Fourteen-year-old Yukio Tanaka is one heck of a boring guy. He has no hobbies, a weak taste in music, and only a small vestige of a personality. His shy and somewhat neurotic personality makes him his own worst enemy. Little does he know that his life will be forever changed when he meets rocker Ryusuke Minami, an unpredictable sixteen-year-old with a cool dog named Beck. Ryusuke has just returned to Japan from America, and when he inspires Yukio to get into music, the two begin a journey through the world of rock ’n’ roll dreams! Lace up your Docs and head to the mosh pit—Harold Sakuishi’s highly addictive manga series that spawned the hit anime is back at last!
As Koyuki strums and picks the guitar that Ryusuke has given him, Maho suggests that Koyuki step into the spotlight and become a singer in Ryusuke’s band. And with a Battle of the Bands festival on the horizon, he finds the perfect venue in which to perform—he ends up joining a Beatles cover band that is playing in the competition. But Koyuki’s nerves suddenly jump up an octave when he discovers what is really at stake in the contest. But it’s probably nothing that a steamy skinny-dipping session won’t cure—Maho tags along for the festival, and you can be sure that girls just want to have fun!
After Koyuki and Maho finish a hot-and-steamy skinny-dipping adventure, his fondness for her freewheeling spirit grows. At school, new responsibilities in music class lead to tension with a school bully—who ends up trying to blackmail him! Koyuki’s life is turning into one big ball of confusion: Ryusuke is still upset with him after breaking his guitar ... will things ever be the same between them?
After Izumi graduates, Koyuki is left alone with a heavy heart, but losing her is the least of his problems—he still has to face Hyodo’s bullying! Fortunately, Koyuki slips away in time to show off his guitar-playing skills. Sure he wants to be a rock ’n’ roll start, but will Koyuki ever be good enough to make the band?
When Beck plays its first gig as a five-piece, Koyuki’s inexperience makes the band hit a wall of sound. But after the show, Koyuki displays his true talent with a new song about someone special ... Later, an old nemesis resurfaces: Eiji unveils his new high-powered band, Belle Ame. Backed by a famous music producer, Belle Ame is flashy, stylish, and heading its way up the charts. With the competition to get on the Dying Breed’s tour fierce, has Beck performed its last waltz?
Beck just needs sixty-thousand yen and a microphone to record a demo! During a break from trying to earn some cash to cut the record, Koyuki and Saku decide it’s not their place in the 9-to-5 world. They join Tanabe and Ciel Bleu—it’s the school’s Battle of the Bands, and time to rock out! Later, Koyuki realizes he’s got to splurge for a new six-string, and he will do anything to buy one. But in his search for the perfect instrument, someone sends him a special message ... and when he realizes it’s filled with more than just love, Koyuki knows he’s got to be cruel to be kind. Will someone ... anyone ... call the karma police?
With brass in pocket, Beck’s popularity is snowballing: CD sales are up in the U.S., and they keep booking great gigs. But not all is what it really seems to be. Eddie has a message for Ryusuke, and it doesn’t sound like fan mail. Ryusuke’s bullet-ridden guitar and secret weapon, Lucille, has an admirer that will stop at nothing to get her. Meanwhile, Maho has a new suitor ... but do all the best cowboys really have Chinese eyes? Saku and Koyuki share more than a lust for life—they are chasing the same girl. What else can happen to Beck? Is a U.S. tour in the works?
As the Greatful Sound concert is slowly creeping up, Ryusuke and Lucille have not only caught the attention of the music-loving public—they are also on the radar of hip-hop mogul Leon Sykes, the man who fell to earth in the helicopter. It seems Leon is after Lucille and will do anything to pick up his guitar and play, just like yesterday. Ryusuke must turn up his charm big time ... or watch as his guitar gently weeps! Meanwhile, Koyuki has had a sudden spark of inspiration. Could this be the song to send them over the top? Or will they be stuck as absolute beginners forever?
Time is definitely not on Beck’s side! With less than a month until Greatful Sound, the members of the band, particularly Ryusuke, are feeling the stress. With nothing to do and nowhere to go, Koyuki would rather be sedated than try to finish writing the lyrics to "Out of the Hole." Meanwhile, Ryusuke’s unease stems from the terms of the deal he made with Leon Sykes to get on the bill at Greatful Sound. When the fateful rock festival finally arrives, Koyuki makes a potentially dangerous deal of his own with Yoshito. Will a sudden downpour help love to reign over him?
The rest of the band is nowhere to be seen, so Koyuki decides to head up on stage at Greatful Sound by himself. With nothing but an acoustic guitar, he starts singing the Beatles’ "I’ve Got a Feeling." Before he even finishes, the band joins him on stage, unable to resist the siren song of music. Saku backs him up on the drums. After a few minutes, Taira adds his funky bass to the mix. Then, Ryusuke approaches the stage bearing the famous guitar Lucille. Finally, Chiba arrives, completing the once invincible group. The bands rips into their own material, working the crowd—and themselves—into a frenzy. Could this once-in-a-lifetime performance bring the band back together once and for all?
After Beck’s epic performance at Greatful Sound, Koyuki is offered the opportunity of a lifetime: a recording deal from Leon Sykes! This is the big break he’s been waiting for, but instead of taking it he decides to follow his heart and try to bring Beck back together—for good. But with Ryusuke’s disappearance, Taira’s commitment to another band, Chiba’s ramen shop duties, and Saku’s decision to move again, is there still hope for Beck? Or will they just be another band that bites the dust?
The band members accidentally get themselves booked on their first American tour, but Ryusuke has disappeared! Jet-lagged, exhausted, and unable to get into the groove without Ryusuke, Beck’s first American tour may also be their last. Where is he? And how long can they last on the long and winding road without him?
