Given Volume 3 - Book Review

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

Given is a Japanese BL manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Kizu.

It has been serialized in the bimonthly manga magazine Cheri+ since 2013 and has been collected into 9 tankobon volumes by Shinshokan.

Volume 3 was published March 1, 2017 in Japan and August 11, 2020 in English.

The series has been adapted multiple times, with an audio drama in 2016, an 11-episode anime series in 2019, an anime film in 2020, and a live-action drama in 2021.

The series follows a group of four students in an amateur rock band and the dual romantic relationships that form among them: between electric guitarist Ritsuka Uenoyama and vocalist Mafuyu Sato, and between bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

Love of music unites the four members of the band Given: hot-headed guitarist Uenoyama, playboy drummer Akihiko, gentle bassist Haruki, and Mafuyu, a singer gifted with great talent and burdened by past tragedy. Their struggles and conflicts may drive them apart, but their bond to the music - and to one another - always brings them back together again.

Uenoyama realizes he's in love with Mafuyu and steals a kiss from him backstage at their first live performance. But now he's even more confused - he hasn't shared his feelings with Mafuyu and has no idea how Mafuyu feels about him. In contrast to their naive romance, Haruki has been harbouring a secret desire for bandmate Akihiko, who's already entangled in an intense, conflicted relationship with someone else.

Like with Volume 2, Volume 3 continues to story perfectly. We see more into Uenoyama's feelings for Mafuyu and his dilemma in if Mafuyu returns his feelings at all, to which we do get a confession between them. Also while Mafuyu seems to struggle with his feelings about his past, we can see that a weight has been lifted after being able to to his emotions into words.

We delve a little more into Haruki's one-sided feelings towards Akihiko, as well as how this has swayed the way he looks, for example that Haruki grew out his hair.

We also get to see how Haruki, Akihiko and Uenoyama ended up in a band together, as well as how they come up with their band name after their first performance with Mafuyu.

We also delve more into Akihiko and his relationship with his roommate Ugetsu Murata, we get a more intense look into their relationship.

Akihiko also takes Mafuyu to Ugetsu's concert to introduce him to more classical music, which we also find out that Akihiko hides sides of himself from Haruki, which for me shows that he cares about what he thinks about him. and wants to be seen positively by him.

We see Mafayu starting to get series about music and wanting their band to succeed, we also get to see that he's reconnected with his friends from his childhood.

I always love the little short story panels we get at the end after the main story, they always show a different side and are often comedic and gives more insight into their daily lives.

The more I go back over these volumes the more my love for the series increases, the story, the art, the characters, it's all just perfect and I will always recommend this series to everyone.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Given Volume 2 - Book Review

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

Given is a Japanese BL manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Kizu.

It has been serialized in the bimonthly manga magazine Cheri+ since 2013 and has been collected into 9 tankobon volumes by Shinshokan.

Volume 2 was published January 30, 2016 in Japan and May 12, 2020 in English.

The series has been adapted multiple times, with an audio drama in 2016, an 11-episode anime series in 2019, an anime film in 2020, and a live-action drama in 2021.

The series follows a group of four students in an amateur rock band and the dual romantic relationships that form among them: between electric guitarist Ritsuka Uenoyama and vocalist Mafuyu Sato, and between bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

Love of music unites the four members of the band Given: hot-headed guitarist Uenoyama, playboy drummer Akihiko, gentle bassist Haruki, and Mafuyu, a singer gifted with great talent and burdened by past tragedy. Their struggles and conflicts may drive them apart, but their bond to the music - and to one another - always brings them back together again.

As the band races toward their first live concert, Mafuyu struggles to write lyrics for their new song but can't find the words to express the emotions burning within him. Meanwhile, Uenoyama hears rumours about Mafutu's past and is bewildered by his won feelings. The tension builds until the night of the show, when the band explodes into a raging, life-changing performance.

Volume 2 is the perfect continuation of the story, we get to see a lot more of Mafuyu's past and his relationship with his childhood friends Hiragi Kashima and Yuki Yoshida. We see how Mafayu and Yuki's relationship developed in more and how they needed one another. But even though Mafuyu was in love with Yuki, he still felt lonely. We learn why he feels so much guilt about having Yuki's guitar as well as how Yuki's death came about and why.

