Given (manga)

Given (Japanese: ギヴン Hepburn: Givun; stylized in all lowercase) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Kizu. It has been serialized in the bimonthly manga magazine Chéri+ since 2013 and has been collected into eight tankōbon volumes by Shinshokan. The series follows a group of four students in an amateur rock band and the dual romantic relationships that form among them: between electric guitarist Ritsuka Uenoyama and vocalist Mafuyu Satō, and between bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

The series has been adapted multiple times, notably as an audio drama in 2016, an 11-episode anime television series in 2019, an anime film in 2020, and a live-action television drama in 2021. The anime television series aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block and was the first boys' love (BL) series to air on Noitamina. An English-language translation of the manga is licensed in North America by the Viz Media-Animate joint publishing initiative SuBLime, while the anime and film are syndicated outside of Asia by the streaming service Crunchyroll.

Plot
Given is roughly divided into three major story arcs. The first arc, which focuses primarily on the relationship between Ritsuka and Mafuyu, follows the formation of the band and the lead-up to their first live performance. The second arc, which focuses primarily on the relationship between Akihiko and Haruki, follows the band as they prepare for their first music festival. Following these two arcs, the manga is currently ongoing with its third arc, focusing on Hiiragi and Shizusumi's relationship.

Ritsuka and Mafuyu
High school student Ritsuka Uenoyama is the guitarist for a band composed of himself, bassist Haruki Nakayama, and drummer Akihiko Kaji. He becomes a reluctant guitar teacher to Mafuyu Satō, a shy classmate, after repairing the broken strings on Mafuyu's Gibson ES-330. Ritsuka quickly realizes that Mafuyu is an exceptionally talented singer, and he invites him to join the band.

Ritsuka learns that Mafuyu's guitar was previously owned by Yūki Yoshida, Mafuyu's childhood best friend and former boyfriend, who died of suicide. The band begins composing music in preparation for a live performance, but Mafuyu struggles to write lyrics for the song. On the day of the performance, Mafuyu has a breakthrough and sings an emotionally powerful song expressing his grief over Yūki. The performance prompts Ritsuka and Mafuyu to act on their growing romantic feelings for each other; they kiss backstage and begin dating. The band names itself "Given," in tribute to the guitar given to Mafuyu by Yūki's mother after his passing.

Akihiko and Haruki
Given begins to gain traction after posting a video of their live performance online. They apply for the lineup of a major amateur music festival and begin composing new music, but their progress is complicated by Haruki's secret romantic feelings for Akihiko, as well as Akihiko's continued involvement with his ex-boyfriend Ugetsu Murata. Tensions mount until Akihiko is kicked out of the apartment he shares with Ugetsu. He reveals to Haruki that he is aware of his feelings for him, leading to an awkward and tense sexual encounter.

Without a place to stay, Akihiko moves in with Haruki. Although their cohabitation grows to be pleasant, unresolved romantic and interpersonal tensions persist. On the day of Given's qualifying concert, Akihiko ends his relationship with Ugetsu. The band performs a new song Mafuyu wrote but is ultimately not chosen for the festival lineup. After some time, Akihiko moves out of Haruki's apartment and decides to seriously commit to his music studies. In the spring, following a violin competition, Akihiko confesses his feelings to Haruki, admitting the changes he made in his life were to become a person worthy of Haruki's love. The two began dating.

Main characters

 * Mafuyu Satō (佐藤 真冬)
 * A 16-year-old high school student and Given's lead vocalist and guitarist. Though he lacks experience and professional training, Mafuyu is a naturally gifted singer and quickly picks up guitar and songwriting skills. He suppresses his emotions following the suicide of his former boyfriend Yuki, resulting in an outwardly shy and aloof personality, but becomes ferociously expressive when he performs. Outside of music, he cares for a nine-month-old Pomeranian named Kedama.
 * A 16-year-old high school student and Given's lead vocalist and guitarist. Though he lacks experience and professional training, Mafuyu is a naturally gifted singer and quickly picks up guitar and songwriting skills. He suppresses his emotions following the suicide of his former boyfriend Yuki, resulting in an outwardly shy and aloof personality, but becomes ferociously expressive when he performs. Outside of music, he cares for a nine-month-old Pomeranian named Kedama.


