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There are many factors that define whether a work, be it film, music or animation, should be considered successful or not. Obviously, quality is very important under any circumstances, but prioritizing quality above things like vision and soul would also make everything seem similar, no?
That might as well be the case since it's true for many anime (and not only).

But then there is Beck. A work so honest and passionate that it's impossible not to admire. Before I break down the anime
into parts, let me say this; I don't usually write reviews, but I felt I needed to write one for Beck. This ... anime is definetely worth your time and is an unforgettable ride, so don't hesitate to watch it as soon as possible.

First there's the story. Although it starts pretty slow and feels like your average "slice of life" middle/high school anime, Beck doesn't take too long to pace itself. After only 3 episodes, you've already met many of the important characters, and the story has fleshed out quite nicely, preparing you for everything that's to come in the following episodes. There isn't much to say other than the fact that it's a heartwarming story about friendship, life and, of course, the struggles of belonging to an honest band inside a dishonest "money first" industry. In addition, every single character is very well written and feels real, which is definetely something positive for an anime of this type.

However, no anime can ever be completely perfect... The one and only problem with Beck is its occasionally weak animation. In fact, let's divide animation into two categories. One category is the "General Use", and the other is the "Gig" category. The "General Use" category covers the vast majority of the anime, and is used in all scenes apart from the ones covered by the "Gig" category (which I'll explain below). As you can imagine from my the first sentence of this paragraph, this category is pretty imperfect. There's many indications that the production was short on budget in some scenes, specifically those that include a lot of "action" on screen. Faces and limbs can sometimes appear very plain, some backgrounds aren't as rich as others and even instruments may lose some of their more detailed characteristics in some scenes. While many of these scenes are very easy to distinguish (bad animation can be distracting), they don't really ruin the anime's atmosphere at all, and on the contrary, perhaps toning animation quality down in some scenes was worth it, because we get to have....

...phenomenal "Gig" animation. That category covers almost all instances where a band is playing on stage (or sometimes when members of Beck are rehearsing or doing practice) and boy, is the animation beautiful here. Every single guitar or bass is extremely detailed on close up shots for example, and based on the movement of their hands, the band members are animated to play their instrument exactly how one would go about playing an actual instrument in real life. From simple chords and guitar solos to finger-picking the bass and keeping rhythm with the drums, everything is very well made and surprisingly accurate.

I have yet to go in depth on what makes Beck what it is, however. The music. Oh the music. Where to begin. If there was one reason for someone to recommend the anime over the manga, that would be the amazing work that's been put into this anime's soundtrack. The work and passion that's been put into the music is unprecedented. From the mood-setting and unskippable opening to the entirety of Beck's song catalogue, the music completely blew me away. Surprisingly, the voice actors also sing quite well (the dubbed songs are quite equal to the original japanese songs, but what makes the dub slightly better is probably the lack of Engrish. That applies for songs only, though). Even if Beck had the worst possible story and characterization in any piece of entertainment in the world, the music would be enough to carry the show. Don't believe me? Check out one of the OSTs for yourself. It really feels like listening to an unknown real life band with some beautiful ballads and catchy punk/hard rock tracks.

And in the end it all comes down to enjoyment. I am really grateful this anime came to exist, because like the band itself, it is an underrated beautiful gem hidden in a sea of trash. It's an honest anime with both sad and happy times that will make you believe that music might really be able to change the world after all. On a personal note, I want to thank Beck for reminding me many things I had long forgotten, and I'm sure many of you will be as grateful for its existence as I am.

I definetely recommend Beck with a score of 10/10. Absolutely do not miss this because you're going to regret it one day.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, a controversial anime since its inception. For some people, NGE is art at its purest form; the feelings and frustrations of its creator shaped appropriately to fit in a medium (in this case, animation). For others, it is just another anime struggling to draw the viewer's attention by presenting itself as "deep". In this review I will explain why I personally disagree with the latter and give reasons as to why I have given it a perfect score.

Story: 8/10

In my opinion the weakest part of NGE is its story. For its first quarter, the series is pretty story-driven as it introduces ... you to the post-apocalyptic modern world as well as the characters in it. For the majority of the show however, the story only acts as a vehicle for explaining the director's philosophies. That's not to say that the plot doesn't steadily move from point A towards point B, but that the main focus of the series lies within its characters, their flaws and their motivations. Is that a bad thing? No it isn't. It's just not linear.

Art: 10/10

The art is pretty solid for its time. You'll find attention to detail everywhere and constant beautiful shots of both landscapes and characters masterfully directed by Hideaki Anno. In addition, the animation doesn't hold back when there's a lot of action on screen, allowing you to experience the show as intended.

Towards the end, the production infamously ran out of budget after a controversy surrounding the direction the series was taking, forcing the animation to recycle frames and draw some scenes out more than usual. However, by that point, all of this works in favor of the series as I'm sure you'll see if you decide to watch it.

Sound: 10/10

Not much to explain here. The soundtrack and the opening perfectly fit the tone of the series and often set a great mood, while the calm ending (a cover of the famous Kaye Ballard song "Fly Me To The Moon") intends to give the viewer a moment's rest following the episode.

Characters: 10/10

The strongest trait of Evangelion. Unlike almost every anime series up to that point, the main characters in NGE are weak and broken. This offers the show a feeling of mortality; there are no heroes.

Shinji Ikari, the character we follow most throughout the show happens to be the weakest one. Neglected since childhood, he wishes he could make good friends, but his self-pity and somewhat annoying character prevents him from doing so. Extreme as it may seem, Shinji's feelings are things we have all experienced and attempted to hide at least once in our lives. Hideaki Anno takes these feelings and puts them in the spotlight, preventing us from looking away. This induces a very uncomfortable feeling, especially when watching Shinji isolate himself or run away from responsibility as a means to be noticed by his father. At the end of the day, Shinji is annoying to everyone because he is the embodiment of everything you've tried to hide and run away from. That's what Anno intended.

There's not just Shinji however. The way characters interact with each other, their developement and their struggles all give the viewer a glimpse of the kind of world they've had to live in. More often than not, their decisions seem wrong, but make us wonder if we would have actually done anything differently in their shoes.

Enjoyment: 10/10

This is very different for everyone. The anime's mostly phylosophical themes as well as its weak-willed characters make it hard for it to be an "enjoyable" experience in the literal sense of the word. It's not something you'd watch when you want to lift your spirits up. It is however a very significant work as it redefines the word "art" when it comes to anime. That being said, if you think this is a mecha anime similar to Gundam, you'll be dissapointed. NGE's very core is to make you feel uncomfortable and to criticize escapism, so it couldn't possibly be "mindless fun".

Overall: 10/10

Similarly to the works of established filmmakers, this anime exists to convey a message, not to present a story. The anime is based on a solid story nonetheless and even if it gets harder and harder to grasp as Anno stops narrating the story traditionally, there are still visual hints solving any questions you might have if you immerse yourself in the post-apocalyptic world of NGE.

NGE is a milestone in anime history and even though I definetely wouldn't recommend it to a newcomer, it's definetely worth watching as it presents you with more than just another anime. It exposes you to art.