[Good Taste in Music Summer 2019] Like Beck (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad)? Watch This!

7:00 PM September 29, 2019

Anime Recommendations [Article Category]
Comedy Anime, Drama Anime, Slice of Life Anime, Romance Anime, Music Anime [Genres]
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, Carole & Tuesday, givenBeck: Mongolian Chop Squad, [Anime Title]

Honey’s Anime Pickup,

Adalisa Zarate

Carole-Tuesday-dvd-225x350 [Good Taste in Music Summer 2019] Like Beck (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad)? Watch This!

When Yukio “Koyuki" Tanaka saved a weird-looking dog from a group of bullies, he never imagined it would be the moment his life changed. The owner of said dog, Ryuusuke “Ray” Minami, is quite grateful and promises Yukio to teach him how to play the guitar. And once Koyuki shows his talent, he ends up in Ryuusuke’s band, Beck, named after the dog, and we, the audience, get to see how an indy band has to fight to get the recognition they deserve. Just like Beck, the following anime show us two different bands that have to face different challenges in order to reach the top of the charts and heal old wounds.

Liked Beck (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad)? Watch Given!

Episodes: 11
Aired: July 2019 – September 2019

When Ritsuka Uenoyama ends up teaching Mafuyu Sato how to play the guitar, he realizes the kid has an incredible voice and is exactly what his rock band needs. So he decides to invite Mafuyu to join. Mafuyu agrees and, little by little, he realizes that music is exactly what he needed to heal the wounds of his past.

Major Similarities Between Beck (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad) and Given

1. Both Series Are About a Young Man Joining a Band

While the circumstances differ between how Koyuki and Mafuyu end up in their respective bands the age gap between Koyuki and the other Beck members is a lot bigger than the one between Mafuyu and the Given band, both stories begin when Koyuki and Mafuyu feeling aimless in life and with an older man agreeing to teach them to play the guitar. From there, the stories diverge, but they start in the same place.

2. The Bands in Both Series Are Garage Bands

There are a lot of anime series about how difficult it is to make it big in entertainment by going the “official” route that many boybands take in real life, but both Beck and Given show that the other route, the one that begins in a friend’s garage and booking small gigs in coffee shops, is not easy either.

3. In Both Series, Guitars Are Symbols of Past Relationships

Although Koyuki and Mafuyu both end up as singers in their respective bands, guitars are quite important in their stories. Mafuyu always carried one with him, and it’s not until later that we find out why and how much it means that he opens up about it. Koyuki doesn’t quite care that much about the instrument, but when Ryuusuke starts teaching him, Ryuusuke is repeating what another guitarist did for him a long time ago.

Liked Beck (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad)? Watch Carole & Tuesday!

Episodes: 24
Aired: April 2019 – Ongoing

Once mankind managed to colonize Mars, culture shifted. Most, if not all the popular music and tv shows are made by AI programmed with samples from old entertainers. In Mars’ Alba City, Carole is trying to become a real musician because she feels mankind needs more than just AI songs. One day, Carole meets Tuesday, a very sheltered girl with the same dream. Alone, they couldn’t succeed; but together, they are the beginning of something great.

Major Similarities Between Beck (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad) and Carole & Tuesday

1. Passion for Music Is What Advances the Plot

While the Beck band doesn't have to compete with computer-generated music as Carole and Tuesday do, Ryuusuke is quite insistent that no producer outside the band should touch their music as they can win the audience with no touch-ups. And both series are about all the sacrifices and challenges that the groups face to reach their goal of becoming professional musicians.

2. One of the Biggest Obstacles for Both Bands Are the Executives

As both series deal with independent bands climbing little by little in popularity, both Beck and Carole and Tuesday need to work with executives in different labels. And while not all of them are corrupt businessmen who only care for the money, they all want to change their clients into a more commercial product that can be controlled. This gives a very interesting conflict in both series, even if one is set in the far future and the other in the early 2000.

3. The Band Members and Crew Are Like a Family

Besides the music, which is amazing in both series, one of the most beautiful parts of Beck and Carole and Tuesday is how the bands and their crews become as close as a family. We follow their tribulations and how even their rivals come to see them as part of a tight-knit community. This makes us, the audience, want to be part of that group and see everyone succeed, even if we know that, in contests, there should be just one winner.

Final Thoughts

Music is one of the things that connect everyone. Even if you don’t understand the language of the lyrics, the melody is more than enough to convey feelings. Which is why stories about musicians are universal. But here we want to know, what other similarities can you spot between these series? Let us know in the comments below!