Given

High school boys finding love. Music, and the band being it's commonality and they both fell in love because of a song. 

Both about boys (Given is much more direct with their relationships) both have darker tones, not nearly as much as Banana Fish but still does both will leave you feeling emotional 

Both animes have characters with charming personalities, as well as their dynamics, but the most amazing part of both is how can surprise you with their deep past and traumas that the characters have. Also both have amazing music moments. 

Both are about two high school boys who love music. While Sakamichi is not categorized as Shounen Ai, the two main boys relationship can easily be interpreted as a romantic one with how close they become and how clearly they care for one another.  

Both stories center on music while also touching upon love, relationships, pain, and healing. They are both funny and sweet, yet also heartbreaking and serious at times. 

After watching both in an immediate span of time. I believe I have been given a transcendent revelation. I HIGHLY recommend you to watch Shigatsu FIRST, then Given. To me, I believe Given to be the soulful successor of Shigatsu. Shigatsu gives depth and weight to Given. The same 'setsunai' and 'left behind'-ness. While Given gives the hope and the closure to Shigatsu. Time will flow again. Go on this journey. Amen. Elohim essaim. Elohim essaim. 

Wholesome romance between the lead guys themed around animation that instills a soft atmosphere. Not a lot of drama happens in Sasaki to Miyano, where as Given is driven more in emotional themes, but a gentle romance is at the center in both of these shows.  

Both are cute anime with good animation which include a BL sub-trope although the main focus of the show is an artistic characteristic. None of them fetishize MLM nor are sexual, but they totally have a good development of the characters relationship. The soundtrack in both is amazing and the storyline too. 

Both focus around making it in a bad a reserved introverted mc and alot of really great music in it as well too. 

Both animes are about Bands Have love triangle (although this one is have kind twist to it) MC want to make music for Vocalist because of love towards that person Both vocalist sing out their hearts  

I'm so surprised that no one has made a link between these two. -Both of MCs have fantastic chemistry -One is music themed and one is sports themed but both MCs have a dynamic of one teaching the other the craft -Both anime have AMAZING music (unskippable OP and EDs LITERALLY not kidding) -similar side character/group dynamics of slightly older characters (in their 20s) looking out for the younger characters and guiding and supporting them in crucial moments -colours and animation in both are spectacular -funny and feelsy just the right amount -both also touch on deeper themes of love and loss and gaining passion for life  read more 

Both shows explore the life of a high school music band and the members' lives. K-on is more cheerful and moe-like, while Given explores a lot of deep topics, but in both cases characters turn to music for expression. Both shows go into details of music-making, but each in a different way, the art tones and the ambiance are also kind of similar.  

Both are mature takes on BL without many of the negative tropes from the genre weighing them down. 

Both are series about uh, band guys falling in love with each other. Incidentally, in both most characters have complex networks of relationships and at least some sort of back story, that may or may not be tragic.  

They have similar storylines in how a newbie guitar player becomes friends with an older band,whom discover his hidden talent is singing. While given is more romance driven, there are still themes of discovering life through and around music, new friendships and the dedication needed to be in a band.  

They are both about young people dealing with difficult emotions. The tone in both series are very similiar. They’re both well-paced and gradually building up characters and relationships, uncovering their deeper truths for both themselves and the audience. They’re also made by the same studio, and they both have great music. Both are very thoughful and feel true to life. I think if you like one, you’d like the other. 

Given and No.6 share a general feeling about a romantic relationship that grows between two quite different people.  

it has a lot of passionate singing and lgbtq+ representation! 

Both have a school setting and a focus on the band and its friendship and also a feeling of somberness as well too. 

Both are fluffy and cute lighthearted at times romance stories. 

Both are romances with healthy, supportive relationships where the characters lift each other up and discover more about themselves. Their relationships naturally develop into strong bonds overtime. Both have the characters healing from trauma and finding their own paths in life. Given has challenges with homophobia in society, while Antidote addresses mental illness. Both anime deal with these topics in a supportive, positive way. Antidote's relationship is ambiguous due to Chinese censorship.  

"Mashiro no Oto" still gives me "Given" vibes despite it lacking the shounen-ai genre, mainly due to its similarities in dramatic concepts while bringing up serious issues such as how words can hit harder to become a discouragement. In any case, with it having the same premise (are about guys wanting to pursue music), I am sure that someone can find one as equally entertaining as the other. 

Both shows use music to express thoughts/feelings that couldn't be expressed through regular words. Both cases also have (some) characters who deal with tragic pasts, and how it affects their music 

Both series follow a progression of a friendship between two boys and their love/passion for a certain topic (music and volleyball). Both deal with deeper topics, such as suicide and making amends with the past and are targeted towards a Josei audience. Only thing that's different is Given is an actual BL whereas 2.43 is not. 

