'beck' is a coming of age story drenched in all the pains of childhood, with growing pains included. it is not a perfect anime, but it really doesn't have to be; this show knows what it is and takes it in stride.

much like FLCL, beck wears its western influences on its sleeve by weaving them into its musical tones and story beats. i cannot claim to be a musical expert by any means (especially in the realm of classic rock), but even i can see how much heart and soul from the genre was poured into each and every song played. the music comes across magically with how it is incorporated into the show and utilizes it to give the viewer an incredible window into the characters' motivations, thoughts and feelings. it's the string that ties the characters together and the narrative to them.

the story here feels like something straight out of a 50s all-american rock movie or an MTV made for TV movie and i mean that in every single way. it's an inspiring story about growing up and learning your own path in life, but it can also be incredibly shallow when not doing its best to convey this and that has to be one of my biggest gripes with it. if you are invested in anyone besides koyuki or ryuusuke you can pretty much forget about them. this isn't to say that they are completely static characters who do not change at all but they do suffer a lot due to having to make room for koyuki's development, and a perfect example of this is maho. much like those 50s rock movies the show takes inspiration from, it forgets to make its female characters do anything outside of developing its male characters. lots of multi-dimensional writing for maho is sacrificed to make room for her to be more like a trophy, the main character's prize for claiming his youth. trust me, i understand that she is the romantic interest in this plot but it becomes difficult to see her as anything but when that is literally the only context we see her in and it's a big issue that exists in stories like this. i enjoy mamimi in FLCL because she acts like a human, she is someone who emotes in ways that are relatable and understandable for someone in her position; i do not enjoy maho in beck because she acts as a goalpost to mark the end of the hero's journey when there is so much potential lost in her character. this can be said even for the male characters (except for the romance part, obviously) as they also feel somewhat one-note at times and lose out on moments that could be really great for their characters. it is not perfect.

reading all of this, you might assume that i really dislike this show but you could not be further from the truth. i really do love it. for every single less than ideal moment there are ten moments where i was shocked by the beautiful development of koyuki as a protagonist and blown away by the visuals. the way the story is structured really makes use of every episode and shows us just a sliver of koyuki's life. as little as it may be, it is something that viewers will hold close to them and continue to think about for a long time; much like youth itself.

i love beck.