by the way.
May 3, 2010
#3
Well, I must admit that I wasn’t too crazy about this series. I started watching it on the FUNIMATION channel at night and got hooked! I caught the last few episodes, so when it was over, I had to get the DVD set and watch from the beginning. I ordered and received the DVDs right before Christmas and I haven’t been able to stop watching!!! It’s not the acting that has me hooked — it’s the band members and how they interact with each other. I’ve never been in a band, but I’ve always been a music lover of all types of music! (Guess it has something to do with me being an Army brat growing up in Germany!) The songs are amazing — I am now a lover of the bass guitar — been on the internet looking for all the CDs this anime references (Jimi Hendrix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana & hell, maybe even Rage Against the Machine).
This anime is not for very young kids; I would say teenagers and older and that’s only because they use the work f*** and as***** alot!!!!
For those of you who love music with heart and meaning, this series is for you!!! For those of you who have ever been in a band, wanted to join a band, or been a fan of those obscure, unknown bands playing in some dive, you’ll love this series even more so!!!
May 3, 2010
#4
To keep it short and sweet: this is an excellent anime. The story is well-told and fluid in spite of little action. The characters are fully developed–they get under the skin and feel like old friends after a while. The music is fabulous. It ROCKS, and is catchy on top of that. The tunes will stick in your head. You have been warned.
I watched this entire series on OnDemand (when veiwing was free) and couldn’t get enough of it, which seems silly, when you think about it. The story is basic–a timeless coming of age tale set in the present (or as close thereto as it can get). It tells the story of Yukyo (nickname: Koyuki) from his uncomfortable emergence into teenager-dom to well, I can’t really say to what because that would be a spoiler. Koyuki is young, naive, and not a “cool kid”. He is just a regular guy struggling with all the normal teenagery things we all go through: trying to fit in, the discovery of the opposite sex, and making stupid (albeit mostly minor) mistakes which cause humiliation and uncertainty. We also get to “enjoy” the squeaky whininess of his voice as he matures…and, as a mom, I have to admit it grated on my nerves here and there.
The story unfolds when he rescues an ugly, Frankenstein-like dog from the torment of some mean-spirited boys. The dog, Beck–who is the namesake of the title, belongs to Ryusuke, who is older (16!), cooler, and a guitar player extraordinaire. And so it starts. This is a classic boy meets cool dude and learns to be cool story which is well written, interjected throughout with humor, and has just enough drama to keep you interested. The soundtrack is great (more on that in a minute). Frankly, I didn’t expect to be such a fan of this anime. While I like certain types better than others, I am by no means a connoiseur who sticks with one genre. No, I watch it all–at least long enough to determine whether or not I can deal with it. I figured this would be a slow moving, bland kind of thing I could watch with one eye while cooking or ironing or something similar. WRONG!
I love this anime so much I have not only purchased the box set of the series (loving it!) but also purchased the sound tracks AND have read the entire manga. Okay. First the soundtrack. Yeah, the original j-pop/j-rock is really, really good, but I do not speak Japanese. So, to sing along, I have to mimic the sound and phonetics which just isn’t the same as belting out the words while driving, etc. However, the english speaking cast, which did an OUTSTANDING job, in my opinion, throughout the anime including singing english versions of the songs, is not going to release an english version soundtrack. Something to do with the copyrights, etc., of the original bands. Okay, I get this, but still I wish!! Second, I read through some of the other reviews and want to clarify something mentioned more than once. Yes, the anime does seem to close abruptly and definitely will leave you wanting more. I know from experience. To that I say, read the manga. It goes on way past the end of the anime and is the complete story. You won’t be sorry. [Aside: there are scanlation sites on which you can read the whole thing for free. One day, I will have the books sitting on my shelf but, frankly, I just can't afford them right now.]
As for my purchase through Amazon, I couldn’t be happier. I have not experienced any problems with any purchase I have made from this site and this anime is no different. The seller, village_music_world, has an excellent feedback rating and proved it is deserved. I highly recommend the anime and this seller.
May 3, 2010
#5
I almost stopped watching halfway through the first episode. Can’t remember why now, but I decided to continue on. It was worth it. Maybe my favorite anime yet. I usually like to listen to the Japanese dialog and read the subtitles to get a better flavor for the emotions and pacing. The Japanese track is great on this series as well, but I think the English cast really nailed their delivery. I almost never caught myself thinking that this was a dub.
I was also surprised by how good the original music is–or at least it appealed to my tastes. I finished watching the series on a flight from Europe to the US and had to watch the music video of Slip Out a bunch of times. Just fell in love with it.
The characters are all great. There are a lot of them but the main core group are well sketched out, believable, and I found myself pulling for BECK as a band and the individual musicians as soon as the band formed. You really want these guys to succeed, and that’s half the fun of watching the series with all the twists and turns and dead ends they face along the way. I never got bored.
The animation is good enough so that it just fades into the background allowing you to follow the story. Smooth and believable. The segment of the live concert for The Dying Breed was very well done. It completely captured the difference in energy between a professionally produced concert for an internationally known band vs. the bar/club scene where BECK spends most of its time performing.
The language is rough, so it’s not for little kids. But it was interesting to note that the major character, Koyuki, very rarely slips into bad language (maybe never–I can’t remember). It’s fun to watch him grow into his musical talent and interact with the underside of the music business, but he never loses his innate expression of goodness. It’s not a self-righteous thing but upon reflection, his embrace of the music business just takes the good in Koyuki and amplifies it. In the end of the journey, he’s a much stronger, more centered person.
Anyway, I could only watch so many giant robots (don’t get me wrong, I love giant robots), and this series was a great and fulfilling surprise. If you like music or ever dreamed of being in a band, this is worth checking out.