Gifted

The anime's central theme isn't about the "path to glory," but about how people learn to cope with grief, talk about their feelings, and accept support. Music is a healing tool here: it gives form to what's almost impossible to express in words.
Important motives:
Farewell to loss. Mafuyu learns to live with the memory of Yuki, not allowing it to completely define his future. Finding his voice. This is both literal (Mafuyu's voice as a unique instrument) and metaphorical (the ability to speak about what's important).
Friendship and acceptance. The group becomes a safe space for each student, where they can be vulnerable and not fear judgment.

Live performances become key moments in the story. For Mafuyu, each performance is a way to relive his loss and gradually let go. His voice and lyrics (which he eventually begins to write) act as an emotional release not only for him but also for the other band members: they learn to recognize each other's pain and support them without trying to "fix" it. The band gradually finds its sound, and their concert videos begin to gain views online. This leads to them being noticed and invited to larger venues, including an amateur music festival—an important milestone where the band performs in front of a large audience for the first time.

The band begins rehearsing regularly, choosing arrangements, and preparing for their first performances. Along the way, each member's personal arcs unfold: Ritsuka rediscovers music: by helping Mafuyu, he regains his joy in playing and begins to better understand his own feelings. Haruki Nakayama is a good-natured and responsible bassist who tries to support everyone and smooth over rough edges. He worries about growing up and how to balance music with real life. Akihiko Kaji is the drummer, the oldest member of the group (he's already a student). He has his own difficulties in his personal life and relationships, and he becomes something of an older friend for the guys, who doesn't lecture them, but simply shows them that even adults can have doubts and make mistakes. The band faces typical challenges for aspiring musicians: finding their sound, organizing rehearsals, and their first concerts in small venues. But more important than the "everyday" difficulties is how music becomes a language in which the characters learn to communicate the most difficult things.

It gradually becomes clear that Mafuyu's guitar belonged to Yuki, his close friend and ex-boyfriend, who committed suicide. For Mafuyu, this guitar and music are the only way to hold on to his memories while simultaneously coping with guilt and emptiness. Meanwhile, he can't write lyrics: the words get stuck, and he can't express his grief with familiar phrases. A breakthrough comes when Mafuyu sings a song he composed as a farewell to Yuki for the first time at rehearsal. This song becomes an emotional touchstone for the entire band: it demonstrates how powerful his voice can be while simultaneously making Mafuyu's vulnerability visible to the others.

The story centers on Ritsuka Uenoyama, a high school student and talented electric guitarist. Music used to be everything to him, but by the beginning of the series, he's burned out: rehearsals feel routine, and the joy of playing has vanished. He plays in a band with bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji. Ritsuka accidentally runs into Mafuyu Sato, a quiet, withdrawn guy from a different class, who barely communicates with anyone. Mafuyu constantly carries around an old guitar with broken strings. Ritsuka fixes it, then, at Mafuyu's request, begins to slowly teach him how to play. One day, he hears Mafuyu sing and is amazed: the boy's voice is so full of pain and sincerity that it literally changes Ritsuka's perception of him. He invites Mafuyu to become the vocalist for their band.