BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad

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BECK
Genre Music, Romance, Slice of Life
Manga
Author Harold Sakuishi
Publisher Flag of Japan Kodansha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Monthly Shōnen Magazine
Original run 17 February 2000 – ??
Volumes 34
TV anime
Director Osamu Kobayashi
Studio Flag of Japan Madhouse
Licensor Flag of the United States Flag of Canada FUNimation Entertainment
Flag of the United Kingdom Revelation films
Flag of Australia Flag of New Zealand Madman Entertainment
Network Flag of Japan TV Tokyo
Original run 6 October 2004 – 30 March 2005
Episodes 26
Game: BECK The Game
Developer Sun-Tec
Publisher Marvelous Interactive
Genre Music
Platform PlayStation 2
Released 31 March 2005

BECK is a manga, which was later made into an anime under the name BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad. It was created by mangaka Harold Sakuishi and was originally published by Kodansha in Monthly Shōnen Magazine. It tells the story of a group of Japanese teenagers who form a rock band. The manga is currently licensed in the USA by Tokyopop. The series has also spawned three guidebooks. BECK won the 2002 Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen.[2]

The original 26-episode anime television series was aired on Japan's TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2005. It was directed by Osamu Kobayashi, animated by Madhouse and produced by Takeshi Shukuri and Yoshimi Nakajima.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Yukio, known by his friends as "Koyuki", is a regular 14-year-old Japanese boy who enters junior high school with two childhood acquaintances. One is now a useless pervert, and ironically the other is a highly sought after female student. Koyuki's boring life is changed when he saves an odd-looking dog, named Beck, from some kids. Beck's owner turns out to be an emerging rock musician, Ryûsuke Minami, who soon influences Koyuki to start playing the guitar, and even gives one to him.

The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of their punk and rapcore band named BECK, and an important plot that deals with Koyuki's relationship with Ryûsuke's sister, Maho.

Koyuki, who was plagued by his boring existence, gradually matured through experiences with the band and began to discover who he really was.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad characters

Yukio "Koyuki" Tanaka (田中 幸雄 Tanaka Yukio?)

The main character; the series follows his rapid development from living an average life to becoming an outstanding guitarist. He is the last member recruited into BECK, playing second guitar and singing slower songs.

Ryûsuke "Ray" Minami (南 竜介 Minami Ryūsuke?)

A slacker but incredibly talented guitarist, he inspires Koyuki to begin playing guitar. He is the lead guitarist of BECK as well as its founding member.

Maho Minami (南 真帆 Minami Maho?)

Maho is Ryûsuke's younger sister and a talented singer. She is brash but emotionally fragile, and gradually builds a romantic relationship with Koyuki.

Ken'ichi Saitou (斉藤 研一 Saitō Ken'ichi?)

Saitou teaches Koyuki both guitar and swimming. Though he can be a demanding instructor, he opens up to Koyuki, even asking him for relationship advice on occasion.

Yoshiyuki Taira (平 義行 Taira Yoshiyuki?)

BECK's bassist, Taira is the first member recruited by Ryûsuke. Although he can sometimes seem uncaring or apathetic, he is actually the most mature of the band members and often offers helpful advice.

Tsunemi Chiba (千葉 恒美 Chiba Tsunemi?)

The main vocalist for BECK, Chiba's vocals are more punk- and rap-oriented than Koyuki's and thus more fitting for the majority of Beck's songs. Chiba's inclusion in the band was Taira's request.

Yuji "Saku" Sakurai (桜井 裕志 Sakurai Yūji?)

Saku is BECK's drummer and last member to join but for Koyuki. He and Koyuki are good friends and classmates; Saku was the first person to talk to Koyuki after school bullies impose a school-wide silent treatment.

[edit] Musical Influence

Harold Sakushi, the author of the original manga, has confirmed in an interview with Tokyopop, that Chiba's attitude, style, and appearance was based on Zack De La Rocha from Rage Against The Machine, and the way Koyuki holds his guitar is based on Tom Morello of the same band. Ryûsuke is based on Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, though also resembles Tom Morello in some of his playing - though, at times, he can be cocky (as seen when he tries to name the band after himself), like Yngwie Malmsteen or Noel Gallagher.

