Free! Movie 4: The Final Stroke - Zenpen

A disgruntled mess that will probably only be enjoyed if you actually like free!!.

Cons :
- The movie darts from plot point to plot point, from scene to scene, that coming up with a reasonable timeline for it is extremely difficult. One moment, we're in a school festival, the next Sydney where we're competing, and literally the next scene, we're back in Japan. The (main) story never lets itself breathe, and it becomes increasingly difficult to figure out what's going on with the multitude of smaller side plots - making the pacing both excruciatingly slow and extremely fast. A lot of the final act is ... just set up for part 2, ending at a moment equal parts camp, and terrible writing.

- To add on the previous point, way too many characters. Starting s3 the show starts to lose its balance when designating time to different characters, it's definitely worse here. So many small moments with other people of the main cast (Makoto, Sousuke and etc) could be cut out but can't because it's free!! and they need the characters to show up. It's better done in the tv show because the 87 minute time limit is ultimately one of the movies largest shortcomings.

- An issue that stems all the way from S3 is Albert's (and the english speakers) terrible voice delivery. It's similar to Squid Game in the way that the english barely sounds like actual people and more like what people assume english sounds like. Considering that the show was able to integrate the english speakers better in s2, I find it confusing how terrible Albert's voice is.

Pros :
- It's quite enjoyable to watch, and the comedic timing is still high up there. While Free!! isn't the most comical series out there, it's still a fun show to watch and I think the movie absolutely delivers on that part. I could pinpoint multiple times in the movie where the people in the theatre I went to laughed out loud.

- While there is a problem with the number of characters, there are so many good character interactions. I feel like the staff behind Free!! understand a huge part of the appeal of Free!! are the characters in the show; we see characters who barely interact in the TV series get full conversations that last a substantial chunk of time. These scenes really are the best part of the film.

- It really is just Free!! It has the same underlying homoerotic tendencies (that could still be read as just guys messing around) that all of the other films and seasons have, all the strange melodramatic conflicts, and all the moments that make you want to cringe. Free!! is like comfort food, sometimes it isn't the best but it's still nice to go back to, and this movie encapsulates that feeling super well.

Things to note :
- There is quite a fair usage of 3d animation, similar to the tv show. It isn't terribly blended into the 2d animation but it is noticeable. It took me out of the movie a little but it isn't too bad.

- The cinema I went to screened the film at a 21:9 aspect ratio, cutting out a large part of the frame. This kind of also impacted the way I felt towards this film as I could not see the whole screen fully.

- Something weird, and not necessarily a con, is that they added a flashback to a moment we have not seen before. Shown in the ten minute preview, Rin loses miserably to Kinjou. This moment kind of baffled me the first time I saw it, and I genuinely wonder why the writers chose to start the movie JUST before the Sydney competition, and not right where we left off last season. Moreover, so much of this movie is flashbacks. For a sequel to the Free! series, about 40% of the film is in flashbacks.

Overall, as a big fan of this series I think it suffers from being the first half of a two parter, needing to end on a hook to draw audiences back in. I really enjoyed it (very biased, I would give literally anything that comes out of this show a 10/10 *subjectively*) but there are so many issues that plague this movie.

The movie feels contradictory and confusing. It's a blender of ideas that are never fully developed, a film where there are too many characters who are also extremely fun to watch, and a film completely dependent on how much you actually care about a well written plot. If you are a fan of this series, it's still enjoyable to watch and I think it'll be much better when the second part comes out.

This first part of the final installment of the Free! series was really enjoyable!

It was so exciting to see the cast of characters again. To see what they are doing career and school-wise, and also to see them interacting as friends once more. From the characters hanging out in college and professional swimming competitions to those still in Iwatobi and Samezuka high schools. I was so satisfied throughout by how each character and each friendship got some screen time. The story jumped around a lot from person to person, feeling kind of like a TV episode, keeping you invested.

I was invested in how the ... boys' lives were progressing (especially with how Haru and Rin were faring in their ongoing swimming careers) the whole time. It all felt very natural and engaging. There was a good mix of happy, funny, heartfelt, and serious and contemplative tones (staying true to it being a slice of life anime).

The movie ended on a more dramatic note with a plot point that I assume will be sorted out in part 2.

The animation was pretty nice. Nothing crazy but they did do some short, artsy sequences. And I thought the backgrounds and colors were especially beautiful as always with Free!

I know I'm in the super minority when I say this but Free! is one of my all-time favorite anime, so those of you who hate it should step away now: I think it's getting better.

I understand the critiques people have about the pacing of the plot, but to be honest, this film covered a lot of important ground. The world stage where these characters are standing now is no short road to walk down, which is why it's taken so long to reach the point where Haru and the rest are at. Now, though, the concept of pulling these characters along tournament after tournament ... like it's been done before doesn't work. Everything is so high-level for them now that improvements are marginal if we only follow them to every meet. Speeding up the pacing, I think, is ultimately good to show the characters' bigger improvements.

And this film, more than any other installment, brought the drama. Oh, boy; this is the most intense Free! has ever been, but it wouldn't be as effective as it was without all the build-up it has behind it. Meaning, if you haven't watched Free! in a long time, the drama of this film might not hit as well. That being said, the events of this film are situated so nicely within the greater context of Free!, and I think that made quite the impact when the film reached its climax.

Lots of big character developments happened in this film, but as I said, to me, that's a good thing here where it wouldn't have been before. These characters are moving forward toward incredible goals, and that means that their development is likely to be more sudden and even erratic than it has been before. I think, though, that this film pulls the intensity off as well as it does because of those changes.

The plot itself, admittedly, was a bit concentrated. It was mostly a film just to reach the climax, and not a whole lot was explored within the rest of it, which isn't how Free! typically is. But I understand that, this being the second to last installment in the franchise, honing in on major plot points is more important than fluffing characters that have, admittedly, been fluffed enough. I still think the raw emotion and character relationships were executed perfectly, though.

I'm excited to finish this installment, though I feel like it's a given that it won't have a concrete ending. Hopefully, these characters will want to and be able to swim on a world stage forever. The best I can hope for is that everyone is happy by the end of it, so I'm pumped to see how it all ends.