I can't believe how no one actually have mentioned this yet. Both anime centres around music, love and healing. Both MCs find their voice and find out more about themselves and meaning in continue to smile and live through music. Both anime will probably make you ball your eyes out.  

- Both is about queer romance in high school (Given is boys love) - Main character experiences a loss that ultimately impacts their high school life - Young people exploring their emotions - Amazing music 

Both series deal with music, and a character's urge to better their abilities in order to honour someone important to them. Both main characters go from knowing nothing about their instruments to being ble to play them well across the series. The young male characters are easy for audience members to find themselves reflected in.  

Both have well crafted stories with characters that anyone can get behind. Also the love plots in both get spicy 

Both these animes deal with our main protaganist exploring. In Hunter X Hunters case its Gon exploring the vast world in an attempt to find his dad. In Givens case its Ritsuka exploring his sexuality with Mafuyu  

It is a boy love anime but it has a good romantic atmosphere between two of the main characters, if you enjoyed the romance in Ouran High this will be a great anime to expand on. This one really made me swoon and took me through all the emotions in a good way, but it also left me satisfied (unlike Ouran). 

yep LGBTQ commuity- Check warm cute love hate relationship- check amazing lovely characters- check  

Both couples have one guy who knows he is gay and is interested in the other and another that is unsure he is into guys and is inexperienced in being with another guy. Given is abit sadder with one of the character's sad backstory, but Cherry Magic does not have really any sad aspect, just the idea of one of the guys only really being seen as the perfect guy and never for who he really is on the inside. Both animes show the main couples progressing and get together, but they also both show side couples that also progress throughout the anime.  

I think all fans of Violet Evergarden will enjoy Given. The themes of love, longing, and moving on are apparent in both shows. They manage to communicate the themes of love coming in many different forms through unique means. Two main characters in both of these shows are strikingly similar, and the openings and endings are also deeply moving and tell a story in their own right. If you want another short, yet everlasting story, please consider giving Given a chance. 

Aside from both being romances, both of these stories are also about grief. Each piece explores loss--loss of innocence, loss of joy--as experienced by teenagers who are still growing up and discovering what they want out of life. Grief can make us lose our ability to express ourselves... and each of these stories give hope that it can be found again. But like, each story isn't just sadness and sorrow--They have comedic moments, too, and it's all really funny. 

Both these shows reminded me of how I was back when I was youthful. 

Two series about high school boys learning to express themselves through music and art. Mafuyu (Given) decides to play guitar as a way to cope with a personal trauma. Yatora (Blue Period) decides to pursue art when he discovers that painting gave him so much joy and purpose in life. Mafuyu and Yatora have completely different personalities and problems, but are definitely fan favourite characters. Your enjoyment will depend on your attachment to these characters as the other characters are given far less attention. Given and Blue Period also has a strong LGBT aspect to their storyline. Mafuyu is an openly gay character with romantic relationships. Yatora has a friend who is a genderfluid person. Both series have a similar target audience that will enjoy these storylines.  read more 

its the same thing but girls or boys and fighting monsters or being in a band but wonder priority is mid save your time  

These are similar in the BJ aspect, and the way it plays out. However given is far better in most aspects. 

-good music -really nice and cute art-style -the colors are really soft -the characters are well done -about high school students working and learning music together -given does have a more mellow vibe to it whilst K-on has a more bubbly vibe  

Both deal with complicated relationships and the plot's are heavily influence by the characters' backstory. Plus, they're both gay. Only thing to note - Given takes place in the modern world, while Tian Guan Ci Fu is more high fantasy. Both are must watches! 

1. Both shows assemble a band 2. the main character meets another person and falls in love with them  

group of boys practicing for their hobby - in given it's their band and in hoshiai no sora it's tennis. both anime look fairly soft / cute, but do show some darker sides of growing up. also, while hoshiai no sora isn't a boys love anime, it does have queer representation. 

Interpersonal dramas set in rock bands with climactic musical performances. Also shares a writer (Yuniko Ayana) and a plot point involving a song, even if the context is different. 

