Oct 3, 2013
I don't know about you guys, but what brought me to this anime was that youtube promo (you know, back when it was called "swimming anime" and had an epic sound track?). I must confess, I was incredibly anticipating this anime. I mean come on, I'm a girl, I've got my bishie-needs. Safe to say. The anime was no let down.
The story is a bit stereotypical of sport animes. I'm giving it a 7. Very simplistic. A guy who loves his sport, has a rival, your typical used-to-be-friends-but-after-some-major-event-we-hate-each-other. However, whats wrong with stereotypes right? This anime has a rather engaging plot. It kept me
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seated for a good few hours. Classics are sometimes the best.
The art is rather stunning, if I may say so myself. It has originality, its own style. It's not grandma-safe, but then again, if you are drawn to this anime, you wouldn't be the grandma kind anyway. Not to mention, the guys in swimsuits don't leave much to the imagination (And here I was beginning to think that only guys got the butt in bikinis fanservice). But yes, as we all had guessed, this anime has a lot of wet pecs and triceps on display, not that too many of us are complaining. The art deserves a 9.
Music is not the kind that causes your inner musician to awaken and inspire you to pick up your dusty violin to play crappy internet downloaded sheet music in the desperate attempt to recreate the awe-inspiring sound. But no, there is no cringe and you don't feel the soul-deep itch to skip the intro. But, then again, I kinda expected more from the music, considering how the promo I mentioned earlier has sound that is still in my head 5 months after I watched it.
The characters are stereotypical; the rival with anger management issues, the guy nest door best friend, the cutie who looks like a grade schooler, the glasses-interlect, the tsundere main yeah yeah. It's what we know and love. But one thing that has compelled me to give this an 8 is the fact that all the characters are somehow relate-able. The antagonist is not the kind that uses underhanded tricks to pull down the protagonist. They are honorable and compete fairly. That is rare in an anime that includes competition, producers seem to think that we love to see the antagonist use dirty tricks, only to lose.
The characters also have a strong sense of team spirit and group loyalty. its what we expect in a sports anime, but nice all the same. They each do a bit of individual soul searching, and thankfully, they do come to a satisfying conclusion.
The anime is certainly very enjoyable. Great characters, pretty art, compelling slice of life, perfect for a lazy afternoon. So long as your intention is not to NIT PICK the anime apart and look into the "DEEP MEANINGS" and "social implications" of the depiction of young peoples or what ever, you will find this anime enjoyable. Just don't go all English-analysis-mode.
And of course, I think its worth mentioning, this anime teeters on the edge of being shounen-ai. I seriously doubt these boys are heterosexual. There's just some kind of sexual tension that underlies this anime. I don't know. If the anime is a BL, like Junjou, then you don't get this strange nervousness when watching it. But free! is supposed to be slice of life. Hard to explain, but this anime is certainly going to inspire some squeals from yaoi fain girls.
Free! is an interesting anime that is worth watching, the key is not to walk into it with all your hate for fanservice and sexual undertones. After all, we are here for enjoyment, not for tearing our beloved anime apart and criticizing every piece.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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