Given

In the history of almost every BL anime, there has never been an anime so down-to-earth and modern than this one. Please, before you dismiss it for its "shounen ai" tag, I want to clear up a few things. While the majority of BL has a lot of sexual acts and even harassment, with almost no plot and just flippant fanservice, there are some that are real gems with actual plot. This anime, Given, is such a gem. Trust when I say it is definitely not like typical fujoshi bait shounen ai anime. It's a refreshing take on anime the emotional impact left by this anime will leave you in tears with its heartbreaking story. I won't spoil the anime, because honestly even if I tried I could not grasp its beauty with just words alone. You'd have to watch it for yourself to feel the story. I'll give a brief summary though if you want to know how it starts off and will mainly be about. Uenoyama is a sole guitarist in a band with two other people, Haruki and Akihiko. One day, he comes across Mafuyu Sato, who has broken his guitar strings and Uenoyama fixes it for him; thus begins the start of their friendship. Throughout the anime, Uenoyama learns more about Mafuyu and himself, and eventually the groundbreaking truth about Mafuyu's life. The anime centers around not only the relationship but around music as well. Now, here is where the anime shies away from being "just another BL anime". Mafuyu joins Uenoyama's band where they continue to open up a little more at a time, and break Mafuyu's shell. Mafuyu is a very closed character at first, but with more interactions and learning to face the truth, Uenoyama guides him to break free from it all. The music all plays a huge part in this role, and is what leads Mafuyu to better express himself like he wasn't able to before. The music will honestly leave you in tears, with its profound intensity and emotional lyrics. It'll give you chills to the bone. Not much anime can have such an impact. The opening is my favorite one so far and I never once skipped it. It's catchy but also heavy with the message in the lyrics. Please, at least check out the lyrics. Throughout everything, the characters develop more emotionally and this anime will make you feel that, too. There's no "tee hee almost got ya" base flirting like that; this story is about real life issues like learning to trust someone, and not let the past overtake you. Each episode will always leave you wondering what's going to happen next and make you want more. Its deep message and character developments will leave their imprint on you, and at times make you sad enough to cry. I can see 100% guaranteed that this anime is so much more than just a cheesy love story, too. If you love being shaken to the core with eye-widening heartfelt moments, then I absolutely recommend without a doubt that you watch this beautiful anime, Given.

Given is primarily a story of love and loss. There was a lot to process while watching the series. While grief was the main topic dealt with, hints of other trauma were briefly explored, though not in enough detail for these moments to hit particularly hard. The characters are easily lovable, and the different relationships between are interesting and complex, leaving you sympathising with everyone involved. The music is, of course, a huge part of the series, and it is wonderful. I would have liked to hear more lyrics rather than mostly instrumental pieces, but the one lyrical piece is rather chilling. Coupled with a nice art style, Given is easy viewing. Of course, I must mention the positive representation of LGBT romance, with the series including both gay and bisexual characters. I was pleased that the angle taken was similar to any other romance story, albeit some minimal exploration of the struggle one faces while being LGBT, as apposed to a fetishisation of gay sexuality. Regardless of your own gender or sexual identity, Given presents itself as a moving drama and romance that I would recommend giving a fair chance.

If I had to summarize this whole anime, it would be akin to life after love. What does this anime excel in? The theme- watching the main character move forward from tragedy to live and forgive is really inspiring and well developed. It was also more realistic from typical boys love works. The art- For a BL anime, Given was given (hah) a lot thought for the anime adaptation. The animation was wonderful, and I already love the art style of the manga author. The sound- The OST score was well coordinated as well as just enjoyable. While the ending and opening didn't quite stick with me, there is music in the anime that was like 12/10 lyrically and musically like it gave me chills. Okay so again, reiterating that this is a really good anime, there are still things that I think could be negatives depending on who is watching: Subplots- so this anime balances the romantic plot and the main plot pretty well. But- and this is entirely a personal preference- I felt like there were too many subplots, romantic or otherwise. Like, I really only cared about the main characters' relationship and the main story line, so the anime did drag a bit when the focus was shifted to other characters. However, this plus side is that there are a lot of interesting characters. Scandalous stuff- For better or for worse, there really wasn't much of this. The anime's romance is very vanilla like very, very vanilla. It's really cute, don't get me wrong. I think I just wanted more of it. But, this is one place that it differs from traditionally yaoi/shounen-ai. Summary: Great non-traditional shounen-ai with a heartfelt and moving story, quality animation, dynamic characters, and a good soundtrack- definitely worth a watch

Okay so I just finished watching Given and here's my take on it: The anime is overall a good one. I like how being gay hasn't been reduced to something trivial. Gayness has been explored throughout this anime and it's really a refreshing take compared to other Yaoi themed anime. That being said, I feel like no one really talks about the musicality of this anime as much as they should be. The sound tracks are beautiful. The OP is great. I love the fact that the music in this anime is real, What I mean by this is that all the music related aspects have been covered wonderfully. From the technical know hows to the actual skill, as a musician I really enjoyed it all. The only negative feedback I have (And this is story related more than anything else) is that I would have liked more complete performances rather than just one. Then again, this is probably the musician in me speaking than anything else. I'd like to conclude my review by saying this, if you're looking for an anime to watch during your free time when you do not want to be mentally occupied, Given is definitely one for you.

