So as this is an ask and so i am gonna keep this short but also make my own posts, but do you get the vibe that the yuki, mafayu and ugetsu aki and haruki mirror each other ? like in the middle of each couple is someone who is worshipped , on one side is someone who can't fully devote because music becomes a sort of another god , they each have a token ( haru's hair and yuki's guitar which to me in ways are both qn entrapment, ) there is uncontrolled or overfilling desire on the other side and then there is the casting out of one's self in the middle and maybe the pull of music being fun on one end and haunting on the other and characters that defined as kind but are just as messy and changing as the other?
I am also on my phone and at work so who knows of this makes any sense at all.
Fantastic observation! You touched on a question that I was about to make into a meta anyway! I get what you mean by push and pull so I’m going to try and break it down.
Mirrors in Given headcanons EXPLAINED
There is absolutely this idolisation that occurs in Yuki/Mafuyu/Ue and Ugetsu/Akihiko/Haruki. And you’re absolutely right, no one in Given is perfect but they all demonstrate a flawed love, a human love.
Kizu highlights in Given that
Music is a space where characters' true authentic selves are unveiled.
Yuki and Ugetsu are both incredibly depressed bois so rather that music is seen as some form of god, to them I think it's more an emotional outlet/therapy otherwise holding in all the pain and dark thoughts become too much.
Music is used to process their depression and because they want to uphold this facade of "being perfect and ok" (Yuki) or "being nonchalant and happy" (Ugetsu), they want to hide their music away from their SO.
They don't want that facade to come down because they are ENMESHED with their respective partner's emotional wellbeing. Yuki wants Mafuyu to have all the best "firsts" and bring perfect songs to him while Ugetsu's music has already been heard by Akihiko, therefore he says that he cannot freely express himself knowing how much it is hurting Akihiko. (As Akihiko can hear his pain) Due to wanting to uphold a facade while at the same time being enmeshed with their partner's emotions, they both feel like they have to CHOOSE music OR their partner.
Triangulation (coined by Murray Bowen) is something subconsciously practised by Akihiko and Mafuyu.
Pyschologist Murray Bowen suggests that
"a dyad (a two-person relationship) is the most basic of all human relationships — but that it is also the most unstable. Bowen said that a dyad is the most unstable of all human relationships because when two persons are at odds with each other, they tend to triangle (i.e., hook in) in a third person in order to stabilise the dyad relationship and receive emotional support from that third person. He called this process triangulation."
Both Mafuyu and Akihiko wanted to pierce through the facades of Yuki and Ugetsu and get to know the real them but needed the emotional support of a third person in order to help diminish the pain of their broken hearts as they go about their healing processes.
Mafuyu absolutely started music in order to get to know Yuki better and accidentally "triangled" Uenoyama
Akihiko accepted Haruki's invitation to join the Seasons in order to escape and spite Ugetsu but accidentally "triangled" Haruki
It is interesting to note that Yuki idolized Mafuyu to some extent because he feels the need to remain perfect around Mafuyu. Yuki only seems perfect because he was putting on a facade but we gotta remember that we get most of our info about Yuki through Hiiragi, who idolized Yuki. However, it is important to note that because Yuki died, Mafuyu can't help but be completely haunted by Yuki.
While in Akigetsu, it's Akihiko who idolised Ugetsu, however Ugetsu is incredibly emotionally enmeshed with Akihiko, hence Akihiko's pain causes him pain. Basically idolisation or not, MafuYuki and Akigetsu are enmeshed with each other as for all parties involved, it's the overwhelming flood of first love that causes this enmeshment. So I will represent idolisation with a coloured <> symbol and enmeshment will be represented with a non-coloured <> symbol.
They then unknowingly fell in love with the third person that they "triangled" into their broken dyads. But Mafuyu and Akihiko keep their new love interest at an emotional distance in order to hide their broken hearts because they are scared that the third person will abandon them.
Mafuyu started liking and dating Uenoyama but Mafuyu is still healing from Yuki therefore hides his songwriting processes from Ue, afraid that Ue is going to leave him (in the manga/not as much in the OVA).
Akihiko started liking Haruki but Akihiko upholds a facade (subconsciously) in order to ensure that Haruki won't abandon him.
Both Mafuyu and Akihiko have an amplified fear of abandonment due feeling abandoned by their exes and due to being raised in broken family structures.
Triangulation is evident because the moment that Haruki and Ue seem to waver their emotional support and potentially abandon them, Mafuyu and Akihiko both get incredibly triggered. i.e Ch 9 and Ch 19 respectively. ALSO it's interesting to point out that when Akihiko witnessed Mafuyu in Ch9 getting triggered and angry at Ue for seemingly losing faith in him, isn't it fascinating that Akihiko immediately says to Haruki, "Thanks for saving me" because up till that point in the story, Haruki's emotional support has been unwavering for Akihiko. So that's why he gets so upset in Ch 19 when he is triggered at the possibility of Haruki leaving him.
