SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Given was a pleasant surprise to me. The first of the series was a wonderful story about friendship, trauma, and putting pieces of yourself back together that you'd thought impossible. They threw some pretty dense issues at us but I found the topics handled with care. We had time to go into character's hurts, pains, and insecurities and watched the beautiful story of them building upwards into better versions of themselves.

And then...

The movie happened.

Firstly, I was already wary when I logged onto Crunchyroll and saw that the movie was only ONE. HOUR. LONG. This was a bit troubling to me as I'd heard from other fans who've read the manga that this movie was supposed to cover a decent chunk of the series, so thought we were looking into an hour and a half at least. And I was right to be wary.

What we were...Given...was an incredibly rushed tale rife with issues that couldn't possibly be solved within the limit they gave us...at least, not properly.

So I'll start with the worst of it. That scene. Blocking it out due to potentially triggering content.

How delightful. :)

After we witness that disaster, we watch a fumbling attempt to redeem Akihiko's character while we also watch the sad mess that is his relationship with Ugetsu. Now. I don't have issues with the fact that they had issues. I found them scrambling to cling to something doomed to fail heartbreakingly real and rather well done. My problem, though, was that we spent more time working through their inevitable breakup than we did with consequences for the assault and the rebuilding of his and Akihiko's relationship. Because of that, I felt stronger feelings towards the moment when Ugetsu sobs while fighting the urge to turn around and run back to Akihiko than I did when Akihiko fumbled that messy and random as hell confession to Haruki at the end.

LOL. That confession????? After what, three hastily drawn scenes of us watching Akihiko "coming into his own"? That's what we get? And then it's over????????

I think what this movie truly needed was...time. It should have been a second season. You cannot throw a sexual assault between two members of the same band, which is a central focus of the series as a whole, and tie everything together in an hour. There are going to be problems. The band will inevitably suffer. People have to atone. Others have to heal. Trust must be regained. You cannot throw a years long toxic relationship and drawn out breakup and again, tie everything together in an hour. Feelings must be sorted through. Again, healing must take place. It isn't believable, and even if we suspended our disbelief, plot wise, it just doesn't flow. It comes across as rushed, sloppy, and poorly written.

Part of Given's charm was the time and care taken to hash out our character's struggles, so by the end when it all came together, the audience reveled in a sense of triumph. We hurt with them, cried with them, healed with them, and soared with them.

Most of that charm was lost in this continuation and I'm left...disappointed and even a little sad. I still plan to give the manga a read to try and get a better experience of the story, and hopefully it comes together better than this.

Thankfully, not all was bad. Mafuyu remains a delight. It's so lovely to see him grow, mentally and musically. What a sweetheart. While it's clear Mafuyu and Uenoyama's relationship wasn't the focus, the few scenes we got together with them were adorable. I also didn't mind the glimpses we got into Ugetsu.

And of course, the songs. If nothing else, the songs truly delivered and I added a few to my playlist. Mafuyu's emotions come across so strongly and I truly feel the band's music.

That's all for now. I just can't help to wish that we were...Given...more.