given

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, themediums 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 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 longtime; 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.

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 havesome 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

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 tomost 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.