Given is one of the most well-known boys love drama anime out there. The first season began airing on Japanese television on July 12, 2019 and it ended on September 20 of the same year, with a total of 11 episodes. The anime is adapted by studio Lerche, who is also known for working on the Assassination Classroom series, Classroom of the Elite, and Toilet-bound Hanako-kun.
A 1-hour long movie was released the next year on August 22, 2020. Whilst the main season focused on the side pair, Ritsuka and Mafuyu, the movie focuses on the love story of their bandmates and the side pair of the series, Akihiko and Haruki. The movie is simply titled Given Movie.
Given is adapted from a manga of the same title that is written and illustrated by Natsuki Kizu. It began its serialization on Cheri+ from April 20, 2013 and is currently still ongoing. The seventh volume of the manga will be released on December 1, 2021, and the OAD will be bundled along with its release. Natsuki Kizu also goes by their alias as Gusari, which is used for publishing doujinshis from series like Kuroko’s Basketball and the Haikyuu!! Series.
The series has also been adapted into a stage play and a live-action drama. The stage play was initially scheduled to be staged from August 15 to September 6, 2020 at theaters in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. However, due to the pandemic it was rescheduled to November 2021. The live-action drama aired on July 17, 2021 and has a total of 6 episodes.
The Release Date of Given Season 2
At the time of writing this article, there has been no news from studio Lerche regarding Given Season 2. This is likely because the manga is still ongoing and the studio is still waiting for enough materials so that they can plan and make Given Season 2. The manga currently only has 2 completed story arcs, each focusing on two different pairs, which have been covered in the first season and the movie. The manga is currently focusing on the arc of another pair, Hiiragi and Shizusumi.
Whilst waiting for Given Season 2, there is also an upcoming original animation DVD (OAD) planned to be released on December 1, 2021. It is titled Given: Uragawa no Sonzai and will tell the “other side” story of Ritsuka and Mafuyu that was not included in the Given Movie.
The Plot of Given
The story mainly focuses on the love story between the members of a band named Given (previously called Seasons). The first arc of the story focuses on the love story between Mafuyu Satou and Ritsuka Uenoyama. It also follows the journey of the band’s formation and the events before their first live performance. These events are covered in the first season of the anime.
The second arc of the story focuses on the relationship between Akihiko Kaji and Haruki Nakayama, featuring Akihiko’s ex-boyfriend, Ugetsu Murata. It also follows the band’s preparation for their first ever music festival performance. This event is covered in Given Movie and Given: Uragawa no Sonzai.
The Casts of Given
Mafuyu Satou (Shougo Yano, who also played as Puora in The Seven Deadly Sins series)
Ritsuka Uenoyama (Yuuma Uchida who also played as Megumi Fushiguro in Jujutsu Kaisen)
Haruki Nakayama (Masatomo Nakazawa, who also played as Shuuichirou Sawaki in Wonder Egg Priority)
Akihiko Kaji (Takuya Eguchi, who also played as Hachiman Hikigaya in the Oregairu series)
Ugetsu Murata (Shintaro Asanuma, who also played as Nishiki Nishio in the Tokyo Ghoul series)
Hiiragi Kashima (Fumiya Imai, who also played as Roshie in One Punch Man)
Shizusumi Yagi (Taito Ban, who also played as Touzan Sasha in 86)
