given

If anyone had told me back in 2013 that we'd one day get a BL anime with proper pacing, an actual story with a plot and emphasis on the emotional aspect, that dealt with LGBTQ issues properly, I would have laughed in their face.

Well, I guess I'm still laughing now, but this is a laugh of pure joy because given is nothing like I'd expected before. I came across this anime on my Twitter timeline, when I saw someone tweeting about it. Specifically, it was a clip of that scene from Episode 9. I guess you could say I was mildly spoiled into watching it, but trust it, nothing could have prepared me for Episode 9 so rest assured not all was ruined.

(Yes, I am aware Yuri On Ice! exists, but that's something for another day)

The characters are quite well developed, personality wise. Although, I can't say for sure how much because I've only read a few chapters from the manga, but enough so that it made the anime enjoyable. I love how almost everyone's personality is at odds with their physical appearance, namely Akihiko. Underneath that pierced, muscled and laid back veneer there's a thoughtful dude who helps out his younger friends when they're undergoing a mild sexuality crisis and actually addresses said crisis instead of brushing it off like it was some sort of joke.

Yes. given differentiates itself from the other BL anime I've seen by actually addressing the 'being gay' aspect of the story . I was so surprised when I saw that I rewound it a couple of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Also, Uenoyama's reactions were pretty comical.

Finding out about Mafuyu's past hurt, I'm not gonna lie. It made me think about how relationships can have a lasting impact on you, in some cases the effects are so significant that they can change your entire life. It also made me think how nice it would be to be in a relationship with somebody, a person who loved you back as much as you loved them. Truly, it had me, as how the kids say it these days, 'in my feels.'

I also like how it offered some insight into band life. I'm not musically talented or anything, but I do enjoy music as much as the next person and while anime aren't an exactly accurate source of information, I did like how they showed us various aspects of that kind of life.

And I do appreciate Haruki-san very much and do sort of feel a kinship of sorts with him, because one-sided love is a bitch. Yes. Also, I wish I had hair like his.

Also, Kedama is such a cute doggo and I love him, I wish I had a Pom like him.

I'm not sure if we're going to get another season, but if we do, I hope it's as good or even better than the first season and that we get to see more of our favorite band members.