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.

This series has so many major flaws that make this show so insufferably dull and uninteresting. Story: The story starts off as pretty normal, which is perfectly fine. What I do have a problem with is how slow and uninteresting the pacing of the entirety of the series is. This show literally moves at the pacing of a turtle due to the insane amount of boring and useless dialogue the series has to offer. The music aspect of the series hardly feels substantial at all as well, I honestly can't tell what kind of direction the show is going for with the way they handle the music aspect, its just so poorly handled. The romance is even worse , everyone in the series is just gay for like zero reasons at all. It pisses me off especially with how the series handled this aspect. The series literally comes at you with the idea that these characters are all gay all at once. Like, excuse me? Also, its pretty much wasted potential when the series can't even be bothered to show how conflicting it is to be homosexual in a country like Japan. where this kind of things is just culturally not accepted in real life. Characters: The characters are all one-note and absolutely bland. The entire casts just feels so uninteresting and their personalities don't even feel compelling. The worst part is the way they handled the designs, which are literally just Haikyuu rip-offs, which absolutely downgrades the series even more because they couldn't even be bothered to make original designs and literally copied the same hairstyles and faces from Haikyuu, at least create your own designs man. Art+ Sound: The sound direction is pretty generic, there's hardly anything for me to say about it, it's not terrible by any means but it just isn't note worthy enough to justify saying anything positive about it. As for the art, as I've stated, the character designs really suck. The animation is really standard stuff and background art is just normal stuff, nothing worth noting. Enjoyment + Overall: This series was just a slog to watch, it feels so poorly written and is completely uninteresting.

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 he…

I can't imagine you would enjoy this show unless you are strongly into Boys love. The plot could of had some potential but failed to develop anything apart from the relationships between the main characters. I was only interested in the musical aspect of the show and was very dissapointed. Mafuyu went from learning basic chords to basically playing like a normal guitarist in the space of one episode (with barely any practice and no time). I was also so dissapointed they only managed to create one song including the whole band and barely spent any time showing them performing it or creating it. I felt as though the show was just about sexual deviance and if you compare it to 'Nana' or 'Beck' (musical animes), it fails to achieve anything of value in any aspect. This is more fit to be a softcore hentai than an anime

So incredibly boring. Don't listen to anyone who tells you that this is a realistic portrayal of a same sex relationship because it is not. The characters are paper-thin and don't deserve to exist in a work that is longer than an episode. The two main characters are tropes and they will never surprise you. The music takes a backseat to the terrible drama. The pacing is tedious. Plot was predictable. Animation was alright but you can't appreciate it when everything else about the show is disappointing. The side characters and their relationship is just almost interesting but falls flat. Don't watch if you're over 12 unless you are not the slightest bit critical about the shows you watch. Overall a poor show that's only saving grace is not fetishizing homosexuality like Japanese media tends to do.

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.

Story is not enough good and so basic not enough deep and so cliche. There is no message to the world they are just gay and that’s all about this anime. If the main characters were not gay the score would be definetely different. Just because of being gay u cant score this anime as great. I expected just a little one meaningful and deep conversation about being gay and expected to tell the world this is not bad or strange thing but no… There is no word about this. Drawings are so cliche tho. But.. they look ok. Musics or should i say opening music ? Yes that only one music is great. Characters are so shallow. As a result i didnt enjoy watching this anime, waste of time to me.

