1) This review is biased as hell. I grew up listening to various types of rock music. These include Green Day, blink 182, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana and many others. Therefore, when I saw an anime centered around rock, and wasn't a moe-blob filled with high school girls (I'm looking at you K-On), I was instantly on board.
2) The Beck manga finished sometime in 2008,a full 2 years after the anime ended, so the anime was cut at around Chapter 31-32. NOTE* THERE ARE 103 CHAPTERS SO YOU ARE MISSING OUT. If you watch the anime (and I seriously recommend it),you really need to read the manga. It adds a lot of depth and there are a bunch of arcs afterward.
3) Adding on to #1, if you are planning on watching the anime, you might want to know some basic things about rock. There are quite a few references to American Rock Bands (Kurt Cobain and Freddie Mercury are present).
Story and Characters 10/10:
Beck is a unique show in the sense of how real it feels. In the beginning of the anime, the MC, Koyuki, is your generic high school boy. He listens to pop music, has a crush on an idol, doesn't have any plans for the future, doesn't play any instruments, etc. Basically, if you got literally any other high school boy from a generic harem anime and swapped him with Koyuki, he would fit right in. But the beauty of the show is what they do with the character.
See, later on in the story, Koyuki changes. He develops as a character (but more on that later), and the most ironic thing, is that his whole character development never would have happened, had he not met Ryusuke. Ryusuke, to put it in simple terms, is the anti-Koyuki. He curses, he can appear crazy at times, he can (barely) speak English properly, and he is a guitar GOD. But. in a turn of events, we see why Koyuki isn't exactly that generic character we thought he was. We see Koyuki work his ass off to get better at what he (will later) love. Throughout the series, we see him evolve from a shy, isolated kid into a confident and reliable person. We see him turn into a rock star, who was able to achieve that feat through hard work (and a bit of talent, as you'll later see).
The best part of Ryusuke's character is that, even if Koyuki is the main part of the series, the series would never had happened if he wasn't there. Ryusuke not only pushes Koyuki to do better, but he is the one who united the band. There is an entire arc centered around "Ray" and his past, and you will come to love him even more (even though he can sometimes be a major douche).
While he isn't as important as Koyuki or Ryusuke, Chiba is certainly someone who will leave a mark on you once the series is finished. . He is a simple-minded, yet moral character. He will do anything to help his friends, and it is shown several times throughout the story. He knows a martial art and isn't afraid to kick someone's ass (repeatedly) to help out a fellow bandmate. However, beyond this tough guy persona lies a truly fragile and child-like person. At one point in the story, he debated on quitting the band due to a "dream".
Probably the most forgettable out of the 5 band members are Taira and Sakurai. But, that's not entirely a bad thing. See, throughout the series, these two helped keep the band together, from standing up to bullies to using connections to buy instruments.
Basically the main cast are a metaphor of a band. The 2 guitars, Koyuki and Ryusuke are focused on the most. The singer, Chiba is the loudest. And the bass and drums are the supports of the band, keeping the song (or characters) together.
Art/ Animation: 3/10
WHAT THE F*** . HOW IN THE WORLD DID THE GUYS WHO CREATED ONE PUNCH MAN MAKE THIS?
Sound: 7/10
See, the music and OST are pretty amazing. The Beat Crusaders really outdid themselves. The OP is one of the most catchiest songs I've ever heard and Full Moon Sways is awesome as usual. The problem is the voice acting. It's terrible. Not in the Japanese parts, because those are fine. It's the Engrish moments. As someone who speaks the language, I am offended by how terrible the Engrish is. I don't get why they didn't just hire an American VA.
Enjoyment: 10/10
Just watch it. Please. It's my favorite anime of all time and it needs to be more well-known. And after you watch the anime, please read the manga. It is so worth it.
