Given – Episode 8

‘Time is running out’ is such an ominous title.
Like, i know it means time to write the song and perform at the live show, but like nothing good comes to mind when you read a title like this. The tone of the episode generally reflects the sense of dread from the title as well, a majority of the episode is done in dark colors. In the rain, to really set the mood.

The major focus of the episode though is Mafuyu and his relationship with Yuki. Hiiragi comes to talk to him, and you know, for a majority of this series. I really haven’t known what to think about Hiiragi, there was something about him up until this episode that kind of put me on edge. Something about him that I just didn’t trust. Well, I was wrong. Because honestly, he’s just a friend that is feeling a lot of regret.
Sometimes, there are things in our lives that we wish we could of done or wish we could of said. He knew about the relationship between Yuki and Mafuyu, he knew about a lot of things and he should of stepped in to help both of his friends a little sooner.
He wants to be forgiven, by anyone, but mostly by Mafuyu. I can genuinely understand where he’s coming from and can sympathize. I’m glad to see that he is a less antagonistic character then I first pegged him for.

On top of the scenes with Hiiragi in the present day, we get some backstory about him, Mafuyu, Yuki and uh…guy who’s name escaped me. I’ll learn it later, how they grew up together. They did everything together, but mostly, Yuki and Mafuyu were inseparable. Two halves of the same whole, each one having what the other one is missing.
I’m not sure if this is supposed to come off as romantic, but to me, it mostly came off as oddly co-dependant.
Which, basically get’s proven to me when after a fight that Hiiragi describes as ‘run of the mil’, the kind that ‘everyone has’ creates a small rift between Yuki and Mafuyu. Mafuyu comes to find Yuki dead, presumably from alcohol poisoning two days later.

Between this and another piece of information this episode casually dumps on us, i can’t blame Mafuyu for being as emotionally stunted and shut off as he is.
The part near the end of the episode, with a young Yuki and young Mafuyu. “Dad hits me when I talk.”, woah, hold up anime. That’s not exactly the kind of information  you drop casually at the end of an episode. Well, i’m not sure how much that will work into the story at all, but it certainly explains a few things about Mafuyu as a character.

Now, in the present day. The live show approaches and they still don’t have lyrics, Mafuyu doesn’t sing at all during the rehearsal and the band is tense. Ritsuka says that they can just do the song next time, that they’ve always been an instrumental band and that this is fine. Mafuyu gets mad at him for giving up and they start to argue, Mafuyu is clutching his guitar and snaps one of the strings and that’s where the episode wraps up. A loud “FU-” escapes my mouth as I wonder what this means for the band and the performance.
Can they restring the guitar? Can Mafuyu sing? Will Ritsuka stop being dumb about his feelings? We’ll have to see.

Also, once again, special call out to Ueki for being amazing. He never fails to make me smile, writing ‘basketball’ on his study paper for exams and laying draped across his desk is honestly the ultimate mood.