Keeping up a facade obviously is not healthy because eventually that pain seeps through and the facade cracks, causing more pain and destruction for the individual in question and the person they have 'triangled'.
BTW please don't mistake me listing all this to show that they are bad people because they absolutely are not. All I am saying is that they are flawed and subconsciously reacting to reality through a lens of trauma and familial abandonment.
Ue and Haruki are both that "third person" that have been acquired to stabilise the dyad and provide emotional support for Mafuyu and Akihiko. They also come from stable family structures which plays a huge part into why they are attracted to healing the broken bois, Akihiko and Mafuyu.
Kizu's been hinting that they are both emotional 'servers' to Mafuyu and Akihiko since the beginning HOLY SHIT.
Both Ue and Haruki were, to some extent, haunted by the omnipresence of their crush's exes, Yuki and Ugetsu respectively. And yes you’re right, even though they embody kindness, they are flawed human beings and respond to the rough patches of their relationships very differently:
Ue, even though he is more grounded in himself, he is dealing with amplified jealousy so he responds by desperately trying to reach Mafuyu through music then playing support for SYH in order to know more about Mafuyu's past, blinded by the fact it’s feeding into Mafuyu’s sense of abandonment up until Ch 43.
Haruki, who has comparatively lower self-esteem, responded by running away to play support for another band then pulling further away when he feared that Akihiko's passionate violin performance might be motivated by Ugetsu in Ch28.
Character's (initial) Romantic Idolisation:
Ugetsu <> Akihiko <> Haruki
Haruki did idolise Akihiko due to his low self-esteem. Akihiko also idolised Haruki because in his eyes, Haruki is someone sought after by everyone while he himself is undesirable. @raine-kai wrote the fantastic post on this (and it's linked here). Akihiko also upheld a facade around Haruki which started to crack after the first-live show and upon Ugetsu's return to Japan.
Ue doesn't idolise Mafuyu but for Ue, this is his first relationship, so his feelings of love and jealousy are more amplified and him blaming himself for Mafuyu's emotional wellbeing is also amplified so I'm representing that with a non-coloured ">". Mafuyu although doesn't idolise Ue, is carrying part of his trauma into the new relationship and may feel musically inadequate to Ue, especially since lately he feels like he can't sing so he is being hesitant towards wanting to rehearse with Ue so I'm also representing that with a non-coloured ">"
Character's (initial) priorities with love and music:
Yuki prioritised Mafuyu, but to uphold facade without being able to process his pain, he unfortunately did the what he did.
Ugetsu prioritised music to process his pain but couldn't fully let go of Akihiko
Mafuyu wants to get know Yuki better and chose music as a means to do that
Akihiko wants to escape and spite Ugetsu and chose contemporary music as a means to do that
Ue prioritised Mafuyu, putting his own needs and wants in music on the backend in order to reach Mafuyu until it reached a breaking point by the end of Ch43 T_T
Haruki prioritised Akihiko from the start and chose music as a way to start the band and STILL PRIORITISED the emotional wellbeing of Akihiko post ch20 incident
I hope this breakdown helps explain the "haunting" of music (Yuki and Ugetsu) on one side and the "casting out of oneself in the middle" (Mafuyu and Akihiko) and the "pull of music being fun" but ultimately their love of music currently is motivated by the love they feel for their SOs (Ue and Haruki).
But I also want to talk about something even more fascinating...
Cross Mirrors between the two trios
1) Mafuyu, Yuki and Ugetsu are 🎶MUSICAL MIRRORS 🎶 because Mafuyu also realises that he can use music as an emotional outlet/therapy (thanks to Ue). They are somewhat all deemed "musical geniuses" in Given by other characters. Because they are all musical mirrors who uses music to express relieve their emotions, that's why Ugetsu immediately sensed Mafuyu as another like-minded lonely "genius" and immediately got along with him.
2) Akihiko and Ue are 🎶MUSICAL MIRRORS 🎶and ❤️ROMANTIC MIRRORS ❤️ because their main passion for life is music as they both found music fun as kids and then lost the passion partway through. They still feel like they have to CHOOSE music or their partner because their lack of progress and passion in music leads to depression. That's why Akihiko was so depressed because by staying with Ugetsu, he lost his passion for music by comparing himself to Ugetsu but also feeling sad for Ugetsu as he saw how much pain Ugetsu was in through watching him play.
But now, Akihiko and Haruki see each other as equals (YAYYYY) because the facades are broken down when they lived together for a few months. Akihiko isn't ESCAPING with music but LOVING music again through spending time with Haruki and Haruki realises that Akihiko isn't a genius but has to put in EFFORT to play music well.
The Triangulation between Ugetsu/Akihiko/Haruki is dissolving.
However, I'm pretty sure Ue was depressed right before meeting Mafuyu so it was Mafuyu that made him REGAIN his passion for music. Ue has made Mafuyu synonymous with music and his core drive for life. But just like Akihiko is with Ugetsu, Ue is both moved and hurt by Mafuyu’s music. Mafuyu's ongoing hesitation and seemingly rejecting music is now causing Ue lots of pain in the most recent arc as he feels like Mafuyu is rejecting him as a person in Chapter 43.
