Given

Given strikes the rare balance of being openly gay - none of that maybe he is, maybe he isn’t crap - while not indulging in over the top eroticism to pander to a niche viewership. This is a vanilla, realistic, down to earth romance that can be watched by anyone open minded to love that exceeds conventional desire.

It is fairly unconventional for a single cour romance to have convincing characterization...yet Given makes this a strong point. Each of the band mates are given practical goals, motivations and fleshed out backstories that are sprinkled into the narrative as the episodes progress rather than forcefully crammed ... in a short span of time. This methodical progression helps the episodes flow smoothly, as it rarely feels as though there is a dominant character focus for any particular episode.

It is a great touch for the instruments of the characters to serve as a reflection of their inner struggles and/or role in the narrative. Lead guitarist Uenoyama, for example, is a hot headed prodigy who has been rejected by previous bands for creative differences. He must learn how to channel the volatile improvisation required of his instrument while accepting the input of his partners and empowering them to reach their ideal performance level. Mafuyu struggles with severe trauma to the extent that he is handicapped from genuinely expressing his feelings to others in ordinary conversation. It is only through his singing, songwriting, and encouragement from his fellow band members that he finds a means of finding closure to what tormets every waking moment of his life. Aki and Haruki are both in supporting roles as the drummer and bassist respectively, true to their positions as the oldest members of the band who serve as the voice of reason to their younger partners and the very foundation that keeps them together. In isolation these characters are lost. Together, they build each other up to reach their true and ideal selves.

Given is entirely absent of the plot contrivances that plague romance anime today - no ill timed misunderstandings that take an entire arc to resolve, no sudden childhood friend love interest interrupting romantic progression, no almost kiss scenes that are interrupted by a sadist. Just a continual build of trust between two friends who grow to like each other until they agree to become lovers. The relationship between Mafuyu and Uenoyama is founded upon principles that mirror actual strong relationships in the real world today. Beautiful stuff.

Similar to other great anime of the genre such as Nana, Kids on the Slope, most recently Carole & Tuesday, music is used as a platform to unite people of different backgrounds who probably wouldn't associate with one another otherwise. This gives the narrative a feeling of "destiny"; that it was meant for these characters to be together in this exact moment and create something special that will change their lives forever. Given does well to hammer this theme and make the viewer feel as if they are watching legends in the making.

A fair criticism is the lack of an elite OST track list - there are few outstanding background songs and many of the scenes are without music entirely. But this "flaw" can be considered an intentional creative decision to reflect real life circumstances. After all, in real life we don’t have on the go orchestras narrating our lives in the background and award winning singers belting out our emotions during times of distress. So this detail actually works to make Given more convincing that it would be otherwise. In the climax of this narrative - the signature "big breakout performance" that is a constant of the musical genre - it becomes EXTREMELY gratifying to listen to the most powerful track in a single defining moment. Even thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

Another criticism, and one that I actually agree with, is that the narrative ends at a point where so much more can occur. The ending isn’t abrupt to the extent where you should feel cheated, but there is obviously much more of a story to be told in terms of relationship development and progression of the band. This is a common consequence of anime adaptations for continuing series and in truth the only thing keeping me from giving Given a perfect score. So guess it'll just have to settle for being the best anime of the season.

Should you watch Given? Yes. Why should you watch it? because it's good. Do you need to affirm your sexuality before watching it? No, contrary to the tendency of every critic who throws out that tired tagline of "I'm a 100% straight male and I surprisingly loved this gay anime". Given excels for reasons that are not at all dependent upon orientation, and the open minded person should find no less value in this narrative than other musical themed romances that use a common passion as a vehicle to develop human relationships. I eagerly look forward to the movie adaptation (confirmed for 2020!) for a continuation of this great story.

As Crunchyroll states it: "Why You Should Rock Out With Given, The Best Summer Anime You're NOT Watching" AND YOU SHOULD WATCH IT, regardless if you're a fan of Shounen Ai (or as we otakus like to call it BL) or not. Heck, it's not even about if you're a straight male or female casually watching BL. It's just SIMPLY PHENOMENAL in every degree.

Many will tend to call out Shounen or Shoujo Ai (or as we know it, Lesbian and BL) as those kind of taboo subjects that are made even worse when described into a medium (e.g. anime), and more often than not, the ... mediums triumph and/or silence the naysayers to an insane degree, that it's worth watching them to understand more about their world and how these people perceive same-sex love (a.k.a LGBT). Heck, look at Japan and their recent history with LGBT, with more people coming to accept it even though it's criminalized (for the better seriously). One solid reference I can give is last Fall's Yagate Kimi ni Naru (Bloom Into You) by budding yuri mangaka Nio Nakatani, more than knowing that there's a demand for such a genre as BL or Lesbian, she decided to go that route, and lo and behold, Troyca's anime adaptation made justice to her manga source and garnered a name for herself.

In the same way (as @RebelPanda puts it), (also budding managaka) Natsuki Kizu's Given treads along that EXACT SAME path: "it is NOT a romance, but rather, a self-realization love story." But more than that, it's not just about the good times, but also the bad times, where letting go past hurts and moving on reeks of more damaging and hurting to the soulless human spirit.

