Mongolian Chop Squad

A while ago a reader recommended to me the Japanese anime show Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. I've finally had a chance to see this program and it is now clear to me why he was so excited about it. Contrary to what many expect of anime, there are no aliens, robots, samurai or monsters to be seen in this TV series. It's about kids trying to make it in the tough world that is the record business.

Not wanting to make this into a simple review I will only say that the show is fresh, different and much needed in this industry. It is clear that the original creator is someone who truly loves music. Piggybacking on what I wrote previously about the current nature of the market, and what producers in Cannes are saying, I want to talk about this show and the idea of targeting an audience.

As I mentioned before, the Beck anime is not fantasy, science fiction or action. Many might look at this and ask why it wasn't done live action. I am more than glad it wasn't because it says something about animation not often said. This show will not sell toys. I imagine it won't make Playstation games. So while producers are saying that less commercial shows can't make money, where does this fit in?

For the indie capable of production content on a budget, this program presents a perfect opportunity for study. This, or a show like it, would represent true targeting. Animation is not dwindling in popularity. With more and more TV channels, more specific content is needed. Imagine how well a show like this might play on a music video channel. Buyers are supposedly looking for completed productions, which make it easy to look at the wealth of anime coming from Japan for cheap licensing. But shows like Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad are not the shows being licensed.

This particular show would present some major challenges to whoever tried to bring it over. Much of the show is already in English and some parts feature mixed language conversation. The language barrier is a major part of the show. Putting it entirely in English just won't work. Then there's the fact that it is straight drama when, as far as anime goes, very commercial martial arts shows seem to be the rage on American TV.

An original program created for this market would be an entirely different story though. The problem is that currently few broadcasters would dare risk the normally high production budgets associated with animation on a project without surefire commercial appeal.

So who does that open the door for? It is not an easy door to walk through. Still, if the content can be created for a low enough cost, targeted animation of this type can become a reality. In fact, I suspect it will become necessity before too long. Like the video game industry, animation is becoming a monotonous sea of franchises and remakes. The shows which stand out are those created and owned by the broadcasters who show them, but they are very commercial like Avatar: The Last Airbender or very cheap to produce like Aqua Teen Hunger Force. We won't see a show like Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad come out of this system. Do we or do we not need to break the chains?

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