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

There’s no question that Given is *the* BL anime of the modern era. It is the most watched BL on MAL, constantly tops popularity polls, and whenever anyone these days gives BL recommendations, the first thing you hear is Given, Given, Given. It’s also disappointing. Here’s the thing: Given is a drama. It takes itself extremely seriously, so I will take it extremely seriously as well, and thus come to the conclusion that it is not as deep and intelligent as it markets itself as. Now, Given isn’t bad. It’s a competent story and the relationship between the leads, Ritsuka and Mafuyu, is well done. They had good chemistry, their relationship was well developed, and I liked how the top was the awkward and inexperienced one paired up with a more self-assured and experienced bottom. It’s a more refreshing take on tired tropes. However, Given is not just a romance, but as I stated before, a romantic drama, and it is in the drama where the problem lies. There is one main source of drama in this show: grief. (I don’t consider this a spoiler, but if you want to go in blind, stop reading now). Mafuyu, the love interest, is grieving. Very specifically he is grieving his late boyfriend who killed himself. And that? That’s something. In fact, it was why I wanted to watch the show to begin with. It has so much potential to be a very grounded and deep story about not just grief, but the very specific trauma of losing someone to suicide. There’s so much room there for it to be such a meaningful story about processing trauma and recovery. And…well, I can’t say it’s *not* that, but I will say that I don’t think it’s enough. The way it addresses this clear trauma is very skin deep, and it feels almost like set dressing. It’s there, and Mafuyu clearly thinks about it regularly, but we don’t really get to see any introspection or reflection on his feelings, let alone the nasty effects that kind of trauma inherently has. You wanna know something? Yuki, Mafuyu’s late boyfriend, didn’t just kill himself. He killed himself after the two had an argument, and then Mafuyu was the one who found his body. It needs more. It needs more introspection—about how personally hurt he is, how he simultaneously blames both himself and Yuki, how he hates himself for causing this but hates Yuki for doing this to him, how he still gets flashbacks of finding the body, how he still loves Yuki despite all of that—just...*something.* But we don’t get anything like that. It’s a trauma that inherently causes a storm of conflicting emotions and negative effects, and we don’t see anything like that. We just know he’s grieving, and it’s sad. And remember, this isn’t just a drama, but a romantic drama. Dating again while you’re still grieving your old partner is difficult and complicated, so it *should* come with a lot of reflection on the trauma and grief, but in Given, it doesn’t. Mafuyu is grieving and sad but he never talks about his feelings, shows any nasty side effects of the trauma, or lets it affect his new relationship. I say this as someone who has some personal experience with this subject, because it feels to me like the author does not. There was so much potential for it to be extremely meaningful, but it just comes off like it was added for pathos. That’s my only real hangup with these 12 episodes. As I said, the story is competent and the main romance is well developed (although, I would not have put their first kiss during the one time Mafuyu was grieving the *most* lmao. Like, what?). In this first season, the beta couple is also fine, although this does only apply to this first season. I’ll warn you now, the first movie is focused on the beta couple, and it includes the infuriating BL trope of a character being sexually assaulted by his love interest. In fact, it’s worse than a lot of other BL that play the assault as sexy and romantic, because Given fully plays the assault for drama—presenting it as horrifying and upsetting—but then the victim still chooses to forgive the perpetrator and they end up together in the end. I'm not saying it's impossible to pull something like that off, but it's *extremely* hard to do, and I think Given didn't do it well, with how the perpetrator's reasoning felt rather unfounded and he didn't seem nearly apologetic enough, not to mention they hardly even dwell on it. It was a really graphic scene of sexual assault too. The review is marked as a 7/10 because it’s only for the first season (it’s easy to pretend the movie didn’t happen), but I thoroughly dislike the movie, so I’d probably give the manga a 6/10. Not bad, but disappointing.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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 feelings at display. 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.

