Given Anime Review: More Than Just Boys’ Love!

given anime review

Boy’s love watchers out there who are just like me, check the waters before diving in. So, here, let me tell you if you are thinking of watching “Given”. Then, it might be one of the best decisions you have ever made.

And need not worry, it being empty words; because before the end of this review, I will make sure that you also agree with it, theoretically at least if I must say.

Given is the anime adaptation based on manga of the same, written and illustrated by Natsuki Kizu. Released in 2019, Given was the first Bl anime to air in a prime-time slot in Japanese television.

Well, queer genre is usually not that appreciated but for one of them to even air on national television, it is a great achievement making Given, truly the cream of the BL crop. So, let’s explore a bit more about it in our Given anime review.

Given Anime Review!

Plot

Given Anime Review!

Given has one of the most non-toxic and realistic story. Where in first arc or say the 11-episode series the focus was on main character’s story that are Mafuyu Sato and Ritsuka Uenoyama. While in the second arc that is our movie, focus shifts to primarily on the relationship of Akihito and Haruki.

The first arc starts off with, the sudden chaos in the simple, boring life of our lazy Uenoyama when he encounters a student named Mafuyu at his secret sleeping area with the fancy guitar having broken strings. If only he didn’t volunteer for repairing the strings seeing oh so depressed face of Mafuyu as if the world has collided and if only, he didn’t play that tune, his life might always remain simple and boring.

Uenoyama, being a band member and guitarist at that, became forced to bring Mafuyu along with him to his band members to meet and learn, consequently leading to Mafuyu not only learning a bit of guitar playing but also being the member of the band. In this entire process, few things were noticeable that Uenoyama got his enthusiasm back in music, along with that, something was going on with Mafuyu. As how he got oh, so amazing talent of vocals yet don’t know what to come up with to sing except this one tune that have been in his mind like forever.

Now, to know what this is something, which is going on with Mafuyu, all you need to do is watch and figure out yourself. As I absolutely can’t spoil the whole thing, as to why in the ending episode Mafuyu said that the guitar is like a curse on him, the heart-wrenching truth behind the pain in the song he at last sung on the concert night.

If you like to, then you could listen the song named driver’s license by Olivia Rodrigo to kind of grasp the state of mind of our dear Mafuyu. Overall, Uenoyama and Mafuyu ended up together at the end of the series.

Given is an absolute masterpiece, every cast of it is fleshed out and leaves you loving them. Let’s find out why Haruki cut his hair short in the movie and why Uenoyama didn’t get the chance to get a song for him from Mafuyu for this time.

Characters

Given Anime Review!

The best this about this anime, as I said earlier too, is its characters, who are realistic and relatable. Uenoyama is one of the best coming out of closet character ever. As he didn’t unnecessarily freak out; well, Akihito was big support in this.

All in all, this made Given, a different from rest of bl anime as here being gay is not an actual issue and where story and characters have much more to give rather than their unnecessary contemplation on the matter of their sexuality and what will society think of them.

Mafuyu Sato, the Cinnamon-roll of the series, he is for sure a complicated character yet very simple and easy to relate with. Nakayama Haruki, the caretaker of the band, who is there to save the day. A really lovable character with his little secret crush on Akihiko, which is not so secret.

Kaji Akihiko is a man of various talents, you will get to know it later, but he surely helped a great deal in story of Uenoyama and Mafuyu, well, while his house was burning. 

Ugetsu Murata, my favorite character of the series, I truly wish for him to get the whole world’s happiness, he is a truly complex and complicated character in this series just like Mafuyu and even a bit more complex than him. As Akihiko once said, he felt like Murata could feel all the worldly emotions and play them on the strings of his violin, as if even the act of being alive pains him.

Music

Being an anime series, which revolves around music, it undoubtedly has amazing music and sound effects in it. Even the voices of voice actors and the way they express the characters was on point.

The opening-ending songs and the wonderful songs delivered via Mafuyu in the anime, all are exceptional.

Even the background soundtrack was so made that they wonderfully compliment the scenes, making one feel as if they’re also there as a part of the story, even if as a by-stander. And heed my words, songs by Mafuyu are absolutely worth crying with.

Final Thoughts

So, if you are still reading it, it’s a sign that you should really try watching it. Of all the reasons, we might’ve skipped about animation and romance, but they both are non-describable and pinnacle of delightness.

What do you think about our review? Have you watched the anime yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Posted by
Anjali Sharma

Hi, I am Anjali Sharma.Currently i am pursuing Bachelor's degree in college. I have various hobbies and watching animes is a big part of them. Being an Otaku i take pride in being able to write about them and only wish I could continue this hobbie too.