Given is one of those shows I didn't have huge expectations for. I mean, it is my first BL show, but the examples I had gotten before this were a little ridiculous and kinda bad, so while this was my first one, I didn't have high expectations. But slowly and surely I started loving this series more and mire to the point that it surpassed Dr Stone and Vinland for me and making it my AOTS. The characters are the easy standouts of this show. The show somehow gets so much personality out of these characters without even trying and I love it. My favorite by the end had to be Akihiko, who I thought would be this emotionless, no-nonsense character, but he ends up being so much more then that. All the characters, even the supporting ones like Yayoi and Hiiragi, who easily could've been window dressing, but they end up being these characters I genuinely liked. Another part that made this so fucking good was the music. From the title references to the soundtrack to the actual performances in the show, the show has so much passion in there. Whoever voiced Sato... just fucking killed it. The soundtrack is something that I want to listen too over and over again. That's the big thing that I loved about this anime: the passion is all over the place. The directing, the animation, the VAs, the music, it's everywhere and that's what this awesome. It could've just been a regular run-of the mill seasonal anime, but it's so much more then that. I love it. There is the off-kilter issues here and there. The production clearly wasn't the highest (I mean, Lerche did have another show to work on this season), so there are some shortcomings here and there. But those are easily outshined. I implore anyone who hasn't watched this anime to at least give it a chance. It's truly more then it's synopsis says it is.

[*THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.] For the first time in a long time, I feel a very strong urge to write something about a show – to spill my thoughts and let them flow out in the open. Given is not particularly magnificent, in fact, the story that follows is rather simplistic and not unheard of. A lot of people might even find it too cliché. But it is undeniably a bittersweet, memorable one. Given is packed with pain, loneliness, sorrow, longing, loss, hope and happiness and a bunch of others that can’t be named with words. I’ve been looking forward to watching Given since it started airing, half-expecting it to be good and half-expecting it to be bad. I’m glad to say that it secures its place in my heart, and hopefully it will continue to stay there in the future. In the beginning episodes, Given starts off a bit slow, boring even, but with sure progress. Sometimes, it almost appears purposeless and has no clear intention as of where the story leads us to. Is it a story about Mafuyu’s journey to learn music and being accepted into a band? Is it a story of Mafuyu’s loneliness? Or is it a story of Mafuyu’s and Uenoyama’s blossoming relationship? But then I realised, unfortunately belatedly, that all of those could be the answer – that it is Mafuyu’s confusion and uncertainty of himself and his own life that is reflected in the early episodes is exactly the way I should feel about approaching the show. Given shows us the many forms of uncertainty carried by the characters, and how they live with it, and that viewers should be implored to be just as uncertain. I would admit that it isn’t until episode 9 that I think all the previous eight episodes are worth to make up for the moment of epiphany – from the reason of emptiness of Mafuyu’s eyes, to the guitar and its broken strings that is fixed again. Given is really good at making you experience along the feelings of its characters, only leaves us with little clues by crafting fragmented pieces and make everything falls into places in one blow. Surely, the build-ups make me frustrated from time to time but they’re worth it for the sheer amount of clarity and emotions that come with the revelation. There are things I wish to be better explained and/or delved into deeper, mostly in regards to the side characters and their stories. Some things are out of place in the whole picture that the story tells. Some things/characters are introduced but not developed enough as they become static in the background. I think these problems might not arise in the manga (I haven’t read it so I don’t know) as the anime adaptation has only 11 episodes to offer to make justice of it. Short and flawed as it may, Given is still beautifully unfolded. When it comes to the characters, they’re all mostly likeable. The two main characters, especially, go through a tremendous process of coming to an understanding of themselves and the people around them that play parts in their life. By the end of the show, I can say for sure that all of them are at least a little bit different, a little bit more mature from the moment we’re introduced to them. Mafuyu is unquestionably one of the saddest characters I’ve ever had the pleasure to come across. He isn’t a very bright kid to begin with, but there is a layer of unfathomable sadness that is ever present in his expression, in the manner in which he speaks and acts. The fact that he simmers in his sorrow quietly and lives with it makes my heart ache for him. I’m really happy that he finds acceptance and release, or I wouldn’t be able to part with him with proper closure. Mafuyu is, to me, both simple and complex character. He is simple in the way that he needs guidance and support to make himself, for the lack of better word, human. He’s someone who requires a little push and encouragement to go on. We see in his childhood how he clings to Yuki to bring light to his life and how Mafuyu probably regards him as more than just a lover but also a confidante and a family – and so does Yuki. Later, he seeks out that solace from Uenoyama in a similar way. I think this makes him into a character that is very realistic and human. Mafuyu’s feelings and thoughts are not as clear and accessible, much less present in his words and actions, and because of these they create a profundity to his character. As for Uenoyama, to watch the journey of his growth as a character is fulfilling. We see his moments of weakness where his temper flares, but there’s a distinguished innocence in the way that his emotions unfold. He reacts to things quickly and honestly, explosive and almost child-like. I find great amusement of Uenoyama’s “gay panic” moments that just highlight the side of him that is sincere and not usually visible in his exterior. I also appreciate his simple kindness, as shown at the beginning towards Mafuyu when he decides to mend his guitar when he knows not of him. To be honest, I can go on and on when it comes to these people, for they’ve left imprints of their presence in my mind. Overall, the story in itself is not anything special, but I believe it is the strength in each character as they faced their life that is intended. Given wants to show the process of growing up as a person, and the pain and happiness that comes with it. More than a story, it's a journey. And I'm thankful to have been a part of it.

