Given Movie 3: Umi e

Just, I am truly grateful that the anime of Given has been released, I am writing this note of gratitude as someone who deeply connects with music, melodies, and this pleasure that allows me to suppress headache thoughts in my mind. I have read the manga, in fact, the manga is a special part of my library, but while reading the manga, the concert scenes were as if a deaf person would never have the chance to hear a song that makes people cry, laugh, and nourishes a person's mood, the drawings flow but not being able to hear their voices is torture. Anime and ... movies filled this gap for me, Given songs are very unique and special to me, some viewers remember a person they fell in love with by listening to these words, they remember their friend, maybe they reminded of a family member but on my side, someone I need to remember. Thank you again, for giving us this treasure. And if I were to go back to the beginning, maybe I would read the manga, but not watching Given is a great loss.

As with the others, I will get to the movie, the art style(?) were much better for me, even more so than other movies, the scenes I knew flashed before my eyes. The reason I was eagerly waiting for the movie to be released on internet was definitely because I wanted to see Hiiragi sing this song, I wanted to listen to him, he shines in that stage! Anyway, the concert scene was beautiful.. ''This is a love song.''

I was really stuck while reviewing the manga, because it's so hard to empathize with feelings you haven't experienced, to write something. Even though I'm a total Ueno fan, even thinking about Yuki and Mafuyu makes me sad, there's such a painful and filled with regrets ending, loss. But thanks to Mafuyu, I learned that even a person with a hole in his heart (as Yuki told him) a person should be able to continue their life, we are constantly changing beings, we are hungry to love and be loved, no matter how painful our past losses are, deep down we want to embark on new paths, a lonely life is not for people. And I'm sure if Yuki was somewhere watching Mafuyu, he would be happy only because he was happy.I think, mourning someone forever would be the worst thing a person can do to their life, which is given only once.And I must add, Ueno you are a perfect person, you patiently slowly broke his hard shell and made him come out of it himself, you gifted him a special song who was running away from the past and made him face the past that he was afraid of again, but this time he wouldn't be afraid when he faced it, because you had healed his wounds.You made him see that in the past was not just a single bad memory, but he have a countless good memories.

I can't write much, all the characters had their own bittersweet love stories, I enjoyed watching and reading without caring about gender or sexual orientation as normal (my suggestion for people with prejudices) It's like I'm watching different lives and experiences and I enjoyed it (lie, I cried the whole time)
I don't like goodbyes.. I am grateful for the unique songs 🫶🏻


''Because you’ll forget someday,
so let’s leave it as a song like this.
So that you’ll gently remember,
so that we meet each other through this song.''

This just gave me LIFE. I have lived through so many emotions here learned so many lessons, contemplated many things in my life.
I feel like I can live on too, yes things might not stay the same, people will surely leave, life will certainly get harder. But I will always look back and smile. I will get better too and I'll even feel nostalgic and bitter sweet for those times I thought I couldn't survive, but I did.

This is Given for me.

the story is all rounded, it's the perfect definition for a slice of life, the characters has so much depth, the emotions touch ... your soul.
everything is well written I recommend.

Given Movie 3: Umi e continues the story after the events of Hiiragi Mix and serves as the final installment of the Given anime series. It perfectly blends drama and music, showcasing the emotional journeys of the characters and concluding in a beautiful and heartfelt way. Director Noriko Hashimoto does it justice.

The story is all about accepting and cherishing the connections we hold dear. It adapts the last two volumes (9 chapters) of the manga into 1h20mins. Though slow-paced, it never feels boring. Instead, it gently grabs your hand, takes you on an unforgettable and beautiful ride, and gives you time to savor each moment, ... allowing full immersion in the characters' journeys. Comedy doesn’t work most of the time, and the film leans more toward drama than BL romance. The conclusion is bittersweet, emotional, and satisfying, leaving you with a sense of closure while still longing for more.

"Even if it’s lonely, even if I'm not able to meet again, from now on- even if I lose my form- I believe that if I have the music, then all the memories will remain inside the song."
— Mafuyu
Mafuyu’s character development is the highlight of the story. Uenoyama still gets his time to shine, whereas Haruki and Kaji have less screen time.

The art is good - especially the cityscapes, which feel cozy, thanks to the color design by Hiroaki Kaguchi. The characters’ expressions are on point, but the animation is a bit inconsistent and could’ve been better, considering this is the series finale. There are still frames at odd times, which give a sense of reality. Still, Lerche did a great job.

Sound design by Hiromi Kikuta is decent, and the voice acting is excellent. The music by Centimillimental is outstanding it elevates the narrative, blending evocative lyrics with lush melodies. Ending the credits with the line "If I don't forget this song, we'll always be together" hits hard.

"The taste of my tears is telling me various thoughts that come across the overflowing meaning of this life."
— Umi e by syh

Fun fact: Video production was done in cooperation with Spotify O-East, Shibuya - so the logo isn’t censored.