Mafuyu Satou, a seemingly random boy, holding onto a broken guitar. The start may not seem like much, but the broken Gibson ES-330 he's clutching onto dear life, holds all of his past memories, from the presence of the other people that it has been used from, and the strings which shows the connections and then the eventual disconnect with the events thereon that has scarred his life to bits, not letting go of the past, and certainly not moving forward towards a brighter future. He leads the usual day in, day out with his 9-month old Pomeranian dog named Kedama, petting it before he leaves his house, and nothing more. That is until he meets the person who will change his life and turn it upside down musically with tremendous force:

Ritsuka Uenoyama, a young, up-and-coming guitarist for a small band. His training from young serves his expertise well, though his character interactions seems somewhat bullish due to his inexperience communicating with others amidst his kind personality. Oh, and he doesn't fall in love easily, unlike the rest in his band: Haruki Nakayama and Akihiko Kaji, both of which have treaded the BL line and are experienced in what they do (in music DUH), but on the romance side, not so much as their secret rivalry extends onto people in relation to them, that are in love with one another (a.k.a Haruki's crush on Akihiko, while Akihiko is livng with his present boyfriend).

With the seemingly kind-as-usual Uenoyama reaching out to Mafuyu, the first step being to repair the strings of his Gibson guitar, sparks a full-on length of descriptions of who Mafuyu realy is, deep in his core: not just someone who has played in a band before, nor someone being both a musician and singer, but someone who can't quite get his feelings right and remains on the fence after his past childhood love (a.k.a Yuki Yoshida) is gone from his life which eludes the constant aloof to the surroundings around him. And along with the help of Uenoyama's band friends Haruki and Akihiko, plus his friends in his previous band (i.e. childhood friend Hiiragi Kashima and band member Yagi Shizusumi) who was once tolerant but ignorant on the overwhelming effect of post-mortem Mafuyu and getting his groove back, it was a journey of many embarrassingly trivial issues with momentary feelings and emotions on the rocks until the disperse of negativity into pure frustration, a sound that needs to be let out into the wilderness. A sound that supresses all the times of unhappiness, into one of a solid firm foundation and connections that are once snapped but threaded back (like guitar strings) to right where they started to overcome and take hold of their own futures. And believe me, the guitar string has always been a ridiculous yet personified symbolism in this show (and rightfully so), but it works to a T here.

What I simply love about Given is more than just extending the main and backstories of both the essential and related characters from the manga source, it ACTAULLY fleshed out the somewhat brushed-pass casual scene shots in the manga to full activity statuses, meaning that you could actually see more of just their usual stances, be it in the band, in their own individual happiness and sadness, and co-animating it with the present manga scenes made it for an experience that I could well say, the anime is leaps and bounds better than the manga in every conceivable way. Furthermore, the "show, don't tell" approach works insane wonders, working with very few from the start and slowly letting us the audience know of the true value and disposition of each of the central characters, be it the roles that they play in each other's lives and the eventual "Eureka!"s which led them to develop resolutions to NOT keep each other at arm's length, and work together to create an impact so big that it keeps us on our toes all the time.

And before I go on, I would like to applaud the shounen VAs who worked on this series for their voice acting, especially co-leads Yuuma Uchida (for Uenoyama) and upcoming new VA Shougo Yano (for Mafuyu). More notably for Shougo Yano, because while he has done a main lead before (that being Tsurune's Nanao Kisaragi as his first), this depiction of Mafuyu is simply amazing right down to the core subjects. And holy smokes, for a young 20 year-old, his voice acting is one of the new generation's best. That song in Episode 9, was just true refinery and soulful acting to everyone's knees, leaving all of us speechless. What a VAer, literally taken aback by his sheer performance going above and beyond.

Once again, on the art and animation side, Lerche doesn't disappoint to great effect, and it seems that aside from Kanata no Astra (by the same studio) being a underrated heavy-hitter, Given is the one which shares the same lineage as the studio's way of recent above-average quality shows through and through, ONLY except that this series is massively overlooked for it being the basis of a taboo subject. But regardless, what the production team managed to do, with director Hikaru Yamaguchi landing his very first full-on half-hour series, it was nothing but god-damningly, exceptionally impressive to say the least. I'd thought that the 3DCG would waver at times, but surprisingly Lerche did their very best to keep it as consistent as it would watching someone play the guitar on YouTube. The vibrant art helped play along with the background emotions of the characters, whether solemn or casual emotions that acts as the casual to the shift in relations with swiftness. All I can say is that Lerche is my SOTS (studio of the season), and having watched Kanata no Astra, Given, in the same season, really gives the studio the cut above the rest.

And of course, how would Given be without its iconic music, I mean, why the hell not! Since it is made out of a musical setting, music is the primary source, the icing to the cake. Making music out for a living is bread-and-butter of these small bands, and whether they are liked or not is up to them to create inspirational music, one that deeply touches the soul. And need I say more when Mafuyu's music makes us shudder in spirit? That was definitely an explosion of tense feelings that needed to be plugged out into the world. And as priceless as Uenoyama is to Mafuyu, his inspiration as the latter's new found love interest only gets better from here on. Not to mention the extremely senstitve and foreshadowing OP which sounds great, as well as Mafuyu's ED with his cute and cuddly pet dog being the visual cue into his singing. Both are top-notch songs worthy to be placed into your J-pop playlist.

Overall, Given is a by-product of a wonderful and amazing adaptation, but as mentioned, the BL aspect hinders people watching it, so get your mind out of the gutter, and go watch this, NOW. I believe that this (along with Bloom Into You) are the strongest contenders and representations of respective gender's same-sex romance, that their shows are not afforded to be missed critically. So even as a straight male, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend that you take a gamble at this series, and it will set you ablaze at its Given (pun) potentials.

