A boy and his dog. Well, a boy and someone else's dog. That's how the weird and compelling Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad begins. Koyuki is a budding guitar player who saves a mutt from being tortured by street thugs.

The dog turns out to belong to a local rocker, who takes an interest in Koyuki's musical "education." The epic journey of the subsequent band is as compelling.

As any Hollywood rock biopic, which is probably why the live-action movie version debuts in Tokyo on September 4. Some amazing Japanese rock acts were involved with the making of the anime version.

And that tradition continues on an international scale into the movie: at a Tokyo event yesterday, the producers announced that Red Hot Chili Peppers and Oasis will provide the opening and closing songs.

Neither band is a stranger to anime: Red Hot Chili Peppers provided the opening theme to the live-action Death Note movie, and Oasis did the same for the Eden of the East anime series. You can check out the movie website if you speak Japanese; otherwise, enjoy some of the official anime and manga available in the States until the inevitable release of the Beck movie here.