So far, so good. Which is an interesting thing when it comes to a series like Given, because it’s a music-themed romance that’s had very little music or romance in its first three episodes. That it’s managed to be be solidly entertaining in spite of that is a good sign, though I can’t help but worry just a bit about pacing issues (especially since the manga is ongoing). What I can say for sure is that what it’s doing so far is working, and that’s really the most important barometer.
None of this is to say that things haven’t been moving along on either of the above fronts. The romance side covered a lot more ground this week than the music though, as it’s become pretty obvious that Ritsuka has fallen for Mafuyu is terms of more than music. What’s not totally clear is how self-aware Ritsuka is about all this – at 16 or 17 it’s possible that he’s never had feelings for another guy before and this could all be new to him. Of course is also not clear how much Haruki and Kaji know, though it’s strongly hinted that they at least have an inkling of Ritsuka’s feelings.
Ritsuka’s actions come off a little differently depending on which prism you view them through, but they’re pretty cute anyway – like when he Googles “how to invite someone to join a band” after Mafuyu turns down his initial request. Of course the obvious step he managed to skip was just asking Mafuyu why he said no, but Haruki helpfully points this out to him later in the episode (and implies that this sort of “communication 101” stuff is not necessarily Ritsuka’s strong suit.
Ritsuka and Mafuyu, as Yin/Yang as they are in terms of personality, definitely share an awkwardness with basic communication. In Mafuyu it manifests itself in his monosyllabic speaking style and difficulty expressing himself generally, which as it turns out is the reason he refused to join the band. There’s a past here to be sure – someone named Yuuki who was the previous owner of the Gibson ES-330 and apparently died. Through a chance meeting with someone named Hiiragi (Imai Fumiya) Ritsuka gets wind of this, and he’s quite alarmed by Mafuyu’s panicked reaction to seeing Hiiragi (who himself seems pretty freaked out by the encounter).
We’re obviously only seeing the tip of the iceberg with that development, though I’m sure more detail will come in due course. In the meantime things are moving on other fronts, as Mafuyu has gotten a job at a local live house to help become more like a real starving musician. The key moment of the episode, of course, comes when Ritsuka chases him down after the Hiiragi encounter, and managed to do a better job of communicating than he’s managed up to this point. He’s right about one thing, it’s pretty obvious that not thinking – of feeling – anything is not Mafuyu’s problem, because he wears both thoughts and emotions on his face. Expressing himself through singing is obviously going to help Mafuyu understand his feelings – and that, presumably, will eventually bring he and Ritsuka closer together.
leongsh
July 26, 2019 at 10:14 pmI think I have a handle on Mafuyu’s past. The person who committed suicide (as shown in Mafuyu’s flashback in Episode 1 (1m03s mark)) is Yuki. Yuki’s a close friend of his who is also in a band and he knows Yuki’s bandmates of which Hiiragi is one of them. His only link to Yuki’s bandmates is Yuki and due to Yuki’s passing, he has stayed away from them.
The fact that Mafuyu has Yuki’s guitar must mean that Yuki is most likely a childhood friend because an expensive guitar like that Gibson won’t be given by family to Mafuyu unless he is known to them for a long time. Since this is a BL story, Yuki may not only be a long time childhood friend but also someone that Mafuyu loves and looks up to. Ritsuka looks like he will be a roughly equivalent replacement. A new master for the stray puppy to latch on to. Can’t help thinking of Mafuyu as a stray puppy due to his cute pet(?) used in the ED.
Scampi
July 26, 2019 at 11:02 pmThere is a very obvious stopping point that the animation team is aiming for so I think the pacing will be fine. The extra anime-only scenes like last episode’s amp and this week’s live house tour inject musical elements that were lacking in the manga because, well, it’s obviously limited by its medium in conveying the tones and flavors of music. Ritsuka’s Pollo-ing is also anime-only and his floundering for better communication is very endearing and cute like you said. I’m happy to see that the scriptwriter/director must have loved music too to expand so much on musician’s activities and interactions and I’m sure Given will be another successful anime adaptation that surpass the source material.
Guardian Enzo
July 26, 2019 at 11:37 pmAll that is encouraging, thanks for sharing.
elianthos
July 28, 2019 at 11:09 amI can’t comment on Leongsh’s comment because spoilers but I’m having fun reading the speculations >D.
Pacing-wise: what Scampi wrote. I wouldn’t worry really. I’m just hoping they’ll also cover the namedrop chapter ( it’s the aftermath of the first strongest stopping point candidate ) 🙂 .
leongsh
July 28, 2019 at 1:40 pmCan you spoil me then about the female classmate of Ritsuka? I don’t recall her name being said. She gives the look whenever Ritsuka goes off with Mafuyu. Is she wanting to be Ritsuka’s girlfriend but is annoyed/jealous that Mafuyu is the one that Ritsuka is paying attention to? Or is it the other way around since Mafuyu looks to be the more attractive bishounen compared to Ritsuka’s gruff bad boy looks.
Guardian Enzo
July 28, 2019 at 9:30 pmDon’t answer that. Not here at least.
elianthos
July 28, 2019 at 11:18 pmErrata corrige: I meant ‘title drop’ up there of course :,). And nope not telling XD.