 * Ritsuka Uenoyama (上ノ山 立夏)
 * A 16-year-old high school student and Given's lead guitarist. Having played guitar since a young age, Ritsuka is highly practiced and talented with the instrument. He has a kind personality, though he often comes off to others as stoic and bullish and is inexperienced in romantic affairs. At the start of the series, he has lost his enthusiasm for playing the guitar, though his love for music returns as he develops a closer bond with Mafuyu.
 * A 16-year-old high school student and Given's lead guitarist. Having played guitar since a young age, Ritsuka is highly practiced and talented with the instrument. He has a kind personality, though he often comes off to others as stoic and bullish and is inexperienced in romantic affairs. At the start of the series, he has lost his enthusiasm for playing the guitar, though his love for music returns as he develops a closer bond with Mafuyu.


 * Haruki Nakayama (中山 春樹)
 * A 22-year-old graduate student and Given's bassist and bandleader. Haruki is friendly and sociable, and as the oldest member of the band, he often functions as its mediator. He has a longstanding crush on Akihiko and eventually begins dating him.
 * A 22-year-old graduate student and Given's bassist and bandleader. Haruki is friendly and sociable, and as the oldest member of the band, he often functions as its mediator. He has a longstanding crush on Akihiko and eventually begins dating him.


 * Akihiko Kaji (梶 秋彦)
 * A 20-year-old college music student and Given's drummer. Akihiko majors in violin performance and is skilled in several other instruments. Having been in numerous relationships with both men and women, he is also knowledgeable about romantic affairs, often giving advice to others in this regard. He lives with his ex-boyfriend, Ugetsu, with whom he maintains an on-and-off relationship. However, Akihiko realizes his growing feelings for Haruki and permanently ends his relationship with Ugetsu, eventually becoming Haruki's boyfriend and vowing to improve himself for him.
 * A 20-year-old college music student and Given's drummer. Akihiko majors in violin performance and is skilled in several other instruments. Having been in numerous relationships with both men and women, he is also knowledgeable about romantic affairs, often giving advice to others in this regard. He lives with his ex-boyfriend, Ugetsu, with whom he maintains an on-and-off relationship. However, Akihiko realizes his growing feelings for Haruki and permanently ends his relationship with Ugetsu, eventually becoming Haruki's boyfriend and vowing to improve himself for him.

Supporting characters

 * Yuki Yoshida (吉田 由紀)
 * Mafuyu's childhood friend and former boyfriend, who died from suicide prior to the series' events, appears only through flashbacks. Yuki's outgoing and impulsive personality starkly contrasted with Mafuyu's shyness; however, the two bonded over their common backgrounds as latchkey kids raised in single-parent homes and later became lovers. Their eventual falling out led Yuki to drink heavily and hang himself. Prior to his death, Yuki was a guitarist in a band alongside his friends Hiiragi and Shizusumi.
 * Mafuyu's childhood friend and former boyfriend, who died from suicide prior to the series' events, appears only through flashbacks. Yuki's outgoing and impulsive personality starkly contrasted with Mafuyu's shyness; however, the two bonded over their common backgrounds as latchkey kids raised in single-parent homes and later became lovers. Their eventual falling out led Yuki to drink heavily and hang himself. Prior to his death, Yuki was a guitarist in a band alongside his friends Hiiragi and Shizusumi.


 * Ugetsu Murata (村田 雨月)
 * A world-renowned violinist, and Akihiko's roommate and ex-boyfriend.
 * A world-renowned violinist, and Akihiko's roommate and ex-boyfriend.


