Given (2021)

barely makes sense without the original material

i tried to be unbiased and review this as a stand alone work, but i find that really difficult, as i keep referring to the anime in order to fully understand what's happening in certain scenes, and that's not a good sign. i feel the way the original story was cut in order to fit six episodes, only works if you're already kinda familiar with the characters and their struggles.
making uenoyama full on the pov character is a wonderfully idea on paper, it makes us empathize with ue's intrigue and frustration while trying the decipher mafuyu's mind, YET, in practice, what results is mafuyu looking more like a depressed manic pixie dream boy than an actual main character facing trauma, and it's frustrating. i get you, ue (see? it works!).

on to the important part: the romance... it's alright I guess. two goodlooking boys staring at each other always looks cute, and you actually believe that uenoyama is interested in mafuyu. as of sato... most of the time you believe he's not a mannequinn. as of world building, there's none, and that also affects the romance, we know they're students and they're in a band together, done. there are so little scenes of them spending time together, you don't really get an ideas as of why they would have feelings for each other, other than pure proximity principle.

remember i talked about mafuyu dealing with trauma? man, did they brush over that part! we see other characters talk about it more times than we actually see sato dealing with it. i will go ahead and assume this has more to do with tv regulations and censorship, as it is quite a sensitive topic, but i insist they could've done so much more with sato's character building up to the last episode.

as a music drama... i will say its actually nice, like the outro song is something i would listen on a regular basis, and the final song, although didn't quite met the standard of the anime's (its alright, not even the movie sequel achieved that), it's a nice touch that they decided to do an original song, if not to separate the drama from the original work, to highlight Sanari's voice.

Read More

Rockstar romance BL + second chances at love redemption arc

Given is based on a yaoi manga (that I didn’t much like) and an anime (that I never saw) but honestly I was happy to get any light BL from Japan in 2021.

Fortunately for me, GIVEN ended up being a stolid traditional live action yaoi of the kind that I’ve come to expect from Japan (when they don’t go dark). So we're talking in the arena of SEVEN DAYS. With the possible exception of the hair styles, this BL could have been made in 2015 and no one would be surprised.

GIVEN had a surprisingly happy and sweet final episode, my only issue was that this series was built on a “sing your feelings” chassis and this is one of my least favorite tropes. (But that’s my baggage, not theirs.)

It wasn’t ground breaking, but it didn’t disappoint either and I, for one, am super glad we got it when we did.

RECOMMENDED.

Read More

Is It A “ Given” That This Is Actually Worth Watching?

Music dramas can often be uplifting and profound and ‘Given’ attempts to push the boat out completely. Based upon Natsuki Kizu’s shared-title manga, the drama ‘ Given’ focuses upon high schoolers Uenoyama Ritsuka( Suzuki Jin) and Satou Mafuyu ( Sanari)’s gradual love story, as well as learning to overcome their emotional wounds through playing the guitar.

Yet whilst the characters were flawed yet intriguing in their own right, let’s not sugarcoat it by saying that the acting was mediocre at the best of times. This isn’t to attack or spurn hatred towards any of the respected main cast, but regardless of counter-arguments claiming that because it was “ from a manga” and “ it was over-the-top because there was also an anime ”, a respected actor (even in a manga-based drama )can still stand out with their performance by making it beguiling or vivid for the audience . Instead between Sanari’s over-the-top and exaggerated facial expressions ( even in seemingly more serious scenes) and Suzuki Jin’s staid and monotonous line-deliverances, it was hard to really take anything from this drama aside from questionable performances and casting choices.

In terms of screenwriting “ Given” has certain virtues and more evident flaws also. The drama could often be heartfelt at times as Ritsuka attempts to navigate his feelings for Mafuyu, and Mafuyu tries to heal his scarred past through learning to play the guitar and music. On the other hand, the relationship between Ritsuka and Mafuyu felt awkwardly enforced for the “ sake of plot and to create drama” , rather than gradual and natural . Whilst “ Given” is stuck with having to follow certain storyline points from the first manga arc, screenwriting can still have certain liberties to explore points which the original manga author may have missed or skipped over in detail but the drama rarely facilitated this to its full potential.

