Review of given

It is so, so hard to find any LGBTQ+ animes that don’t fetishize, over sexualize, or demonize the LGBTQ+ character(s). I am always wary of “BL” content written by women because of the tendency for them to also be fujoshis that fetishize and over sexualize their gay male characters for their own satisfaction. Given, which was written by a woman I believe, is none of these things. The storyline, art, and characters give a respectful and honest telling of queerness. It beautifully toes the line of light heartedness that doesn’t come at the expense of erasing the queer experience and heartfelt pain/emotions that don’t unnecessarilycentralize around queer trauma. There isn’t unnecessary nudeness/fan service. The gay guys don’t unnecessarily flirt with girls to give straight women the opportunity to sexualize them for their own benefit. All physical displays of romance (kissing, etc.) are done very respectfully. The characters aren’t one dimensional and their attraction isn’t either. I deeply enjoy Given and am looking forward to the movie! The only negative things I have are...
1) The art, while definitely good, wasn’t quite my style.
2) There were a few lines that made me feel uncomfortable, though I could have been reading into them too much.
3) I also really didn’t like the 3D animation part but that is just a rule of thumb for me and not to do with this specific anime.