History Manga / Beck1999

Not to be confused with the [[{{Music/Beck}} alternative rock musician of the same name]], nor with the [[Film/{{Beck}} Swedish movie and TV series]].

%% * Getting Crap Past The Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

%%* {{Bishonen}}: Ryuusuke, Eiji's band, Yoshito, Eddie Lee. And depending on your point of view, Koyuki.

%%* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: The voice-acting of some of the extras in the anime. The main characters, unfortunately, not so much. It could be a lot worse, but Ryuusuke and Maho supposedly grew up in the US, and their grammar and pronunciation really don't show it.
%%** Ryuusuke's much better English and the American extras in the movie lead to a lot of this.

%%** Particularly weird when it results in a band that [[InkSuitActor the anime uses actual The Pillows songs for the performances of]], but it's not actually supposed to be Music/ThePillows.
** Guy Sexton, the lead singer of Powergate, is a carbon copy of [[Music/LimpBizkit Fred Durst]] if he shared the same tattooist as [[Music/LinkinPark Chester Bennington]].

%%* ClusterFBomb: The English dub.

* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Averted. Saku is probably one of the most calm and rational members of the cast.

* AuthorAppeal: Creator Harold Sakuishi is a very big fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, so it's no surprise that Taira is pretty much modeled after RHCP bassist Flea.
** Also Ryuusuke always wears a [[BlandNameProduct Red Hot Chili Ppers]] shirt.
* BashBrothers[=/=]BackToBackBadasses: Chiba + Tetsuo = CurbStompBattle.

* {{Bishonen}}: Ryuusuke, Eiji's band, Yoshito, Eddie Lee. And depending on your point of view, Koyuki.
** Koyuki's more like a cute little boy, in the anime at least (he's 14 when the story starts, after all).
* BlandNameProduct: The Anime is full of them, the characters shirts often have Band names usually with one letter swapped, like [[Music/ThePixies The Pixis]], [[Music/TheRamones The Rammones]], [[Music/TheWho Tho Who]], also a common one is Samsang. Episode 5 features a bottle of Dack Janiels.
** Averted in the opening sequence, where a number of RealLife casino logos had to be censored in the American release for legal reasons (including the ''fake'' Coca-Cola logo, just to be safe).

* CantCatchUp:
** Chiba thinks this of himself later on.
** Ryuusuke is later revealed to feel this way towards Eddie, fearing that he is quickly left behind and forgotten by his old friend as despite their childhood promise of playing in the same stage one day, Eddie's successes is still far and away eclipses Ryuusuke's own. In fact, [[spoiler:Ryuusuke's last words to Eddie is lashing out and accusing him of having forgotten their childhood promise, [[PartingWordsRegret something that he regretted deeply later]].]]
* CelebrityLie: Subverted. Ryuusuke's claims to be an old friend of Dying Breed guitarist Eddie Lee are largely believed to be of this trope, but is in fact true.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The boys meet a few along their career. Ran, Leon Sykes, Victor Slater... It gets to SortingAlgorithmOfEvil levels in the manga.

* DownerEnding: Averted. Especially because, in the anime, it does ''not'' happen in the final episode, but in the penultimate. And the story moved on in the manga.

* EyesAlwaysShut: Saku. Naturally averted in the movie.
** Lampshaded when Saku justifies not showing his driver's license to Koyuki: he says the photo didn't come out good because he had to open his eyes. But since said photo is never seen, the trope's still in effect.
* FaceDoodling: Happens, but Koyuki gets even (with a ShoutOut to [[Manga/{{Kinnikuman}} another manga]] no less!).

* FascinatingEyebrow: Jim Walsh has one of these virtually every time he's pictured.
* FirstGirlWins: Averted with Izumi.
* [[FourTemperamentEnsemble Five-Temperament Ensemble]]: A more accurate description of the group's dynamics. Chiba (choleric), Taira (melancholic), Koyuki (leukine), Saku (sanguine), and Ryusuke (phlegmatic).

** LineOfSightName: How they settle on "BECK"; they name the band after the dog, who was there at the time.
* GratuitousEnglish: The lyrics to BECK's songs are full of it, though not completely ("Spice of Life", for example, does have verses in Japanese).
** There's also Koyuki singing in English without knowing the language. To be fair, he's not ''that'' bad with getting it right, it's only his accent that's too thick (for example, his "gently" in "Moon in the Water" sounds like [[JapaneseRanguage "gentry"]]).
* HotTeacher: Momoko, for whom Saitou falls.
* IdiotCrows: Well, more like a cockatoo.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Saitou and Koyuki.
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: What Eiji thinks when he sees BECK and bands like Room 13 (which made their breakthrough thanks to BECK) making their break in the international scene, stemming from his disillusion after Belle Ame's failure to make an impression. Of course, things work differently for different people...

** Chiba could also count. He is, by far, the loudest of the members of BECK.

* MaleGaze

* NeverLearnedToRead: Maho can't read kanji, making her almost completely illiterate.
** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] because she grew up in America and only recently moved to Japan. She's perfectly literate ''in English,'' and can speak Japanese just fine.