 * Yayoi Uenoyama (上ノ山 弥生)
 * Ritsuka's older sister, who once harbored an unrequited crush on Akihiko, is rejected, and Yayoi enters a romantic relationship with Koji Yatake. She is a talented painter and a member of the art club. Eventually, she finds out about Ritsuka and Mafuyu's relationship, as well as Akihiko and Haruki's.
 * Ritsuka's older sister, who once harbored an unrequited crush on Akihiko, is rejected, and Yayoi enters a romantic relationship with Koji Yatake. She is a talented painter and a member of the art club. Eventually, she finds out about Ritsuka and Mafuyu's relationship, as well as Akihiko and Haruki's.


 * Shōgo Itaya (板谷 翔吾)
 * Ritsuka's friend and classmate, Shōgo, who is a soccer striker recognized as a rising athlete in the Kanto region, has excellent motor skills and is thus skilled at other ball games, including basketball.
 * Ritsuka's friend and classmate, Shōgo, who is a soccer striker recognized as a rising athlete in the Kanto region, has excellent motor skills and is thus skilled at other ball games, including basketball.


 * Ryū Ueki (植木 涼)
 * Ritsuka's friend and classmate, who plays center for the school basketball team.
 * Ritsuka's friend and classmate, who plays center for the school basketball team.


 * Hiiragi Kashima (鹿島 柊)
 * Mafuyu's childhood friend and former classmate, Hiiragi, who was previously a bassist in a band alongside Yuki and Shizusumi, cares deeply for Mafuyu, having been aware of his relationship with Yuki.
 * Mafuyu's childhood friend and former classmate, Hiiragi, who was previously a bassist in a band alongside Yuki and Shizusumi, cares deeply for Mafuyu, having been aware of his relationship with Yuki.


 * Shizusumi Yagi (八木 玄純)
 * Mafuyu's childhood friend and former classmate, who was previously a drummer in a band alongside Yuki and Hiiragi.
 * Mafuyu's childhood friend and former classmate, who was previously a drummer in a band alongside Yuki and Hiiragi.


 * Kōji Yatake (矢岳 光司)
 * Haruki's fellow classmate from college, who is a bassist and vocalist, as well as a video editor who helps promote bands. He later dates Yayoi.
 * Haruki's fellow classmate from college, who is a bassist and vocalist, as well as a video editor who helps promote bands. He later dates Yayoi.


 * Tsubaki (つばき)
 * Mafuyu's co-worker at the concert venue where he works. Tsubaki appears only in the anime adaptation.
 * Mafuyu's co-worker at the concert venue where he works. Tsubaki appears only in the anime adaptation.

Manga
Given has been serialized in the bimonthly magazine Chéri+ since April 2013. In Japan, the series has been collected into nine bound volumes published by Shinshokan. An English-language translation is published by Viz Media under their SuBLime imprint, with the first volume released in February 2020. The series ended serialization on March 30, 2023.

On January 30, 2024, Given's spin-off epilogue series, Given 10th Mix, premiered in the March 2024 issue of Chéri+. Its events take place 10 years after the conclusion of the main series.

Given is the first multi-volume work produced by manga artist Natsuki Kizu, following her two previous single-volume series Yukimura-sensei to Kei-kun (Yukimura and Kei, 2013) and Links (2014).

Anime
An anime television series adaptation produced by Lerche was announced during a Fuji TV press conference on March 14, 2019. The series aired from July 11 to September 19, 2019 on Noitamina, the network's late-night anime programming block, making Given the first BL series to air on Noitamina. The series is syndicated by Crunchyroll, which simulcasts the series worldwide outside of Asia. In Southeast Asia, the series was released on WeTV on May 18, 2021.

The series' primary production staff includes Hikaru Yamaguchi as director, Yuniko Ayana as scriptwriter, Mina Osawa as character designer, and Michiru (artist) as score composer. The series' four original songs — the opening theme "Kizuato", the closing theme "Marutsuke", and the original songs "Session" and "Fuyu no hanashi" ( "A Winter Story") — are composed and performed by Centimillimental, with additional vocals from Mafuyu voice actor Shōgo Yano on "Marutsuke" and "Fuyu no hanashi". The anime features a new voice cast, recasting the roles from the Crown Works audio drama.

