Customer Reviews

BECK:MONGOLIAN CHOP SQUAD:VOL 1 - Format: [DVD Mov

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"Beck Mongolian Chop Squad" is a Japanese animated TV series that tells the story of 14-year-old Koyuki and what happens in the course of his life as he meets a new group of friends and mentors, all of whom are involved in music to varying degrees, and how it affects his musical tastes and his own budding talents. It's done in a straightforward, expressive animation style showing the streets, clubs, back alleys, fast food joints and everyday spaces of Tokyo and the average people who inhabit them. Judging from the five episodes in this volume, it all unfolds in a leisurely, slice-of-life manner as Koyuki interacts with friends from school, including a girl he likes, and meets an older boy, Ryusuke, a long-haired musician who grew up in America, and his cute younger sister, Maho, a singer who's Koyuki's age and who encourages him to sing. These are interesting, likable characters and we enjoy spending time with them and hearing the music they make and listen to.

On the Japanese track, Ryusuke and Maho both speak in a mix of English and Japanese, as does their grandmother, and Maho has girlfriends who also lived in America and do the same. Maho curses frequently in English. They're played by voice actors who are Japanese but sound comfortable enough with English and its American idiom to suggest that they may have spent some time in America as well. This may be the first anime series I've seen that uses English in this way, as a part of the Japanese characters' everyday discourse. At one point, poor monolingual Koyuki feels left out and mutters, "They don't teach English properly in Japan, is what I feel." This aspect of the show is almost as fascinating as the music.

The music is mostly rock, with one invented J-pop star, Chiemi Kuniyoshi, posited as Koyuki's favorite. (I actually liked her stuff the best.) A lot of different types of songs, mostly in English, were created for the show, including the rousing theme song, "Hit in the U.S.A." The music is worked into the fabric of the kids' lives in a consistently creative and believable way and we follow Koyuki as he grows more comfortable expressing himself musically.

There's audio commentary accompanying Episode 3 in which the two directors of the English dub track explain the strategy they employed to handle the issues raised by the mix of English and Japanese in the original dialogue and how they changed language differences to "cultural differences." I'm not convinced. The bilingual dialogue in the original is essential to the dramatic integrity of the show and to remove it kind of defeats the whole purpose. Better not to have an English dub at all. It wouldn't be the first successful series released in the U.S. to not have an English dub. (That would probably be "Kimagure Orange Road," directed, coincidentally, by "Beck"'s director, Osamu Kobayashi.)

Well I've decided to review this anime a little differently then I normally do. Instead of waiting to see the whole thing I'm going to review it volume by volume and then review the whole show once I'm done. If this works out well I might do it for every show I see. So let's get to it.

Wow, few shows I've seen have had the power to blow me away from the first volume; personal favorites like Cowboy Bebop and Now and Then, Here and There were rare exceptions which grabbed my attention from episode one and never let go. If Beck can keep this up I have little doubt it will join those two titles as one of my favorite series of all time.

Beck is about sound, and what a sound it has. From the incredible rock songs to the beautify haunting closer for this volume, "Full Moon Rising" by the (I think) fictional band "Dieing Breed." I say fictional because I don't know for sure, but if they are real you can bet I'll be checking them out. The sound of this anime is simply awe inspiring to say the very least. I banged my head, air guitared along, and at one point I closed my eyes, leaned back, and just enjoyed the simple yet lovely melodies which emulated from my computer screen. I love the sound of Beck. If nothing else this first volume of what I desperately hope will be an amazing series has one of the most amazing soundtracks ever for an anime series. I can't get enough of it. It's just that good.

There are lots of characters in this show, and I'm going to save my bio on them for the series review, but as new characters get piled in they do get a bit hard to keep track of, especially since a few of them look very much alike. One character is in middle school but looks like he's thirty. Not the best image for a guy to have. Some characters are cool, some quirky, some charming, but all add a dimension to this show that is greatly appreciated. Each one adds a little spice to this coming of age tell, and I hope all will get the additional development they need in coming volumes.

You can bet I'm waiting very impatiently at my mailbox for netflix to deliver volume two of what promises to be a great series.

I love this series, and I'd already seen it but didn't own it. In the details it says that each volume is supposed to come with a guitar pick, but out of the six I bought, this one didn't come with one! Also the packaging was slightly different than the others, and didn't have sticker saying it came with the guitar pick like the others did. I'm kind of disappointed, because now I have an incomplete set!

Beck is GREAT. I play the guitar and it reminds me of when I started out. There are great characters and a cool story line that keeps you glued. You find yourself liking even the bad guys. It can give anyone out there inspiration to keep going no matter what people tell you. I plan on getting every volume that comes out.

this is one of the best animes i have ever seen. it hits on all levels and i would recommend it to anyone who likes anime and music. if your not sure if you want to buy the series you can check it out for free online at Stage6. there is also a CD of the series- also highly recommended.

Its about a kindova nerdy kid in junior high who meets up with a guy with a shady past who is kind of a musical prodigy who is going places. This guy drops out of his band after a fight and decides to create the greatest band ever. Through a series of run-ins and circumstances, the kid gets to join the band. They make lots of enemies and struggle to get their name out there, plus there is something sinister lurking out there for their prodigy leader. The show is really about the struggles and relationships between the band members while in the band, at school, and on the street. The Japanese dub was pretty terrible, with lots of "engrish" thrown in here and there. some of the songs are "engrish" and don't make the best translations and are kinda goofy sounding. But still, it does little to hinder the great story. I really cant wait to see the English language version and hear how the songs translate.