Given (2021)

A captivatingly beautiful BL with a pensive quality

Given is a highly underrated, visually beautiful Japanese BL centred around a high school student learning to play the guitar from a fellow schoolmate.

Music becomes a key focal point in which relationships are set into motion. For Uenoyama and Mafuyu, it is through the language of music that they discover new vocabulary for speaking to others and each other.

After Uenoyama listened to Mafuyu's voice, something in him was stirred and he knew that his life would never be the same again – composing a song was his way of immortalising that moment. For Mafuyu, the same song bridges his past and future. As he verbalises the lyrics, he engages in a process of healing from a traumatic past, but also acknowledges that he has found someone whom he wishes to co-create music with in the future.

As a relatively short series with only 6 episodes of around 25 minutes each, the pacing is surprisingly slow. However, because every scene is so deliberate and purposeful, some concentration is required to fully appreciate the storytelling.

Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/01/02/given-2021/

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QUITE FAITHFUL TO THE ANIME BUT….

Since I’ve watched the anime version before this one, I can’t help but compare the two, of course.

This live action version is okay it’s faithful to the anime. The memorable lines were also retained.

BUT…

1 The irritating twitching of Uenoyama’s face is clearly meant to approximate or imitate the anime character. Why??? These are REAL people now, so why try to be an anime character?

2 THE CASTING: Akihiko and Haruki in the anime are hunky, lovable characters. Here, they’re not. To think that the next focus of the manga (and the anime MOVIE) are those two! The casting here was a big mistake.

Also Yuki’s actor. Can’t they get a better looking actor? This one has no appeal AT ALL! Makes it hard to believe that Mafuyu could’ve fallen for him.

I’m also not sure if Mafuyu’s actor was the right one. He has this facial expression that is clueless or, sorry fo the word, dumb.

3. The character of Ugetsu appeared from nowhere. He just popped up without any background. We don’t even know that he is a famous violinist.

4. Mafuyu’s background is lacking. Like there’s no mention of his dad beating him up – or what happened to his dad.

5 The concert number has lots of dead air – both at the start and the end of their set. Lots of awkward silence there.

6 That SUPER DRY kiss! That’s one of the WORST kisses I’ve seen in a BL series. Can you even call that a kiss? And they shot it closeup!!

7 The song in the anime is a lot more moving that this one.

8 In the anime, it was clear in the end that Mafuyu has developed feelings for Uenoyama and in the end is hopeful for their relationship. Here, it wasn’t even evident that Mafuyu has feelings for Uenoyama.

9 The ending: Why did it end with Mafuyu and a supporting character? What happened to Uenoyama? That’s the reason why folks who didn’t watch the anime feel that this is incomplete.

I give the anime 10/10, I give this live action 8/10.

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The melancholic, cinematography vibe is actually what makes the story more accurate.

Hmm... I just passed by through comments and reviews and it seems a lot of casual BL watchers here shared their personal disappointments, and someone even rated a 2.0 stars over this drama, which for me I found it very ridiculous as it seems. But in the end, we do not share the vibes and I generally respect on people who shared their sentiments regarding the drama. If you're a casual BL watcher, then I suggest to read the manga or watching the anime one if you are looking for something more detailed plot/story.

I'll try my best to look into the detailed review cause I'm not a casual critique in criticizing dramas/live actions.

For me, I personally found the vibe in this drama MORE ACCURATE than what it was in anime, since the original story as shown in the manga has always been realistic since the beginning. The cinematographic, melancholy touch is just what I really needed for this drama to be. The storyline/plot on the other hand, generally lacks of important details as what people also talking about in the comments. There's nothing else you can expect much on this six episode drama because this generally focuses more on RitsuMafu's love story that you can almost tell that Shizusumi is almost non-existent in the drama. There's been lot of cut in details on some important scenarios, considering the length is only 25 mins per episode, compared to 45 minute-ish each episode in the anime version. Mafuyu (Sanari) almost lacks of screentime since they pointed too much on Ritsuka (Suzuki Jin) w/ the other members in the band. Even when the time Hiiragi debunked the side-story of Mafuyu's relationship with Yuki, it certainly wasn't enough for 25-min lengthy drama. Their version of Mafuyu's song, titled "Melody Lane" is actually good, but the emotions never been as strong as "Fuyu No Hanashi" (A Winter's Story) used in the anime one. The ending on the other hand, just suddenly ended abruptly for no reason at all which I did not get the point of ending of it. The actors on the other hand were acted completely natural, and I don't personally found it really overreacting since it might just ruin the feels in this drama. So yeah, it was really an roller-coaster emotional experience for me, and I really enjoyed playing with feelings and emotions while watching this drama. I was expected to be 10 or 12 EPs in total so we can totally see in details more, and probably we're able to see the stills of AkiHaru.