This is case and point with Ritsuka as one of our main leads. On a strong note there is a lot which can be gathered up for viewers about Ristuka’s personality and a little about his circumstances. Ritsuka fits into the typical cliche as the “ laidback and cool type”. He sleeps during class , plays guitar after school with the band and whilst there’s not a lot of indication about his relationship with his parents , it is shown that he has a typical yet close relationship with his older sister Uenoyama Yayoi( Yagi Arisa). However this is where we hit a rut with Ritsuka’s character arc. He has the outlines as an intriguing character but he is rarely given the opportunity to be sketched out more definitively with sentience. The biggest example of this is his actual infatuation with the guitar. It is arguable that Ristuka may have just played at a guitar store a few times as a kid and piqued the interest of the band who gave him music lessons , or just naturally gifted but this just felt like a wasted opportunity in order to not deepen a more emotional bond between Mafuyu and Ristuka over their reasons for picking up the guitar. Even if there was no emotional cause or backstory behind Ristuka learning to play, even hearing his motives such as “ thinking it was cool” or being inspired by a certain figure would’ve undeniably have made Ristuka less like a plot device in order to keep an enforced pairing moving, and more like an actual individual with his own dreams and feelings.

The relationship between Mafuyu and Ritsuka was awkwardly enforced to say the least. It wasn’t necessarily that these didn’t have a good and heartfelt chemistry potential. However the reasons behind Ristuka suddenly liking him and confessing to him because “he had a guitar and looked lonely” felt sporadic and arbitrary.

Whilst as viewers we are only given mild hints that band mates Haruki Nakayama ( Yanagi Shuntaro) and Akihiko Kaji( Inowaki Kai) may have been aware of Ristuka’s sexuality, the sudden overt revelation in the first episode alone that “ well, he has feelings for Mafuyu now” and his confession to Mafuyu was superficial to say the least. In fact there was little prompt behind Ritsuka’s reasons for falling for Mafuyu besides “ he looked like he was interested in music and he’s mysterious”. This isn’t suggesting that we should’ve seen Ristuka closeted feelings for Mafuyu being dragged out for more than half of the drama, but it seemed odd that Ristuka didn’t even indicate once that he was unsure of Mafuyu’s sexuality (until a later revelation) before such an intrepid confession, or was overcome by his own feelings also. Adding to this there is also the fact that Ristuka lives in Japan. Whilst LGBTQ+ rights and attitudes have certainly improved over the years in Japanese society and amongst young generations , Ritsuka is still in high school which can sometimes be a breeding ground for bullying and homophobia amongst certain groups and individuals.

Adding to the head-scratching and distorted sugarcoated reality of student life, was the lacking sense of prominent messages towards what this series was actually trying to get across. It is arguable to an extent that the drama was trying to show the power of music as a journey of healing and love, but to cover more poignant issues such as suicide and LGBTQ representation without tying in the more harsh issues of these real-life topics was seriously poorly-tackled. Then of course there’s the issue of the drama rarely covering over types of relationships also. There’s the argument that Ritsuka had a strong bond with his band mates, but Mafuyu was rarely given scenes to get to know them more. The band mates also ( unsurprisingly) had their own romantic relationship- sweet, but nonetheless disregarded for a major proportion of the drama.

Overall ‘ Given’ isn’t a bad drama to watch if you’re looking for something to pass the time- it is uplifting , fluffy in parts and easy to binge-watch without a second thought. On the other hand those searching for a more insightful and well-rounded drama with a well-written storyline and dynamic acting may be sadly disappointed.

Read More

Gonna say it now and save time, I'm sorry. Lol
But I disliked this show so much. I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, but the storyline was so lackluster and left nothing to the imagination. It was slow and annoying for the most part.
From episode 2, I have been fighting sleep even with it set to using 2x speed.
I think the part that pissed me off the most is finding out Mafuyu really was the shitty person I thought he was.
*massive spoiler*
Dude really told Yuki "but would you die for me?" after a argument then pulled a shocked pikachu meme WHEN HE DID IT! How people still loved him after that, I don't know. If I was Yuki's mother I would have told Mafuyu to fuck off. Sure in hell wouldn't have given him anything belonging to Yuki. I feel like the song he sang at the end was like a spit in the face of Yuki. I said what I said. I know no one will agree on that, and that's fine. But it's how I feel.
I don't care what kind of fight or disagreement you have - there's no reason to tell someone they should die or "die for me". that is beyond messed up.

I think the only characters I actually liked though were the side characters. Had the show been about them, I probably would have rated this higher. I racked my brain trying to think of good parts of this show just to through some positive vibes in but honestly, there are none. I feel like a jerk saying this too. (I'm really sorry.) I just did not like this and the characters made me so freaking mad.

Read More

Pleasantly Surprising, faithful to original work

This is from someone who's watched the anime (both series and OVA) and read part of the manga.

I didn't expect the live action to be this good.

It's pretty jarring, of course, to have different hair, looks, etc. but that comes with casting actors for a live action series. This actually did a good job at casting the characters despite not changing hair colors or keeping original character designs.

The chemistry between both romantic and platonic relationships is AMAZING. Romantic scenes were well fleshed-out, and the acting was superb given how little time they had to cover so much story.

