Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Haruki secretly had feelings for Akihiko for years, but Akihiko was still in a relationship with his roommate, the violinist Ugetsu Murata. Haruki, Akihiko, and Ugetsu's love clashes and starts to move forward.
Given (2020) is the film follow-up to the Given anime series, continuing the emotionally grounded BL romance with sensitivity and care. The plot handling of the love triangle between Haruki, Akihiko, and Ugetsu is emotionally nuanced but follows fairly familiar unrequited-love and relationship-drama beats. The voice acting is earnest and well-suited to the characters. Cinematography is competent anime production with some lovely atmospheric moments but nothing technically groundbreaking. Novelty is modest — it works within established BL and slice-of-life anime conventions, though the musical integration and emotional maturity elevate it slightly above the norm. The ending offers some resolution but leaves things in an emotionally ambiguous space typical of the franchise. A solid, emotionally resonant continuation without outstanding peaks in any single category.