So, I recently finished watching the anime Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. I have to say this is one of the best animes I have ever watched. Ever.

For those not familiar with anime, the term refers to animated TV shows and movies produced usually in Japan, or in accordance with a certain style originating in Japan. A few good examples most Americans will have heard of incude Transformers, Pokemon and more recently Naruto. Some do not consider the works of Hayao Miyazaki to be anime despite being Japanese, but they are well recognized around the word nonetheless. These include Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, the latter two of which were nominated for Oscars. More obscure animes more characteristic of the style include the sci-fi classic Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop. A notable American series often (incorrectly) labeled as anime is Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Anime is not for everyone, but I personally love anime for its exageratted representation of people. Being originally a Japanese style, anime is often an outlet for emotions normally suppressed in Japanese society. In Japan, the tendency has long been for people to be stoic and silent. Anime, as an outlet for otherwise unspoken feelings is by design over-the-top in many ways. Characters tend to over-react, situations tend to be disproportionate and worlds tend to be fantastic and magical. Anime covers a wide range of topics and sub-styles. It is a well developed art form with many stereotypes and classics that are referenced and spoofed by other series that are in turn spoofed by other series' to the point that occaisionally a series will spoof itself.

For the record, most of the anime I watch have something to do with magic, space-age technology or both. It's really not like there is a shortage of anime that does not have these elements. It's more like the animes that are not at least a little sci-fi and/or fantasy tend to be a little... well... girly. It's like the difference between Stargate and Friends. That's not to say that Friends is particularly girly, but one is action-oriented and the other is relationship-oriented. Likewise Cowboy Bebop, a story about bounty hunters in space, is all about gunslingin' action and spectacular space dogfights set to a mix of jazz and blues. On the other hand, Ouran High School Host Club is about a girl that somehow (it's a long story) ends up having to pretend to be a guy in a boys-only club while the boys of the club go from one insane act to the next trying to get her attention. Oh, and the girl is your average middle-class high school studend attending an academy for the super-rich on scholarship. Much of the humor stems from the complete detatchment of the super high-class students from the rest of the world. The protagonist's introduction of instant coffee quickly becomes a running joke when the cool kids at the school start drinking 'commoner coffee' as they call it. (Note- I actually love both of these animes as well.)

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad is definitely an exception among animes since it is niether girly nor sci-fi/fantasy. It isn't even an action anime. It's about a loser kid that has a tendency for bad luck, but has a strong desire to make something of himself. Here's the overview: Koyuki, the protagonist (pictured above), is a really boring 14-year-old kid that is often bullied at school and isn't all that smart about avoiding trouble. His break comes when he meets Ryuusuke, a 16-year-old that grew up in New York and plays guitar like nobody's business. The self-tought guitarist inspires Koyuki to learn guitar, setting Koyuki on fire with a passion for music.

Koyuki has talent for the guitar that amazes everyone. Within only a year, he impresses Ryuusuke enough to be made a member of Ryuusuke's band: Beck. From that point on, the story is about the members of Beck trying to overcome all the huge hurdles to get from being an unheard of band among thousands of others to being the greatest band ever.

The story is so very well written, and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat rooting for Beck to succeed against tremendous odds. There are times when you will cringe with embarasment, tremble in anticipation and even cry tears of joy at the truly moving ending. Very rarely is there a story as powerful as this, with as much... awesomeness. I really can't express how much this series really means to me. It is something everyone should see.

Also, if you are familiar at with great classics in rock 'n' roll, blues, whatever, you will enjoy the surprise of seeing some of your favorite artists appearing in the anime. Some are named, some actually appear in person and one particular band's members are actually characters in the series. I won't say which band to not spoil the surprise, but it is a hugely popular Japanese band.

On a more technical note, the English dub of Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad is exceptional. Everyone familiar with anime knows that usually an anime gets an atrocious dub when it comes to America, but again, Beck is an exception here, as well. Even all the music performed by Beck has been redone in English and it sounds great.

And in the news, I have been accepted into a building project in Anaheim, California. I will be helping as a volunteer in renovating a warehouse into a convention center. I will start working the Monday following E3, and will continue working on the project as long as they let me. I will be in California for several months, at least. Sorry to everyone I was unable to say goodbye to before I left, but this is it. Keep coming to my blog to see what I'm up to. I will still be working for NintendoPlayers,com, so stop by there and read my magnificent works of fiction- wait, no, I mean journalism.

To get to California, I drove with six friends in a big red van, a Ford E-150. The travel time was 32 hours, including stops (give or take a little). As a liscensed driver, I had to have my turn at the wheel. My shift started at about 10pm and lasted until 1:30am, Central Time, though by then we were in the Mountain Time Zone. After my driving shift ended, I stayed awake with my friend Brandon M. while he drove. During this shift we watched the van's odometer roll over from 99999 miles to 100000, which we commemorated with a picture. I finally got a chance to sleep once Steve W. took over about 5am Central Time.

The next day my brother got a chance at the wheel. Fortunately that didn't last long. He only just got his learner's permit, and was VERY scary. We arrived at around 2pm Pacific Time, which was a little behind schedule, but not by much.