Review of given

I came in to this series expecting nothing. What I got was a thoughtful story about love and loss and starting over in life. It was beautiful without a hint of the cliche that infects most shounen ai stories. It is a slow burn, though. That just means that the story takes it's time, making sure we are fully invested before it reveals major plot points. Overall, the fact that the band is just (if not more) integral to the story than the relationship is, perhaps, why the romance works so well. In order for any romantic feelings tofeel earned you have to have a couple who have lives, goals, and expectations outside of each other. We get that here. All in all Given is an anime that most dudes are going to pass by because "I'm not into that gay stuff" and to them I say, "well, you are missing out"