Shelf Life

Year in Reviews

The subject of teenaged awkwardness and fitting in with your peers comes up time and time again, but with Beck, there's finally a show that presents that theme just as universally as the theme itself. Koyuki is your classic teenage boy—he feels out of place, his only friend is kind of a lame-ass, he's not very good with the ladies, and he's about as “cool” as a gym uniform. He's spent his whole life shuffling around in the background, until the day he meets Ryosuke, a charismatic guitarist who slowly introduces Koyuki to the joys of rock. Immediately identifying with all the music that's suddenly become a big part of his life, our blossoming teenager is determined to learn the guitar. It may start out with just a few chords here and there, but as he gains confidence, he finds his life changing around him.

Beck is the ultimate microcosm for every teenager's life. Every kid has something in their life that makes them feel like they belong, or something that lets them forget about reality, whether it's music, sports, writing, LARPing, or millions of other things. It's series like this that show you just how universal teen angst is, and what a world of difference it makes when you find something you can be passionate about. Even if you haven't been a teenager in a really long time, there's much to be appreciated about Beck. From its genuine, three-dimensional characters, to its engaging narrative, to the sheer amount of great music, this show is incredible.

The characters in Beck definitely help make the show. There's not a single person that can be boiled down to a simple stereotype. Whether it's the playboy rocker or the hardened swim coach, everyone has his or her own story to tell. Koyuki, especially, is a fascinating character to watch. Even within the span of five episodes, his personal growth is phenomenal, and his determination is certainly admirable.

And the music! This show is a music junky's Holy Grail. Unlike other music-based shows where the same four tracks are used over and over again, Beck doesn't skimp at all. Spanning everything from grunge, to punk, to the blues, and everything in between, the soundtrack is solid. The concert scenes make you feel like you're there, and when the characters sing, you want to hear more. At this moment, it's worth commending the English dub, too; Greg Ayres does a great job of playing Koyuki, and I hope everyone is as blown away by his singing voice as I was. I watched and re-watched that singing contest scene in episode 5 with Koyuki and Maho (Ayres and Brina Palencia) half a dozen times, and every time, I loved “Follow Me” more and more.

This series is really something. It's more than just a story about being a teenager or growing up—it's a story about discovering your passions, and using them to find parts of yourself that you never even knew existed. In the words of the movie Stick It, Beck is “too much rock for one hand.”[TOP]

With this being my first exposure to the series, I was pleasantly surprised. Short story first: I liked what I saw and I want to see more. The series is unlike any other shonen romance I've ever seen before, with its frank portrayal of human tragedy and pain, and it's a refreshing break from your typical boy-meets-girl-gets-slapped-the-end fare. If there was just one aspect I personally didn't like about it, it would be the characters. None of them are particularly likeable, so for me, it was a bit hard to sympathize with any of them.

Takayuki finds himself dating a meek girl named Haruka, who has obviously never picked up any kind of self-help book, for she is neither fun, fearless, nor fierce. Rather, she's the type of gal to constantly burst into tears without provocation, so it's a bit of a wonder that she's one of the main love interests in the story. The other love interest is Mitsuki, a spunky, sporty girl who's been in love with Takayuki for as long as she's known him. Things take a tragic turn for the dramatic when Haruka gets into an accident and falls into a coma. Flash forward three years later—Mitsuki is dating a listless Takayuki, whose life is ripped apart when his former girlfriend finally regains her consciousness, ready to pick things up where she left off. Straight-up drama.

Seldom are there series that deliver so much human emotion in such a short amount of time. With Rumbling Hearts, the pain that the characters experience as they struggle to continue living their lives gives the story a rawness that's hard to pull away from. It barrels through each episode with reckless emotion and plenty of heart, and if you love drama and heartache, then you'll find yourself drawn to this series.[TOP]

The story begins when Lia de Beaumont's body washes up on the banks of the Seine, closed inside a coffin marked with the word “Psalms.” A beautiful and beloved woman, her death fuels her brother, D'eon, to embark on a personal quest to uncover the reason for her murder. His findings lead him into conflict with government conspiracies, mysterious religious figures, and Poets who can turn people into zombies gargoyles by controlling their bodies and souls with mercury. Helping him are three other guys who have their own ties to France—and to his sister, who's providing him extra help by using his body as a vessel for her wandering spirit (it helps that she's a wicked good fencer).

While there are elements of the story that make it seem a little silly (zombies? People who attack by writing psalms in...what, the spirit juice that comes from their inner chi?), it works very well in the actual series. The overall atmosphere of the series is crafted so well that these elements don't seem even remotely out of place. With the crisp and aristocratic character designs, and the beautiful (though sometimes a bit jarring) CG-rendered backgrounds, which provide some blindingly gorgeous interiors of the palaces, the story perfectly complements its surroundings. I've written before that some series are classier than others—Le Chevalier D'Eon is one of the classiest, yet most intense, shows released this quarter so far.

