An artist's life is not an easy one, they must work hard to be good at what they do to gain some sort of recognition. This forms part of the central theme for this week's anime series - Beck. A manga to anime crossover, Beck falls into the Slice of Life anime category, and features plenty of music, romance, comedy and drama to perfectly encapsulate the elements of an artist's life.

The Anime

Beck (pronounced Bekku) is based on the original eponymous manga by Harold Sakuishi, first created in 1999. It was later adapted by Madhouse into an anime and aired on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2005. There was also a live action adaptation of the same name, released in 2010.

The Mangaka (Manga Artist)

Harold Sakuishi (penname of Takahiro Sakuishi) was born March 16, 1969. He is an avid lover of baseball, martial arts and music, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers being one of his favourite bands. Sakuishi has won the coveted Kodansha Manga Award on two separate occasions, in 1990 (Gorillaman) and 2002 (BECK).

The plot

Beck tells the tale of 14-year old Yukio "Koyuki" Tanaka who becomes part of a teen rock band, named BECK. While saving a very odd-looking dog of questionable parentage, he meets its owner, the guitar prodigy Ryusuke Minami. Ryusuke teaches Koyuki to play guitar and later Koyuki becomes a member of his band. From then on, the anime follows the band, as they deal with real-world hardships like finding venues, dealing with fellow artists eccentricities and even the positive and negative effects that come with fame and fortune. There is also a hint of romance thrown in, as Koyuki falls in love with Ryusuke's beautiful half-sister, Maho. 

Animation and Sound

The animation is relatively solid, but lacks a certain wow factor, since it’s not as highly stylised as other popular animes and appears a little flat. With that being said the anime's shining achievement is its Japanese voice actors, as well as the amazing soundtrack. The diverse performances of the cast is a real highlight, as they make the audience feel the emotions of its characters. An example of this is Koyuki's voice actor (Daisuke Namikawa), who does a splendid job to evoke empathy for his character, and you feel as if you share in Koyuki's dreams. The anime offers a fantastic bouquet of dynamic characters, all of which have their own distinct voice and unique connection with the audience.   

Put simply, the music in this anime rocks, with great acts like the Beat Crusaders (who are also responsible for the theme songs in Bleach). Another notable song is the anime’s ending song by the Dying Breed called My World Down. The Dying Breed is a fictional band if the anime but reminds one a bit of the band Oasis. The anime is given an added element of authenticity and feels more believable, with the anime characters performing BECK's songs.

The eccentric and mysterious Beat Crusaders

The Anime House

Madhouse was founded in 1972 by ex-Mushi Pro animators, including Masao Maruyama (Supernatural: The Animation) and Yoshiaki Kawajiri (The Animatrix). They produce many TV anime shows and movies, like Ninja Scroll and Death Note and are currently producing the second Hunter X Hunter anime series.

Allen's Opinion

You can certainly feel Ryusuke Minami's passion for music in this anime, which translates to a great viewing experience. I became so addicted to some of the songs that I kept coming back to watch the anime, just to hear them once again. Some of the best tracks featured in Beck are songs like 'Moon on the Water’ where Koyuki and Maho sing together in a highly romantic scene. Another immensely enjoyable song Brainstorm, sung by the BECK band members, is filled with energy that reminds one a bit of Bowling For Soup with a dash of Green Day added to the mix.

This anime is the best Slice of Life series I have personally seen in quite some time and I highly recommend it if you're a bit of a music fan. You might just find yourself listening to one of the concerts in the anime and grabbing your lighter to hold it in the air, or the lighter app on your smartphone at least.

Also check out

If you're in the mood for more Slice of Life anime, we recommend Skip Beat, and if you want another anime with equally good music, try Nana.

About our contributor: Allen Simpson is a blogger and a published poet who has a deep passion for anime. He is also co-owner of AnimeFanatika, a reliable source of information on Anime providing fans with the latest news, reviews and goings on in the industry. Visit their website and become a Fanatik today. Sugoi!