“𝙶𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗: 𝙲𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚋𝚢𝚎, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚜.” A story that was once about winter, and one day, was about a story of summer. The story is about Mafuyu Sato and Uenoyama Ritsuka. Though, focused on them, you get a variety of characters, including Haruki and Akihiko. A story filled with flying colors, and flying personalities, a story filled with emotion, and because of that, you get pulled within the story. Story: 10 The story is simple, too simple to be exact. The story is relatable, emotional, heart wrenching and heart warming. A story about 4 dudes trying to have a band, its simple yet thats what so great about it, the fact that its simple is the reason why you get so much variety within in it. A type of story where the world isn’t big, but instead a small world that revolves around a group, and because of that, you get variety and emotions. Its flying with different varieties, to the point it actually feels like they really are alive, even though there are only very few characters in this show, especially if you compare it to other Slice of Life anime with alot of characters. There are flaws, truly but, its not exactly the type of flaw that ruined the whole show. In all honesty, I have nothing to dislike about the story, because its simple with enjoyment. Art: 9 Though the art is still fantastic, they did their best with the CGI, they really did. Its not the type of CGI that is an eyesore, its the type of CGI that you will get used to and will not mind it. Its not bad, it’s actually good, especially if you want the playing of instruments to be accurate. The staff, did a great job on replicating Natsuki Kizu’s brilliant, detailed and eyegasm artstyle. Background wise, it was pretty, breath taking. Character designs, were basically on point but less detailed ( ofc it was, its animation and a series to top it all off ) But it was still great. The only problem I really did have was, the animation quality went down a bit for the few last episodes but I really don’t mind, it really didn’t bother me. In my opinion the art and animation was truly fantastic. Sound: 10 Was there a need to talk about this part?! Lets talk about the theme songs. The Opening was powerful and had the meaning, it goes along and beyond with the story. Meanwhile the ending was soft, yet very fitting. Featuring the voice actor of Mafuyu Sato, the one who sang the ED, certainly did a great job and it truly fits the anime, both ed and op wise. The soundtrack, I loved it, I truly loved the soundtrack of this anime, expected from a music anime at that. Im waiting for the release of the soundtrack and to wish I can hear it as I want to. And for most of all, the music itself. People at first, didn’t like Mafuyu’s first singing, I, didn’t dislike it. In fact, I loved it. I loved that the staff put that part so detailed to convince us, that its the type of person who had “potential”. Not a character who is a genius from the exact start, but a character who is talented but has not yet bloomed, a character with “potential”. The session was brilliant, catchy, and had the modern and retro vibe which I definitely LOVED. But most and foremost, the final performance, had me shaking. It gave me shivers, it made me stop moving, it gave me chills. I was speechless, it was powerful, to the point I didn’t even know how to react. A performance, never expected, simply listening to it, gives me nothing but chills and it was truly powerful. The one that should be given praise the most is of course the voice actors. The voices were unique and it fits the characters. Especially Mafuyu’s VA after the final performance. The VA’s truly did a great performance. Character: 10 In this story, it relatively has a small cast of characters, yet its full of variety. I love this aspect of the story. The characters are phenomenal and is truly alive. I would like to point out, that I, felt the characters. It touched me and it felt like it was real. They were reasonable, they were relatable, the characters were alive. They weren’t written in a way, that would make you think “expected of this character” or anything like that. The way they act, they say, the way they were written makes you really think “they were human.” And I truly loved that part. The characters had emotions that were reasonable and understandable, and some may even relate to the characters. They weren’t hard to understand, because they were reasonable and felt human, and thats what makes this series so great. The way the characters were written is truly brilliant, I would give every praise that it deserves. They were in fact r e a l l y h u m a n Enjoyment: 10 I enjoyed this, to the core. As a manga reader, I had my expectations low, as I thought, it was not going to do Kizu Natsuki’s masterpiece justice. But it did, it made me laugh, emotional and speechless. In the end I was left empty, as I usually would feel after watching a good anime, the empty feeling wanting more. I truly did enjoy this anime. Overall: 10 I am thankful, truly THANKFUL, that this was created and did the manga justice. I truly recommend this to anyone who is not only looking for “yaoi” or “boys love”. I would recommend this to anyone who likes very human characters, music and romance. Especially to people who is looking for something to relate to. This series made me think... “Ah, life really is not bad as it may seem.” I truly enjoyed this, and I hope for more Thank you for reading this review ( my first in fact, sorry if its bad )

I tend to be very skeptical of Yuri/Yaoi/Shounen Ai/Shoujo Ai, and you may too. Maybe thats why you're reading the reviews and contemplating "is this one actually worth it?" Yes. Yes it is 100% worth it. Out of all the BL's I've watched this one had the most natural plot and romance I've ever seen. The story was amazing and well delivered, the characters were extremely well rounded, the sound was extraordinarily beautiful, and the enjoyment was a solid 10/10. I don't generally cry watching anime but this was a tear jerking for me. If you appreciate romance in any way, regardless of your gender, this is an anime you should experience for yourself. This is worth it.

