You're a teenager still trying to figure life out. High school is a pain, and you don't have a lot of friends. Such is the story of Yukio Tanaka - always referred to as Koyuki - lead character in the animated series Beck (the full title is Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad). Based on the popular manga by Harold Sakuishi, it follows the rise of a rock band called Beck. But more than just being a story about the Tokyo live-house scene, it offers a great look at the lives of teens living in the city. And interestingly, two of the main characters have recently come back to Japan after a long stay in America, becoming outsiders in their own country - Japanese but not - and are still coping with the language.

Koyuki starts out as a sort of loser, but an old friend brings him out one night, which will lead to the gradual broadening of his musical horizons; when we first meet him, he's still a fan of typical Japanese idol pop. He'll even end up learning how to play the guitar (good thing people keep saying he's a natural) and eventually join the band. There's something very "John Hughes" about this series: teenagers finding themselves in a world that doesn't quite make all that much sense to them. We get to peer into the lives of this group of misfits, and at the same time get the whole thing delivered in a package of not-bad sounds - the music performed during live shows seems to be original.

Even the catchy theme song, "Hit in the USA" by the Beat Crusaders, puts you in the right state of mind at the start of every episode. It's the kind of show that just comes out of nowhere and grabs you on an emotional level, which is something you don't see nearly enough in the world of animation. It looks like it will have a run of at least 26 episodes (the latest one to air was episode 15), and you can catch it every Tuesday night at 25:30 on TV Tokyo. A DVD release is sure to follow, but it should be easy to jump in right now.

Another show currently airing (it made its debut around the same time as Beck) is the very intriguing Zipang. Based on a manga by author Keiji Kawaguchi, it follows his other popular series that have heavy military/political backdrops, titles such as The Silent Service and Eagle (the latter, about a third-generation Japanese-American trying to become President of the United States, has been published in North America by Viz). What starts off as the deployment of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force's new Aegis battleship for a routine training exercise ends up turning into something quite unexpected, as the crew quickly finds itself in the middle of the Battle of Midway, circa 1942. The show airs Thursdays at 25:25 on TBS. A first DVD is set for release January 19.

Last year's Appleseed was recently issued on DVD here in Japan (unfortunately, with no English subtitles), which means that hopefully a wider audience will get to see and enjoy a film that truly deserves more attention than it got during its initial theatrical run. Overshadowed by 2004's other big sci-fi releases (Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy), it didn't get the same massive media coverage (or so it seems), and quickly disappeared from theatres.

Based on a manga by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell), the film tells a captivating story that finds humanity confronting social upheavals in a city called Utopia. A new sub-class of biologically engineered beings, or clones, are living in the company of humans. The main character, Deunan Knute, slowly uncovers a conspiracy that might signal... Well, it's probably best not to go into details, as that would ruin the whole payoff at the end. Like Ghost in the Shell, the underlying story is rather deep (at least for an animated film), but Appleseed trumps Innocence in the action department with spectacular battles that look absolutely amazing.

The film uses CG cel shading - a technique used to give computer animation the appearance of a traditional cartoon - and it succeeds in giving the end product an original and refreshing feel. Taken as a whole, the film succeeds on more levels than Innocence did - and it doesn't dumb itself down to the kid-friendly level of Otomo's Steamboy. Directed by Shinji Aramaki (mostly known for his mechanical designs), it's definitely a must-see film, and deserves more praise than it seems to have gotten. A North American theatrical release of the film is scheduled for January 14.

Please note that Shinichiro Watanabe's Samurai Champloo (reviewed in last month's column) will soon be returning from hiatus (January 22 at 10:30 on BS Fuji). The series has been one of the most exciting and addictive shows of the past year, and it will be a welcome relief to see it back on TV.

January marks the beginning of a new TV season (there are four of them in the Japanese television year), which means a few new animated shows joining the schedule. Having seen the list of new programs, it certainly doesn't look like a strong lineup - at least not for casual, non-otaku viewers looking for interesting storylines. One exception might be Sanada Juyushi, which WOWOW will be showcasing with an episode at the end of the month (January 29 at 18:30), with the series set to start in April. The year is 1532, and a baby is found in the crater left by a crashed meteor. It grows up to become a master ninja, and ends up playing an important role in the affairs of the ruling shogun. Depending on the tone, this one could be appealing to fans of historical settings. Another possibility is a new series based on the Xenosaga line of sci-fi RPG games - it airs Wednesdays at 26:40 on TV Asahi.