Given is probably one of the best adaptations of a Boys Love manga out there. I can say this with confidence despite the fact that I have only seen the first 4 episodes. (WARNING: may contain spoilers). Also, this is a review from the perspective of a huge Given manga fan.

Story -
It's mostly about love, loss and then slowly learning to move on and let go. I have to say, it's one of the most engaging, realistic and emotionally resonant young love stories I've come across so far. Not much has happened in the anime yet - but I think it was done with purpose. ... You can really see the effort and thought they put into setting up the tone of the series and laying down the foundation for what's to come. They even added a lot of additional scenes (not present in the manga) that truly help in fleshing out the characters and making them feel more alive, as well as connecting story beats in the manga to make the story more cohesive and flow a lot better.

Art -
They are doing a really good job at translating the story from book to screen. The direction, shot compositions and the lighting are so noticeably good, it's honestly so impressive. It's not just "animated" manga panels - they really put a lot of thought into the pacing and flow of the scenes. The character animation is also pretty good (which is usually notoriously bad when it comes to BL anime). This is a music anime too, so I was a little worried about the performance scenes, but (holy crap) the instruments' look (and sound!) were rendered so well and the CG for the performances were actually impressive! Not to mention, even the background art for scenes are very detailed and beautifully done too. I for one love the character designs. They managed to keep the same feel/personality of the characters from the manga, while also adding their personal take on them.

Sound -
The sound design for this anime is so damn impressive (I can't believe how blessed we are) especially for scenes with instruments in them. The strumming of an unplugged electric guitar by a complete newbie... the sound effects of the amps and other equipment... it is incorporated so well, you can believe that the sounds truly come from those moving pictures. And I'm not even talking about the band's actual performance scenes yet! That being said, the actual musical performance on episode 1 is SO good - it truly fit the image I had of the band while reading the manga. The background music is also really nice and makes use of band instruments so I thought that was really cool. Plus the OP and ED are really good. The ED reminds me how perfect Shougo-san is for the role of Mafuyu - both in speaking and singing. This is a truly blessed anime adaptation.

Characters -
The best thing about this anime is probably that it contains actual (explicitly) gay couples. The development between our main couple is gradual, but very, very obvious and more importantly, extremely believable - you really can't help but ship those cuties together. They have a really great relationship dynamic - it is honestly really refreshing to not be subjected to problematic BL tropes in this actual BL anime. The characters themselves are all interesting and complicated and lovable, but their voice actors really add so much life into them. Their speech is more realistic rather than the usual "anime-style" of speaking, so it really adds to the realism and seriousness of this drama (though, I have to say this anime is also pretty funny). This is a music anime, so I also have to say the voice actor for Mafuyu is such a perfect choice - the speaking and singing voices really feel like they come from the same person (as sometimes an actor's singing voice is very different from their singing voice) and he really has Mafuyu's personality down to a tea.

Enjoyment - As you can probably already tell, I enjoy this anime a lot. It is one of the anime I most look forward to watch every single week. The story is interesting, dramatic, emotional and the characters are relatable, complicated, and loveable. I am fully invested in the story and all the characters, so I see that as an absolute success. I truly hope we get more adaptations of queer stories like this that are treated/adapted with the respect and love they deserve.

Overall - Really high quality work overall in terms of art, animation, voice acting, writing, directing and MUSIC. Very easy recommendation to absolutely anyone who likes good romance/drama/highschool/music anime.

Bear in mind I've actually never watched a Boy's Love anime in my life, but there was something about Given that immediately struck me. The fact that I never watch this genre yet felt compelled to watch this show says something, and I'm telling you to watch it too.

Story:
Now this is my first time watching BL, though I am familiar with the common issues that come with BL. Sometimes the romance isn't portrayed right or is way too forced, not allowing the romantic aspect nor the representation of BL to come through as well. However, Given does this in a subtle, yet intriguing way ... that leaves you wanting more out of the show. You end up liking the depiction of romance in this show because it's so much more real. Not only do you enjoy the cute characters or the music storyline, but you like the ships and the bond between the characters the show executes in a natural way. Nothing feels forced or overwhelming, the story and development progress at a nice pace that keeps you engaged and never feeling rushed. Given knows how to set a certain atmosphere around the show, it's calm and relaxing and maintains a good balance between the romance, drama and light-hearted moments.

The drama is almost perfectly shown in this series and I must say, I love it. It's never too dramatic nor are we ever getting too little content. It's always the right amount, from simple flashes of images from the past to characters' distressing facial expressions, the heavy scenes and the sad drama come together to create a story you can easily understand and follow. I think this is the essence of Given, how easy it is to follow. It's as if Given creates this flow, a calm wave that sometimes rages when something disturbs the water. This is especially depicted by Mafuyu's heart-breaking past and the other characters' pasts and internal troubles, which are such mysteries yet with the details and clues you gain through each episode, builds the story little by little and sometimes causes the steady pace of Given to quickly become disordered, in a good and entertaining way. This creates dynamic drama, scenes and dialogue that is enough to affect you as a watcher. The emotion and feelings these characters portray and talk about are real, super real and it's like you can hear every word they're saying resonate with you and maybe even your own past experiences. The way they convey emotion is honest and true, it beautifully creates the opportunity for you to understand and maybe even relate to how they feel.

Characters:
The characters are all amazing contributors to the story, I've easily taken a liking to each of them. The puppy-like Mafuyu who has a troubling past, the passionate Uenoyama who just wants something to ignite his flame again, the soft Haruki who's trying to cope with the feelings he has for someone, and the seemingly-unapproachable Akihiko who's actually super cool and interesting. Each of these characters just make for the story to be better and I find myself waiting for each episode to come out every week because of them.