Perhaps, for a casual BL watcher who have higher standards in criticism would probably disappointed for this drama. I would recommend the anime one instead if you want a bit uplifting that this one, and if you want to be more something detailed, try to read the manga as well. If you want a BL that is something emotional, then I would recommend it.

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A different kind of given (worth watching)

So I'm like a hardcore Given fan and I still liked this adaptation for 3 reasons:
1. The song that replaced fuyu no hanashi was so fitting for the drama! i understand why people don't want another song, but fuyu no hanashi makes sense for the anime because the story was told like the manga. the drama took a different approach to the story, so the new song made more sense and fit it better. neither song is better or worse than the other, they just make sense for their adaptions. the ost in general was really nice.
2. The acting was great for almost everyone (i have a thing against mafuyu's actor's acting because it's just too monotone for me, but some people enjoyed so i won't say nun about it) but i LOVED uenoyama's actor! he was so expressive and i could feel the emotions through screen. i really liked the rest of the cast, you could feel their energy and it was just enjoyable to watch because of them. also, yuki and hiirage's actors were PHENOMENAL like my heart broke even more from watching the added romance scenes between yuki and mafuyu and hiirage's pain.
3. boi support good bl adaptations so we can get more! i want a ten count or hitorijime my hero adaptation jdkshfsdjkhdj

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FINALLY ...

Finally, a modern BL drama!!! with true characters who don't look like magazine models, with true music instead of the light pop tricking with good feelings and sung by a gauzy voice...
The drama is very short, only six episodes but they are dense enough to keep the story alive. Mafuyu is a troubled young man who has difficulties to go over a former tragic love story. His voice reflects exactly the pain and Uenoyama feels it immediately. He is struck by Mafuyu’s voice as soon as he hears it and is intrigued by the mystery that envelops Mafuyu. Mafuyu is the opposite of a hero, he is not a radiant, glamorous young man. This is what is interesting in this drama: it’s not based on the same keys than the typical BL dramas. Uenoyama is the first one who associates this voice with his band music and he will be the first one who will win again Mafuyu’s heart. It’s a beautiful concept and a beautiful story. Japanese are so good at that.

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Confusing mess if you dont know the manga or anime

Well.... this isnt that good. Im just going to say it. If i'd watched the anime maybe id underrated better but otherwise its an incomprehensible mess in the end. Also also i only eatched this because of Suzuki Jin who was in mr hirigi's classroom and my live mix up! Hes really cute and i wanted to see him in a bl and was surprised that he was. I liked him. And his band mates but it was just way too short way to fast and just i didn't like Manfuyu cuz he just didn't have any personality and gets over Yuki very quick. I wanted more from Mafuyu's friend becaue he actually cried when listening to the song and I felt bad. They resolved almost nothing by the end other than Manfuyu getting over Yuki what happens to the other band mates? Or the secret or ex boyfriend? Its just very annoying to not know. Long story short watch it if youre bored because its only 6 episodes long so you wont lose much.

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Someone lied to her several times.

This is an honest opinion from someone who is a fan of the manga and the anime series: This drama was unnecessary.

~Story:
It would be one thing if this drama had taken a different approach with the story. Retell it in a different way, captivate the audience with exclusive content. However, what we got was an extremely glossed over version of a story that's supposed to be deep, intricate, beautiful, and heartbreaking.
This isn't a drama for the ones of us who are looking for a plot, this is a drama for those who want some lackluster fan service.
Given is a story told in different perspectives that interconnect in a harmonious way to form the bigger picture: we have Uenoyama's perspective, Mafuyu's perspective, Haruki and Akihiko's perspective, Hiiragi's perspective, and lastly Ugetsu's perspective. Unfortunately, this drama focused on Uenoyama's perspective and barely touched on Mafuyu's, the latter being the core of it all yet being undermined as if the writers weren't paying attention to the original plot. That being said, the entire plot contains huge holes that are very important for a clear understanding of what is truly going on. Everything is so shallow you can't even feel the despair or any type of emotion that should be there.

~Cast:
Nothing impressive. The actors provided little to no personality to the characters and left nothing remarkable to remember them at the end. Okay, you know what? I kinda take that back because Mafuyu's vocals are the best thing about this whole thing.
Sanari's vocals are to me the vocals anime Mafuyu should have had. No offense to the VA, but his vocals always made me feel as if he had breathing problems; on the other hand, Sanari's vocals felt like the wails of someone who's so deeply hurt they can't help but to cry in pain. It was B E A U T I F U L. When he started singing "Melody Lane," my heartstrings were being pulled by his voice in all the right ways.
Going back to the topic. None of them were bad actors, but it just felt as if they had never seen the anime or read the manga before. All of those moments that showcase the personality of each character were not there, and it is a shame because the characters have pretty great personalities and even better interactions with each other. All that is gone here.

