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.