Y'all, I can't front-- this anime blew me away. I don't even know where to begin with this. I've actually been mulling this over in my mind for a few weeks now, and I still don't think I have the words to explain why this anime has meant so much to me this season. I'm gonna give it my best go, so please let me tell you why Given is so worth watching. To begin with, let's talk about the art. Hands down, absolutely gorgeous. If all anime were transformed into this style, I wouldn't complain one bit. The warm tones this anime had just transformed the whole viewing experience for me. Everything felt cozy and peaceful because of the orange-yellow hue that the scenes had. I get that that's weirdly specific, but I enjoyed it a lot. I mean, do I even need to hype the sound? Yes. I do. This is a music anime, okay? I've seen a few by now, and Given, without question, has the best music I've heard come from this genre. I don't want to give anything away, of course, but thinking about the fact that this came from a manga where, the only indication you get for what the music is saying is what the characters are thinking... man, they blew it out of the water. It fit the tone of the story so perfectly, I almost couldn't believe it. Even beyond the music that the characters' band plays, the background music for the scenes in general was a great match. Not to mention the voice acting. Guys, the voice acting in Given is so good? From singing to humor to drama, these seiyuu really pulled off something special by voicing these characters the way they did. Abstract descriptions of sound aside, let's get into the characters themselves, which I will discuss by getting into the heartbreaking story of Given. There's a lot of things I love about the story itself. I'll just say straight out that the story is phenomenal. Yes, there were flashbacks and things that could've done with some more in-depth exploration, but the story that was told was amazing, regardless. Since there's a movie coming in the future, you need to know that you can't expect conclusions to absolutely everything in this season because it's left for future storylines, so don't get mad at that. However, all of that being boasted on, the singular thing that makes this anime so, so special, in comparison to other yaoi, is how it treated the romance. Yaoi are notorious, I think, for having crap storylines or flat characters. They always get together too quickly and/or have unrealistic relationships. I legitimately have never, ever seen a yaoi that does not fit this description. Until now. I was so happy to get an anime in which a character or characters being gay was treated realistically. I loved seeing characters question what they were feeling, asking if it was okay, being told that there was nothing wrong with it, and being comfortable with their emotions and who they are. It was so mundane and *normal.* It made the characters' stories come off that much more inspirational and pleasing. The "but we're both guys" bull that every yaoi has was nonexistent here, and that was oh-so-refreshing. Of course, beyond the dramatic story and the romantic story, there was the story of a band forming and growing, which was just as happy-inducing to watch. I was able to go on a journey with these characters as band members, and that was really fun. Listen, this is a lot of gushing because I can't boil down why I like something so much when it screams "perfection" in my mind. I can't describe that, so just take my gushing's word for it. This anime is hilarious, it's heartbreaking, it's heartwarming, it's inspirational, it's unique, and it's special. What more could you ask for? Whether you're here for the music, the story, or the romance, you're not gonna be disappointed. Given has raised the anime-bar for me in so many ways, and I'm lucky to have watched it, so please give it a go, and then come to me so I can gush with someone. That was the whole point of this review. Please gush with me. I need it. Go watch it. The end.

My PERSONAL opinions so please don't hate on it if you disagree. Thanks. Overall, this is a masterpiece which did not fail to make me cry hard when the boys are going through their character developments. I have read and watched many BL stories, and this one is one of my favourite ones so far. The music in it are tremendous. Apart from it, the foreshadowing builds up so well that my heart aches whenever I feel something's off every time (mostly with my bae Mafuyu's trauma). The flow of the storyline is perfectly portrayed to the audience with a questioning start and a beautiful ending to Mafuyu's story. The romance: I am happy to see that the writer did not force many unnecessary skin-ships or you know, kissing and hugging, or flirting and getting jealous in the anime, because the writer focuses on the main track story more than those lovey dovey scenes. And I am mORE THAN HAPPY TO HAVE THE CUTE OVA- sorry. -the ova to watch what are behind the scenes after finishing the main story. The romance is always in the air. They show their interest to each other very naturally without being too dramatic or doing unnecessary moves to escape or stop the tension between them. I love this part of them. Sadly, in anime, the society is supposed to forbite BL based on their setting of the genre. But in this anime, people did not criticize them being in love. Instead, they just see it as a natural matter, as if there is nothing to be surprised about. This is true. As a bi and pansexual person, I am happy to see the way people in this anime are accepting the LGBTQ community. It's a huge thing for me. If you want to experience a world without people always giving attention to the LGBTQ community and just treat them equally with others, then this anime would be on your 'to watch list'. Music: Masterpieces. Periodt. I DID NOT WASTE MY TEARS FOR THIS ANIME!!!

