English Dub Review: Given: The Movie
After a chance encounter with the singer Mafuyu Sato, Ritsuka Uenoyama’s passion for music was reignited. Their band, Given, is on the path to greatness just as Mafuyu begins to question if he should be the group’s singer. After declining Ritsuka’s invitation to a concert in Shibuya, Mafuyu runs into an old friend. Could this be the sign Mafuyu needs to step up to the microphone once more?
On the technical side, many of the key staff members from the original Given Anime series returned for the Given Movie, helping preserve the series’ established tone and presentation. The film was once again animated by Lerche, with production overseen by Blue Lynx. Hikaru Yamaguchi returns to direct the film, while Yuniko Ayana reprised her role as screenwriter and series composer. Character designer Mina Ōsawa also returned, alongside sound director Hiromi Kikuta and composer MICHIRU. The Opening Theme: Kizuato was performed and composed by Centimillimental, while the Ending Theme: “Marutsuke” was performed by the in-universe band Given, with vocals by Mafuyu’s Japanese voice actor, Shogo Yano.
Following directly after Season One, Given The Movie shifts the spotlight away from Mafuyu and Uenoyama and instead focuses on Akihiko, Haruki, and Ugetsu. While I appreciated the decision to explore the older cast and tackle more mature themes, this storyline ended up being my least favorite part of the franchise. The film delves into complicated relationships, emotional dependency, and unresolved feelings, offering a darker and more adult perspective than the television series. Although the premise is compelling and the characters remain well-written, I found myself far less invested in this arc than I was in the story surrounding Mafuyu and Uenoyama.
A major issue throughout the film is the constant lack of communication between its central characters. Akihiko, Haruki, and Ugetsu all struggle to be honest about what they truly want, leading to misunderstandings that could have been avoided with greater emotional transparency. While this creates drama and tension, it also becomes frustrating because so many of the characters’ problems stem from conversations they never have. Haruki remained the character I sympathized with the most, while Akihiko and Ugetsu often felt trapped in a cycle of poor decisions and emotional avoidance.
The film’s most controversial moment significantly affected my enjoyment of the story. Without going into spoilers, a particular scene involving Akihiko and Haruki left me disappointed with how their relationship was handled. Rather than strengthening the romance, it introduced an uncomfortable element that felt unnecessary and was resolved far too quickly. Because the fallout receives limited attention, the emotional payoff of their eventual relationship never fully landed for me. Combined with the film’s short runtime, several important developments feel rushed, making Akihiko’s growth and redemption less convincing than they could have been.
From a production standpoint, the movie remains visually appealing and emotionally expressive. The animation may not be a major leap from the television series, but it effectively captures the characters’ emotions through strong facial expressions and subtle visual storytelling. A few CG moments stand out, though they never become distracting. The voice acting is excellent across the board, particularly during the film’s more dramatic scenes, and the soundtrack continues to be one of the franchise’s greatest strengths. While I don’t think the musical performances reach the same emotional heights as “Fuyu no Hanashi,” the songs are still memorable and perfectly complement the themes of love, loss, and moving forward.
Overall, Given Movie is a worthwhile continuation that expands the focus beyond the main couple and explores more mature themes, but it falls short of the emotional impact and careful storytelling that made the original series so memorable. The strong voice acting, compelling character drama, and excellent music help carry the film, yet the rushed pacing and handling of certain plot developments keep me from giving it a higher rating. And Akihiko and Haruki’s story deserved more time to breathe with a more satisfying resolution. For some unexplained licensing issue, the physical Blu-Ray release has the English Dub, yet Crunchyroll is currently incapable of streaming that version despite being the publisher of the dub themselves. Despite my criticisms, there is still plenty here for fans of Given to appreciate, particularly if you’re interested in seeing the next chapter of these characters’ journeys.
