given
Music · Romance · Drama · Slice of Life
✦given begins when Mafuyu asks classmate Uenoyama to repair his Gibson guitar and teach him to play, leading to a rehearsal with Uenoyama's band.
Synopsis
Ritsuka Uenoyama finds classmate Mafuyu Sato asleep on a school stairwell holding a Gibson guitar with broken strings. After criticizing the instrument's condition, he repairs it and is promptly asked for lessons. Uenoyama plays in a band but has lost some excitement for music. Mafuyu knows almost nothing about guitar, though one sound suggests he may bring something else to rehearsal.
Mafuyu carries an expensive guitar he cannot play. Uenoyama, a bored young guitarist, fixes its strings and reluctantly agrees to teach him. Practice leads Mafuyu toward Uenoyama's band, where bassist Haruki and drummer Akihiko complete the room. Awkward lessons become a space for music and attraction to emerge before either is easy to name.
given starts with rusty guitar strings on a school staircase and makes that tiny repair feel like a door opening! Uenoyama has the skill but no spark, while Mafuyu has almost no technique and a voice that stops the rehearsal room cold. Watching chords become communication is the whole thrill. Every hesitant practice carries more feeling than a polished speech could hold.
The early silences can test patience, and Mafuyu's passivity initially makes Uenoyama carry most scenes. The music gives those pauses structure. A broken Gibson brings the boys together, lessons create repeated contact, and the band offers a practical reason for Mafuyu to find his voice. Attraction develops through tuning and rehearsal, so intimacy has work attached to it rather than decorative sentiment.