Review of given
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 transformedthe 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.