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I've been a big fan of Sasaki and Miyano since pretty much the early chapters so when the Hirano and Kagiura manga was launched I was there. I was under the impression this anime was going to be a full movie rather than a few minutes of snippets between the two boys however I do think it is something worth watching.

Hirano is a character well known to us through the Sasaki and Miyano anime, since he isn't just Sasaki's close friend but also a loving upperclassman to Miyano. There are a few mentions of Kagiura in the SasaMiya anime, althought we don't actually see him ... as a character (to my memory he only has one cameo), we hear about him through the other characters. Miyano mentions how Hirano is having his "BL moments" with his roommate while the upperclassmen tease him about him.

The short is in no way enough to properly introduce the characters and add the depth needed for them to stand out, however it does show us a snippet of their dynamic and how they interact while at the same time it brings forth a new dimension to both Hirano, who up until now existed to be Sasaki's close friend and to help him get with Miyano, and Kagiura, who we only knew as a name.

Definitely watch this after you watch the Sasaki to Miyano anime, and if you feel up for it read the manga to see even more of what they get up to, as well as more details on their lives (romantically and not).

Sasaki to Miyano is a masterpiece that everyone needs to watch (and read, the manga is just as good if not better!). As a gay man I couldn't recommend this enough! (english is my second language so excuse any mistakes)

The story starts with Sasaki and Miyano being virtual strangers who attend the same school and through a serendipitous event they get to know each other and become closer. Sasaki gets interested in Miyano's hobby and Miyano finally finds someone he can talk to about BL. Sasaki realises his feelings pretty early on and after confessing to Miyano, Miyano requests more time to figure out what ... sort of answer he should give. In the end, Miyano realises his own feelings and he confesses to Sasaki himself.

It is incredibly refreshing to watch a story that is so healthy, and promotes positivity for queer people. A lot of queer stories use the taboo trope, forbidden love, can't be together because we are both men, etc. Even though that is a reality even in our world it can be quite tiring to always consume content about how wrong your type of love is for society. This anime does not have this stereotype. Miyano's friends are open to his flirtatious relationship with Sasaki (Kuresawa even knows about Sasaki's feelings without anyone telling him) and Sasaki's friends are in the same boat.

Miyano himself is not so much bothered about the fact Sasaki is a man who has feelings for him as he is bothered about how he can respond to those feelings properly. Even before he realised his own feelings he was incredibly caring towards Sasaki and he wanted to think his own feelings through so he wouldn't hurt him. When he did realise his own feelings he wanted to ensure they were the same and it wasn't just curiosity or admiration. I, personally, found that touching and so so healthy to promote.

Each episode carries a light tone, and portrays the daily lives of high school boys. The focus is on Sasaki and Miyano and the progress of their relationship from strangers to senpai/kouhai and then to more but there are a lot of wonderful moments between all the characters. Hirano and Kagiura are also introduced (they are characters from a spin-off story that I also recommend called Hirano to Kagiura).

The art is a solid 10/10, it follows the manga art closely and the colours are vibrant and vivid which promote the light tone and happy vibe the anime carries
The music is a 9/10, only because there's not a whole lot of it. The ending absolutely kills me. It is sang by Yusuke Shirai (Sasaki Shuumei) and Saito Soma (Miyano Yoshikazu) and the lyrics are to die for (i could write a dissertation on it alone)
The story itself is a 10/10, and you will see it for yourselves if you watch it. Heartwarming, adorable and sweet!

Out of all the BLs I have read/watched in my life, this is one of the few that have left me with such a sweet and light feeling in my heart and the only one I feel portrays gay relationships between high schoolers in a healthy and realistic way

I finished given a while ago and now that the film is going to be released here is my review

Story: 10/10

The story covers some very heavy subjects such as suicide, abuse and loss as well first love. They are all portrayed in a very respectful manner and in a way that is as less triggering as possible. The author has not hesitated to talk about how heavy it is to lose someone so dear to you and to have kept it all inside. Episode 9 spoke very close to me since I myself am very bad with expressing myself. It gave me goosebumps as ... did all of the anime (and the manga even more)

Art: 10/10

There is not much to explain with this other than both the illustrator and the animation studio have done an incredible job with the animation and art for this anime. The colours are very fitting and each scene gives off the vibe you expect it to give. The guitar/drums animation was very good as well

Sound: 10/10

Centimillimental's Kizuato and Marutsuke which are the opening and ending them respectively gave the mood the anime is going for. The opening is more energetic and flashy while the ending has that sense of nostalgia. The song in episode 9, fuyu no hanashi, is very heavy when you watch the scene and read the lyrics but also very enjoyable to listen by itself.

Characters: 9/10

The characters in Given tend to break the cliche roles that are usually encountered in shounen ai anime. Uenoyama isn't a big protective seme type and Mafuyu isnt a small helpless uke type. All characters are complex and experience both strong and weak moments. Another thing that I personally found refreshing was that none of the characters was sexualised and their appearance didn't immediately correlate to some stereotypes (eg: Akihiko and his more punk image).

Enjoyment: 10/10

I've rewatched the anime countless of times and I'm eagerly awaiting the manga next release as well as the film. This anime has a very healthy approach to some content that is considered taboo (being gay, abuse, suicide, etc.) and for that reason it has made me, an lgbt+ individual feel nice.

Overall: 10/10

As an anime it breaks a stereotype that used to be prominent in shounen ai/yaoi anime, that gay relationships are inherently sexual, that the seme can push the uke into doing it and that the seme must be older or at least more experienced. Given shows a very refreshing side of two teenagers trying to figure out how to be themselves and how to cope with loss. Definitely watch this anime but keep in mind that suicide is mentioned so tread carefully.

I never really write any reviews on anime but this time I felt like I had to. This anime is truly a masterpiece. The plot is outstanding and it doesn't get tiring at all. Although it is a bit confusing at first it's not hard to understand and follow it. All the characters are very well drawn and portrayed. The animation is beautiful too, their movements are so smooth and it's almost hypnotizing to watch. The voice actors have done an amazing work showing the characters feelings (especially in the last episode). The music is truly magnificent as well. I really liked the fact that ... the opening and ending were both created specifically for this anime but the music during the episodes is absolutely perfect as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this anime and the novel a lot more since the plot is explained more and a lot more has happened which has not been animated (yet, I hope). Definitely a great anime, worth watching