The manga contains many references and tributes to classic rock and pop culture. Nearly every other chapter has a mock cover of a popular rock album with characters from the manga in place of the people usually pictured. A particular dream sequence in the manga features various deceased rock idols such as Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Freddie Mercury picking up garbage. All of the members of Beck experience it before the Grateful Sound concert with the exception of Chiba, which leads him to believe he is holding the band back. It is not until Beck tours the USA without Ryûsuke, who had left the band after Grateful Sound, that Chiba has the dream. In it, Jimi Hendrix tells him that they would meet at his grave. In more recent volumes a character named George Graham, dubbed the "king of funk", shows a huge resembleance to George Clinton (funk musician) of Parliament Funkadelic, comments on the band that he never heard such an amazing groove as when he heard Beck/MCS play.

Even in the anime, lots of musical influences can be seen, not only on the characters themselves: some of Koyuki's shirts have altered names for real bands, like "Ramonne" (subtitled "Johnny"), and "Pixis". In the ending sequence, some rock icons like Freddie Mercury and Kurt Cobain can be seen sketched on the slideshow. Also, one of the names Ryûsuke suggests for the band (before they decide to settle on "Beck") is R.E.M. - which stands for "Ryûsuke Excellent Minami" instead of "Rapid Eye Movement", though.

Harold Sakuishi himself has admitted that the band is inspired in part by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Sakuishi admits that they are his favorite band; their music, specifically the song "Under the Bridge", helped him through a difficult time in his life. A one-shot manga also called Under the Bridge was written by Sakuishi and narrates his first meeting with the band. This influence is widely seen in Beck, not only in the band's musical style, but also in the fact that Taira heavily resembles a younger version of Flea, the Chili Peppers' own bassist, both in looks (he is mostly seen playing shirtless and has his hair bleached blonde, as Flea used to have his own) and in playing style.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad episodes

[edit] Music

Main article: Beck: Soundtracks

[edit] English adaptation

On Saturday, May 27 at Anime Boston 2006, U.S.-based anime distributor FUNimation Entertainment announced that they have acquired the license for the BECK anime series. Taliesin Jaffe (known for directing the dub of Hellsing) and Christopher Bevins (known for directing the dubs of Speed Grapher and Samurai 7) are the directors of the English version. The first DVD was released in 2007. [1] The English dub will be released by Revelation films in the UK and Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand.

BECK made its North American television debut on Canadian music channel, MuchMusic, on March 9, 2007. The series finished on June 3. The show was rated TV-14 for its language and violence, but the DVD edition is rated TV-MA for strong language, including near-constant use of the word fuck in the first episode and frequently in subsequent episodes.

In the English adaptation, many songs were re-recorded with English lyrics. The sung lyrics of some English songs in the anime, such as Moon on the Water and Follow Me, were slightly altered to correct grammar, although the incorrect grammar still appears in the English subtitles. Lucille, Ryûsuke's guitar, is renamed to Prudence in the English adaptation due to an unresolved rights issue involving the name "Lucille"[3] (blues guitarist B.B. King, who famously named his guitar Lucille, owns the trademark[4]) as well as the name of Ryûsuke's song "Sister" being called "Face."

[edit] Reception

Source Reviewer Grade / Score Notes
Anime News Network Carl Kimlinger Overall (dub): A-
Overall (sub): B+
Story: B+
Animation: B+
Art: A-
Music: A-		 DVD/Anime Review of Volume 1 (Episodes 1-5)
AnimeOnDVD Chris Beveridge Content: A-
Audio: A-
Video: C
Packaging: B+
Menus: B+
Extras: B+		 DVD/Anime Review of Volume 1 (Episodes 1-5)

[edit] References

  1. ^ BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia. Accessed 2007-02-21.
  2. ^ Joel Hahn. Kodansha Manga Awards. Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  3. ^ BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (TV) - Anime News Network
  4. ^ BECK ADR Directors Interview Anime Editorial - Tokidokijournal.com

[edit] External links

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BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad
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