The music is the one thing about this drama that truly deserves the spotlight. I already mentioned Mafuyu's vocals, but the musicians also deserve some credit because this soundtrack was IT.

I am going to be very honest with you, the reader: PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THIS DRAMA AS YOUR INTRODUCTION TO THE STORY. It is not even a shadow of how good the original source material is. This drama should be your LAST option because it's truly not at the level. DO NOT let this drama shape your opinion about the manga or the anime in any way.

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Given LA - A beautiful narrative that needed a little more time *extremely light spoilers*

I just finished watching the show for the first time because I never got around to finishing it when it first came out.

After binging the show, I can say with confidence that this is one of the better J-dramas I have watched. Yes, I have watched the anime and the manga.

I believe that many people go into live adaptations expecting them to be complete carbon copies of the source material - they aren't. They are adaptations for a reason. Different mediums carry with them varying conventions and ways of protraying stories. I believe that this show was a great translation of the manga to the screeen.

The cinematography was beautiful. The acting was clean and realistic that was only aided by a well written script that didn't feel unnatural. The music, THE MUSIC. I admire their choice to change Mafuyu's song in this adaptation, it allowed to feel all the same emotions I felt when I first watched/read Given, even now years later.

The ONLY thing I regret about this show is that it really should have been longer, perhaps closer to 10 episodes - even 8 would have been great. Mafuyu and Yuki's backstory should have been an entire episode on its own. I would have loved to see Yuki's mental health struggles protrayed in more clarity as I believe it is very important for understanding the events following it. Akihiko and Haruki's relationship could have been wrapped up a little cleaner considering that this is a drama but the anime didn't really do that either so...

My favourite part of this drama was Uenoyama's character. I loved him in the manga, even more in the anime, and I love him here. Once again, his characterisation was not a direct copy of his character in the manga, but he felt more real here. An impulsive, moody, teenager who is able to fall in love with guitar again due to Mafuyu. I really liked that aspect.

Also the kiss scene was so beautiful. One of the best scenes I've seen.

All in all, I understand most people were carrying expectations from the anime/manga but, to anyone considering watching this adaptation, I would highly recommend to do so and make your judgement for yourself. I, personally, really loved it. It is not at all what you would think it is from reading these reviews.

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Nice, but kinda disappointing

I love Given quite a lot. It's absolutely my favorite BL story. I watched and rewatched the anime (still couldn't get enough), read the manga and God knows how many times I searched for Mafuyu's song on youtube.

But the drama tried so much to compact the events until the band's live concert and summarize the story in 6 episodes that I felt like some of Given's most touching aspects were basically thrown aside.

Many of the moments between the characters (mainly Mafuyu and Uenoyama) that portrayed the great development of their relationship weren't in the show, which made me think that them falling in love had no ground at all and was rushed . Sorry, but I just couldn't grasp the feelings between them! It felt kinda apathetic.

Yeah I know they couldn't possibly show every single one of these moments in the drama, but there were many slow scenes where the characters took sooooo fck long to say a single sentence, which kinda annoyed me (even though it's something common in j-dramas). They could've turned these eternity-lasting minutes of Mafuyu staring at the void into some good scenes to develop sufficiently and convincingly his relationship with Uenoyama, or at least to display a little bit more his daze and confusion towards what happened to Yuki. That would've made the scene where he sings more thrilling and heartbreaking.

The songs were fine. I won't say much about Mafuyu's song because I wasn't able to avoid expecting something as good as Fuyu No Hanashi and comparing both songs, but in a sense it was okay.

The cast was great though! Haruki's actor was perfect! They look so much alike! I also liked Uenoyama's actor. He did a good job in keeping up Ue's awkwardness, kindness and strength, things that make him my very favorite character in the story. Since he's our protagonist, it's amazing that the actor could really get the character essence.

Overall, this drama is not actually bad, but it lacks pulse and life. It doesn't make my heart quiver neither bring tears to my eyes like Given usually does.

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Gentle slice of life story with an edge

(minor spoilers)
Content Warnings: dealing with trauma/grief, suicide that happens off screen in the past

I would describe this as a slice of life story, on the slower moving (I watched it on 1.5 speed)/gentle side but with a sharp edge related to dealing with grief and past regrets. FYI that there is also an animated series and and animated movie, all with the same title (all based on the manga Given)

What I Liked
The main thing that I really like is the moral of how words hurt and even if we apologize that might not fix things. Those words that may have been spoken in anger, not well thought out or even believed in, can be very dangerous and we need to think carefully before we speak. Hope there's a season 2 to delve more into what happens after this and also more about the two other bandmates.

Room For Improvement
- At the end, I really liked the hug and would have been totally happy if it ended at that. Mafuyu is obviously dealing with grief. If there was a kiss, I wanted Mafuyu to initiate it.
- The two kisses, yeah we got the dead fish lips recipient, bleh. The 1st was a surprise so okay, but the second was a no from me.

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