 In a bad case of Engrish, this is subtitled Mongorian Chop Squad. I still haven't quite figured out why... It's also the first music-themed anime I've seen since Legend of Black Heaven, albeit without the science fiction theme. Here's hoping Beck is as good...
1 - The Scenery of a Fourteen Year Old
Like just about every other high-school guy in anime, Koyuki's finding
life a bit on the dull side. Even being dragged along to take photos of
the girls in swim class doesn't cheer him up. One of the girls is
Izumi, an old childhood friend, but they haven't spoke to each other in
a long time - after Izumi spots him she decides maybe it's time to
renew the friendship. Also new to the scene is English-speaking
Ryuusuke, who used to be in a band in America, and who seems to keep
running into Koyuki...
2 - Live House
Izumi drags Koyuki along to see Ryuusuke, although it seems he's just
moral support while she flirts with Ryuusuke. Come Sunday, and
Ryuusuke's band, Serial Mama, is putting on a live show - it's Koyuki's
first time at anything like that, and to be honest he really doesn't
fit it. He's even more
uncomfortable after he walks in on a fight between Ryuusuke and his
bandmate, Eiji. Seems Serial Mama may not last much longer. Meanwhile,
Koyuki seems to be developing a crush on Ryuusuke's younger sister...
This was kinda fun, even allowing for all the Engrish that gets
thrown about in it (I suspect the TV channel showing it must be trying
to meet their 'educational' quota...). After these two episodes, we're
still very much in the setup phase of the show, introducing the
characters and such, but you can see where it's going: I predict Koyuki
& Ryuusuke will become a new band following the breakup of Serial
Mama. Not too hard a prediction once you've seen the OP sequence, I
admit. :)
Beck (named after the show's dog, I guess) is a bit slow in
places and isn't without its faults, but it's also a fun little show.
I'll be watching for a while yet... |
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