BL Anime: Given Episode 9 Review

Given is a shounen ai anime from this season. It’s still airing and it’s one of the best Boys Love anime I’ve seen. It’s been a great show since the beginning, but episode 9 has been by far, the best episode yet. It was a whirlwind of emotions. It was heart-wrenching, yet so beautiful. The tears just wouldn’t stop when I watched this episode. I got goosebumps.

Synopsis: Mafuyu Sato has a difficult time expressing himself. He is bad with words and doesn’t understand his own feelings. He wants to learn how to play guitar and is able to when he meets Ritsuka Uenoyama, a boy who goes to the same high school as him. After hearing that Mafuyu can sing, Uenoyama invites Mafuyu to join his band, the seasons. The band is offered an opportunity to perform a live show. Mafuyu is given the challenge to write lyrics for a song composed by Uenoyama. However, he is struggling to write lyrics as he has his other stuff he needs to work on. With the live show approaching, will he be able to finish the lyrics on time?

He does – and the song went above and exceeded all my expectations. To understand the lyrics fully, you have to watch the show in its entirely. Yes, go watch Given. Even if you don’t understand everything because you haven’t seen the show, you can feel Mafuyu’s feelings in this song. Through music, he was finally able to express himself and say all the words he’s been wanting to say. It was a release of so many emotions at once, and I felt it.

If you do plan on watching Given, I don’t recommend watching the video because it contains spoilers.

Dropped – Hitorijime My Hero

Hitorijime My Hero is a shounen ai anime. I dropped it after episode 10, even though I almost completed it. There are 12 episodes in total.

The beginning was great, as we learn about the characters and their backstories. It was interesting to see the two couples form but it became boring afterwards. Episodes 9 and 10 were difficult to get through because I was so uninterested. While Masahiro’s concerns about his relationship with Kousuke were completely valid, the execution was poorly done because it made Masahiro an annoying character to watch.

Another problem I had with it is that this is a teacher-student romance. Masahiro is a high school student and his partner is his teacher. An under-age person dating an adult is common in Boys Love anime, as portrayed in Junjou Romantica and Super Lovers. I don’t support or like watching these types of relationships. =_=

At least Kensuke and Asaya’s relationship was cute. They are classmates, and they were the reason I started watching this anime. They are the second couple but don’t get as much screen time as the show progresses.

Overall, there wasn’t anything special about this anime.