I can’t believe I discovered this anime through TikTok but I’m not complaining because this is such a beautiful, heartfelt anime. I just added this to my list of ‘Favorite Animes of All Time,’ a list which I haven’t added to in over a year! I also haven’t rated an anime 10/10 in that long either. It’s a perfect mix of comedy, drama, romance and music. I actually didn’t expect it to be so funny! Those unexpected moments made it even more hilarious. There’s also a very specific episode where I just started SOBBING and CRYING out of nowhere, like I was fine one second and the next tears were falling down my face non-stop but that scene was so emotional and beautiful. I haven’t seen many Shounen Ai anime before (and anime with a Music genre, I usually watch romance anime) but this one was so great. I loved the story, the characters, character development, music (especially the opening song) and art. it’s a perfect 10/10 for me in all areas, even the rewatch value. I miss this feeling of being so passionate about an anime and loving the characters and story so much. It’s one of those anime where I'll miss it and after months or years when I get a reminder of ‘Given’ I’ll feel nostalgic and sad because I’ll never get to experience watching it for the first time ever again. This made me want to watch romance anime and like edit romance anime scenes lol. Like, i’ve never stopped like romance anime but I’ve gotten busy over the years and kind of drifted away from watching anime in general but i’m getting back into watching anime again and i have the urge to watch all the romance anime out there! Sometimes it’s hard to believe characters are the same because during comedy scenes they seem like completely different people to when they are in more serious scenes but I like that about this anime. ALSO, I love the supporting characters as much as I love the main characters, I ship two certain supporting characters together but I understand that it was best for the anime how they ended up. So...OKAY. I GET THE HYPE. I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE WITH ALL THE LOVE THIS ANIME HAS BEEN GIVEN (ha see what I did there) I really want to see the movie of 'Given' which was just released in August 2020. I highly recommend that people watch the anime 'Given' because they won't regret it!

<spoilers ahead, though you're gonna find out on ep 1 anyway but yea> I finally watched this the other day after watching Fuyu no Hanashi and constantly seeing Given memes both of Twitter. I already new someone was gonna die and who because of those memes and that sorta upset me (I hate spoilers more than anything but have begin to embrace it due to being exposed to it countless of times), but apparently, it didn't matter much as it is literally the first thing that shows up in Ep 1. I watched this at 9PM and finished it at 1:50AM. Not exactly 4 hours but that was because I had something to do. If I had nothing to do but watch this, I would've finished it in four hours. What am I saying? This was a story that I really enjoyed to the point that I just kept on clicking 'next' once the episode was over. I even risked the fact that my mom might wake up and shout at me to sleep already (but thankfully that didn't happen) because it was just too good to put it off when it's literally just 11 episodes. Characters: From the start, I LOVED MAFUYU so so much. He is so so precious and cute and I am glad he had finally turned into the person he is now. Music/BGM: ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I never skipped the OP and I listened to the ED a couple of times. Fuyu no Hanashi is just brilliant and the emotions behind the lyrics and how it was sang just hits the core of your heart, or at least mine. I honestly didn't cry when watching the series but it has made me cry before. As for the BGM, it really fit the scenes very well. The highlight of the BGM that is memorable for me is when Mafuyu began taking a walk outside and began going to places, places that he and Yuki have been to, I assumed. It just hit me and I actually cried while watching that episode. It was a very sad scene for me for him to go and revisit those memories. The BGM helped captured the emotions perfectly. Animation: The animation is very cute and very loyal to the manga art style. I loved the colors and I loved how Mafuyu is so orange and bright, in contrast to his feelings and personality at the start. The animation is just great, in my opinion. I don't know a lot of art stuff but it was really pleasing to the eye to watch. Story: I really loved the story from the start and that's what kept me just watching until I finished all 11 episodes. It has quite a lot of funny scenes that I really loved. I expected to see some development between Haruki and Akihiko, but I guess that would be the seen in the movie instead. I loved how 'love' was explained by Akihiko. I love how Mafuyu and Uenoyama's relationship slowly developed and did not seem forced at all. For me, it was very realistic and refreshing to see. I had moments when I was squealing and jumping for joy, but I don't really remember what scenes I reacted to in that way. Overall: In my opinion, it is one of the BEST SERIES I'VE EVER WATCHED! Honestly, you won't regret it if you watch it. Note that I watched all episodes in five hours' time. I really loved everything about it and I really, really, from the bottom of my heart, enjoyed watching it so very much. I am really looking forward to the movie, and hopefully, for a second season.