Music & Art:
Who doesn't love a music anime? Especially when it involves a band? Of course, the music is great, and I think it's also thoughtful of the series to teach about music at the same time as well. For those like me who are well-versed with the music world will find it fun, and for those who don't know much will find it educational. The art fits the quaint series very well and the smart direction of scenes are very thought-out and clever. The opening and ending are great, I enjoy the visuals a lot in the opening.

All in all, this series struck me from the very beginning and I don't even generally watch this genre, yet I'm finding it so entertaining and wanting more. I recommend giving this a watch if you're looking for something different, as this show doesn't fall into the regular tropes and cliches romance anime in general usually offers. Just watch Given and from the very first episode, you'll be wanting more.

Given was undoubtedly an anime full of surprises. I found it interesting the Uke (Mafuyu) is apathetic and not ashamed to say what he feels and Seme (Uenoyama) be more inexperienced in relationships than he is. The soundtrack was also excellent... the episode in which the band performed was simply AMAZING! I could feel all the pain that Mafuyu put into his music. However, I noticed some forced comic scenes, some unnecessary episodes for plot development (could better explain Mafuyu's childhood), and what bothered me most is that virtually all characters are gay. This is a criticism that I have been making for a long ... time; It seems that in the genre Yaoi, there are only gay men. And in Shoujos, Ecchi and Shounen, just heteros. I think it would be interesting to mix these two worlds into just one anime. It would be less forced, closer to our reality and much more fun. Anyway, despite these controversies, Given was good to watch.

Three episodes in and I am seriously struggling not to drop this anime. Granted I happened to pick up this anime just by chance and not specifically for BL/manga adaptation. I feel like although a fair attempt has been made to give characters a mysterious edge, the development is so slow it’s difficult not to zone out. So far I have only continued to watch out of will to do so, not because the story is keeping me hooked. I don’t feel justified in giving the series bonus goodie points just because it’s a BL so I am going to rate it as a 5-average ... for now. The characters look nice, there is some attempt to flesh out personalities, the art and music is good. Overall mediocre so I would recommend you start watching it with low expectations and see how you feel about the first few episodes before deciding to drop. That’s what I will do.

Given is 2019’s dark horse. It’s a title that has been slept on for its subject matter instead of appreciated for its prowess. Unlike Bloom Into You which received a major backing over the course of its run, Given seems to have received little fanfare within the community despite the praise most viewers have for it. I wouldn’t call it amazing, but it certainly does resonate, much like a good tune.

The tunes in this show are very solid. There are several fun jam sessions where the main band of the show plays some delicious math rock, and there are several background tracks that also have ... some guitar in them. The opening, “Kizuato” by Centimilimental is another emotional banger of a rock song, only beaten out by the stellar insert track in the 9th episode. Said track is also one of the biggest emotional payoffs in this show.

Given has a very delicate sense of drama. It’s more than happy to interrupt its melancholic vibe with a comedic tone shift, which can get annoying even when the joke lands. Regardless, the tone can still get heavy without being overbearing. There are some matters regarding a critical plot point that feel unclear, somewhat undercutting even the best moments in the show, but the show is generally well-written and emotionally resonant. The way it handles its gay characters and their drama is mostly solid. Much like last year’s queer hit, Bloom Into You, this show tackles gayness in several angles. It’s doesn’t explore as many avenues, but it does show off several struggles when it comes to gay relationships, especially regarding one that ends in tragedy. The character interactions are just as adorable, especially whenever Uenoyama, the main protagonist and resident male tsundere, gets embarrassed. There’s quite a lot of jokes revolving around characters making quick jabs or getting flustered, and they’re priceless. For a show that’s melancholic, it can be quite hilarious.

The character interactions and personalities are why the humor can land in a show this delicate and forlorn. Uenoyama as almost as dorky as Mafuyu, who borders on being a space cadet lost in his own thoughts as he gazes blankly at nothing. The other two members in the band are Haruki and Akihiko, and their dynamic is also pretty entertaining. The former is just as easily flustered as Uenoyama is, and the latter is somehow the laxest of the bunch as he acts as the one guiding everyone along and holding everyone together. Their individual stories of romance are also treated tastefully for the most part. Some of the monologuing can get pretty bad in the show, and some of the monologues of the gay thoughts can get...a tad excessive to the point of tastelessness, to put it frankly. Thankfully, they never last too long, and the actual relationships are cute regardless. The story arcs regarding certain side characters also lead to some memorable character moments, like with the girl who likes Uenoyama. There is quite a lot of chemistry and sensible drama with these characters, which always makes for a good cast. It makes the moments where the string snaps and critical information gets revealed all the more impactful, with some brutal cliffhangers. The emotional core of the show, Sato’s character arc, is rife with these moments. Still, I do wish there was a bit more exploration regarding certain characters, but I assume that’s what the source material is for.

I also wish the production values weren’t so mediocre. Lerche isn’t known for any visually stunning titles per se, but it still pains me to see a good show be brought down by lackluster production values. There’s an egregious amount of CGI, including the instruments, the environment, and the big performance the characters have. On top of that, characters often have these strange red outlines that stick out like a sore thumb. There isn’t a ton of animation in general either, and the direction has but a few brief moments to stand out. There are also a disturbing number of moments where characters just don’t have faces. There are even more moments where Given turns into a slideshow. Almost every episode has a moment where the show resorts to having still frame montages. The general art style and character designs are nice and expressive, so some of the gags have an extra punch to them. However, that doesn’t excuse weak production values.

