Beck was one of the first animes I watched. I was about eleven years old and was playing this Guitar Hero 2 mod with anime songs. The creators were huge fans of Beck. The game started with Hit In The U.S.A and one of the first playable songs was Moon On The Water. I was hooked.

To be honest, I was a kid. I barely remember the anime. I know I liked it, but I don’t think I absorbed much. But the songs stuck with me. So now, more than 10 years after, I stumbled upon the manga and thought I should give it a try. It would be nice to remember what the story was like. Was it even that good?

Oh, boy it was.

I read band mangas before. Nana is great, but the music feels more like a background to the characters development. I also read Fuuka, whatever that trainwreck was all about.

Beck struck me differently. It is in fact a manga about music. About its power, its grip. Made by someone who clearly loves it, dropping references all over. Band t-shirts and manga chapters reenacting famous album covers to please any music geek. Going from rock legends like Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix to hip hop classics like Wu Tang Clan, the alternative rock of Radiohead and Sigur Rós to the hardcore of Black Flag and Converge.

The art at the beginning was a big let down, especially the character designs, but it improves greatly towards the middle. The live shows are downright stunning. They’ve got this serious concert photography feel, capturing the energy of these moments. There are some weak plot conflicts, especially Ryusuke’s background being too absurd to take seriously, but they don’t ruin the the build up of the band’s career.

Beck’s real magic is its ability to convey passion. We feel everything as the band goes through it’s ups and downs, excited as they write great songs and frustrated when they have a bad performance.

It also captures incredibly well these striking little moments for any music fan. The thrill of discovering your new favorite band. Buying your first guitar. Being blow away by seeing a band you love live. The enchantment of being in a music festival, surrounded by amazing artists. A memorable concert that only those who were there can understand how amazing it was. Never other media translated these feelings so well.