Given First Impressions

“So we meet again, guy I’m tentatively calling ‘Teach-Me-Guitar-Dude’. I’m not doing it. I’m not doing it, you hear?”

Looking back, I haven’t tackled many yaoi titles for this site. More specifically, I reviewed the first episode of Banana Fish, and, as far as I can recall, nothing else. My exposure to the yaoi subgenre doesn’t run much deeper than that as I’ve only watched a small handful of titles (Love Stage!, No. 6, etc.) that fall within it, and, in most instances, haven’t completed them. Given is off to a good start, though, as it blends an interesting character dynamic with some good music to solid results, even if it leads to some existential questions… Like, is Thom Yorke worth listing as a great guitarist? I mean, he’s a great musician, but isn’t Greenwood the lead for Radiohead? Normally, when I think of Yorke, I direct my focus more to his voice than his instrumentation. I guess Yorke is definitely the more recognizable name, but then why not mention someone like Tom Morello or Jeff Beck instead?… So, yeah, Given is worth checking out. I’m always interested in taking a look at an entry in the subgenre of rock music anime and the character dynamics at play in this episode are quirky and fun, so the end result is a really solid first glance at an offbeat title. God, the puns do just write themselves when it comes to musical anime.

Our main duo consists of Sato Mafuyu and Uenoyama Ritsuka. Uenoyama is an electric guitarist who, while skilled, has lost sight of the passion that drove him to music in the first place. Sato is an awkward and quiet underclassman who is a complete novice, but carries a guitar everywhere, it seems. The meaning behind the guitar isn’t explored in this first episode, but, from the way the episode frames the situation, it’s clear that it has emotional significance to Sato and probably belonged to a loved one. After Uenoyama encounters Sato hanging out in Uenoyama’s favorite spot to nap at school, Uenoyama begrudgingly fixes the Sato’s guitar strings, and Sato, in turn, begins pestering him for guitar lessons. It’s an amusing dynamic, since Uenoyama is clearly feeding off of Sato’s curiosity and enthusiasm, but that doesn’t make Uenoyama’s irritation at Sato’s pestering or cluelessness any less real. Sato would probably be a notably aggravating character in isolation, but his constant nagging of Uenoyama leads to fun moments, and Uenoyama’s confused and worried reaction when Sato actually stops bugging him for a few days is hilarious.

The animation in this episode is nice and crisp. This is being helmed by Studio Lerche, whose work I’ve had a decent amount of exposure to. The quality of their visuals can be rather hit or miss, though I hesitate to say that I’ve seen anything from them that looks bad. I don’t recall being a fan of Radiant or Seven Senses of the Re’Union’s visuals, but my memory may be getting skewed by the fact that neither of the first episodes for those series was particularly good. In contrast, I felt the production on titles School-Live! and Magical Girl Raising Project was pretty good. This is the second show they’re producing this season with the first being Astra Lost in Space. I’m not handling the review for that one, and haven’t had the opportunity to check it out, but the visuals I’ve seen appear to suggest a similar level of polish. The guitars are rendered using CG, which is a common practice in anime, but there are a few instances where the feel slightly off. The music is good, but not heavily present in this first episode. Still, I enjoyed the one jam session that Uenoyama’s band has, and the OP is solid as well.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• The opening seems to indicate that Sato will become a singer for the band. Given his soft-spoken demeanor in the first episode, I’m curious to how that transition will come about.
• For those who are on edge about the prospect of watching a yaoi series, this one looks like it will be easing you into the scenario. There’s little direct physical interaction between our two leads in this first episode, and, outside of a few light fanservice shots in the OP and a moment where Uenoyama pulls Sato out of the way of traffic, you could be forgiven for overlooking the genre entirely with this first episode. It is a josai title, however, so it’s possible it may become much more overt, so be mindful of that if it makes you uncomfortable.
• I remember watching an episode or two of Magical Girl Raising Project, but I didn’t keep up with it. That’s a title I wouldn’t mind revisiting if I get a chance.
• I’m exiling all of the terrible music puns to this section. “Given rocks.” “This romance subgenre isn’t necessarily my jam.” “The show struck a chord with me.” “Free Bird!”