Ultimately, while not quite the great emotional gay drama that Bloom Into You was, Given is a delicate and adorable sleeper hit of the year. It sings from the heart, and while there are some hiccups that are plain for everyone to see, it’s still a resonant title and one of the year’s best. If you want a good BL anime, a worthwhile drama, or even just an excuse to hear some nice math rock in a TV show, Given is probably up your alley.

Oh, and the EDs were alright too.

Written and Edited by: CodeBlazeFate
Proofread by: Peregrine

Considering BL as a Genre which is MAJORLY just full of Cliche, Cringey and non-consensual harassments, this show was a bliss. An amazing show that deals maturely and delicately with the gay characteristics of seemingly Masculine men, and how that leads to a lot of miscommunications and fabricated display of feelings.

Gay men are often portrayed as having that "voice" and the way of moving and talking in real world, however that's not the reality of it. We get to see how common seemingly straight looking men can be attracted to other men and confront the societal expectations for them to act a certain way ... while at the same time not get emotionally and physically abused by their partners.

I also liked the way how the characters' emotions were as raw as they can get. The Music aspect of this show is a cherry on top with some amazing tracks, especially Shougo Yano, Mafuyu's VA, did an amazing job. The pain in that voice could be felt, more so in his 'Fuyu no Hanashi' performance. Overall a great show and definitely my top 3 in this Genre.

PS: The Genre information exists for a reason. When you see a BL tag, please know that it's there for obvious reasons and you proceed to watch only if you're into BL. Please do not mess up the reviews just because YOU are homophobic or simply not into BL.

Given is a story about two young musicians, one just starting his real journey into music, and the other trying to rekindle the passion he lost through the disillusionment the teenage years can bring. Ueenoyama, Has lost his passion for music and finds it rekindled by Sato's genuine Naive desire to learn to play the guitar and become a musician.

The Animation is colourful and although it can be clunky at times, at other times, they can achieve some interesting and engaging shots, from often unused angles, you can notice this particularly in the first episode.

The sound is good, and engaging enough, it's not revolutionary, ... but it's not going to give you that problem when the characters play something really shit and then it's passed off as the best thing ever. It was enjoyable enough on it's own and made sense in the narrative.

From what I've seen this show looks pretty good, don't get me wrong it's not perfect but it looks fairly nice, it fulfils the basic components of a Music Anime, (that being music and a passion in the characters for the development of their musical potential) and it has the rare characteristic of having a romance between two men, which I enjoy, without slapping you with it or any rapey shit, it can just be in the background, still very much part of the plot and not subplot, but not dominating everything.

Please give it a chance......

Honestly, this is probably the best yaoi/shounen ai anime that I've seen in years. So much so that I can relate to the characters and their emotions perfectly. This anime describes what a normal relationships will through, the ups and downs. As you move along the story you will experience connections with characters as if you were to put yourself in their shoes. The perfect combination with just the right amount of both yaoi and slice of life makes it perfect for the audience to anticipate.

It may be slow at the beginning but trust me, if you manage to stick through it. It will not ... leave you will any regrets, it will just get more interesting as the anime goes on. But then again, this is not for everyone's taste, so it's totally understandable if you think this anime is unfit for you.

I don't usually write reviews for anime but I feel like this anime deserves a higher score than what it is now. You have my full support Given!

I'm absolutley in love with this series. I've never heard of Given before the anime came out, nor do I watch a lot of yaoi, but what really grasped my interest on this anime was the theme song. I'm subscribed to Crunchyroll on Youtube and this happen to come on while I was listening to their 24/7 Livestream music thing and I was sucked in. I wanted to know what type of story this anime was going to have. And all it took was me accidentally listening to the theme song! The story is engaging and the characters are so lovable and not to mention ... there's nothing sexual or weird about it. It's literally just a straight up story about love and conquering your past and I'm all here for it.

Shounen ai isn't something that most anime fans find comfortable watching. Not that it makes these viewers necessarily homophobic, but considering the genre's abysmal record of featuring BL containing romanticized sexual assault (I'm looking at you Junjou Romantica) to portray romance between men—on top of subpar writing and cringe-worthy dialogues, it's understandable that viewers would rather avoid it.

With regards to Given though, please don't. It made me grateful that I gave shounen ai another chance. I would have to chuckle at the next person who complains that it panders too much to fujoshis considering that Given is a lot more subtle and tamer compared to ... most series in this genre; and that all characters are gay... Yeah well, duh? It's shounen-ai, expect that most of the characters are gay just as how harem anime has so many girls falling for the main boy. That's how the genre is. It's understandable if it's not up to anyone's liking, but criticizing a show for using its own genre's trope is not only silly, but also invalid. Otherwise, you'll also have to grumble about why shounen has tournament arcs.

With all that said:

Given is a breath of fresh air amidst the monotonous, oversexualized depiction of male romance and quite frankly puts almost every shounen ai title to shame. I guess there's an incredibly low bar set in this genre to begin with, but Given is one of the few that attempted to do so anyway, succeeded, and even exceeded expectations. It is not only one of the best in the shounen ai category, but also in the romance genre.

