Coming of Age Analysis of the Anime ‘Given’

Boys’ Love (or shounen ai) is a sub-genre of popular fiction which originated from
Japan and is mostly prevalent in movies, TV series, anime, manga, etc. It focuses mainly on
the relationship between the characters and has a structured plot. The term boys’ love came
into existence in the 1990s and was used to describe commercial publication focused on male
relationships. Boys’ love is usually written by women authors for women audiences. However,
there is a visible rise of male boys’ love writers and artists in the Japanese manga market
since 2013. Majority of the target audiences of both sub-genres are heterosexual women
aged between 15 and 29 years old. However, there has been a rise in gay, bisexual and
heterosexual male audiences throughout the years.

‘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 had been playing the guitar ever since he was in sixth grade when
his dad gave him an unused guitar. 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 is “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 feels about
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.

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

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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
Kawano, K. (2019). Boy's Love, The Genre That Liberates Japanese Women To Create a
World Of Their Own. Savvy Tokyo. Retrieved from: https://savvytokyo.com/boys-love-the-
genre-that-liberates-japanese-women-to-create-a-world-of-their-own/
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https://www.jstor.org/stable/43110549?seq=1
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https://yattatachi.com/history-of-boys-love
Yaman, L. (2020). “GIVEN” An Anime Review. The Voyager. Retrieved from:
https://guilfordvoyager.com/2020/04/21/given-an-anime-review/