Given

Given

Japanese original

ギヴン (Given)

Natsuki Kizu

A guitarist who has lost his spark agrees to fix a classmate's broken strings and ends up with a singer for his band.

Format
manga
Volumes
9 plus 10th Mix in English

Track record Adapted as a TV anime in 2019, a film in 2020 that topped Japan's mini-theater chart for five straight weeks, a live-action drama in 2021 and two more films in 2024. Source: Wikipedia

Our take

A boy carrying a guitar he cannot play and a grief he cannot put into words joins a band. A music manga that is also one of the best first-love stories in BL. If you came from the anime, start here.

On the Essentials Shelf

Synopsis

Uenoyama finds Mafuyu asleep on a stairwell, holding a guitar he cannot play. He teaches him, hears him sing and pulls him into the band with bassist Haruki and drummer Akihiko. Mafuyu's voice comes from a loss he has not been able to talk about. The epilogue volume, Given 10th Mix, shows the band ten years on and is listed on the same publisher page.

Good to know before you buy

  • Also adapted: Anime series and films.

Where to read

Own the books

Manga

English publisher: SuBLime (VIZ).

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Tropes

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