*NÃO CONTÉM SPOILER* *IT DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILER* (Review in Portuguese and English) Portuguese: 14 de julho de 1992. Aparentemente, apenas mais um dia da década de 1990. E realmente, isto se confirma. Entretanto, neste dia, uma excelente autora nasceu. Dia 30 de abril de 2013, saía nas bancas japonesas um novo mangá, assim como qualquer outro que entrava e saía de circulação. Porém, não era apenas mais um mangá. Ele se tratava de Given, dessa, como disse, excelente autora: Natsuki Kizu. Primariamente, no anime, retrata a história de Mafuyu Satou, um jovem colegial comum japonês. Ao chegar lá, pela sua aparentemente introversão, decide permanecer em uma escada da escola próxima a quadra nos períodos de intervalo. Inesperadamente, um outro jovem, este mais extrovertido, se depara com este jovem ruivo e decide falar com ele. Após isso, como um curso de um rio, assim como a virada histórica do Ajax contra o Real Madrid pela Champions League da temporada 2018-2019, tudo flui perfeitamente. Ele não é apenas um anime exemplo. Ele salvou uma indústria em indubitável queda. Mas por que dou o mesmo patamar de Shingeki No Kyojin (10/10) para Given, um anime de drama “BL” one cour? Primeiramente, é inegável a importância de Given não só como para a representatividade na comunidade otaku em geral, assim como deu uma respirada a um gênero em queda livre. Com títulos grandes (não necessariamente bons, gosto é uma variável não exata) como Sekaiichi Hatsukoi e Gravitation, a primeira década do milênio foi marcada por diversos títulos de relevância dentro do gênero. Após 2011, tudo isso mudou drasticamente. Com exceção da adaptação do mangá BL feita por Asumiko Nakamura nomeado “Doukyuusei” em filme feito pela A1 Pictures, que mesmo que em minha opinião seja um ótimo título do estúdio, não acabou sendo um anime popular entre o público fujoshi, responsável por grande parte do público total do gênero. Esse hiato de 8 anos de títulos relevantes, com exceção de Doukyuusei e Love Stage, que este último, mesmo que popular, é um título muito mais focado em comédia; foi finalizado com esse grande título adaptado pelo estúdio Lerche. Famoso por títulos como Ansatsu Kyoushitsu e Danganronpa, Lerche é um estúdio de animação e arte bem consistentes e bonitos. Com Given, o estúdio soube muito bem como lidar com essa animação. Com um clipe promocional, dia 14 de março foi o dia escolhido para o anúncio da adaptação desse anime pelo estúdio Lerche, sendo ineditamente um anime BL no bloco Noitamina, um departamento subordinado a Fuji Television, um dos maiores canais de televisão do país oriental. Seu trabalho de adaptação para animação do material original da obra foi bastante consistente e, em minha visão incrível. Já que não é um anime de ação, conseguiu focar na suavidade e contraste das cores de forma excelente, tirando o fato da animação ser bonita e bem fluida durante todo o anime. O estúdio fez um excelente trabalho. A direção desse anime não é nada de extraordinário, mas este ponto não é necessário para a decorrência desse anime em específico. Uma direção boa e bem consistente da Hikaru Yamaguchi. As músicas, surpreendentemente em minha visão inicial, fazem parte da minha playlist atual vistas suas qualidades. O aúdio geral, muito bem gerido (nada mais previsível vindo da mesma direção de áudio de Haikyuu!!, anime muito popular). Agora, tirada essa parte mais técnica e inicial do anime, falemos de seu desenvolvimento, e como disse, sem nenhum spoiler. O anime, ao contrário do que parece pela sua premissa, não é character-driving. Ele não é focado apenas em Mafuyu Satou, ele é focado em todo o grupo e suas histórias, o que é um tiro no escuro, visto a complexidade de se fazer isso de uma forma palatável e agradável ao espectador. Pois bem, se foi realmente no escuro, o exército não sabe quem está perdendo. Pois, não negarei o fato de que poderia ter sido um pouco mais abordado esse ponto no anime, mas isso não significa que esse seja um ponto negativo, pelo contrário inclusive. Não me surpreenderia se esse filme de Given que virá (infelizmente adiado) foque no Haruki Nakayama e/ou no Akihiko Kaji, de tão bem desenvolvido que os personagens são, a simples existência do Ugetsu Murata, um completo ponto de interrogação (não incompleto, e sim que ele é propositalmente não desenvolvido) durante o anime, já sustenta em muito a minha tese. Se engana quem acha esse anime seja primariamente um romance yaoi. E não, não sou quem disse isso, e sim a própria autora. "it is NOT a romance, but rather, a self-realization love story." – ou em português: “Não é um romance, mas sim, uma história de amor de auto-realização.”. Essa expectativa, de ser apenas um BL bobo, já é quebrada logo no início da obra, onde se revela que a história apela muito mais para um ótimo drama de características exatas ao que a própria autora disse na frase citada anteriormente. Inclusive, eu não creio, pessoalmente, que o anime tenha qualquer ponto expressivo sobre amor enquanto amor como o que nós estamos acostumados a ver em animes de romance como Toradora e Kaichou wo Maid Sama. E seu ritmo parcialmente lento, definitivamente não é um defeito. E não diga: “Ah, eu odeio anime lento, então não vou assistir” pois eu também sou assim, também odeio anime lento. Parei de assistir Sangatsu no Lion, para mim um ótimo anime, por ele ser muito lento. Mas por que que com Given é diferente? Bem, a resposta é até que simples. Primeiramente, o anime não é tão lento a um nível de chegar a ser um incômodo. E esse ritmo um pouco lento, para a proposta do anime, consegue caracterizar os personagens e levar a história de um jeito fenomenal, todo episódio sendo uma fonte da juventude, tanto em sua preciosidade quanto em nostalgia, se você não estiver mais em sua época colegial, pois não podemos esquecer que os dois personagens que mais aparecem, Uenoyama e Mafuyu, são estudantes do colegial. E o que creio que seja de maior acerto na adaptação, foi o jeito de adaptar. Diferente do mangá, onde a história retrata desde do início a história de Satou, no anime eles resolveram, para fortalecer o drama, começar a história “do meio” e deixar a trama por si só revelar a história por completo. Serei sincero: geralmente as obras que usam essa abordagem, erram em algum ponto, porém, se esta obra em específico errasse, eu não daria 10/10. E como disse, essa nota é a que eu dou para esse anime. Esse ponto para mim é o fundamental da série, pois fortalece o rico drama e história que a trama possui. E uma coisa é certa, você suará pelos olhos em algum momento no anime. O drama desse anime, direi de antemão: não é leve, nem bobo. É algo inesquecível a partir do momento em que você decide começar a ver o anime, independentemente de sua orientação sexual. O drama de Given não se baseia apenas em relacionamento homossexual, ele retrata muito mais que apenas isso. Mesmo querendo, não direi mais por medo de soltar algum spoiler prejudicial à sua experiência assistindo a essa obra. O gênero de música descrito no anime não é a toa – todos os personagens se desenvolvem em torno da banda, então isso não é um fator pra se esquecer. “Ah, até parece bom, mas não vou ver porque a fandom é fujoshi, esse pessoal acha que se tiver um yaoi já é 10”. Realmente, esse é o ponto que critico sobre o anime, porém, não podemos esquecer que isso não é culpa da obra em si e outra, que esse é o único ponto de crítica que possuo em relação a tudo que cerca a obra. A comunidade fujoshi em geral, é de fato bem superficial e até ridícula na maioria das vezes, mas sinceramente, creio que pela mensagem profunda que o anime traz consigo, é muito raro eu ver alguma fujoshi sendo super superficial e ridícula, apenas “shippando” (odeio usar essa expressão) os dois personagens sem levar nada em consideração. Muito pelo contrário, creio que haja muitos mais fãs lúcidos de Given que fujoshis ridículas e superficiais. Estou pessoalmente animado para o filme de Given. Além de…