We get to see how Ueunoyama's feelings start developing more and how he begins to come to terms with how he feels for Mafuyu, even asking advice from fellow bandmate Akihiko.

We get to meet Ugetsu Murata, who is Akihiko's roommate, but when we meet him it's indicated that there is more between them than just normal roommates.

There's nothing in the way of things developing with Hikaru and Akihiko, only that they try to push both Mafuyu and Uenoyama in the right direction for their first ever show. Akihiko seems to take Mafuyu under his wing, which to me shows that he's had the same struggles as Mafuyu in that he's sometimes found it hard to put words to his emotions and has overcome them to some extent.

I love how Natsuki Kizu drew their performance, even while reading you can feel Mafuyu's emotion's, his guilt, his heartache and his loneliness as well as everyone finally beginning to understand and accept him. The addition of flashback throughout this section helps the reader to feel those emotions too. We also get to see Mafuyu accept that he's able to move on without forgetting his first love.

I love that we get a little bonus story after the main plot of volume 2 that follows Mafuyu and Yuki to the beach, and it connects perfectly to the main story.

To repeat what I said when I posted a bout Volume 1. I will always recommend this series as I love the characters and the story, it touches on a lot of topics that people often try to push to one side, like mental health, suicide and sexuality, especially when it comes to school age.

It's one of my favourite series' in the BL genre as well as overall, it's definitely one of my favourites to read all over again.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Given Volume 1 - Book Review

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

Given is a Japanese BL manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Kizu.

It has been serialized in the bimonthly manga magazine Cheri+ since 2013 and has been collected into 9 tankobon volumes by Shinshokan.

Volume 1 was published November 29th 2014 in Japan and February 11th in English.

The series has been adapted multiple times, with an audio drama in 2016, an 11-episode anime series in 2019, an anime film in 2020, and a live-action drama in 2021.

The series follows a group of four students in an amateur rock band and the dual romantic relationships that form among them: between electric guitarist Ritsuka Uenoyama and vocalist Mafuyu Sato, and between bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

Love of music unites the four members of the band Given: hot-headed guitarist Uenoyama, playboy drummer Akihiko, gentle bassist Haruki, and Mafuyu, a singer gifted with great talent and burdened by past tragedy. Their struggles and conflicts may drive them apart, but their bond to the music - and to one another - always brings them back together again.

Ritsuka Uenoyama is bored with it all - with school, with his basketball club, and even with his one true passion: playing guitar. That is, until the day he finds his favourite napping spot occupied by a strange boy cradling a broken-stringed guitar. At first, Uenoyama is nonplussed by Mafuyu Sato and his slightly odd behaviour, but when, on a whim, he asks Mafuyu to sing, the power of that song pierces him to the core.

I'm a massive fan of Given and I make it no secret that I love this series. I have read the whole original manga series, as well as watched the anime, I have started the live-action and will eventually get through it but sometimes I struggle with live-action adaptations if they differ from the original look.

 Volume 1 really gives us a good introduction to the series, I'm not surprised why everyone eventually falls for Mafuyu because he's just too adorable. You know straight from the get go that he's shy and reserved and seems to have some dark history, which we see peek it's head when he bumps into some old friends. As we get further into the volume we find out more of what happened to him as well as what traumatised him in his past.

From the get go in volume 1, Uenoyama seems very sure of himself, he confident and skilled in everything he does, especially when it's to do with music. The more he's around Mafuyu the more he starts to question his own feelings, especially when he's told rumours of Mafuyu's past, as well as from what Mafuyu himself tells him.

We pretty much know from that start that Hikaru harbours one-sided feelings towards Akihiko, just from the way he blushes and reacts around him. You also know from the get go that he's really friendly and is open to meeting new people, he seems to take to Mafuyu straight away and helps him.

In volume 1 we meet Akihiko, but we don't really get to know much about him other than he's a bit of a playboy.

I love that we also get some info about the 4 main characters and members of Given as well as sketches of them with a little more info.

We also get short side stories about the characters.

