Beck

Yukio, called Koyuki by his friends, is a 14-year-old Japanese boy who is a bit stuck. His monotonous life is transformed the day he saves a strange-looking dog. The dog's owner (whose name is Beck), Minami Ryusuke, turns out to be a guitarist in an amateur rock band. The two boys become friends, and their musical adventure begins (the story takes place over several years, so that by the end of the story, one can estimate the age of Koyuki, Saku and Maho - the youngest heroes of the manga - to be 21 years old). The story revolves around the formation, beginnings and tribulations of their rock band, called BECK (also called Mongolian Chop Squad in the United States, as the name Beck was already taken when their first album was released there) and the human relationships between the band members and the various actors who may evolve around them (classmates, friends, colleagues, competing bands, producers, managers, journalists...). It is interesting to see the evolution of the young Yukio from his first guitar lessons to his revealed talent, especially in composition and singing, by the end of the story. An important component of the manga is the relationship between Koyuki and Ryusuke's sister, Maho.