“It all started with that chord I played. I had no idea that I was strumming hard on his heartstrings with my own fingers.” Uenoyama stumbles upon Satou, a sleepy stranger with a broken guitar on the stairs of their high school. Recognizing it just needs the strings replaced, and also seeing how bummed Satou was, he begrudgingly flies into action. One strum on the newly-fixed guitar, and well, you read the opening quote. This first, chance meeting not only does a terrific job at introducing us to these characters and their personalities, but it also encapsulates so much of what I loved about this show, specifically its symbolism. In a way, guitar strings are not unlike a person’s heart. Yes, they can break often. But they can also be fixed, although sometimes you need a helping hand. And then, if the right chords are struck at the right time, something beautiful can blossom. Now, does this symbolism sound a little cheesy and heavy-handed? Maybe, but it works. And besides, a little cheesiness in a love story is not necessarily a bad thing. To quickly get this out of the way: as a straight guy, I realize this show was very much not made with me in mind, but I heard positive things, so I decided to give it a shot. Did I regret it? Well, let’s read on. The cast is a small, but strong one. I’ve already mentioned the two main characters, Satou and Uenoyama. The former plays the role of the quiet understudy. He wants to learn the guitar, but despite carrying around a fairly expensive one, has little to no knowledge. But you know who does? Uenoyama. Personality-wise, he’s very much the Yin to Satou’s Yang, or vice versa. Although he’s not a mean-spirited guy, he can be prone to angry outbursts. Just based on that little knowledge, you can see how this might lead to some interesting interactions. And without getting into spoiler territory, one of these guys has some serious demons of the past to conquer, and obviously that plays a big role in the story. Then we have the other two members of Uenoyama’s band. Akihiko is the cool, calm, and collected drummer. Haruki is sort of the reliable older brother of the group. They’re not super involved in the main pair’s relationship, but they are able to dole out some timely advice, and have a unique dynamic and history themselves. They’re strong additions to a small, but very likeable cast. In fact, I found myself quickly attached to all four. The animation might not blow you away like Kimestsu no Yaiba, but it’s quite effective at capturing the mood of the scenes and the emotions of the characters. And, although I’m not the one to ask, I do think the female audience will be satisfied with the male characters in the show. For a series about music, I wasn’t necessarily blown away by the music, outside of the opening. It wasn’t bad, but the band doesn’t have a song that got stuck in my head the way some of the songs from, say Nana, did. The voice acting was however, quite good. I feel like the VAs did a great job at capturing the essence of these characters. The story, while not spectacular, does its job. It may seem like a straight-forward story about four young guys and their band, but the romance, along with one of the character’s dark past casting a giant shadow over everything, keeps you interested. Then there's the issue of romance within the band that presents a bit of an obstacle, as well. Overall, I really enjoyed Given. I think some might be skeptical, given some of the slightly sleazier shows the genre has offered up in the past, but those people would be pleasantly surprised if they gave this show a shot. Is it perfect or ground-breaking? No, but it has a tremendous amount of heart, and I’d recommend it to any anime fan. A solid 9 out of 10 from me.

Yeah once again I'm here and ready to kind of maybe sort of share what I think To start off with, I'm extremely glad about the Anime adaption and it was done in a most astounding way.  The impression the Anime gave me, The whole adaption managed to capture some of the most touching, funny and cute moments, and that as well, was overall astounding. Most of us here have all watched a lot of Shounen-ai (At least I'm pretty sure most of us have) And this one gets my number one spot as well as my "Favourite Anime of the year"  As the Anime aired, I always chose to watch the episodes on friday evenings. That goes for all the airing anime series that I have dedicated everything to. It felt so good being back into this whole "looking forward" thing. It always takes over and I feel like I live through each week thinking about the anime that I'm watching as it airs. Literally, I get SO obsessed with them that it's the ONLY thing I think about. But what happens once it's done airing? I feel as if something just all of the sudden left and that I need to find a new series to obsess about, and fast, however, nothing can replace what Given has "given" me. I told myself "Enjoy your fridays while you can, because the series will be done before you know it" And I was right. But hey, that's how things goes.  The anime, Given, captivated me from day one. Each episode had me thinking "This could've been a real life story.." Yes, it's actually realistic. The story gives us an insight in what it is like to lose someone or something, and not being able to express oneself. It is but one of the most painful things to go through. Overall, music helps us express ourselves. I'd in fact say that music is all about expressing oneself and letting out emotions that we may not be able to express in any other way.  As for the story,  The story is amazing. The conflicts, the drama, the funny moments, the sad moments, all of it. The background story between the characters, the relationships that developed from each episode. It was amazing. I don't know what else to say, just amazing and I'd 10/10 watch the Given Anime adaption again.  The music, Boy, the music. The artists did an AMAZING job, it was mindblowing. The songs, the instrumental music, everything about it was legit perfect. Good job on that one I say, insane stuff. The characters, Each character is unique and especially the four main characters. They all play an instrument and they are all needed in the group in order for everything to work out. They are all cute in their own way, along with being handsome and pretty. They are different, very different from each other but yes, that might be why they get along so well. The art, Amazing. Beautiful. Detailed. Simply beautiful Overall, I enjoyed it tons and I will no doubt miss it and having a notification popping up saying that a new episode of Given has been released. But I enjoyed the anime and that's one thing that will never change. Thank you for bringing me yet another emotional but beautiful story, I'm indescribably grateful, so thank you, Given. 10/10