Given - On the Other Hand (ギヴン うらがわの存在), an original animation DVD (OAD), was released on December 1, 2021, bundled with the manga's seventh volume.

List of episodes
The majority of the episode titles in Given are references to British alternative rock songs, Ritsuka's favorite genre of music; episode nine is titled after the original song performed in the episode.

Media release
Aniplex released Given across four volumes, in DVD and Blu-ray media formats.

Film
A film sequel to the Given anime series was announced on September 19, 2019. The film is a direct continuation of the anime series and adapts the second arc of the manga, which focuses on the relationship between Haruki and Akihiko. Development of the film was transferred from Noitamina to Blue Lynx, Fuji TV's yaoi anime label launched in 2019. The production staff and voice cast of the anime adaptation returned for the film, including Hikaru Yamaguchi as director and Yuniko Ayana as screenwriter. The film was originally scheduled for release on May 16, 2020, but was delayed to August 22, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Select screenings of the film from August 22 to 28 included an interview with the film's main cast and footage of Mafuyu voice actor Shōgo Yano performing "Marutsuke". Streaming service Crunchyroll announced in October 2020 that it had acquired international distribution rights outside of Asia for the film, which it released on February 2, 2021. In Southeast Asia, WeTV released the film on May 25, 2021.

A second sequel anime film, Given: Hiiragi mix (映画 ギヴン 柊mix), was announced on March 22, 2023, and premiered on January 27, 2024, in Japan.

Stage play
A stage play adaptation of Given was announced on April 3, 2020, with Fumiya Matsuzaki as director and Given anime screenplay writer Yuniko Ayana returning as scriptwriter. Originally slated to be staged at theaters in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka from August 15 to September 6, 2020, it was initially cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic before being rescheduled to November 2021.

Live-action drama
A six-episode live-action drama adaptation of Given was announced on May 26, 2021, and was released on Fuji TV's FOD streaming service on July 17, 2021. The series is directed by Kōichirō Miki and stars Jin Suzuki as Ritsuka Uenoyama, Sanari as Mafuyu Satō, Kai Inowaki as Akihiko Kaji, and Shuntarō Yanagi as Haruki Nakayama. Crunchyroll licensed the series for distribution in English in non-Asian regions.

Audio drama albums
An audio drama CD adapting scenes from the first volume of Given was included with the February 2016 issue of Chéri+. That same month, Crown Works began to release a series of audiobook drama CDs that adapt each volume of the manga.

Extended plays
An eight-track extended play titled Gift (stylized in all lowercase) was released by Sony Music Japan on August 26, 2020. The album, credited to "Given" and marketed as an album by the band, collects the original songs from the television anime series and film. The album's cover artwork features an original illustration by Natsuki Kizu.

Manga
The second volume of Given reached #39 on Oricon, selling 17,484 copies in its second week for a total of 30,308 copies as of February 2016. The third volume reached #37 on Oricon and sold 24,345 copies in its first week. The series ranked #7 in the boys' love category on the digital book service BookLive! in the first half of 2019.

Anime
The anime adaptation of Given was positively received by critics. In a review of episodes one and two for Anime News Network, Steve Jones called the series "one of the season's most emotionally resonant offerings," praising its soundtrack and Yamaguchi's direction. The series' writing, which Jones noted was "undercooked, but not egregiously so" in his initial review, was noted by Jones as improving in subsequent episodes. Specific praise was given to the relationship between Mafuyu and Ritsuka, with Jones calling it "one of the most compelling anime romances of the year."

In a review for Crunchyroll, Adam Wescott called Given "the best show you aren't watching right now," giving specific praise to its sound and lighting design.

Film
In its opening weekend, the film adaptation of Given ranked first in Kogyotsushinsha's tracking of mini-theater ticket sales and remained in first for five consecutive weeks. In the overall box office, the film ranked 9th in its opening weekend despite opening in only 30 theaters – roughly one-tenth the number of theaters of its closest competitors. By September 14, 2020, the film had sold 100,000 tickets.