given made its anime debut in the Summer of 2019, and while it didn't win any anime awards, it was arguably one of the best anime dramas of that year, according to Crunchyroll. It tells the story of four characters -- Mafuyu Sato, Ritsuka Uenoyama, Haruki Nakayama, and Akihiko Kaji -- and how they relate to each other against the backdrop of music. At first glance, the premise is standard compared to anime like Sakamichi no Apollon, but what makes it special is how it's portraying the Boy Love, or BL, genre.
Typically made for women by women, the BL genre has a reputation of catering a lot to fan service, amongst other things. Most times, BL anime is consumed by a niche group of people who adore the genre mainly due to its raunchiness. But given has broken into mainstream media and has shown that the genre has more to give than just two good-looking boys going at it.
Straying From BL Tropes
The story starts with Mafuyu who's unusually attached to a guitar and catches the eye of a fellow schoolmate, Ritsuka. The way that Ritsuka finds Mafuyu sleeping like a baby while holding a guitar sounds like a typical beginning for romance to ensue. In the context of any heterosexual anime or manga, this kind of romantic beginning is pretty much a staple. For BL though, it isn't.
Generally speaking, the BL genre of recent years starts with the couple having explicit, non-consensual intimate scenes within the first episode or chapter of the manga. You'll see this in stories like Dakaichi: I'm Being Harassed By the Sexiest Man of the Year which ends up with one of the characters forcing themselves on their drunk love interest. Apart from BL anime or manga having dubious beginnings, it's also not relatable. That beginning sequence of given won't probably happen in real life, but it's more understandable to the audience, whether they're part of that subculture of BL enthusiasts or not.
Another big thing about given that sets itself apart from the typical BL stories is that it doesn't let its characters' physical desire becomes the basis of their emotional attachment to each other. An example of this is Twittering Birds Never Fly which involves the characters indulging in masochism and only hinging their relationship on physicality. givendoes explore relationships with unhealthy attachments which can be found in Akihiko's story, but it also addresses it with Haruki who struggles with his feelings about Akihiko.
Exploring Complex Struggles
The BL of yesteryears like Fake had a bit more to say in terms of same-sex relationships and the hardships that come with it. But as mentioned, BL since then has been catering to fan service that it becomes unnecessarily explicit and almost reads as queer-baiting. And while that's slowly changing alongside the emotional and sexual maturity of its audience, it has yet to fully explore the realities that people with same-sex relationships face.
There are anime that explored same-sex relationships that have broken into the mainstream like YURI!!! On ICE and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. But the relationships within these are always ambiguous and letting the audience decide for themselves if the characters are in a relationship or not. given is not there yet in terms of tackling issues of those with same-sex relationships, but what it does differently is that it is unapologetically BL. The story is clear in defining the relationship of each of the characters to one another without sexualizing it. But true to BL fashion, they do not explicitly say they are gay; rather, these characters are just in love with each other.
While it does focus on the blossoming relationships between the four characters, given also deals with complex issues and emotions such as trauma, death, and acceptance. These issues and their relationships are spread throughout the storyline, making it a nice and slow burn for the audience to appreciate the characters and understand their connections better.
Even in the face of those emotional complexities, given doesn't let its characters rely on their significant others to face their problems. In BL, it's common to have the main couple have an obsession and over-reliance on one another. However, given allows the characters to develop more mature and healthier emotional support for each other.
Lerche -- the same studio that animated Assassination Classroom, Kino's Journey, and Scum's Wish -- does a great job at creating emotionally-charged animation, especially during the band's performances. These moments paired with internal and external dialogue further portrays the complexities of their situation: Mafuyu and Akihiko with their individual pasts, and Ritsuka and Haruki's feelings for the two respectively.
given isn't a groundbreaking story, but it steers the BL genre in the right direction for changing the way people think about it. It just proves that a BL anime doesn't need to start sexually explicit and rely on the physical desires of its characters to create a compelling story. The manga is currently ongoing and there's no word yet if given will get a second season, but it does have an anime and live-action movie out now. Here's to hoping that more thoughtful BL anime will break through the mainstream and change the genre's reputation for good.
given is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Source: Crunchyroll