chiaki

Author’s Note: This blog is the most personal I have written thus far, and perhaps as personal as I ever will, so be forewarned I am pouring my heart out into this blog.

*Spoilers for BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad*

High school, a time of emotions and finding who you really are. Three years ago at the tender age of 14, I entered high school, not really knowing what to expect. I was considered a nerd by many of my peers and it’s true I was, even beyond that, I liked being called one. I had a few friends that I could call “friends”, people I could trust and depend on.

I also had to deal with a minor form of depression, “artists” depression is what I called it. I always wanted to be a writer, and more so I wanted to write manga and anime. Now I know a westerner writing anime is nearly impossible, hell, I do not even know a single foreigner who has. It was my pipe-dream and still is to this day, but to go with that dream, came a disease. A disease I was able to cure with leaving my world, my transportation? Anime.

I did not know it but I used anime as an escape into other worlds, worlds far better than my own. Now, my world was not bad par say, I have a nice house, my parents do not abuse me, and like I said have good friends. No, my “life” was not bad but my view was, I hated my life, I really did. I was a 14 year old Hispanic nerd, who weighed 102lbs and was only 5′ 2” , no girl bothered to look at me and I couldn’t blame them. I lived my whole life with my head down, and to this day sometimes still do. My only real passion was anime and music, the music I listened to and the anime I watched truly saved my life.

As I listened to my favorite bands Pixies, Nujabes , and The Smiths my life started to change. I became so infatuated with the music, I stopped caring about how crappy I felt. This music soon started blending with the anime I used to escape from my life. One of my favorite anime series Samurai Champloo became my key into the blending of anime and music. The beautiful sounds of Nujabes to the almost real back drop of feudal Japan, and not to mention likeable characters Mugen, Jin, and Fuu changed who I was at my core. I started feeling much better but then it came back, the sadness, the loneliness even when surrounded by my friends. I needed another remedy, then I heard a song called Moon on the Water. What was this beautiful song and why did it resonate with me so much?

I found the origin of that song, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad . Now some of you may have watched Beck, the Anime Addicts themselves reviewed it and gave it a 5/5. BECK was something I had never seen before, an anime about real people trying to achieve their goal. Tanaka Yukio, a fellow 14-year old, was trying to become someone, break the norm he had lived his whole life. I immediately connected with his plight, I was trying to do the same. I was trying to not live with my sadness, and try and become someone, someone happy and strong. As Tanaka learned the guitar, I wrote my heart out, every chord Tanaka played was a page I wrote. I knew my “manga” (as I can and could not draw) was not the best but I continued on, writing different genres using Yukio’s determination as my own. Then I heard the song, that started this whole ordeal, “Moon on the Water”, and it was sung by two teens skinny dipping in a pool.

The song resonated not only in my ears but my soul, every note was a spark within my heart. I soon felt strong, and knew that no matte what I had to finish what I started. As Tanaka joined the band BECK, I was talking with a friend of mine whom loves manga and anime (thanks Jeannie) and more so, loves writing about it. My writing soon became better and Tanaka became a singer.

Yukio Tanaka, sang the song “Face”, and I cried. I did not cry because the song moved me (it did but not to that extreme) I cried because Tanaka became a someone. I knew I had to do the same, I pushed my self harder, and harder. I wrote a 7 volume manga series titled “The Million Man” in a five subject notebook. The Million Man, a manga about an international fugitive with a million dollar bounty ( it seemed a high enough money value at the time) but also a humanitarian trying to help any he could. I finished the Million Man as BECK landed a gig at “Greatful Sound 5”. Tanaka was nearly there, nearly the someone he wanted to become.

As Yukio Tanaka took the Third Stage, my heart was in my throat it beating almost as loud as the headphones hooked up to my computer. Tanaka then hit the rift I knew all to well, “I’ve Got a Feeling” by the Beatles and for once in my life I felt a surge of happiness. Tanaka belted out the god-like hooks of Paul McCartney and as each member of BECK took the stage I felt my heart growing larger. Every song afterwards, made me stronger and happier, happier than I had ever been. As the last episode came around, I had become someone I could respect. I wrote and still do, daily, I even started learning the bass guitar ( what can I say? Taira was too cool). My life became whole and I beat the sickening depression I had, all thanks to BECK an anime about a band, named after a dog.

Thanks for reading and please, if you have any life changing stories feel free to leave them below, and most of all LONG LIVE BECK!!!!!