What separates this particular title from its predecessors is the organic development of the protagonists' relationship. The interactions within the story are authentic and purposeful with effective and appropriately-timed humor. Uenoyama and Akihiko's conversation when the former realizes that he may be in love with Mafuyu: "Is there something wrong with me?" "No." "What's wrong about it?" "That you're only supposed to be into girls or something?" - to me, cemented this show's narrative appeal. In those dialogues alone, it addressed the protagonist's inner conflict and confusion with regards to his sexuality in a surprisingly straightforward manner, without any overemphasis in it and without glossing over it either.

The cast might be polarizing, especially Mafuyu. He is incredibly socially awkward and preoccupied that some people think he may actually be autistic. His characterization appears be dull as he gets eclipsed by the more dominating and charismatic personalities like Uenoyama's or that he isn't as well-rounded as protagonists are expected to be. That being said, I couldn't bring myself to dislike him despite me being critical of other similar characters. His personality flaws, while they can be annoying to watch, were convincingly established. For an abused child who grew to be a queer and later found both his best friend and first love hanging dead in front (and because) of him, he is unapologetically honest, straightforward, and gutsy for all that he's been through with an effort to overcome his past and willingness to give romance another chance. How can I not root for him?

But what made Mafuyu particularly striking for me is his chemistry with other characters. As I've mentioned previously, there is a smooth progression of his relationship with Uenoyama with just the right amount of conflict that didn't (thankfully) devolve into a roundabout mess. There were no excessive indecisiveness and back and forth squabble "do you like me or not?" type of way that can be frustrating to watch. The rest of the cast may not have been as fleshed-out either, but considering how much story and characterization are allowed for 11 episodes, they have actually fulfilled their roles and purposes well with decent backstories that gave enough intrigue—leaving many of us wanting to see more.

Of course, Given isn't without any flaws and even I had several gripes with it. We all loved the concert scene and we couldn't have asked for a better pay-off. However, I'd argue that there was a bit of an underwhelming build-up for it. Despite several hints of Mafuyu's hidden talent earlier on, I still sort of found it quite not-so-convincing how he was able to suddenly belt out his song despite not being shown practicing or even coming close to finishing the lyrics. The overdramatic fret over him not being able to sing/not being able to finish the song until the literal last-second was also a bit unnecessary obviously made for a shock factor. Not to say that it wasn't effective, but again, unnecessary. The CGI inserts during the concert scene was also quite awkward albeit doesn't detract much from its entertainment value.

One last thing that I actually found a quite irksome was Yuuki's reason for suicide. I'm certain that the circumstances involving it are plausible in real life especially with people who have mental illness and preexisting suicidal tendencies, but the problem is none of those were established nor explored in his character that makes his reason for killing himself (Mafuyu telling him to do so during their fight and getting drunk) seem irritatingly trivial. Again plausible, but from a narrative point of view, I thought it was a weak point. I have not read the manga, so I'm not sure if there were more to it than what was presented.

That being said, Given resonated with me on a personal level, hence my appreciation for it. As someone who loves music and even attempted to learn the guitar myself (when I was a sophomore year in high school), watching a scene as simple as Uenoyama helping Mafuyu replace his guitar's strings and fine tune them was genuinely touching. How the band gravitated towards each other through mutual interest in music and especially how the two protagonists discover and reignite their passion for it was simply a beautiful and inspiring thing to see. All of which were successfully conveyed through an effective story-telling. There wasn't anything that bored me and every episode felt like five minutes long.

Overall, I enjoyed almost everything about Given. It may not be a completely solid story, but it was still such an emotionally satisfying watch for a mere 11-episode show. Its authenticity and expressiveness tugged my heartstrings, which I didn't think was possible.

I'm having a hard time figuring out what to start this review with, simply because even days after its conclusion I still have so many thoughts and feelings swirling around about it. Perhaps saying "nevermind the genre categories" is a good start. Sure, they give clues as to what to expect, but expectations are dangerous. Many of those words that describe genre have way too many negative connotations, which inevitably influence one's decision to watch or avoid a certain anime. And even without those connotations, I'm sure "shounen ai" is something many people avoid on principle. Well, here's a great reason why you should not. ... A great reason why you should ignore genres.

And yet, at the same time, I can't help being overjoyed for what given brings to those genres, because it is all of those - done exceptionally well and with such a level of grace and dignity across the board that it really is just absolutely wholesome. It does not give in to bad tropes, it does not give in to twisted concepts, it does not give in to fanservice. Heck, the characters themselves aren't what one would usually call "bishounen" or "ikemen": the teens' proportions are more awkward than generally "anime pretty", and the adults have enough dorkiness in their personalities to fall off that scale. It simply tells a story of one teen's overcoming of a trauma in his life, of his finding a path to walk on, of his making friends and finding love. Much, if not most of that is actually subtle instead of in-your-face: things just happen instead of getting drawn out and overanalysed for the sake of shock value or "dramatic effect". I'm sure everyone can find at least one character and/or one situation that's very relatable on a personal level: we've all been "there", we've all been "that guy". It's also sprinkled with a few laughs here and there to ease the serious parts, in a very organic way that's actually natural and doesn't stand out. And, of course, with music, not only of the audio kind but also the visual as well: the close-ups on different instruments and equipment are so detailed and such high quality that even those alone would be worth watching the series for.

I really wish there was more anime like this: a story of life, with real characters and situations, without all the bad "frills". Forget what preconceptions you have of any of its listed genres and give this a chance, because given is all those genres as they should be done - it's all those genres done right.

“Everything that you left behind became my everything.”

