Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad

Wow so nostalgic! I first watched this show when I was 13-14yrs old, I haven't thought about it since. All I remembered about it was their was a dog that was all mismatched & it was about a band, I knew I loved it back then but I honestly had no memory of what was so good about it. Well having stumbled upon this hidden gem again I decided I should check it out and see if my judgment would have changed from having seen so many more shows since then. I'm very happy to see that my taste was still good even for this being like the second not main stream anime I've ever seen. The story is pretty straight forward, ordinary bullied kid meets a guitarist by chance. Becomes friends, starts hanging out with him & his band, then decides to pick up guitar. And thus the story unfolds, the life of a struggling band. This shows got tons of action, kick ass music and even a bit of romance. Its pretty solid. My only sorta complaint is that the show is clearly "finished" as of the last episode, I would have really liked a second season but tbh I'm not sure they really could have done another season. The animation isn't bad, its not winning any awards but for its time it was definitely pretty good. Now the music is what really makes this show shine, every song is kick ass! No other way to put it, you just want to sit their singing along with the op & ed every single time. The songs the bands play throughout the show are great. I haven't picked up my guitar in years & right in the middle of episodes this show had me wanting to just bust it out and get to practicing! Its pretty inspiring haha. The English dub is really good, all the characters match really well. I'm pretty sure everybody who watches this will like it, make sure you watch at least 3 episodes or so. The beginning might seem a little slow but this is a solid show.

4.5/5 Why? Solid story, I only wish we got to take it just a little farther. Animation is pretty good, good for its time. Music is top notch, awesome songs all throughout this show!! Dub is also really good, all the characters match great. If this show doesn't inspire you at least a little then idk your just a miserable person lol.

This anime will possibly change your mind. Very delicate.. with a powerful soundtrack! Enjoy!

Based on a manga of the same this anime is all about Tanaka Yukio, better known by his nickname Koyuki is a 14 year old who feels disconnected from life in general. Through the act of saving a mismatched dog, he meets guitarist Minami Ryuusuke, and becomes involved in Ryuusuke's new band BECK. Koyuki's life starts to change as the band struggles towards fame.

Along the way he encounters many awkward and new situations, things he has never had to deal with before. If you've ever gone through things similar to what he's gone through, you'll immediately connect with this anime.

Beck relies heavily on this connection with it's viewers, so if you do not make the connection, you will probably not like the anime. It's not the standard slasher series, and focuses much on the viewers emotion.

So if you like music (Has an awesome rock soundtrack so good I even imported it) and storyline and want a break from the overplayed bloodshed scenario, this anime is for you

Beck is overall an entertaining animation by Harold Sakuishi.

As everyone has felt and will feel, the story progresses on the slow side. This should not be an issue.

There are an array of diverse characters to enjoy throughout the series and much of the character development is done quite well. Or well enough so that you know the role they are suppose to play in the plot.

Some of the animation is a little on the skimpy side, but in animation you can play it off as to give the series atmosphere the art was rendered so (but if you read through the original work you can tell the animators for this anime were slacking or you'd question budgeting as the art work in some places drop big in quality). It is nice to see a real place get animated into this work (I.E CBGBs,-I was sad when they shut down-, other venues).

Guitar enthusiast, might love or hate the guitars that are show cased in this animation, I for one loved the idea that they used Gretsch (I love this company, sad they were bought out by fender)guitars instead of just sticking with Fenders and Gibsons. Harold Sakuishi also incorporates a "legendary" guitar or a well known guitar in the blues world, into the storyline which is entertaining in itself.

Music is great. I am a big fan of the Beat Crusaders and they did the most of the major musical work in Beck. The Husking Bees vocalist was used as the main singer, which wasn't too bad. I would venture to say that all the music used are quite "catchy." This is a great story told through a great medium.

Also, like one of the other reviewers noted, this anime will make you want to learn the guitar. I agree 100%.

It's a classic story of a young group forming a band and wanting fame.

But it's much more. The music is great and the characters are very likable.

It's also an interesting look at the life of a teenager fitting into his culture/social environment in Japan.

When I was in my teens I had a dream of being in a successful band, and now being close to 50 BECK is a fun flashback as to what it might be like.

The pace of the series is slow, the story could have been told easily in half the number of episodes. it may take 5 or 6 to get you hooked. But the slow pace really adds to the texture of the story.

I do hope a DVD of the series is planned.

As a life long resident of Seattle the final episode is a real treat.