AI Summary
5 min read“It’s mutual.” That line, printed on a pillow one of the hosts owns, comes from a scene where the teenage protagonist Ritsuka Uenoyama sits in his head surrounded by excited versions of himself, all buzzing about the possibility of no longer being a virgin. It is a small, silly moment in a series that is otherwise defined by grief, coercion, and emotional wreckage. Given, by Kizu Natsuki, is a boys’ love manga (with an anime, multiple movies, and a live-action adaptation) that has been called “the non-problematic BL.” The hosts, Matthew and Kate, push back on that label hard. The series is not non-problematic. It is messy, uncomfortable, and deliberately so. This episode covers the first five volumes, focusing on the two main couples—Mafuyu and Ritsuka, and Akihiko and Haruki—and the way the story uses music to explore grief, toxic relationships, and the difficulty of letting yourself have something good.
Grief as a constant, not a plot point
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:02) **Introduction & Series Overview** - Hosts Matthew and Kate introduce "Given," a BL manga with anime and live-action adaptations.
- 2 (03:14) **Manga vs. Anime & The Core Conflict** - Kate and Matthew discuss the tonal differences between the anime and manga, and the central grief driving the story.
- 3 (07:40) **The Music and Grief's Representation** - The hosts analyze how the music in the anime captures Mafuyu's internal struggle with grief.
- 4 (10:13) **Introducing Akihiko and Haruki** - The hosts shift to discussing the second main couple, Akihiko and Haruki, who are older band members.
- 5 (14:44) **The Toxic Relationship Ends** - The hosts discuss the pivotal moment when Ugetsu finally lets Akihiko go, forcing a change.
- 6 (16:26) **Anime vs. Movie Adaptations** - Matthew and Kate compare the tone of the main anime series to the subsequent movies.
- 7 (18:04) **Supporting Characters & A Mean Moment** - The hosts introduce a minor character who attempts to drive a wedge between the main couple.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
The boys in the band
Given
- Creator(s): Kizu Natsuki
- Chapters: Volume 1-5
- Where to read it:
https://www.sublimemanga.com/given
Ritsuka Uenoyama is bored with it all - with school, with his basketball club, and even with his one true passion: playing guitar. That is until the day he finds his favorite hidden napping spot occupied by a strange boy cradling a broken-stringed guitar. At first, Uenoyama is nonplussed by Mafuyu Sato and his slightly odd behavior, but when, on a whim, he asks Mafuyu to sing, the power of that song pierces him to the core.
Where to Find us:
Matthew
- Bluesky: @matthewglenn.bsky.social
- https://bsky.app/profile/matthewglenn.bsky.social
- Website: DigitalDaydream.gay
Kate
- Bluesky: @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social
- https://bsky.app/profile/ohmymithrandir.bsky.social
- Instagram: @ohmymithrandir
- https://www.instagram.com/ohmymithrandir/
Music by Joshua Altman
- Bluesky: @crooknook.bsky.social
- https://bsky.app/profile/crooknook.bsky.social
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