These words from the opening song hold true for Mafuyu Sato (CV: Shougo Yano), one of the main protagonists of the series. He seems like an ordinary person, but at the very first episode, you can already see that he has been through a lot, and this has turned him who is today: an expressionless, gloomy guy who doesn’t really communicate. The only thing he seems to care about is a guitar he holds throughout the first episode, which he doesn’t even know how to play. Bring in Ritsuka Uenoyama (CV: Yuuma Uchida), a regular guy who’s interested ... in music and basketball. After going through his hobbies everyday in his life, he started to grow bored of them. But because of those feelings, he was able to meet Sato, and after fixing Sato’s broken guitar, Sato pesters him into teaching him how the play the guitar. After a few events, Uenoyoma hesitantly decides to teach Sato how to play, and introduces him to his band, containing Haruki Nakayama (CV: Masatomo Nakazawa) the bassist, and Akihiko Kaji (CV: Takuya Eguchi) the drummer. The story is how both of them figure out their feelings for each other and how music plays a part with it.

The story in itself isn’t that extraordinary. To be honest, it was kinda slow, the music itself doesn’t happen until near the end of the series, and if you compare it with other music anime, they’d probably be similar, but what struck me the most from this anime was how realistic it was. The characters and the emotions they experienced were portrayed accurately and realistically, and the drama wasn’t randomly selected and placed here and there just for funsies, but they were there to help the characters grow and realize how important the other one is to them, especially given that this is a BL anime. BL anime tend to have wacky and random scenarios that don’t make sense at all, and the romance is just wrong, but Given is one of those rare sights where everything is placed correctly and the romance is actually right.

If you’re looking for good music, then you’ve come to the right place. As a music anime, you would expect it to have several different music tracks throughout the series, but this isn’t the case. Aside from the background music, there were only 2 actual music tracks in the series (excluding the OP and ED’s), with one being an instrumental and one having lyrics. I thought that the instrumental was actually pretty good, especially with how good and fluid the animations of the band members were when they playing the bass, guitar, and the drums. The background music fit with the scenarios that were being portrayed in the show, so that was a plus. The opening and ending songs were also really good, and they really fit how the story would go.

What I really loved about the show was the actual performance song. Even I was shocked when I first heard it. The whole time Mafuyu sang, you could really hear the raw emotions he had for the person he once loved. The way Mafuyu sang implied that even if he wasn’t a trained singer, he could express that what he felt for his lover was real, and that the anger and sadness and regret and love that he felt is still there and will remain, but fade away but by bit. If this didn’t make you emotional enough, Mafuyu’s monologue about his past lover will surely make you tear up. Both his performance and monologue really made me feel emotional, and I’ve already rewatched this part dozens of times because I couldn’t get over it. This is Shougo Yano’s first actual main role in a Music anime, and I’m really surprised that he isn’t in more. I’m sure that we’ll be seeing more of him in the future because of this song. The only thing I didn’t like that much in the performance was the 3D CGI’s they put for some of the scenes when they were playing, but I brushed it off because the amazing song made me forgive it all.

Overall, I definitely loved it. This anime is one of the rare cases where I would rewatch it again if I have the time. This has already taken the spot of my favorite Music and Shounen Ai anime, and it definitely deserves its spot there. Even if I wasn’t into BL anime, I would still have loved it.

Just to be clear I'm already a big fan of the manga, so like I was not surprised with anything and it wasn't as painful as the manga. I think the anime enlighted the mood of the story much more than the manga. I'm saying this bc when I read it, I felt so much pain that gave me an anxiety attack after a long time, and because of that I was very very worried that the anime will affect me as well. But it didn't. I'm not saying the manga is super depressing, but the tone is darker than what it's being portrayed in ... the anime. And that's the reason why I enjoyed the anime so much.
People like to say that Given is a great anime/manga that truly portrays LGBTQ+ and I totally agree with that. It was a very heartwarming, sad, fun and beautiful anime to watch and If you want to start watching BL anime, I totally recommend this one.

It’s the week of Valentine’s and you all know that means a romance anime review. This year, we have Given a 2019 anime from Lerche. They’re the studio behind the Danganronpa anime adaptations and nothing else I’ve reviewed. It’s based off of an ongoing manga by Kizu Natsuki. Who I’ve never heard of. So, no idea what to expect here.

Story:

Uenoyama Ritsuka is just searching for a spot to nap when he spots a boy, Satou Mafuyu lying down clutching a guitar. Uenoyama notices that the guitar’s in bad shape with rusted strings. He’s berating Satou which leads Satou to the realisation that his guitar’s strings ... can be fixed. Uenoyama turns out to be weak to sad puppy eyes and not only replaces the strings but, eventually, agrees to teach him how to play. From there, their relationship starts to blossom.

The biggest issue with the narrative is that some of Satou’s quirks stretch suspension of disbelief. Like, this guy doesn’t know that guitar strings can be fixed. I knew that in primary school and I’ve never played an instrument besides the recorder. He also doesn’t know very basic shit about bands like what promotional photos are. It’s like Kizu wanted to explain it to the audience even though literally everyone who’s watched this already knows this information. Then there’s the fact that he can just improvise song lyrics during a performance and have them go with the melody and make sense. Admittedly, I’m not a musician but I’m almost a hundred percent certain that writing lyrics isn’t something you could do on the fly that easily.

Moving on to the positives, the romance between Uenoyama & Satou is pretty well handled. I also appreciate the way they subtly hint at Satou’s previous relationship before actually going into details. The scenes where he’s just walking through various areas with a pained expression are really good because you get a strong sense that he has a painful connection and that it involves his previous boyfriend but they don’t give you the flashbacks until episodes later. It’s a nice way of setting up intrigue. Actually, everything about Satou’s past is nicely handled. I also appreciate the ending. It’s set up to look like there’s going to be some last minute drama but that gets pretty well subverted.

