I've always liked the brazen enthusiasm the Japanese employed in creating anime or manga series based on various sports, whether or not they actually have a preference for or are known for such activities. Which is why any sports themed series gets more than a good chance of getting included in my anime season picks. And the inclusion of Free! and Free! Eternal Summer was an easy decision to make when they aired over the last two summer seasons.
Once, there were four boys who raced in a swimming relay and won, creating wonderful memories of the sport they shared. Years later, Nanase Haruka refuses to swim, much to the confusion and worry of Tachibana Makoto and Hazuki Nagisa. They learn that the fourth member of their relay team, Matsuoka Rin, has returned from Australia where he has been training since their last race and is attending a different school. Rin shows animosity, particularly towards Haruka, and challenges him to race in the water. While Rin emerged from the challenge a victor yet unsatisfied about it, the encounter inspires Haruka to once again swim. Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa reform the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club, hoping to once again cross paths and compete with Rin.
When I started watching Free!, I immediately guessed the core audience that its creators wanted to capture. While there are a couple of female supporting characters, mainly Rin's sister Gou and club adviser Amakata Miho, the male characters are the showcase of the series. I don't think that it's a coincidence that Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, eventual teammate Ryugazaki Rei, and Rin (despite his weird shark teeth) are all designed to be good looking. And since the sport featured in the series is swimming, their bishounen level good looks are paired with some of the best animated physiques I've seen in a while. It's obvious that the artists paid particular attention to how the characters would look like in their swimwear. And with a predominantly male cast of characters who are way too good looking and sometimes have rather effeminate reactions, you can expect that there are BL (though never quite reaching yaoi levels) moments that can prompt certain audience members' imaginations to go on overdrive.
But Free! and its succeeding season Free! Eternal Summer are so much more than the eye candy they provide. The animators' efforts in drawing the swimmer's physiques does lend an air of believability to the boys' passion and talent for swimming. Their efforts further paid off in the action sequences of the boys in the water. If you were brought up watching sports anime produced in the 90s, this particular achievement in animation is something you would definitely appreciate. There are no weird (either excessive or sorely lacking) musculature and awkward movements to wince about here. Free! is gorgeous to watch, and I don't just mean the characters who traipse around in different swimming attire. While not a complete masterpiece, I can at least guarantee that the anime in its entirety is easy on the eyes.
Much like any sports anime, Free! and Free! Eternal Summer tells stories of triumphs and failures, and of conflict and finding peace or answers. Free! tackles the struggles of Haru, Makoto and Nagisa to rebuild the swim club and recruit new members, as well as the issue of Rin's animosity towards Haru and the others. While Free! Eternal Summer chronicles the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club members final year of swimming together, with Haru and Makoto facing graduation. Though not exactly original in storytelling themes, they serve the series well. The series can be heavy handed on the drama, prolonging certain conflicts and characters' stubbornness when the problems are not that hard to deal with. On the other hand, the series also features comedic elements, giving it the balance needed so that their problems don't grate on the audience's nerves. And whatever shortcomings they might have when it comes to the emotional narrative of the different characters becomes less of a focus when the characters actually get in the water and do what they love best... which is to swim.
Free! was a series I particularly enjoyed. While it might not be the best sports anime the past seasons has to offer, I would still say it's a definite must-watch.
Whether you're in it for the eye candy or not.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Anime, Free!, Must-Watch, Slice of Life, Sports, TV, TV Series