“We’ll all meet up at the grave.” Amid their train-wreck tour of the States, the deeper meaning behind the band’s communal “dream” dawns on Koyuki. As if led by the ghosts of music’s past, they arrive at Jimmy Hendrix’s grave, and who do they find there, but the MIA Ryusuke! Back in full form following the fateful reunion, it’s time for BECK to show what they’re made of at the palace of alternative rock, Lizard House! …Or so was the plan, until Kevin drops a bombshell and tells them they’re off the tour!
Now that all five members are finally back together, BECK’s a loaded gun, ready to pop off at Lizard House! With the future of the tour riding on an unfavorable bet and no way out, will Koyuki and the crew be able to rock Seattle with their renewed groove?! Meanwhile, an unexpected guest decides to drop by Lizard House—Dying Breed’s own Matt! BECK’s dramatic comeback will leave you in awe in this latter half of the rollercoaster America tour arc!
After rounding out their highly successful tour of the States, Koyuki and the gang return to Japan. Riding that momentum, their next step on their journey to rock greatness is the production of a new mini-album! However, thanks to the wiles of their industry archnemesis, Ran, no record labels will sign with BECK... Luckily, Sato manages to snag them a contract with a tiny indie label, but before they can record, they’re going to have to come up with a small fortune. Excitement turns to exhaustion as Koyuki and the gang take to working day in and day out. Will BECK be able to make their mini-album?!
Due to a disasterous recording process, BECK’s debut single, "Human Fly," comes back from the studio in hardly satisfactory form. There’s no way they’ll be able to reach Kawakubo’s set sales goal with this... Shocked and disappointed, the guys float through life down in the dumps. But then out of nowhere, Kawakubo offers to sign BECK for an unprecedented second single! This time, they’ll make sure it stays true to their sound! Can BECK use this chance to make a comback?!
Koyuki thought he and Maho would be together forever, until she drops a bombshell when she reveals her plans to study abroad. Swallowing his shock, Koyuki and the guys set out on BECK’s Japan tour. Failure is not an option, as their Greatful Sound appearance is riding on the tour’s success. Feeling the pressure, but confident from having overcome their tour of the States, the gang tackles the trial head-on. However, they’re in for a wild ride when the gods of rock throw one curveball after another at them!
With the tri-city tour successfully wrapped up and Greatful Sound 7 over the horizon, this is shaping up to be a the greatest summer of all time for BECK. But behind closed doors, Japanese music industry mogul, Ran, orders Sato to drop BECK from the lineup. And just like that, the chance Koyuki and the gang worked so hard to grasp slips through their fingers. But the despair doesn’t end there. As if to twist the knife, one day, the guys receive even more tragic news...
While Ryusuke wanders the streets of New York in the wake of Eddie’s death, it’s on Koyuki and the guys in Japan to climb out of the seemingly bottomless pit they find themselves in. But while they struggle to find their footing, summer draws to a close...meaning the day Koyuki and Maho must say goodbye draws nearer. When Maho starts to get cold feet about leaving, Koyuki vows to himself to see her off with a smile. With their parting just around the corner, what sort of promise does the young couple make?!
As BECK continues to desperately drag themselves out of the muck, one day, they get an unexpected offer from Game of Death to play their new event! With the organizers behind them, there’s no way Koyuki and the guys can let this chance to to waste. Soon after, they get a call from Ryusuke, who annnounces he’s finally coming home...on the day of the show. Will he make it in time for the five of them to play on stage together again? With electric bands popping off on stage one after another, can BECK manage to pull of a solid show and set themselves apart from the pack?!
Thanks to the valiant efforts of Kawakubo in London, BECK lands a contract with the U.K.’s biggest indie label, Naff Records! Now with a some must-needed backing in the way of recording fees, the guys can finally get to work on their long-awaited full album! It’s do or die, and BECK’s going to have to fight for their lives if they have any hope of reaching their next big stage and paying back everything they owe in full!
With the support of all sorts of people from all walks of life, the guys have grown as both a band and as people. One day, Ryusuke receives an unexpected phone call from genius film director, Jim Walsh, who happens to be in Japan for just one day! Jim tells Ryusuke he wants to meet him in person, but as luck would have it, BECK is already scheduled to film a music video the same day... However, through a chain of chance circumstances, things go off the rails when Jim winds up directing BECK’s music video himself!
The legendary Avalon Festival is making a return...and BECK’s name is on the list of potential bands?! Meanwhile, one night, right before a a show, the guys receive an unexpected DVD in the mail from New York—Jim Walsh’s finished music video! The impromptu viewing sends the crowd into an uproar, but as a result, word of BECK’s backdoor dealings with Jim Walsh finds its way to Ran, and now he’s out for blood. Vowing to crush BECK with his own two hands, Ran begins to gun for the guys with explicity enmity!
Ran’s relentless rush to completely bury BECK shows no signs of slowing down, effectively blacklisting them from the entire industry. To make matters worse, it turns out Koyuki’s rainy-night rendezvous with the Ran family was nothing more than a scheme to rock the boat and make the guys think Koyuki betrayed them. While the misunderstanding is thankfully short-lived, the fiasco drives a wedge between Chiba and Koyuki. And so, the guys find themselves draining of their will to fight slowly but surely. Will BECK buckle to evil?!
BECK’s national tour is off to a great start. But under the surface, the discord between Koyuki and Chiba slowly begins to impinge the band at a whole... Amidst the morass, Chiba decides to enter a solo freestyle battle in order to determine just what his purpose in BECK is. Riddled with self-doubt, Chiba faces off against some of the hip-hop world’s best, grabbing the audience by the heart with each bout. Where will the bewildered warrior’s battle take him?!