Music isn’t just something to fill the quiet void. You should feel the emotions carried with the melody, with the lyrics, and for the passion of the people behind them to be felt. I’ve also forgotten what it was like to truly love music for what it is, a medium that carries the memories and feelings of those present, and those who are no longer in our lives. In the context of Given, is was their way of dealing with trauma, in both solace and expression.
Which is why across all three movies, I love how they portrayed “music” as a whole. It brought people together, whether it be Yuki starting a band to create a song for Mafuyu, or Mafuyu and Ritsuka’s relationship beginning with that guitar. But it also teared people apart, like Mafuyu and Yuki arguing because of it, or Akihito and Ugetsu's toxic relationship stemming from jealously and pride over music. Even Hiiragi and Shizu, all of them experienced what it was like to love and suffer because of it.
At the end of the day, it took them a change in perspective, and to be moved by that very medium to remember and realise what music is supposed to be… I think it was a beautiful full circle moment for Mafuyu, someone who had been the one helping others with his music, to be the one moved and inspired this time around.
Every song they performed held so much significance to different characters, Umi e in particular…
Purposely, I've been avoiding that song ever since it came out. I wanted to listen to it when I watched the movie, and for a few days before its showing in theatres, I felt both excited and slightly anxious... I knew the song held a lot of significance, and I had really high expectations because of it.
And y'know what... it was great because oh my god finally hearing it with Mafuyu was actually heart breaking, on par with Fuyu no Hanashi. And when Hiiragi screamed like how Mafuyu did in the series, it sent shivers down my spine…
The song had such beautiful lyrics, and the instrumental is so addicting to listen to. The beginning starts off slow, and even when the chorus hits, the lyrics were sung in a steady manner, letting you feel the impact of each word. And the way they incorporated the humming that both Yuki and Mafuyu loved? Oh my gosh I teared up immediately.
And this time, Mafuyu wasn’t standing alone either (A reference to what Kurihara said when she watched Mafuyu perform for the first time). This song meant so much to Hiiragi and Shizu as well, and it was not only a resting place for Yuki and what he meant to all three of them, but a gift from Ritsuka to Mafuyu… both grief and love, transformed into a piece that gave Mafuyu a much needed resolution and push to pursue his future.
On a side note, Yuki had me on a chokehold…
Even till the very end, whenever Yuki would be mentioned, or flashbacks of him would show, I felt my heart tighten. This is for a different reason to Mafuyu obviously, but the way he left such an impact on me as well, it felt similar to the way he lingered in Mafuyu’s life. We only ever got snippets of their past together, yet those moments, especially in this movie built such a poignant image of their past, and you can’t help but understand why Mafuyu felt so worried, lonely, and tied down this whole time… Because unlike previously, the memories in this movie were all bittersweet, their interactions were melancholy, but it was clearer than ever how much they loved each other... IT'S GENUINELY SO SAD EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT THEM... Everyone says their relationship was toxic and it really was, the co-dependency was so strong that Mafuyu genuinely was part of why Yuki died. But they were too young to navigate all of that, that's why I'm so happy with his relationship with Ritsuka, because from the parallels between his past relationship and the present, it's clear how much better Ritsuka is for Mafuyu without even realising it. (Most notably, Ritsuka is more emotionally stable and a wayyy better communicator than Yuki and really tried to involve Mafuyu in things instead of pushing him away. He doesn't realise it because that's just part of who he is.)
On the topic of Yuki, the only time I remember Mafuyu mentioning Yuki by name was during Umi e. I only realised that when I finally heard him say it, and that just hit me like a wave. There’s a reason why, as much as I enjoyed given the series, it always felt a bit incomplete, right? The feelings were conveyed, yet it feels as though there’s still more to be told from Mafuyu. So to hear him finally say his name, when he didn’t even do so at the end of the series (only calling him his ‘dead boyfriend’), it felt like such a significant moment, that he is finally facing him head on this time. So I think this song and this movie as a whole was finally able to put an end to that part of Mafuyu's character.
