Given by Natsuki Kizu tells a story of grief, forgiveness and acceptance. Protagonist Mafuyu Sato’s life is struck with tragedy after his boyfriend, Yuki Yoshida, passes away after committing suicide. The story begins approximately half a year after Yuki’s death. Since his passing, Mafuyu has carried Yuki’s guitar with him everywhere.
With its broken strings and Mafuyu’s complete lack of musical knowledge, the guitar hasn’t been played since Yuki’s departure. However, Mafuyu then meets guitar prodigy Ritsuka Uenoyama, who fixes the guitar and lights a spark within him. What Mafuyu hasn’t been able to process or express before is now possible thanks to the new love he finds through Ritsuka. Mafuyu’s same-sex attraction adds a crucial element to the story that wouldn’t be there without it.
Mafuyu Sato and Yuki Yoshida's Relationship in Given
There are many reasons why Mafuyu has struggled to open up in the past. The day Mafuyu met Yuki Yoshida was when he was hiding in his yard. At the time, Mafuyu and Yuki were neighbors and Yuki stumbled upon him. After discovering that Mafuyu’s father was abusive, Yuki did everything in his power to step up and protect his new friend. Despite their different personalities, Yuki and Mafuyu got along quite well. Together, the two discovered what love was. However, even if their love was strong, the need to keep their romance a secret was dire due to their same-sex attraction.
When it came to issues between Mafuyu and Yuki, they had to figure them out together or ignore them completely. Even their parents and friends weren’t made explicitly aware of their bond. After Yuki’s death, Mafuyu was left to deal with the trauma of losing the love of his life all on his own. In fact, Mafuyu blames himself for Yuki’s passing since their last interaction involved a heated argument. He was used to keeping his feelings -- both the good and the bad -- hidden from everyone but Yuki. Now, without Yuki there, Mafuyu only has himself. It isn’t until Mafuyu meets Ritsuka Uenoyama that he is able to process what he's been going through and find a way to let out his emotions.
How Mafuyu Sato Learns From Ritsuka Uenoyama
Mafuyu holds onto Yuki's guitar wherever he goes, despite the broken strings that dangle from it. Ritsuka finds Mafuyu cradling the guitar and is taken aback by the condition it’s in, not understanding how someone could own such a nice guitar yet not take care of it. Thanks to Ritsuka's skills, he changes out the strings for a new set he has with him. With Yuki’s old guitar and Ritsuka's new strings, Mafuyu begins his journey to find his voice. It only takes Mafuyu begging Ritsuka a few too many times to convince the prodigy to teach him how to play.
At first, Ritsuka pushes Mafuyu away because he doesn’t want the responsibility of teaching a beginner how to play the guitar. He has more important things on his mind, such as his part-time jobs and practicing with his band. However, after hearing Mafuyu sing for the first time, Ritsuka insists on helping the boy with his playing and having Mafuyu join his band. Mafuyu’s voice is one of the first things that help Ritsuka realize the reason he was pushing Mafuyu away. Once he learns of Mafuyu’s past relationship and the fact that Mafuyu loved another man, he pieces everything together, finally acknowledging that he has feelings for Mafuyu and that he is jealous that another man received the love he himself has been desperate for. A new relationship forms between Mafuyu and Ritsuka shortly after their first performance, where Mafuyu takes a major step. He is done with feeling misunderstood and sings the story of his lost love to the crowd.
What makes Given’s story so impactful is the way Mafuyu is able to process his ex-boyfriend’s passing through love and passion. Thanks to friends both new and old, Mafuyu discovers music and how he is able to express his emotions through lyricism. With his bandmates pushing him to write what he feels and Ritsuka's growing love for him, Mafuyu finds a way to open up about his grief. Without his relationship with Ritsuka, Mafuyu would never have found the opportunity to let the world know his true self.