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Free! Anime Review: Emotional Swimming With The Boys.

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Title: Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club

Episodes: 12

Genres: Sports, School

Studio: Kyoto Animation, Animation Do

Year: 2013

Source: Original

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I was a beginner anime enthusiast in 2013. Hetalia, Black Butler, Haikyuu, Kuroko no Basket, and more. Maybe it was the popularity, maybe I just didn't give a fuck about swimming, but I was almost avoiding Free!. And all for naught. Now I see my own shortsightedness. Because sometimes popular is good. In rare instances, but sometimes is still not never. So I do have to confess that I kind of love Free!. It's silly, it's cringe, it's friendship, it's beautiful. 

The Good

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Utsumi Hiroko, I will follow you to the ends of the earth. Free! is instantly captivating. I really can't tell why. This is something that happened to me with Sk8. Technically, on paper, everything about these shows should put me off. Cringe-y dialogue, over the top reactions, cheesy character interactions, ridiculous colour combinations, and idealistic and nearly childish motivations. A lot of the humour doesn't even land. Still, in practice none of those things damper my enjoyment of anything Utsumi Hiroko has touched. 

  P.S. It's water time, bitch.

I appreciate a good build-up. I never felt that Free! dragged too long or had too much filler. Only Rei's part about Rin felt a little forced but still ended in a very satisfying conclusion when the old team got together only to get disqualified. 

  P.S. I too, fucking love baths.

I also usually dislike the monotone type that is Haruka but his arc was actually very thoughtful. He's withdrawn but still aches for a connection to his friends. In fact, I was wondering if I could understand the real point of competitive sports as a person who isn't competitive at all. Call me a gracious loser. Glory, rewards, fame, accomplishment. But I imagine if I was on a team, the emotion of being on the world's biggest stage, giving the best performance anyone has ever seen in synchronization with people just like me would be superior to anything else. Putting that trust into others and having that trust put into you is an experience only some of us see on the daily.

  P.S. This guy would love curling. It's the MOST beautiful sport.

Rei grew on me, especially when his goofier side came out during his detective bit. He's also taking it rather well when it becomes more obvious that he's the odd one out. Couldn't be me, I just silently exit friendships where this dynamic happens. To be fair, Haru and Co. are not that bad about it but it would still be too much for me to handle.

  P.S. Homo-erotically rolling around with the homies in a fight (they wronged me!!).

Rin is an edgy little bitch and a great parallel, rival, love interest, whatever you wanna cal it etc. to Haru. Drama. It's what we live for. His ending, finally allowed to show joy and excitement with his old friends, felt so earned. Every aggression, every brush-off, and moment of unbridled angst broke him down just a little more to finally be vulnerable enough to swim with everyone else. 

  P.S. I just cannot do it again... the Honey of it all...

Nagisa is probably the weakest of the five just because he's the comedic relief with not a lot else (so far). Still, he is the catalyst behind a lot of what the swim club gets up to. I can respect that.

I hope Gou gets a little more going on for her besides worrying about her brother in the future because she feels a little bland otherwise.

  P.S. Perfect character. No notes.

Now, I always save best for last. My favorite character has to be Makoto. I know, I'm a sucker for the himbo-esque archetype. Especially when the kindness factor is elevated. He's a guy who doesn't bother others with his worries to his own detriment, as seen in the island episode. Certified older sibling behavior. I'm just a sucker for pretense of normalcy that these characters hide behind their kind demeanor. I don't mean that they're lying about being nice, just that it's the default mask even when things are sour. Matakara from Bucchigiri?! is a lot like this too and he is one of my faves.

The Bad

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I don't have much to criticize here. Sure there is a lot of dumb dialogue, pep talks, and jokes that just aren't funny. But honestly that just comes with a lot of anime territory in general. I was excited to watch the next episode as soon as I was done with one that maybe I'm being kind of biased but I don't think Free! has many outstanding flaws. Yeah, it's pretty queer-bait-y but it was a time when you took what you can get. Plus we got fanfiction and doujins for a reason. To correct the mistakes of our forefathers, god bless.

  P.S. Flop-less. Stunning. Masterpiece.

I'm giving Free! the Highest Recommendation Badge. It deserves it. Go watch it, just guys being dudes... what's better than that...

The Score

 Story: A. Just a good underdog sports story. Give me a thousand. I'm never getting sick of them. Free! spices things up with a lot of unearthed drama from childhood, extra points.

Characters: A+. Characters carry a show, at least for me. I found the cast fun, intriguing, and believable. Everyone had their reasons to be there and I appreciate characters that feel like people.

Style: A-. I usually don't like the KyoAni style, it's blobby and boring. But Free! has fun and distinct characters. I love Makoto's dumb little face, sorry.

Pacing: A+. Excellent pacing, I flew through the episodes.

Animation: A. To be honest, on average, the animation is just fine. But it's so elevated in the swimming scenes that it just deserves praise.

Music: A. Great OP, fun ED but I found the visuals more appealing than the music. Surprisingly, I found the OST to be the highlight, especially the tune with the airy singing.

Final Score: A. I can see why this was such a beloved show and continues to have a massive fan base.

More Reading . . .

Free! Eternal Summer [xx/xx/xx].

High☆Speed!: Free! Starting Days [xx/xx/xx].

Free! Take Your Marks [xx/xx/xx].

Free! Dive to the Future [xx/xx/xx].

Free! Movie 4: The Final Stroke - Zenpen [xx/xx/xx].

Free! Movie 5: The Final Stroke - Kouhen [xx/xx/xx].

SK8 The Infinity Review [xx/xx/xx].

Banana Fish Review [xx/xx/xx]. 

Bucchigiri?! Review [30/07/24].