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EP. REVIEW: Given


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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1945
PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 9:51 am Reply with quote
Yeah, the you are supposed to be blown away by their voice thing rarely works in anime...

I liked that Mafuyu is actually aware of his poor communication skills, though this episode showed that Ritsuka's aren't that much better. I also agree with the review about enjoying Haruki and Akihiko's dynamic and their "teasing but supportive big bros" relationship with Ritsuka.
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KitKat1721



Joined: 03 Feb 2015
Posts: 952
PostPosted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 4:08 pm Reply with quote
Merida wrote:
Yeah, the you are supposed to be blown away by their voice thing rarely works in anime...


This is so accurate, but something I haven't really thought about before. Most of the "meant to be blown away by their talent" musical scenes that I really remember well were more about the instrumentality (Liz and the Blue Bird) or the general attitude and stage presence (NANA) than the voice itself. And the few times the voice was meant to be the standout (The World is Still Beautiful) it does rarely work as well as I think the creators want it to.
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rahzel rose
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Joined: 19 Apr 2011
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:54 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
And don't even get me started on the fact that Ritsuka has set a picture of his Pomeranian as Mafuyu's profile image in his phone.


I believe Mafuyu is the one who actually owns a Pomeranian, but in the manga, Mafuyu's spirit animal is also a Pom, so it's definitely fitting either way. Very Happy

I am really loving this series so far. It feels very true to the manga in terms of tone, and it's been such a treat to see it come to life. Everyone makes such great faces. I'm excited for what's to come, too, especially now that we're seeing the feelings Mafuyu and Ritsuka have for each other start to blossom.

I also can't wait for Ugetsu to show up, which will hopefully be soon. It'll be interesting to see what the reactions to him are since for me personally I didn't care for him at first. After a few rereads, though, he's definitely grown on me.
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1945
PostPosted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 9:07 am Reply with quote
This show has been avoiding the usual tropes so far, so i'm hoping we'll not be getting the "evil female character tries to break up the BL couple" cliché with Ritsuka's classmate because i'm really tired of that...

Also, just where is the cute doggy all day?! From what we've seen, Mafuyu seems to live by himself? So is the poor thing left alone all day (and night when Mafuyu is working or practicing)? Sad
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rizuchan
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Joined: 11 Mar 2007
Posts: 974
Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 2:54 pm Reply with quote
Merida wrote:
This show has been avoiding the usual tropes so far, so i'm hoping we'll not be getting the "evil female character tries to break up the BL couple" cliché with Ritsuka's classmate because i'm really tired of that...


I agree, especially since we also have Ritsuka's sister inadvertently getting between Akihiko and Haruki. It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when the only female characters in a BL are reduced to plot devices that get in the way of the main characters' romance, especially when they're outright mean and nasty about it. Given that the vast majority of the target audience are young women themselves, it just breeds internalized misogyny.

But speaking of Akihiko and Haruki... I really hope there's enough runtime for this show to develop on their relationship. They act so mature and collected with Ritsuka, I kind of wondered in the beginning if they weren't already a couple. Now that that's clearly not the case... I desperately want them to be.
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SailorTralfamadore



Joined: 25 Feb 2014
Posts: 499
Location: Keep Austin Weeb
PostPosted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 8:21 pm Reply with quote
I feel like I wouldn't even hate that trope so much if these women were given a little bit more humanity and sympathy. Falling for people of incompatible orientation happens in real life, and can be pretty tough on both parties. The idea that these women are just selfish and conniving is mean, and very different from the women I've known who regularly fell for gay men.
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musouka



Joined: 09 Sep 2003
Posts: 705
PostPosted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 11:26 pm Reply with quote
Man, what BL series have you guys been reading where “horrible girl tries to break up couple” is a common trope? When I think of how a opposite sex crush is usually handled in BL, it’s with sympathy. Even if a girl reacts less than positively initially, no series immediately comes to mind where she instantly launches a smear campaign against the couple in question to destroy their relationship.
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poisondusk



Joined: 08 Aug 2006
Posts: 60
Location: Brighton, UK
PostPosted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:35 am Reply with quote
None of the female character in Given are cheap BL stereotypes, although obviously they play far less of a role than the boys. Kasai is pretty much a plot device to push Ritsuka and Mafuyu closer together, but spoiler[her behaviour is realistic for a jealous teenager, and she does apologise later for what she’s going to do in the next episode.]