** Particularly weird when it results in a band that [[InkSuitActor the anime uses actual The Pillows songs for the performances of]], but it's not actually supposed to be Music/ThePillows.

** Why they're known as Mongolian Chop Squad overseas.
** Actually also why Yukio is called "Koyuki:" in one of the classes he and Izumi had together, there was another Yukio Tanaka;a as the smaller one, he was called "Little (ko) Yuki."
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Koyuki, at least until he ditches school for BECK. Also Saku. Izumi and Hiromi fit this too, though they are mostly secondary in different points in Koyuki's life (e.g. once he starts attending high school, Izumi is PutOnABus--as are almost all of his middle school colleagues--with Hiromi serving as a replacement of sorts, because she starts dating Saku).

* ThePowerOfRock: A more realistic version than usual.

* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: Except Chiba.
** Actually, [[spoiler:it's revealed in the manga that Chiba does see the same vision, and even more of it, when Ryuusuke is in the States and everyone is there touring and trying to find him.]]
** Also mentioned in the anime. Listen to the comments Koyuki makes as he shows Maho the pictures of the tour (which is shown more in-depth in the manga).

** As a matter of fact, we learn in the manga that, of the five members of BECK, Ryusuke is ''the only one who can speak English'', which leads to loads of lost-in-translation when they go to the USA. And it's rather ironic, since Chiba sings mostly in English. So he wouldn't have a clue of what the songs mean if Ryusuke didn't explain (assuming that he did)? It's possible that Chiba knows some (and he raps mostly in Japanese, by the way). We see that Taira later gets to learn as well, leaving only Saku (who is frequently asking "What's he saying?" to Taira) and Koyuki lost in translation.

* ScaryBlackMan: Gordie (or [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Goldie]]). Not just in terms of appearance, he's legitimately dangerous.
** And Leon Sykes isn't too far behind his own henchman. He might as well be ''scarier''.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: {{Big Bad}}s Ran and Leon Sykes have these. Overlaps with SunglassesAtNight in Ran's case (Sykes ''does'' take his off on occasion).

* SexAsRiteOfPassage: Heavily implied with all the times Maho slipped into Koyuki's room. Doesn't help that she also averts NotStayingForBreakfast.
** [[spoiler:The day of the Avalon Festival is the one definite point where this trope is probably invoked. (She wanted to go to Japan a few chapters earlier and packed her lingerie.)]]
* ShirtlessScene: The way Taira usually plays.
** Also Tetsuo, the vocalist of Room 13, who always takes the stage wearing only ''his underwear'' (or a Speedo, whatever's more probable).

* SpoilerOpening: The group, plus Maho, is in America (first Vegas, then somewhere in the desert, then NYC).
* {{Squee}}: Koyuki has something of a guy version when he sees Eddie from Dying Breed in the crowd at a gig.

* StoutStrength: One could describe Saitou like this: despite that gut of his, he's an incredibly adept swimmer (which is a sport that requires a good amount of physical power).

** Neither is Ran, Belle Ame's manager.
* SupportingLeader: Although Ryuusuke started the band, Taira, as a [[TheLeader Type II leader]], functions as this. He's involved in all of the important decisions made for the band, especially whenever Ryuusuke goes AWOL.
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: The voice-acting of some of the extras in the anime. The main characters, unfortunately, not so much. It could be a lot worse, but Ryuusuke and Maho supposedly grew up in the US, and their grammar and pronunciation really don't show it.
** This is because most of the American characters were played by American ex-pats. Their ''acting'', however, is more than a little weak once one compares it to the exact same lines spoken in the English dub.
** Ryuusuke's much better English and the American extras in the movie lead to a lot of this.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The feud between Ryuusuke and Eiji, Ryuusuke being the Performer, Eiji being the technician.
** Also, to a minor extent, Koyuki and Yoshito.
** As Eiji disappeared, it's more Koyuki and Hyoudo.
** In general, BECK and Belle Ame also follow this: BECK being Performer, Belle Ame being Technician, and other bands associated with BECK, such as The Dying Breed and Ciel-Bleu also being Performer. Hyoudo's band also was technician, as Ryusuuke pointed out. In general the Performer beats the Technician, except in best guitar when both Koyuki and Hyoudo won.
** It should be noted that BECK plays both more technically challenging music than Belle Ame as well as more sonically pleasing music.

* TookALevelInBadass: A pre-series example. Maho explains that before he started training in Karate, Chiba was timid and a constant victim of bullying. Now he's a brash delinquent with fighting skills to back it up.

* {{Tsundere}}: Maho, in a more deredere way than usual (she's very frank about her feelings, after all).
* [[UglyGuyHotWife Ugly Guy Hot Girlfriend]]: Saitou and Momoko.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Chiba and Ryusuke.
* VocalTagTeam: Chiba and Koyuki.

** Be honest, Eddie Lee gives off the feel like he's a more upbeat version of [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Kurt Cobain]]. He also looks like a younger [[Music/{{Silverchair}} Daniel Johns]]. And his name is quite similar to [[Music/{{Rush}} Geddy Lee]].

