given
given is so unbelievably important to me; the manga was basically my entire life for two years, and the soundtrack has been a constant in my life for even longer. i feel that given’s ultimate meaning and purpose is so diluted due to the amount of viewers who watch it just because it’s bl (sometimes understandable that it’s taken less seriously, since the anime has a much more lighthearted tone and execution). it truly is the brokeback mountain (2005) of the anime community in terms of being simplified, memeified, and watered down to stupid yaoi brainrot terms. but all of the characters and relationships are so complex and real; mafuyu’s grief and loneliness is the main focus of the story, yet i think that less than 30% of the given fandom truly understood his pain. given truly is a love letter to music. music is my entire life and i am always surrounded by it, but revisiting given always reminds me of how special my life feels due to my love for music. music feels as essential and natural to me as breathing, and i genuinely think in terms of music. i am always always thinking about music. it really is that deep for me, so watching given is such a breath of fresh air because they get me fr.
on a more lighthearted note, I LOVE UENOYAMA RITSUKA SO MUCH HES LITERALLY ME HES MY NICO DI ANGELO 2.0😭😭😭 also the real ones NEVER THOUGHT THAT MAFUYU’S FIRST LA LA LA LAAAA WAS CRINGEY. given has been such an important fixture in my life for so long that its hard to suddenly try and write a silly letterboxd review (especially since my love stems from the manga & the songs, not the animation. technically i would give the anime a 3.5-4 star rating). if we’re talking manga, i could write a whole essay on akihiko’s character and the insanely black-and-white moral witchhunt behavior that overly woke purists who overestimate their media literacy & ability to understand nuance, flawed characters, and character development that have stomped all over his character… but i digress.