FINALLY! An anime that could pass as mainstream with a decent lgbt character cast! 'Given' is a good example of what so many of us have been asking for. A decent anime with a healthy, bl relationship. No abuse, no underage crap, just a normal, healthy relationship. What's more, it's strictly romantic, so it's not one of those fan service platters either. The plot is definitely one of those classic lighthearted slice of life stories, so don't expect any sudden murders anywhere along the way. But overall, it somehow manages to keep your attention, just like a good slice of life should, and without sudden losses of shirts to draw your attention back to the screen. Overall, Given is a rare gem that actually offers some decent representation for lgbt youths, without having the usual content that would have them hiding their screens as soon as someone enters the bedroom lol.

Given is a very cute and enjoyable shounen ai anime, this was also the first time i gave the music genre a go and it was a very good experience. The story was a cute and simple story but, with discovering the characters and their pasts and struggles, it shows good character development as well that ties the story together and everything well. i genuinely laughed out loud with this show, i found it very entertaining, like with the characters expressions with the comedic parts was funny and enjoyable. the sound was well done as well, opening and ending were pretty good along with the song that Mafuyu sang sounded really pretty and well done. I love the whole shounen ai genre and how they went along with the whole story and shounen ai aspect was done beautifully and in a good pace. I found an attachment to this show and enjoyed it very much, i decided to pick up the manga of it too! So if you want to watch a nice story about music and the struggles of the characters and how they overcome them, with also comedic scenes and if you love the whole shounen ai genre i think this show is a very cute and great show to pick up and watch!

Given was perhaps the most surprising anime of 2019 for me. The only BL anime that I had seen prior to Given was Doukyuusei, which may have been great, but I had thought that it was an outlier in the genre. So when Given started airing and I immediately loved it, I was quite taken aback. To get this out of the way, the music in Given was great. Math Rock is a prolific genre in Japan, often featuring in anime openings and endings. However, despite there being many music anime, math rock never seems to be the genre of music that the character’s play. Given finally satisfied my very specific need to see an amatuer band of anime character’s playing math rock, so even ignoring everything else that happens in the show, I was already very pleased with the music, which is important for an anime focused on music. But fortunately for Given, it had far more going for it than simply having good music. I saw Given being described as K-On but with boys, and for the most part, I find this to be a more than adequate explanation of the show. The show focuses on four characters, all of whom are entertaining to watch, have great chemistry with one another, and are overall, well written characters. In what I am assuming is typical for shounen and shoujo ai stories, practically every character is gay and in love with another character, which was a fairly large hurdle of believability for me to get over, but once I came to terms with it, I was happy to see that each of the couples genuinely had a lot of chemistry and felt as though they could be couples in real life. This is mostly due to the fantastic dialogue. I mentioned the K-On comparison earlier, and a large part of that comparison comes from the way that the dialogue is written. All of the characters' interactions felt so natural, which was a large reason for the attachment that I came to feel to them. The story also ended up being far more emotionally driven than I had initially expected. Mafuyu’s past of loss and tragedy was handled well and served to, at first increase the emotional distance between Mafuyu and Uenoyama, but eventually bring them closer together. Given had a few emotional highs, but the band’s performance episode was easily my favourite part of the entire show, and what really drove home how genuinely great this show actually was. It seemed like a last episode, but I was pleasantly surprised when there were two additional episodes to deal with the ramifications of what happened at the performance. These two episodes finally brought everything together and wrapped things up for the main couple nicely, with the final episode being particularly memorable. Overall, Given isn’t a show that will leave you pondering the intricacies of its plot, or one that will have you spellbound by its gorgeous visuals. It’s a simple show about a group of boys playing music and being in love, with lovable characters, great music, and a fantastic emotional throughline. If you can get over the fact that, unlike shows of this nature with girls, the characters are not only gay, but actually do more than bait the audience and some are even in relationships, then you’ll find a very enjoyable show.