Characters:

The main cast has some nice complexity to them. Uenoyama, Satou, Haruki & Akihiko are all pretty interesting characters. There are some side characters who have enough depth to seem real as well, like Uenoyama’s sister, Yayoi, Hiiragi and Murata. There are some strong interactions among them too. The entire band has an interesting dynamic. The one negative I can really say is that it’s kind of a wasted opportunity to never have Satou’s mum around since all we know about her is she’s away and she was okay with his previous relationship. It could have been interesting to see him interact with family like we do with Uenoyama.

Art:

Lerche deserves a lot of credit. This series looks pretty damn good. The characters, backgrounds, details for instruments and other active objects as well as the lighting during concerts is all strongly done. I’d say this looks the best of all the anime I’ve reviewed from them but it’s up against Danganronpa and its bad case of shounen design so, that shouldn’t be surprising.

Sound:

Yano Shougo, Uchida Yuuma, Nakazawa Masatomo & Eguchi Takuya are all strong in this. There aren’t any poor performances. Yano’s singing is pretty amazing too. The music in this is really good just in general. The theme tune just suits the series perfectly.

Ho-yay:

In addition to all the stuff betwixt our main couple, we have Satou’s past romance. Akihiko is also shown to have been involved with a man in the past. It’s weird because he basically says the relationship is over but they’re living together and still seem to have romantic tension. Haruki very blatantly has a crush on Akihiko. This may be the gayest band I’ve seen in an anime since Bad Luck. Which I’m completely okay with.

Areas of Improvement:

Don’t be quite so extreme with Satou’s quirks. Having him not know how to change his strings is one thing, having him not know that they can even be changed is quite another. It would also make more sense to have him have mostly written lyrics but be unsure how to finish them and then have that come out during the performance as opposed to just making them all up on the spot.
Some familial interactions for Satou. I think it would really strengthen his character and add an interesting layer to the story.
Either have Akihiko still be dating Murata or don’t have them living together. It really doesn’t make sense for him to just be living with his ex.

Final Thoughts:

Honestly, this is a really good romance. While it has a few elements that don’t work all that well or could have been done better, the main romantic plot is great. The handling of Satou’s past tragedy is also really well done. And the characters are nicely complex. So, I’m giving it an 8/10.

I love this series, its one of my favourite boy love shows. Mafuyu's past is sad and it suits him well and the relationships he has with others. The band was good on it's own but when Mafuyu came along it added another piece and if he wasn't there the band would feel empty. He has impacted other characters and the show well as long as the other band members.

I love the relationship everyone has with one another they learn more about each other in sad and funny ways, it eventually turns into romantic feelings for each other, even though that's hoe most ... BL shows start it works well for this one. It started out a little slow only for the first 10min but after that I couldn't wait for the next episode.

Overall the show is great and has a lot going for it and the music is amazing it suits it well. Similar shows to this one would be Love Stage, Junjou Romantica, Sekkaiichi Hatsukoi, Hitorijime my hero, Super lovers and Kiss him not me.

Now that I've finished the series I have to say Given is perhaps one of my favorite Shonen-ai anime adaptions of all time, it was just perfect right down to the music which was absolutely breathtaking, not many Shonen-ai or Yaoi shows can do that.

The Characters are easily likeable and the animation was really good as well, especially during that performance which was amazing and just seeing the romance blooming made me want to come back and see more.

It was just perfect, if I had to recommend any Shonen-ai shows to anyone I would recommend this, it was just an amazing experience that I'll ... miss but not for long with the Movie coming in 2020, but until then I can still re-watch this entire series again to enjoy the music and romance.

Given is a work of art, from story and music, to choice of voice actors. I highly recommend- Its not just a BL but a story about over coming grief through finding new love- be that through a person or new passions. Just please overlook the lalala's for your own good- I swear its worth the 4 ish hours of watch time. Movie is 10/10 too and OVA is so cute. The characters are well thought out- even the small characters are lovable and make the story what it is. The way the manga authors story is potrayed as an animation is done to the ... best it can be, from animation to the voice actors they chose for the role- they were all well thought out with the way the character is.

Anime Genre Roulette 🎰 Review 2 🎰 School
JACKPOT!!

Though i won this anime in the school genre roulette, the school serves mostly as just a location rather than it being about school life, yes they have exams, play basketball, and sleep in class, but the main focus of this show is the music, some dark and mysterious drama, and a cute little love story

Given doesn't shy away from serious and more mature themes throwing you straight into the deep end with it's opening scene
While it does have a lighthearted side to it, showing the sweet but awkward journey of young love and the adrenaline rushed ride ... of blossoming new talent, it has an everpresent darkness to it, with deep and intense feelings of loss and regret trying to come to the surfice, all of which culminates in the band's first live show, with a performance that's not perfect, but so full of raw emotion that'll make your heart pound and leave you holding your breath

A little on the characters
Mafuyu is adorable! He's like a fluffy little puppy and you just want to protect him
Ritsuka on the other hand, is more like a hedgehog, he still has a sweet fluffy side, but will get quite prickly when overwhelmed with emotion
The supporting cast's background and personalities are also explored quite well though not in so much depth

The only minuses i give this show are some of the more slice of life scenes can be a bit slow, and the live performance could've done without the CGI