What's genuinely fun about this series is its roots in history. Although I'm sure there weren't gargoyle women running amuck in the streets of Paris, D'Eon is based off Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée Éon de Beaumont (tell me you wouldn't want that name on your passport), a French spy who eventually lived out the latter half of his life as a woman. In fact, that could very well be the influence behind D'Eon turning into Lia. Either way, if you're a history buff or a nut for French architecture, it's a joy watching this series and pointing out all the historical homages and surprisingly accurate backdrops. After watching the first volume, I can't wait to see the rest of this show.[TOP]

Like all thief shows, Cat's Eye has two very important elements: super smart thieves who can break into anything and steal just about everything—and a detective who can't stop them no matter how hard he tries. And it has the following, which fall under “Not necessary, but always freakin' awesome”: legwarmers, girls who shimmy under laser sensors on a rope, and jewelry heists. Just about anything with the word “heist” in it appeals to me, so Cat's Eye made me giddy from start to finish. Any random person can burglarize something, but it takes a really talented bunch of people to pull off a heist.

Considering its age, the show looks pretty good, too. The animation is pretty chunky, but it's hard to really care about that when you're having fun watching women in ridiculous outfits pull stunts that Sean Connery would be jealous of. It's like watching Charlie's Angels and Ocean's Eleven at the same time, and frankly, it's way too much fun, especially for fans of series like Lupin III (or even junk like St. Tail). This is something that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, so make yourself some snacks, pop open some decadent carbonated beverages, and kick back. This is the kind of stuff that makes robbery look cool.[TOP]

Air is based on one of those games where, if you play your cards right, you get to sleep with as many ladies as you want. But, like most of the successful game-based anime series out there, you can barely tell, which is nice. The story begins when a young man wanders into town, hoping to earn some money by putting on puppet shows. He's made it his life mission to find a certain winged girl in the skies that his deceased mother always talked about. In town, he befriends a small gaggle of girls, all of whom capture his interest with their earnestness, their desire for (platonic, because this is family-friendly) friendship, and their solemn wish to fly.

Perfect for those days when you're too lazy to get off your comfy Ikea couches, this series tumbles along at a very gentle pace. All of the characters get along, none of the conflicts are too taxing, and it seems like no one is ever upset or angry—just sad, but quietly. Although the lack of action would usually make a series more dull, it doesn't seem to be the case with Air. It's a very dreamy show that places most of its focus on the characters' pasts and aspirations, which makes for a very calming viewing experience.

It's worth noting that ADV kept in Misuzu's trademark “gao!”s. This is spectacular for two reasons: 1. “Gao” is an intensely cute sound, and should be kept in at all costs. If dinosaurs actually said “gao,” they probably wouldn't be extinct right now. 2. I'm glad they didn't cut it out, or replace it with something like “roar,” because somewhere out there, a small legion of fanboys would have cried themselves to sleep.

Oh, and something for the ladies: despite its lackadaisical atmosphere, Air has a ridiculous abundance of cute things. “Gao”s aside, it also has a mountain of cute dinosaur plushes, and sloth plushes. It also has a dog named Potato that looks like a pile of mashed potatoes (I am proud to say that I have a Potato plush, which is top-heavy and amazing). Truly, the mark of a good show. More animals should look like popular food items. Seriously, though, whether it's cute girls you want, or cute animals, or just a reason to kick back, Air has it all. It's not the next great masterpiece, but if the summer wind could somehow materialize into an anime series, it would look something like this.[TOP]

Especially awesome is the way the series is presented visually—almost everything is shown from the perspective of a camera lens or video camera. The amount of detail that the animators put into every scene is amazing, and they go as far as to include all the camera start-up screens, the zoom and f-stop information, and the battery gage. It's a very creative way to depict real-time events, and although I doubt the government would actually let her tape all of their sensitive secrets, it really gives viewers a sense of the atmosphere, the shifting moods of the people at the base, and all the inner trappings of the missions. The animation is fantastic, and the usage of still images really facilitates the photojournalism angle.

Flag is a must-see show for anyone who wants to see something a bit more mature than your typical teenage-boy-pilots-a-robot show. The political and religious factors in the storyline make it especially intriguing, and the only things that could possibly make the series more realistic would be Anderson Cooper's face and James Burke's voice. There's not a single dull moment in the entire first volume, and I can't wait to see how all the pieces will fall together. This is definitely worth watching.[TOP]