Ritsuka’s sister Yayoi definitely isn’t an obstacle to Akihiko and Haruki. spoiler[Akihiko is quite capable of making a mess of things by himself, without any outside interference.]
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1945
PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 2:49 am Reply with quote
For some reason i've been convinced that the mysterious dark-haired beauty from the OP had to be Mafuyu's dead ex-boyfriend. So imagine my surprise when he turned out to be very much alive. And in Akihiko's bed. Not that i'm complaining, i usually prefer living bishounen to tragically dead ones (poor Haruki, though...).

I'm also very happy that the reviews for this show continue to be awesome. Keep up the good work, Steve! Smile
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11307
PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 11:07 am Reply with quote
So if the band gig doesn't work out, this can always detour into Mafuyu's Basketball. Smile Actually that's a small thing I've really liked about this - despite how withdrawn and weird Mafu seems to be, the other kids haven't excluded him and treat him like anyone else in the class. And without the anime making a big deal out of it. That's nice.

And I second the kudos for Steve's reviews.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11307
PostPosted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:39 am Reply with quote
6

"In the end, putting a lid on it didn't make what was inside me disappear. The uneasiness I felt in my gut was now giving off a nasty stench."

Shocked Stop eating Taco Bell, dude.

Lol at the little off-screen clicking noises when Akihiko was strangling Haruki. Actually, this episode was just chock full of hilarious little jokes and visuals, stuffed in between all the info being laid out. And yet half the episode was just total iyashikei mellowness, despite the emotional basis for it. Impressive that they make it all work together.
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Neko-sensei



Joined: 19 Jan 2007
Posts: 283
PostPosted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:04 pm Reply with quote
Mafuyu isn't actually traveling into the city—he's heading out of it, towards the ocean, where he plans to fulfill the musical stereotype by gazing solitarily out at sea, only to discover once he gets there that he's not actually as lonely as he thought.

I used to live on the Odakyū Line, so I can very easily use Google Maps to guide you along his route!

Mafuyu starts by wandering through Machida, where the main story takes place. He stops by this run-down little shopping street and takes a frankly baffling detour past Haramachida Wakaba Park on his way to Machida Station, whence he takes an Odakyū train for Fujisawa Station, near Kamakura. Finally, he catches a bus from the station to Kamakura Station, but gets off midway (or catches another bus from Kamakura Station—as far as I know all the buses from Fujisawa to Kamakura Stations are expresses, not locals, but I could be wrong) to reach his destination, Yuigahama Beach in Kamakura. This is in fact probably the most famous staring-mournfully-out-at-the-sea location in Japan, so it's lucky that Mafuyu already lives in Kanagawa prefecture!

...Man, now I miss that period of my life. (I've since exiled myself to Gunma, where I have a very good job but can confirm that Gunma is the least interesting prefecture to inhabit in Japan.)
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11307
PostPosted: Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:24 pm Reply with quote
Neko-sensei wrote:
takes a frankly baffling detour past Haramachida Wakaba Park on his way to Machida Station

I assume he was visiting old haunts where he and Yuki went, so I guess if he wanted to visit that park, he'd need to detour to get there since it's not directly on the most efficient route to the station?

Btw, what is the purpose of the curved metal track there in front of the park? It looks like a chute for a bowling ball to roll along or part of a roller coaster, but it's obviously neither, and I have no idea about the rest of the metalwork there either.
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Neko-sensei



Joined: 19 Jan 2007
Posts: 283
PostPosted: Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:29 pm Reply with quote
I considered that, but since Mafuyu's purpose is more going to the ocean and figuring out whether he's lonely than it is revisiting his times with Yuki, I think he may just be really terrible at going places. You'll notice that he times his arrival at Fujisawa so he just misses the bus, too, which would bug the heck out of me.

As for the railing, it's there to help old folks get around the pointless bollard. The whole bizarre structure is designed to keep bicycles off that sidewalk, which is pedestrian only. Certain municipalities in Japan are really obsessed with this, and it becomes a problem for pedestrians too because you can never seem to access the sidewalk at the points you want to.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11307
PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2019 3:03 am Reply with quote
Neko-sensei wrote:
I considered that, but since Mafuyu's purpose is more going to the ocean and figuring out whether he's lonely than it is revisiting his times with Yuki, I think he may just be really terrible at going places. You'll notice that he times his arrival at Fujisawa so he just misses the bus, too, which would bug the heck out of me.

Welcome to the world of public transportation! Or maybe all the trains and buses in Japan run exactly on time? They sure don't here.

Also, visiting old haunts seems to me like part of the process of figuring out if he's lonely or ready to let go yet. Certainly more so than just going to the ocean and staring at it.
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