Review of given

Ahh yes, Given. If you've heard of the show, then you know that people have walked away from it with their heart shattered. This is accurate. But Given isn't just a tragedy. It has a beautiful romance, and it's actually really funny, too. Now to preface: you might think that Given is some quirky, sexual BL. I can assure you it isn't. It is nothing but beautiful and heartfelt in terms of romance, so don't let that false idea shake you. Now let's get into it :) Story: 10/10 I binged this show in less than 48 hours, and I do not regret that time spent. I was fullyimmersed in everything that was happening, and the minute I finished it, I wanted to watch it again. The present events are chill and casual - just musical boys being musical boys - but the flashbacks and the peeks into what the characters are feeling will have you wrecked. The romance was a slow burn, but it wasn't one of those agonizing ones where you want to rip your eyes out because a character is so oblivious. Both love interests were simply trying to figure out where they fit in to each other's lives and their own, and the pacing was realistic to that scenario. Everything with Mafuyu's past connects very well with his future, and if there were plot holes, they were put there intentionally, so as not to force information on you in an obvious way. I had no complaints about the plot of this show.

Art: 8/10

The art style was really nice, and the characters were pretty. The animation, especially during the onstage scenes, was stunning as well. You could easily tell what emotions the characters were feeling thanks to the art style. The artists knew when to do certain things that would tug at your heartstrings in just the right way. And I really liked how the artists incorporated humor into certain scenes. You'll often see pictures with Mafuyu's eyes wide, or with sparkles around his face, while he's listening intently, and I really like that. I think the animators did a great job.

Sound: 10/10

Given is a music anime, so the soundtrack just HAD to be amazing. The opening goes super hard and the songs that the band performs are PERFECTION. The emotion in the voices is so clear and as a musician myself it really hits me.

Characters: 7/10

This show would be an easy 10/10 for me if I didn't have some issues with the character development. I felt like the story really focused in on Mafuyu (which it should, obviously, seeing as he's the main character), but tended to neglect other characters at times. With characters like Haruki and Akihiko, you get glimpses into their past and things on occasion, but not all the time. That, I don't have a big problem with. Personally, my biggest issue was the underdevelopment of Uenoyama. I feel like aside from his struggles with staying interested in music, and figuring out his feelings for Mafuyu, he didn't really get a character arc. Obviously this is just my personal opinion, and others might not care, but it bothered me a little.

Enjoyment: 10/10

Like I said before, I binged this in less than two days (which is a lot for me). I still listen to the music from the soundtrack AT LEAST once a day as well. This show didn't make me cry, but I walked away from it feeling a lil bit empty. I audibly laughed more than I expected to, considering I rarely laugh at shows.

In summary, Given cold get an emotionless shell like myself to react, so I'm sure it'll spark something in you. My username (broken_strings_) is in reference to this show, so you can tell I enjoyed it a lot. I would recommend Given to anyone who asked.