A soft, dappled light pools in the corner of a stairway, warm and nostalgic like a home you never realized you were missing. A boy sleeps in that light, a guitar clutched to his chest. From a glance, he seems adrift, like a lost rowboat bobbing on a dark, cloudy ocean. For a moment, all is silent and still. It might as well be a framed photograph. Then, the silence is broken by the arrival of a grumpy, sarcastic basketball player who’s none too happy at seeing his favorite napping spot taken by someone else. So begins Given, a show that achieves its humble intentions better than most other anime achieve their outsized ones. It’s a story of bands and a story of boys, a story of love and a story of loss. More than anything else, though, it’s a story of hope, one that’s sure to stick with you long after the credits finally roll. Do not miss out on this one, friends; this is the true under-exposed gem of summer 2019, and you owe it to yourself to give it the attention it deserved. Our story centers around Ritsuka Uenoyama, a former child guitar prodigy who’s long since lost the fire that once drove him. He’s listless and aimless, basically sleepwalking his way through high school. He’s still in a band, playing guitar with a couple older friends who go to college, but it’s a distraction more than anything. That all changes when he meets Sato Mafuyu, the sleeping boy with the guitar I just mentioned. Here, it seems, is someone even more lost than Uenoyama, burdened by something in his past he dares not talk about, at times seemingly barely aware of his own surroundings. He’s an enigma to Uenoyama, who wants nothing to do with him at first. But the second Mafuyu first hears him play guitar, he’s determined to have Uenoyama teach him. Despite his protests, Uenoyama can’t help but find himself drawn in by this kid’s eagerness, his soul, his uncertain but determined fumbling. It’s like seeing his old passion reflected back at him... but perhaps, also something more. Before he knows what he’s doing, Mafuyu’s become part of his band as well, and the two of them work together to overcome their various hang-ups and recover their lost desire to make beautiful music. If you think you know where this story is going from that description, you’re absolutely right. The power of Given isn’t found in how it shocks you with an unexpected plot turn or stuns you with some jaw-dropping feat of animation. It’s found in the countless ways this show feels real, capturing a more genuine snapshot of life’s ebb and flow than most anime even approach. I could talk about the strong direction that compensates for the kinda lackluster animation by bringing each scene to palpable life. I could talk about the incredible musical score, steeped in authentic indie grit and swagger that gives off the feeling of futzing around in a music studio and seeing what kind of magic you can make. I could talk about how gosh darn adorable the romances that develop between the characters are, and how they perfectly balance the sweetness of love with the subtle pangs of figuring out your sexual orientation in a world that often pretends gay people are invisible at past. But all those are just pieces of the whole. The banter between characters, the nuanced performances, the quiet, silent breaths of unspoken ideas, the interweaving of humor and heart and anxiety and sorrow... this show is achingly sincere in a way that’s almost terrifying at times. It feels like there’s no filter between you and the characters, no invisible wall of fiction to keep you safe from their pain. It leaves you feeling tender and vulnerable in ways that really leave an impact. But life itself is tender, isn’t it? Life is raw and quiet as well as rushing and furious. It hits you whether you’re ready for it or not, whether you’ve got it all figured out or you’re crouched terrified in a ball, trying to keep all your vitals safe from the storm. And Given captures that particular vulnerability with shocking clarity. You won’t find a better excuse to use the phrase “tug your heartstrings” all year, possibly all decade. The lives of Uenoyama, Mafuyu, and all the rest aren’t anything spectacular. They’re ordinary lives lived by ordinary people, struggling with ordinary problems and grappling with ordinary pain. But that ordinary nature is what allows Given to creep so deeply into your heart and take up shop before you even realize it’s done so. It balances light and dark, joy and sorrow, characters who trade friendly jabs and jests one moment and pull each other down for trembling heart-to-hearts the next. Nothing is overstated, nothing is overblown. It’s all allowed to just... be. This is a slow-burn drama of the highest caliber, one where the slow pace allows you to settle down into it like a big, comfy armchair and feel its folds and caresses wash over you. In time, you’ll find yourself much like Mafuyu, lying asleep in a warm pool of sunlight and feeling your skin shiver as it takes in the world around you more openly than it ever has before. Given is really damn good, but more importantly, it’s good in a way that’s really damn hard to accomplish. Not many anime have the chops to pull off something so quiet and intimate. Not many shows can show such admirable restraint in crafting something true to life. But Given makes it look like child’s play. Maybe it won’t win any Anime of the Year awards- the lackluster animation can be distracting at times- but your heart will be better off for letting it in.

