LITERATURE AND POP CULTURE

Coming of Age Analysis of the Anime ‘Given’

Course and Section:

BSAC02

Members:

Del Rosario, Kimberly Jean

Diaz, Albert

Resente, Kathyrn Claudette

Ungab, Justine Dave

 Coming of Age Analysis of the Anime ‘Given’

‘Given’ is considered to be the “Most Dramatic BL Anime Film” because its story
line shows the “feeling of love, loss, and moving on to love again” (Yaman, 2020). It is
effective that the main characters of the anime, Uenoyama and Mafuyu, are in high
school because it vividly expresses the pains of growing up through the protagonists’
lives and how homosexual romance is viewed in real world. The relationship between
Mafuyu and Uenoyama is refreshing, honest and painful, and the challenges and
circumstances the characters confronted are relatable, especially to young people and
to those coming out of the closet. The viewers also find it inspiring to watch someone
near their age find their way through life and realistically cope with the difficulties of his
past and potential relationships.
Ritsuka Uenoyama has been playing the guitar ever since he was in sixth grade
when his dad gave him an unused one. He has been swallowed by music for a long
time, but eventually lost his warmth towards it. He then encountered Mafuyu Sato
whose genuine desire to learn how to play the guitar served as a reason for Uenoyama
to rekindle his passion. Unknowingly, Uenoyama’s feelings grew towards Mafuyu and to
the point he even felt jealous towards Mafuyu’s first love. Mafuyu used to date someone
back in middle school named Yuki Yoshida who was also his childhood friend. Even
though Yuki has a dominant and moody attitude while Mafuyu was introverted, they got
along well and eventually became lovers. One day, the two of them had a huge quarrel
which led Yuki to turn to drinking alcohol and later on committing suicide. It was implied
that Yuki’s accident has something to do with their fight. Before Yuki’s death, the two of
them never had a chance to reconcile which left a huge impact to Mafuyu. Mafuyu’s
unspoken feelings towards his late partner was expressed in the lyrics of the song their
band performed in their first gig.
As Leyla Yaman (2020) has described in her review, “the development of the
characters were gradual.” In the early episodes of the anime, Mafuyu has a quiet,
introverted and reserved personality. He had difficulty expressing himself and interacting
with other people. But it all changed when he met Uenoyama who inspired him to be
interested in music. Mafuyu’s character started from knowing nothing about playing a
guitar and being clueless about music, then he later on became the lead singer of their
band ‘Given’ after his bandmates found his talent in putting emotion to his singing. Also,
he had a natural talent in easily learning about music. Throughout the anime, Mafuyu
gained life experiences while overcoming his past.
There is an observable differences between the reaction of the environment
towards Yuki and Mafuyu’s relationship as compared to Uenoyama and Mafuyu’s. The
environment of Yuki and Mafuyu shows an accepting society towards the LGBTQ+
community where they are not judged and the people around them are open and
approved with their relationship. This shows that for the people around them, their
relationship is normal. Meanwhile, Uenoyama and Mafuyu’s environment depicts how
hard it is to “come out” once they realize their sexuality which results to keeping it low.
Another difference between the two pairs is that Yuki is a serious person who always
dominates Mafuyu, while Uenoyama is supportive towards him.
Haruki Nakayama and Akihiro Kaji, bandmates of the protagonists, knew that
Uenoyama has feelings for Mafuyu at the beginning. They accepted Mafuyu as the new
member because they realized that Uenoyama was “pumped” and inspired to play
guitar and teach Mafuyu how to play it. The two of them helped Uenoyama realize and
accept his feelings for Mafuyu. There was a scene in the anime where Akihiro asked
Uenoyama about his relationship with Mafuyu. Uenoyama looked guilty and wanted to
say what he felt towards Mafuyu but he was nervous, scared and shy to admit it to other
people. Akihiro said that it’s obvious that he has feelings towards Mafuyu and told him
he should not be ashamed of it. What Uenoyama felt is similar to what someone would
experience when “coming out of their closet” in LGBTQ+ community. At first, some
people could not believe it is possible for them to fall in love with someone of the same
gender. They can’t express their feelings just like Uenoyama. Most of them are scared,
shy and nervous, while others are also in denial about their gender. People find it hard
to come out because they are scared that the people around them will not be able to
accept them for who they are. In some instances, they are nervous of how their parents
will react, and some are hesitant for fear of people making fun of them.
In the anime, the characters made it look like it is normal when someone came
out as gay. They accept each of them and make them feel that everyone has the right to
love anyone that they like. This reflects the promise of the Japanese Constitution
regarding equal rights and prohibiting discrimination on all grounds.
The anime showcased the real life struggles of being an LGBTQ+ couple. In
episode 4, Ayano Kasai, Uenoyama’s classmate, spotted Uenoyama and Mafuyu
together. Her friend happened to know Mafuyu back in middle school and told the rumor
about him being in a gay relationship. She then told Uenoyama about it, hoping he
would distance himself from Mafuyu because she was not open towards relationship
between males. Ayano’s reaction about Mafuyu and his past relationship is a clear
example of Japan’s impression towards the LGBTQ+ community. According to Ben
Dooley’s (2019) article published in New York Times, “the survey done by the
advertising giant Dentsu found that more than half of gay men and lesbians in Japan
were concerned about coming out.”
The theme of “coming-of-age” is shown in the anime through the personal
conflicts the main characters went through. Mafuyu was unable to move on from the
pain of his past and Uenoyama almost lost his passion for music. Uenoyama was
determined to pursue a career in music ever since he was young, but felt stagnant after
playing the guitar for years and being seen as someone born for it. Mafuyu was
introverted and not good with dealing with other people since he was a child. When the
two of them met, Mafuyu discovered his talent for music which helped him become
more open to other people. Meanwhile, Uenoyama’s passion for playing the guitar
rekindled.
‘Given’ portrayed LGBTQ+ romance without being problematic. Through this
anime, gay romances are being normalized and it become a way to address the issues
and challenges that the LGBTQ+ community is facing. Growing up is never easy, but
the process to it is worth it. Any obstacle or experience is an opportunity for one to
shape himself. Throughout the anime, the three main characters undergone various
individual struggles. Although not all of them were able to move forward with their lives,
Yuki became a huge reason for the growth of Mafuyu’s character which helped him
changed for the better. Mafuyu was the turning point for Uenoyama to have a new
reason to live. As the anime reached its climax at episode 9, Mafuyu sings his farewell
to his childhood lover and to his past and opens a new door to his future by singing,
“you will always be here with me as I try to move on again.”
References
Beltrano, J. (2020). ‘Given' will be the most dramatic BL anime film in anime history.
AniRadio Plus. Retrieved from: https://www.aniradioplus.com/News/Given-will-be-the-
most-dramatic-BL-anime-film-in-anime-history
Dooley, Ben. (2019). Japan’s Support for Gay Marriage Is Soaring, But Can It Become
Law? New York Times. Retrieved from:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/world/asia/japan-gay-
marriage.amp.html
Marfording, A. (1996). Gender Equality under Japanese Constitution. Verfessung Und
Recht in Übersee / Law and Politics in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, 29(3), 324-346.
Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43110549?seq=1
NA. (2020). Given Wiki. Fandom. Retrieved from:
https://given.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Characters
NA. (2019). Given Anime Reviews. Music Anime. Retrieved from:
https://myanimelist.net/anime/39533/Given/reviews
Yaman, L. (2020). “GIVEN” An Anime Review. The Voyager. Retrieved from:
https://guilfordvoyager.com/2020/04/21/given-an-anime-review/