The cinematography was also insanely good, and the shots look more like they were made for a movie than for a six-part series. I was really impressed by the artistry behind the scenes.

Now, for the kicker though: The soundtrack. Ohhhh, the soundtrack. It's ALMOST perfect ---- except for one MAJOR flaw: the climactic song. I'll have to admit, I hated it the moment Mafuyu sang it, but it did grow on me like a strange mold. It's very off-putting given the general trend of the series's soundtrack, and I feel that it didn't make the best use of SANARI's vocal prowess. The chorus was painfully nasal and not the most creative of melodies. Still, the lyrics are on point, and the song still tugged at my heartstrings. I think anyone who's watched it can agree that the song really was a giant letdown.

Now, don't let that song deter you from watching this gem. It doesn't break the show, and it's followed by the most heartwarming scenes in the whole series. This is still a must-watch for anyone who wants a heartwarming BL story that's stood the test of time and produced the best adaptations, this included.

Read More

Feels okay yet a little bit disappointed for the way they execute the show

For someone who watch this right after finishing the anime version, I can't help but to compare the two. I feel cringe for some scenes from this. I'm also disappointed on how they delivered those important scenes from the story. There's also many scenes that weren't in here but I tried to understand that they need to fit the whole story in a 6 eps with a 24 min duration. if I didn't watch the anime version, I bet I'm gonna be confused while watching this live adaptation.

I really wish that they capture the characters' facial expression everytime a climax scene happened, in the anime version, I still remember everyone's facial images whenever something shocking or new to them occurred. The acting is either a little bit lacking or somehow overacted, there's only a thin line between the two.

Of course, the drama has a positive feedback too that needs to be congratulated for. First is the music, I like the music (the ending song of every eps) it was a very band material song. Then, same with the drama, I liked how they executed my favorite scene from the story, it is when Mafuyu told Uoneyama that he was once fallen in love with someone and doesn't know how to express his feelings, and then Uoneyama was just lying beside him, pretending to be asleep but in fact he's experiencing a ranging jealousy in his heart. This scene always got me!!

I am thankful that they did okay for a live adaptation. It was fun to see the story acted by real human but I just wished they provide us with better execution.

Read More

Ultimately it doesn't matter if you've read the manga or seen the anime

Having never seen the anime, or read the manga, I loved this. And I disagree 100% (and more if I could) with any commenters who said that Suzuki Jin's acting was disappointing in this. On the contrary, that young man is a freaking star in the making, and this drama helps to confirm that. His eyes, his facial expressions, the way he tightens up his chest and shoulders, the realizations that pass from inner monologues to outward expressions - all of it was authentic, with not a false note in sight. (Btw, for anyone who might need to hear this - anxiety can cause involuntary eye and facial twitches and for as much as Ue seemed to be on the verge of panic throughout the entire drama, it makes perfect sense that he would be a little twitchy at times.)

I read so much complaining about live action adaptations of manga and anime and partly I understand that - folks have a picture in their head when they read something and they get attached to it, and disappointed when it doesn't match what they had imagined. But each medium is different, and the creators should be allowed to interpret the story to fit the medium chosen. And each creation should get a chance to stand on its own, and say things its own way, but in the end fit within the trilogy, if you can call it that - of manga, anime, and live action. Carbon copies can be kind of boring, but totally different interpretations are risky as well. This drama had so many lovely and touching scenes, and I enjoyed them without having seen anything else before them. I got to experience the story for the first time, and it might even push me towards actually reading the manga or watching the anime if I wanted to see more. Good stories, and interesting live action productions of stories based on previously published works can propel us toward their source material without having to be the exact mirror copy of it.

Read More

Uninteresting main story

Haven't seen the anime or the manga so I thought the stuff with the two main high school kids was pretty damn uncompelling, just to get that out of the way before I say anything else. I found it incredibly hard to get into the drama, especially from the angle of the main story. It wasn't until episode 5 that I actually felt myself paying attention to every single scene, which is not a goodl thing when there are only 6 episodes.

As someone who hasn't seen the source material whatsoever, I found the character of Uenoyama Ritsuka difficult to understand or care about. Eventually, (like, episode 4 honestly), he became a little bit more compelling to me, but there is no real indication toward his emotional state or desires through the acting, despite side characters commenting early on that he likes Mafuyu, and even his voiceover saying as much. As a viewer, I simply did not buy it. I couldn't see the chemistry whatsoever, from either direction. To me, it was just some physical touches that I guessed were supposed to read as intimate, and then Mafuyu staring unemotionally at Ritsuka and vice versa. I think the actors were... fine... and if I were to guess, I'd place the blame on the acting from Sanari (Mafuyu), because in the flashback scenes, I didn't believe the chemistry between Mafuyu and Yuki, either (Like seriously, why did this black hole of a character have people falling all over him?).