I will always recommend this series as I love the characters and the story, it touches on a lot of topics that people often try to push to one side, like mental health, suicide and sexuality, especially when it comes to school age.

It's one of my favourite series' in the BL genre as well as overall, it's definitely one of my favourites to read all over again.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Given

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

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Given is an anime adaptation of the manga of the same name by Natsuki Kizu, with the anime adaptation being written by Yuniko Ayana and directed by Hikaru Yamaguchi.

The series started airing on the 11th of July 2019, and concluded on the 19th of September 2019.

The first season contains 11 episodes.

Main Characters:

Ritsuka Uenoyama is voiced by Yuuma Uchida

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Mafuyu Sato is voiced by Shogo Yano

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Haruki Nakayama is voiced by Masatomo Nakazawa

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Akihiko Kaji is voiced by Takuya Eguchi

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Supporting Characters:

Yuki Yoshida is voiced by Yuuki Shin

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Yayoi Uenoyama is voiced by Yuu Shimamura

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Ugetsu Murata is voiced by Shintaro Asanuma

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Hiiragi Kashima is voiced by Fumiya Imai

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Shizusumi Yagi is voiced by Taito Ban

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Kasai is voiced by Ayaka Asai

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Yatake Koji is voiced by Ryouta Takeuchi

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The anime adaptation is produced by Lerche and was announced during a Fuji TV press conference, on the 14th of March 2019.

The series aired on Noitamina, making Given the first BL series to air on Noitamina.

The series was also syndicated by Crunchyroll, which simulcast the series worldwide outside of Asia. In Southeast Asia, the series was released on WeTV on the 18th of May 2021.

Mafuyu voice actor Shogo Yano sang on the original songs "Marutsuke" and "Fuyu no hanashi (A Winter Story)" for the show.

Kizuato - Centimillimental

Wooby

Marutsuke - Given

iwee

Session - Given

Crunchyroll Collection

Fuyu no hanashi (A Winter Story)

iwee

Fuyu no hanashi (A Winter Story)

Crunchyroll Collection

Tightly clutching his Gibson guitar, Mafuyu Sato steps out of his dark apartment to begin another day og his high school life. While taking a nap in a quiet spot on the gymnasium staircase, he has a chance encounter with fellow student Ritsuka Uenoyama, who berates him for letting his guitar's strings rust and break. Noticing Uenoyama's knowledge of the instrument, Sato pleads for him to fix it and to tach him how to play. Uenoyama eventually agrees and invites him to sit in on a jam session with his two bandmates: bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

Sato's voice is strikingly beautiful, filling Uenoyama with the determination to make Sato the lead singer of the band. Though reticent at first, Sato takes the offer after an emotional meeting with an old friend. With the support of his new friends, Sato must not only learn how to play guitar, but also come to terms with the mysterious circumstances that led him to be it's owner.

crown of elm

How I've never come across this anime being a lover of BL anime, manga and drama's. I'll never know, I only came across it because I was looking at popular BL manga's online and Given came up in a lot of articles. The I had a nosey on Crunchyroll to see if the anime was available for me to watch and it's now the reason that I am now back to being a premium member, it brought back my love for anime.

I had already seen some clips online but seeing more into the backstory of the characters, especially Mafuyu, made this series more heartbreaking to watch, especially when he finally sung the lyrics he'd written. You can tell he blames himself for what happened in his past and you can tell he really struggles with letting others in because he's afraid he'll be left alone again. Even now when I listen to the song he sings, I get a little tearful.

I love that Given touches on subjects that people try to ignore like suicide, mental health and sexuality, especially when it comes to the male population.

I love how different the characters are and I especially love the Given members, each of them have their own struggles, but are all willing to help one another and I loved seeing how each character developed and grew, especially when it came to Mafuyu and his friends from his past.

I highly recommend this anime and it's definitely a series that I want to collect both the anime series and the manga volumes and for me it's right up there as one of my favourite series' not only as a BL but overall. I could easily and happily watch it on repeat everyday, it's a show that you would never get bored of.

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Have you watched the Given anime series?

Were you a fan of the anime?

Have you read the manga?

Do you have any favourite characters?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye