Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad

Yukio, called Koyuki by his friends, is an ordinary 14-year-old Japanese boy. His monotonous life is transformed the day he rescues a strange-looking dog. The dog's owner (named Beck), Minami Ryusuke, turns out to be the guitarist in an amateur rock band.

The two boys become friends, and their musical adventure begins. The story revolves around the formation, beginnings, and tribulations of their rock band, called BECK (also known as Mongolian Chop Squad in the United States, as the name Beck was already taken when their first album was released there).

It's interesting to see young Yukio's development from his first guitar lessons to his talent being revealed at the end of the anime. Yukio is also a talented singer. A secondary but nonetheless important storyline is that of the relationship between Koyuki and Ryusuke's sister, Maho.

Beck is one of the most grounded music anime ever made. No dramatic power-ups, no impossible performances. Just the slow, honest feeling of finding something you did not know you needed and being terrified you might lose it.