After a slow start with Mafuyu, when his backstory finally starts to get revealed, he becomes a little bit more interesting... but not by much. I could understand why he was so reserved after his backstory began to be revealed, but when the acting/character failed to follow up on the backstory reveal with... I don't know, anything interesting, I started to write him off again until, as I mentioned, episode 5, at which point I was appreciative of the added drama, even if it actually made me start to actively dislike Mafuyu.

It was pretty disappointing to see both the main characters fall so flat because their individual storylines are interesting on paper but since the characters both having the same sort of reticence, it didn't really allow for there to be any chemistry between them.

All this said, I did really enjoy the side characters, especially the older bandmates, Nakayama Haruki and Kaji Akihiko, and Mafuyu's past friend, Kashima Hiiragi. I thought their actors all did very well, and there was much more indication of something between the older bandmates right off the bat. I think Yanagi Shuntaro (Haruki) did a great job with delivering a clear sense of what his character was feeling in the initial episodes, and then Akihiko was reliably interesting in the later episodes. In general, I was much more invested in Haruki and Akihiko's interactions (nothing came of it, though, so I'm guessing I misread the situation... or it will be addressed in a second season?), and even their interactions with the two leads; the dynamic with them both as adults giving advice to two moody teens was, I thought, a fresh one. To add on to what I was saying earlier, both Ritsuka and Mafuyu as characters really only became interesting to me when they were reacting against the side characters, be it the older band mates, the other classmates, or the classmates form Mafuyu's past.

The side characters are, however, still the side characters, so it did not bode well for my overall impression of the show that as soon as the two leads were alone in a scene together, I felt my brain start to atrophy and my eyes glaze over. I can handle slow paced drama, but this just wasn't it. As the old adage goes, the worst thing a film can be is boring, and this goes for the main couple of this show.

Lastly, musically speaking, for a show about getting a band together, there isn't really much to comment on with the music. I appreciated that there was at least an effort made in having the actors look like they were playing their instruments, although the show suffers some of the usual lack of realism when it comes to musicians. I also personally did not like Mafuyu's voice at all, so there's that.

If there is a season 2 (I'm unclear if one is in the works, but it seems like there's room for it), I might tune in at some point, but it certainly won't be for the romance between the leads.

Read More

They Should've 'Given' Us More Music

So let me start off by saying I have not seen the anime version of this story. So I'm going into this completely unbiased, I will however be watching the anime version now. I'm sure at some point I'll add that POV to this review, but for now let's get into this. I love musical centered stuff. So when I heard about this, I had to see it. The first set with Mafuyu watching the band was great. It actually gave me chills and I was hoping for more of that in here! But sadly there wasn't. First down side to this series is that I wish there would've been wayyyy more music thrown in. Though the scene I mentioned before and the last scene took my breath away, it was too limited.

I also would've liked the series to be a lot brighter. In colour, composition, etc. I get our main character Uenoyama is going through it and searching for purpose. But add colour at least during the music man! Speaking of Uenoyama, dude is very intense. I wanted to see more of his character background, but we didn't really get enough of him. Sure its from his POV, but I wasn't super attached to him. Mafuyu on the other hand was great. Dude has some longs first of all, and his storyline was very interesting. I called ahead of time that Yuki was his former lover, but I didn't call that he had taken his own life! That's why Mafuyu carries that guitar around and is so attached to it. It's literally his last attachment to Yuki! So allowing Uenoyama to change its string twice, is actually really intimate if you think about it.

So the story progresses and we get a sweet connection between Uenoyama and Mafuyu. Though Japan needs to fix these lame kisses lol. The lighting of the scene was nice and you get the point. Also Mafuyu saying he was falling in love again at the end was lovely. I wanted more from this series, but it just makes me want to watch the anime that much more! So I would say watch this first if you can and then watch the anime. That way there isn't reconceived expectations!

Read More

Slow and Boring

Okay so this is another JDRAMA disappointment.

I watched the trailer and thought okay so be could interfering but I was extremely disappointed by the 3rd episode i was really bored of it and skipped the last episode altogether so I just couldn't take it anymore.

The main actors seemed okay, accept i did find the second ML really depressing and often frustrating to watch.

The relationship between them was awkwardly enforced to say the least, it wasn't necessarily that these didnt have chemistry, the whole reason for liking the second lead was because he was lonely and had a guitar.

Overall : Given for me was not a good drama to watch, it just was slow and lacked potential with the characters and story line.

Any good JDRAMA recommendations welcomed!!

Read More