The same weight and burden from their friends, both girls and boys, some of their band members at school/college are recommended to their former band members (especially girls). Mafuyu meets his old friend, acquaintance Yuki, even though he feels frustrated when borrowing a guitar although Ritsuka tries to comfort Mafuyu so he doesn't think too much about his past. Meanwhile, Mizuguchi met her former band because she was a member of her band, namely Shiho that the guitarist's songs were still very bad, his voice was bad and, however, it was too burdensome for her Shiho's old friend, that's also why Mizuguchi doesn't understand her crush on Yori. read more 

Similar vibe, both focus on mental health, both tearjerkers, both coming-of-age, similar episode count length, both in high school 

Both series focus on young people, tackling grief and other issues in their lives, facing great odds to achieve their success, accentuated with beautiful visuals and emotional soundtracks. 

Talent. In the world of music, talent is everything, but even more important is being able to inject your emotions into your sound. This is what separate talented artists from inspirational artists. Saxophonist Dai (Blue Giant) and singer Mafuyu (Given) are some of these artists. Their sound captivates audiences and talented musicians despite being relatively new to music. Blue Giant and Given have very different characters and storylines with their own shortcomings, but this will not matter if their journeys and music captivates you. 

Given and Twilight Out of Focus are both modern BL which break some of the more disturbing tropes of yesteryear involving a high school boy and an older man becoming, erm, involved. They also cast aside the trope of one half of the couple tripping and falling into some seductress waifu for added drama. These shows keep the relationships age appropriate and occasionally the relationships even feel genuine and well written, as if the writers were interested in character building and not rushing a relationship onto the screen for the sake of reminding the audience that the BL anime that they are watching is in fact a BL anime. Given is the better of the two anime, but Twilight Out of Focus breaks some additional tropes with one character who plainly states that they are gay and another character loudly proclaims that he is on the prowl for a boyfriend and is stereotypically flamboyant enough to leave nothing to the imagination. Twilight Out of Focus also has Whoo-Hoo scenes. 😈 Twilight Out of Focus is the stronger of these two anime with the first 4 episodes doing the bulk of that lifting, despite Given being the better anime overall. Neither show is perfect, they still fall into familiar tropes – all the guys are eventually dating each other for seemingly no reason, some stuff happens which makes no sense, there’s drama for drama’s sake, the writing wavers at times… but these anime are a fresh break from the likes of Junjou Romantica and Love Stage!! which demonstrates the growing comfort the anime and manga industries with same-sex couples being the focus of a story rather than being a punchline or a bad trope. We’re still a long way from having an LGBT Cowboy Bebop or Nana, but when that does eventually happen, look back on these two anime as trailblazers for that moment.  read more 

All similarities that i have gathered; 1- Physical similarities of main duo 2- They are passionate about the work they do and put a lot of effort in it 3- They help each other grow emotionally and form a bond 4- All characters are friendly and soft 5- Even though they are different areas(music&sports) they teach the details and technical wordings of these areas efficiently 6- It pushes you to chase your dreams 7- Friendships in them are truly inspiring 

Theres bromance/shonen ai in both animes  

They are both Queer stories. Unlike "Given", this one doesn't have much of a story, is mostly symbolism and character interaction. What makes Utena more interesting to watch is that this one has actual themes going on, the animation and illustration are great, the music is phenomenal and the Aesthetics is really unique. Is mostly spectacle, but for what it is, has charm and doesn't feel like a waste of time. 

Given and Dance Dance Danseur appeals to a similar audience despite having different genres and storyline. They do share major themes: self-acceptance, personal forgiveness, and childhood trauma. Mafuyu (Given) and Luou (Dance Dance Danseur) have similar personality types: quiet, withdrawn, distant and soft-spoken characters. However, Luou has inner fire that comes from his passion for ballet. Mafuyu has none of that charisma and intensity. He remains aloof, which is problematic for a romance anime. Junpei (Dance Dance Danseur) and Uenoyama (Given) provide counterbalance with their loud, social, and cool personalities. However, Uenoyama remains a one dimensional character because the writers didn't explore his emotional character arc when he develops romantic feelings for Mafuyu. Overall, Dance Dance Danseur has more depth to its story and characters, but Given has a strong fandom so it definitely has a pull. read more 

The animation is great in both series and they both have characters who are onedimensionally written.  

Love stage was amazing in the way it broke some of the yaoi anime stereotypes and from a genre which at the time was either very stale or very problematic in its portrayal of MLM romance this show was a breath of fresh air which paved the way for yaoi to be more than just pandering fetish anime. and that's why i'm recommending Given as a follow up watch. whatever problematic elements Love Stage!! still had from its predecessors are scrubbed clean in this show. So if you are looking for a real honest look at self discovery that doesn't wishwash on the characters sexuality, or past relationships, or where "seme" and "uke" mean nothing, where the relationship feels deep and genuine to real life MLM experience then i can not recommend Given enough. read more