Rating: 10/10 (Exceptional)
Review Summary: If you like gay movies and series, Given is the best shounen-ai (boys love) anime and you should definitely watch it because it's even better than Banana Fish and Yuri on Ice.
(this is one of my all-time favourites)
Review:
Given is the best shounen-ai and yaoi anime I ever watched. It may not be yaoi since yaoi are more sexual themes based and Given is more on the romantic side. The anime is so ... so amazing. It's a lot better than the most popular Yuri on Ice and Banana fish anime. Given's story is very sad and beautifully written. Given is a musical anime and there are various aspects of Given which will amuse you and touch you to the core of your heart. The feelings hit right through the center of your organ. The deep quotes and lyrics linger in your heart for a long time. "Can't say goodbye. Still drifting with your echoes" hits you pretty hard. The animation is excellent and the music / soundtrack of Given is on par and sometimes even better than Yuri on Ice. Yuri on Ice sometimes get boring but Given is interesting to watch right from the very first episode. The shows goes with a good flow and the characters develop and progress, they get mature and the musical aspect of the anime also brightens. The thing I loved most about this anime is that it is the only romance gay anime (like in pure literal sense) you'll ever find. Other anime such as Jonjou Romantica (Pure Romance), World's Greatest First Love, Super Lovers, et cetera are not that romantic and more into intimacy but Given touches you deep down in the heart. The story is something you could relate to and when you discover new truths and receives an insight into the past life and events happened in your favourite characters lives, it just makes you breathless. You get spell-bound and become unable to say anything. My most favourite characters from this anime are Mafuyu Sato, Ritsuka Uenoyama, Yuki Yoshida and Akihiko Kaji. Episode 9 of this anime is a blast and one of the best and most epic episodes from romance anime i watched for a long time (probably the best in shounen ai anime). The episode 9 is 20 minutes long and i cried my balls out continuously for 15 fucking minutes because the episode is so amazing and yet overwhelmingly sad but also makes you feel happy and range of emotions. I was having the similar effect i had when i watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower for the first time. The lyrics of songs are deep and they just pierce your heart out.
Listen to the soundtrack and openings/ending songs of Given compiled by Creativity Unleashed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzW4mv_ckGY&list=PLnVV0kd353X8apU-0Ibkbfh_3VUn0zwMe Favourite quotes: "I'm definitely worse at expressing myself than other people are. But, even so, the truth is... The truth is I've always... Just, wanted someone to completely understand how hard and painful it is... Wanting to scream and cry but not being able to express it. But even understand a little is okay." "The story of a certain winter. The story of a certain night." (To self) "I never... know how I'm supposed to react... at all... Everyone else can manage it so well... But I can't. Just like everyone laughs and cries... I just... can't do it well." “Just like how everyone laughs and cries... I just can’t do it well. I think I’m really bad at expressing myself compared to everyone else. But… But in reality, even if I really wanted to… I can’t cry properly, and it hurts so bad... It hurts so much that I just want to scream. I always wanted someone to understand that. Even just a little bit... ” (About Yuki)"A story that took place one winter... A story that took place one evening... No matter where I go, you're there. You're always in my head. You're in everything I see. No matter where I go, I can still see you there, can smell your scent. I Can't forgive you. I can't forgive myself. But I want to. I miss you." "I'm pretty sure that I'll remember this day even ten years from now. But... I'm sure I'll start to forget, little by little. The name of the bus stop we got off at today. The color of the sweater I was wearing. The words that were popular between the two of us at the time. I'm sure I'll start forgetting those things, little by little. Apparently, that's called loneliness. One day, atop a burning, blinding stage, I'll learn that for myself." "If suddenly the person you love completely disappeared from the world...What would you say? Would you say you're sad? Lonely? Melancholic?"