This was a really sweet and touching anime about the development of a relationship between two guys, one of them overcoming past traumas, while the other is trying to rekindle his passion for music. Both of them need one another (not in the emotional-dependency, unhealthy kind of way), but in a way that makes them both stronger and better people when they're together. Going into Given, I was a bit hesitant because I knew it was within the shounen-ai genre and since the genre usually has notoriously unhealthy tropes (ex. non-consensual behaviors, rape-y scenes, and emotional manipulation being rampant perpetrators) my expectations for a healthy relationship were pretty low, BUT within the first few episodes of Given, I happily realized that my pre-assumptions were wrong because Given is the embodiment of what the shounen-ai/ yaoi genre should aspire to be! I also think viewers want the next generation of shounen-ai to look like this! I mean, not only was Given awarded with immense appraisal, but Yuri On Ice too, and those are two animes within the genre that portray healthy relationships between two males (coincidence? I think not), subverting all its predecessors' damaging tropes. Characters The main relationship between Uenoyama and Mafuyu is a healthy one, built on a foundation of friendship and trust. Although, the anime doesn't primarily focus on their relationship alone-- instead, their relationship acts only as one integral part of the characters, serving to highlight their human interactions and connections. These interpersonal relationships show us who these characters are with other people versus who they are when they're by themselves-- and so the small, vulnerable moments hits harden when you realize how everyone is constantly putting up an act. You see, Given really makes a point to focus on the characters: their internal struggles, worries, dreams, aspirations, fears, etc. and it pays off because the main cast is compromised of complex, multidimensional individuals. Personally, I really loved Uenoyama's character. At first, he comes off as a super macho and arrogant person with a "too cool for school" attitude. But bit by bit, we learn that he's more or less just stuck in his own little world (kind of like Mafuyu) and unintentionally gives off that aloof impression. By the second or third episode, we get to know Uenoyama for who he really is: a caring, good-hearted person who's just lost his passion for the thing that he used to love. Just like many artists, he's plateaued and feels like he has already "peaked". He's bored and doesn't feel that drive that used to push him. It's only until Mafuyu comes into the picture that makes Uenoyama reevaluate his life. But as mentioned before, Uenoyama and Mafuyu's relationship isn't the only factor in Uenoyama's character development. Yes, Mafuyu might've lighted a spark within Uenoyama, but it was Uenoyama's personal journey that he went through himself that changed him as a person. While watching Given, you get to witness Uenoyama's incredible character journey: from him rediscovering his passion for music, to him discovering love for the first time (and discovering new arrays of emotions like jealousy and hurt), to him then questioning his sexuality. His character goes through a lot and there's a lot of scenes to show for it. On the other hand, I found Mafuyu's character to be kinda . . . boring. Mafuyu is probably the only character I found a bit lacking. See, his type of character has been done before-- time and time again. Mafuyu doesn't stand out and although we get an entire episode dedicated to him and his backstory, I still feel like I don't really know him. I wished we had a bit more dialogue with his character since most of the time he's just sulking around or looking at Uenoyama with puppy dog eyes (adorable, yes, but not much depth either). As