5) Ugetsu, Mafuyu, Akihiko and Haruki 💥REACTIONARY MIRRORS💥 because all 4 of them resort to some sort of "flight mode" and running away when things get difficult.
They are therefore also💥REACTIONARY FOILS💥to Ue, who is amazing at admitting his mistakes, being truthful about his feelings and tries to resolve most issues head-on. Hint hint ch44
6) Yuki and Ue are 💥REACTIONARY FOILS 💥because although both Yuki and Ue share an intense and enmeshed love for Mafuyu, Yuki's need to uphold a a facade highlights the honesty and openness of Ue.
A partner's idolisation of their SO is stemmed from their depression and/or low-self esteem but due to first love and trauma, enmeshment can be just as intense for characters who don't idolise their partners.
STILL NOW: Yuki <> Mafuyu <> Ue
NOW: Ugetsu = Akihiko = Haruki
Akigestu mirrors MafuYuki in romance ❤️as they are both childhood friends turned into lovers dealing with broken hearts and being in love with someone who upheld a facade of some sort.
Akiharu mirrors Mafuyama in romance ❤️broken bois going through a process of healing with their SO who they accidentally ‘triangled’ into their lives.
Mafuyu and Akihiko are different people tho because Mafuyu uses music as an emotional outlet while the Akihiko's passion is music, therefore they need different people in their next relationship to fulfil those different parts of them.
AKIgestu mirrors MafuYAMA in music 🎶 and romance ❤️
Music is both Akihiko and Uenoyama's CORE PASSION FOR LIFE. They are emotionally enmeshed with Mafuyu and Ugetsu who use music to process their depression/trauma hence Aki and Ue can hear the pain in their partner's music and in turn it damages their passion for music. These relationships are Akihiko's and Ue's overwhelming experiences of first love.
So while Mafuyu is trying to figure out his trauma and what music means to him, it's painful for Ue who misinterprets Mafuyu's response to music as Mafuyu's inability to be happy and satisfied being with Ue.
Symbolism of Boxes in Given
Kizu-sensei even made the boxes in Given symbolic AF (this pic is also the cover of Ch 4). Boxes represent the burden of falling in love with a depressed musical "genius" who seems emotionally distant.
Akihiko fell in love with Ugetsu, depressed musical "genius" who upheld a facade.
Mafuyu fell in love with Yuki, depressed musical "genius" who upheld a facade.
Uenoyama fell in love with Mafuyu, musical "genius" who is keeping emotional distance because he's still grieving and processing trauma.
That's why the box in Ch 14 is Akihiko passing the "burden" to Mafuyu who needs to process his trauma in order to move on. But Mafuyu finds it too hard and too heavy so Uenoyama steps in and carries it for him, saying
But the question now is, is the burden too heavy for Ue as well? (Ch 40, Akihiko says it might be too much for 17 years olds to handle 🤭🤭🤭)
It's interesting to note that Akihiko can relate to Mafuyu and Uenoyama from both a ❤️ romantic and 🎶musical point of view.
Responding to the part of your question where you suggested Yuki’s guitar and Haruki’s hair are tokens of of entrapment, I sort of agree but I feel like their respective symbolisms operate differently.
Haruki’s hair is a symbol of hopeful love, that one day Akihiko would ask him out. The hair isn’t exclusive to Haruki, as in Ch12, we saw Yayoi cut off her hair because she realised Akihiko was in love with someone else and right after Haruki cut his hair in Ch21, Haruki makes note that Mafuyu grew out his bangs. So hair is a token of growing love rather than a Haruki-specific ‘entrapment’ per say.
Yuki’s guitar on the other hand is a dual symbolism to represent Mafuyu’s identity-crisis with music where he can’t figure out if he’s playing/avoiding music because he can’t move on from Yuki or if he is trying to find his self-expression and purpose. I think Yuki's guitar, rather than a token of 'entrapment', functions more like a double-edged sword.
If we are talking about a similar token to Yuki's guitar, I would say that Akihiko's violin also acts as a dual symbolism. Akihiko's main drive was violin until Ugetsu came along and he started to lose his passion for music. So in the end when Akihiko became more serious about the violin, it's because he wants to become a "man with passion and purpose for life" before asking Haruki out BUT ALSO to stay connected with both himself and Ugetsu through music.
That's eventually where I think Mafuyu will end up, stay connected with Yuki and himself through music but live in the present on stage with Uenoyama.
I hope I covered everything in your ASK!
Also, Shizuragi are cross mirrors to Akigetsu and I cover that in detail if you're interested to do further reading. They are also cross mirrors to Mafuyama and Akiharu in many ways and I will cover that in later posts!
There is another really great post @anonknown that touches on the headcanon parallels as well, interesting interpretations!!
If you like what you read, all I post is Given analysis content! Give my blog a follow to be notified of future posts! #metapotato
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