Common Name: Beck
Alternate Names: Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
Score: 8/10, 3/5
Length: 26 Episodes
Genre: Drama, Musical, Slice of Life, Comedy
Review: Tanaka Yukio, more commonly called Koyuki, has lived a pretty average life with no drama and no real talents to speak of. At least, that was the case until he saved the dog of one Minami Ryuusuke, a guitarist and leader of the up and coming rock group, BECK. Now, Koyuki has been drafted to be the band's final member even though he has no musical talent whatsoever. Now it's up to Koyuki if this opportunity that will bring purpose to his life, or send him speeding down a dark road.
Summary: Yet another one of those titles I have very little memory of. From what little I recall, Beck is predominantly a drama that shows the sheer excitement as well as the darker side of Rock n' Roll, and all that comes with the rise to fame. While musically beautiful, it was clunky in almost every other aspect. The drama approached melodramatic at points. The characters were insufferable at points, purely for the sake of being difficult. The "romance" of the show was a limp "will they, won't they" subplot that only created more drama. The pacing made small segments dull and drag on forever. In spite of all these faults though, I recall being enamored with a vision of what Rock n' Roll would be like for the average person, how likely they would fall to the temptations that ruin people's lives while struggling to climb to the top from the very bottom. The show had a kind of dull, jaded glamour to it that made the experience excruciating to watch, but very compelling and perhaps even relatable.