Before, memories of Yuki seemed haunting, like an invisible rope that tied Mafuyu and held him back; but without changing the past, they are now memories that mean a lot to him, and of a person that he once loved dearly, smiling to it as he hopes for a better future. Yuki’s guitar isn’t a burden anymore, but a gift left for Mafuyu to use in his own way. That's why the scene of him dreaming about Yuki at the park, and him finally leaving the park paired with Yuki's line... it was such a beautiful depiction of him finally looking ahead and into the future, while carrying the happy moments of that past.
(It's honestly insane how he handled all of that at his age, especially with the neglect of his mother as well. That's why I'm always willing to cut him slack when he has a hard time communicating with Ritsuka.)
But with all that is said about Yuki, the important thing to note is that Mafuyu is no longer tied down by him. Past feelings or trauma aside, he is finally able to look forward to a future with Ritsuka exactly because he finally found a place for Yuki to rest in his life, which is through music of his own and with Ritsuka.
I think with a little bit of personal interpretation and guessing (which should’ve been a little clearer IMO for the sake of canonicity), the way I see it is that music to Mafuyu goes both ways like this. Which is also why the movie focused a lot more on Mafuyu’s worries for the future instead of his feelings for Yuki, it goes hand in hand with his inability to properly express his feelings for the past. It isn’t that he doesn’t acknowledge them, but he just didn’t know how to deal with it and that in itself was a huge reason for his other worries, about pursuing music and such.
It is a bit of a shame though, because with this conclusion, it really opened the door to a future between Mafuyu and Ritsuka that no longer involved his past. So to end the anime here... I feel like they could've went on for a little longer... I'm not usually a fan of drawn out stories and I'll always try my best to accept and interpret what IS given, but in this case, there's just so much potential for a bit more y'know? Especially between when Umi e was performed and their graduation, it left some time for Ritsuka and Mafuyu to really sit down and talk. I suppose its due to the movie format, it can't give us the little moments like the series did. So even though that IS a shame, I also wouldn't have wanted to miss out on watching them perform in theatres so I'm really taking what I can get (genuinely such a good experience I wish I could've been to one of their live shows).
Side notes:
- The scenes between Mafuyu and Ugetsu, I think they showed the significance of their relationship really well. They feel like parallels, both experiencing something similar but just through different colored lenses. Ugetsu’s past felt like thorns to him and Akihito, while Mafuyu’s felt as if he was drowning slowly… that’s why it was so beautiful seeing them talk about their experiences, like an older brother giving his younger brother advice. PLUS! I'm glad to see Ugetsu doing well too :)
- I think it’s fun to see how the original author and writers were able to mix in cookie cutter anime romance (that is to say humour and fluff) with the darker aspects of the story. It’s even more fun finally realising those sides in the series once I watched the movies. But I also feel like Ritsuka’s character never FULLY went all out on the latter part. He does seem more like a typical guy who happened to fall in love with someone with such a past, but I also saw potential when he mentioned how he was always the one waiting for Mafuyu. I feel like he could've agonised over it a little longer y'know, especially with not knowing much about Mafuyu's past despite all that has happened. Then again, I see how that could've been Ritsuka's way of respecting Mafuyu's boundaries, and especially with how tough it was for Mafuyu to even find the words to express himself in the first place, perhaps Ritsuka felt this was enough for him. And things were well in the end anyways... so I guess there wasn't a NEED for it, part of me just wished it was touched on more.
In conclusion, my review is very biased LMAO- I've always been the type to judge a piece of media depending on the message and emotions I personally felt, and I feel like with some of the missing pieces from Given, parts of it were really my own interpretation and understanding of the characters. In the end, I really enjoyed this movie, and that's all that matters!
Given is very special to me, in many ways. With its flaws and its beauty, I know I’ll remember Given and all that it represented close with me for a while. (Maybe even 10 years!)