I'm a BL regular. From manga to anime, I watch and read a fair share of it. I tend to be attracted to that fragile, vulnerable bond between two guys that are supposed to be feeling suppressors and tough according to society. With females, they tend to always be touchy and closer than men, and that's why I like to read and watch BL stories. Anyhow, I really enjoyed Given and it is a lot different from other BL i watch and read. All the other BL normally revolves just a childhood friend plot, high school plot, or some fantasy creature plot. This is the first BL I have watched with instruments and bands, and it was so interesting! It reminds me of all the female centered anime that involves instruments like K-On! or So Ra No Wo To (Neither of which are categorized as Shoujo-Ai however). Story (10/10): Ritsuka Uenoyama is a high school student who meets Mafuyu Satou when he arrives to his usual napping spot. Uenoyama is a locally popular guitarist with a band originally called the seasons. The band consists of college students Haruki Nakayama, Akihiko Kaji, and Uenoyama himself. Uenoyama finds Satou carries a guitar around with him even tough he can't play, this starts the friendship between the two with Satou persistently asking Uenoyama to teach him how to play. From here on out, it follows the emotions and hardships of all the characters and how each one forms stronger and stronger bonds with one another. Most of the BL doesn't seem to fully take place until towards the last half of the series, which I personally prefer in order for those bonds to form in the first half of the series. The story doesn't have any holes or anything like that from what I remember. There does seem to be a needed sequel since the series ends on a note that hints at the future, and myanimelist does have the movie marked as the sequel. I'm really hoping the movie will be a good length and just as good as the first season. I had no problem with the story though, and I'm looking forward to the movie! Art (8/10): The art isn't anything special, but it isn't bad. It's pretty good, but if anyone who knows what BL is or has read/seen a thing or two, you could definitely tell it is a BL show. I'm not very fond of the typical BL style even though it is pretty. It's just a very common style and I'd like to see a new style within the BL shows. Sound (10/10): No complaints here. I loved the opening and ending as well as the music the band within the show made. Satou's voice is really pretty. Satou singing the "la la las" made me cringe really bad because it sounded off to me, but him singing normally is great. Character (10/10): I love the common silent x hotheaded scenario regarding any sex. Another thing I really loved was when Nakayama gets all blushy and embarassed then covers his face. It is super cute! Nakayama feels like he plays the parent type role within the band and Kaji feels like he plays the brother role to Uenoyama and Satou. I love how they all interact with each other. Enjoyment (10/10): Anything involving love between anyone makes me squeal a whole lot. Friendly reactions, the music, almost everything made me squeal. Just thinking about the whole show is just wonderful. Not a single episode went by that I didn't enjoy! It was just an amazing experience to see them all grow. Overall (10/10): The anime is totally worth watching for any BL fan out there! Even if you aren't into BL, it has a very nice story with interesting characters and hilarious interactions. I'll definitely be watching the movie when it comes out!

Given was a really refreshing show to watch for me, it handled heavy themes but in a delicate way which was enjoyable to watch. There is beauty in its simplicity but it is just engaging enough to leave you wanting more. Everything happened at a natural pace and was quite believable The animation and character design was superb albeit Ritsuka and Mafuyu's character design felt oddly reminiscent of the two main characters of haikyuu! but that's just me probably. The animation was especially a treat when they playing music which is great cos its band anime after all. The main characters development happened at a good pace and all the characters are genuinely likeable. I think the best thing for me was how pure and innocently Mafuyu and Ritsuka's relationship is portrayed, I'm not going to lie when i realized that given was bl I got kinda nervous as too often LGBTQ especially gay relationships are portrayed in fetishy and often unsavoury ways. However much to my delight their relationship was portrayed as what it is, two young boys in love. The music is also fantastic, the opening really fits the show and lyrics relate so much to the content I actually looked forward to listening to it when I watched. Overall I really really enjoyed given and would highly recommend

This show features BL romance, and whether or not that appeals to you- I don't think you should skip over this show. I personally think it detracts from my own enjoyment, but this show does it in a way that isn't uncomfortable. There's nothing too awkward in here, and everything seems natural and very realistic... It's like other forms of media portrays this kind of romance in a bad way. I want to say that the music in this anime is phenomenal, and the whole idea of music and forming a band is to propagate the relationships in this anime, but the music alone and the progression of the band is what I really watched this anime for and I was not disappointed. This is still a pretty good watch overall. Music Genre: Indie/J Rock

the anime itself was really great been a while that a shouen-ai wasn't just a teacher and a student paring. though I would highly reccomend the manga to say the least, but the anime doesn't do a half bad job at giving you a good solid taste of what your in for. I did find it a bit lacking in the flow of there growing relationship. what's also super cool if you go through all the episode name titles you'll notice they are actual songs that have a good relation to what the episode is going to be about. for example episode 10 is called wonder wall which is by oasis give it a listen before watching the episode and see how well it fits in.