** The rail platform where [[spoiler:Maho and Koyuki have their reunion]] happens to be the exact same platform in Dartford where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had their famous reunion in 1961, a meeting that eventually led to the formation of Music/TheRollingStones.

* RealityEnsues: Saku fearlessly stands up to the school bullies... and is quickly [[CurbStompBattle pulverized]]. To be fair, he didn't expect to win- he just couldn't live with himself if he let them walk all over him.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The feud between Ryuusuke and Eiji, Ryuusuke being the Performer, Eiji being technician.

* UpToEleven: Ryuusuke's amp can go this high.

** Ryunosuke is later revealed to feel this way towards Eddie, fearing that he is quickly left behind and forgotten by his old friend as despite their childhood promise of playing in the same stage one day, Eddie's successes is still far and away eclipses Ryunosuke's own. In fact, [[spoiler:Ryunosuke last words to Eddie is lashing out and accusing him of having forgotten their childhood promise, [[PartingWordsRegret something that he regretted deeply later]].]]

* CantCatchUp: Chiba thinks this of himself later on.

* AloofBigBrother: Ryuusuke.

* AssKicksYou: [[http://www.onemanga.com/Beck/46/25/ here]].

* ClusterFBomb: The English dub.

* FaceDoodling: [[http://www.onemanga.com/Beck/37/58/ here]]. But Koyuki [[http://www.onemanga.com/Beck/37/59/ gets even]] (with a ShoutOut to [[Manga/{{Kinnikuman}} another manga]] no less!).

* {{Fanservice}}: Maho definitely has her moments, usually for Koyuki (her SexyShirtSwitch after the first time she sleeps over with him is one example). Also, [[ShirtlessScene Taira]] for the [[http://www.mangareader.net/291-20693-10/beck/chapter-76.html male side]].

** Be honest, Eddie Lee gives off the feel like he's a more upbeat version of [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Kurt Cobain]]. He also looks like a younger [[Music/{{Silverchair}} Daniel Johns]]. And his name is quite similar to [[Music/{{Rush}} Geddy Lee]]

* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Koyuki, at least until he ditches school for BECK. Also Saku. Izumi and Hiromi fit this too, though they are mostly secondary in different points in Koyuki's life (e.g. once he starts attending high school, Izumi is PutOnABus - as are almost all of his middle school colleagues - , with Hiromi serving as a replacement of sorts, because she starts dating Saku).

Essentially the Manga is a {{Seinen}} in {{Shounen}}'s Clothing.

* Yoshiyuki Taira: The bassist of BECK. As the oldest, he is the most mature member and has the most experience with music (his father was the bassist of a jazz band.) He has no problem with staying in the background, but will speak up if he feels he needs to. His play style is based off Michael "Flea" Balzary of The Red Hot Chili Peppers fame. He also has bleach blonde hair and doesn't wear a shirt on stage.

* AuthorAppeal: Creator Harold Sakuishi is a very big fan of the Music/RedHotChiliPeppers, so it's no surprise that Taira is pretty much modeled after RHCP bassist Flea.

** Taira is one to Music/RedHotChiliPeppers bassist Flea, from the playing style to the bleached hair. Pretty much expected since Sakuishi is apparently a big Music/RedHotChiliPeppers fan.

* SenseiChan: A DeconstructedTrope with Momoko. Because she is young and attractive she gives off this vibe, but because of it [[RealityEnsues none of the students or faculty actually respect her as an authority figure]]. This, combined with the rumors about her, ends up getting so bad that she is forced to leave her job.

* OneSteveLimit: Why they're known as Mongolian Chop Squad overseas.

* ProgressiveInstrumentation: At the climax of the Grateful Sound 5 arc (and the anime), [[spoiler:everyone but Koyuki has given up, so he is left on his own on stage, and begins to play without the rest of the band.]] Inspired, one by one the rest of the band joins in, building on the song this way. The song in the original Japanese audio was Music/TheBeatles' "I Got A Feeling," but the export soundtracks (including the Japanese tracks) change the lyrics.

* ProgressiveInstrumentation: At the climax of ''Manga/{{Beck}}'', [[spoiler:everyone but Koyuki has given up, so he is left on his own on stage, and begins to play without the rest of the band.]] Inspired, one by one the rest of the band joins in, building on the song this way. The song in the original Japanese audio was Music/TheBeatles' "I Got A Feeling," but it was changed for the dub.

* ReReleaseSoundtrack: A cover of Music/TheBeatles' "I've Got a Feeling" features in the climax of the anime. The home distribution version keeps the backing tracks the same, but the lyrics change to something completely different. The English track changes it even further, using the lyrics of another in-universe song.

* ChekhovsGun: "Devil's Way", Eddie Lee's unreleased song. From playing it privately to Koyuki over the phone, it becomes an important plot point late in the manga.

* GangstaStyle: Frequently employed by the actual gangsters who appear in the manga (and not just the American ones).
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Page, a bird known for crying out 'asshole' gets a great example in episode 7:
--> '''Koyuki''': What is it about South-East Asia that makes middle-aged men act so crazy?
--> '''Page''': AASSSSHOLE!