for the rest of the band members (Haruki and Kaji), they are very well-written just like Uenoyama's character (not as detailed though). They're likable and carry the story quite well with their own little side plot-- which was interesting enough to be made into a movie coming out in 2020 (woo-hoo, I'm super pumped)! The thing I love most was how these two characters weren't so involved with Uenoyama and Mafuya's lives-- emphasizing the fact that they have their own lives, one that doesn't revolve around the main characters 24/7. I found myself really appreciating the scenes that had nothing to do with the main plot because it felt like I got to witness an authentic side to Haruki and Kaiji that had nothing to do with plot conveniences! Plot Since the anime's pacing is very un-hurried, it leaves us room to breathe. Never did it feel like it was piling too much stuff on us, even though looking back, there were quite a lot of things going on all at once. It gives off a very calming atmosphere, although there were some very upbeat and powerful scenes within it. Nonetheless, I found this anime to be a great de-stressor. The plot itself is nothing big. It's character-driven and as mentioned previously, it's about discovering one's identity and overcoming fears through music and love. Yup, that sounds cheesy, but trust me, Given's take on these universal themes was very well done! Art and Music The animation was beautiful! There's a great use of a warm and golden color palette in the first half, and as the seasons change, gets more muted and toned down colors. As well, since the second half deals with heavier things (like Mafuyu's past) the darker color palette matched the aesthetic wonderfully! Another plus to the overall animation is that this anime doesn't suffer the "same face syndrome". Everyone is distinguishable and their features are unique to their own character (there's also some great indicators to who they are on the inside!). As for the music, I'm actually quite sad to say that it was a very disappointing aspect on the show's part. An anime about music-- I would have expected a lot more from its soundtrack! Sure, Mafuyu's song was great but that's about it. That was the only memorable track. I don't remember the opening or ending songs at all and the background music is just as forgettable! I wanted Given to use more of its background music to build its atmosphere-- instead, it was the animation that pulled through in that department. Final thoughts An overall good anime that you should consider checking out! If you're looking for character-driven stories that have a strong musical element to it, then this is totally up your alley! As well, Given has well-written characters, a calming atmosphere, great pacing, and a beautiful art style!

Given was solid in hindsight, but it failed to hook me as I was watching it. The climax, while short, was enjoyable but I felt the pacing of series up to that point was too slow. Most of the runtime was spent patiently developing the relationship of Mafuyu and Uenoyama, which was both a good and a bad thing. Their relationship felt more organic than some other romance anime, but due to only having 11 episodes, it meant no one else really got a chance to shine. I thought only one of the characters was developed decently (Mafuyu). The rest of the main cast was bland or boring. Most of the side characters were forgettable as well. The main highlight of Given in my opinion was the music and animation. The characters designs were clean, backgrounds were always pleasant to look at, and bits of music presented were pretty good as well. Voice acting was solid across the board; no complaints. Presentation is where most of my enjoyment came from though. Like I mentioned before, the pacing felt much too slow for an 11 episode series. This adds up to just an average anime for me.