The peculiarity of "Given" lies precisely in this: to be banal and at the same time make you think that a twist could happen at any moment; this is given by the unknowns that represent the secondary characters and by the background of almost all the characters: the formers are fundamental to the plot as they push, directly or indirectly, the protagonists to act and make them reflect; the small difference in years, which however is sufficient to make us understand the maturity that characterizes these characters, is the key that allows the story to continue to move in moments of greatest criticality; the background is the part that certainly strikes the most: not all have evolved in the same way and, perhaps, only two are sufficiently detailed, which suggests there have been two wasted opportunities to enrich the story even more. The background also hosts the most emotional and intricate part of the whole anime: the protagonist's difficulties, linked to a too strong provocation, are discovered slowly and resolved all at once, through the banalest and simple solution of all; these difficulties, which are presented to us in an almost predictable and obvious way, take a sudden, twisted and melancholy turn, taking the story to a deeper and more appreciable level. The story, of course, is not lacking in imperfections, which are found above all in the description of the characters and their relationships, which, at times, are left incomplete or without an explanation.
On a graphic level, the show loses quality towards the end, even if it still manages to convey, even if not in the initial way, the emotions of those who are described to us.
If I were to recommend this anime to someone, I would only recommend it if you are passionate/interested in the BL genre and the Romance genre, as the show is not exclusively about music (as Nodame Cantabile can be, which lightly feeds the love subplot in the final episodes. , or Your Lie in April, which separates Romance and Musical in the different episodes) but a pleasant mix of musical knowledge and heart experiences.
To conclude, I can say that the anime from an exclusively critical point of view deserves a 7, but, due to the emotional involvement that develops particularly from the second half onwards, I decided to evaluate it as an 8, that is, as slightly above average.
I sincerely hope my writing style is readable (a translation from Italian) and does not have too many spelling or grammar errors. I am looking forward to continuing the review experience and receiving advice on how to improve from those who read now and in the future
