I hate sports.
I hate playing sports.
I hate watching sports.
I hate listening to people talk about sports.
So, I naturally must’ve misclicked when I was rating this anime, which Crunchyroll placed in the
sports genre, right? Well…
I will say that it is to this anime’s advantage that it is about swimming. Not because I dislike swimming any less than any other sport. Far from it. Actually, taking swimming lessons was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. Quite simply, I can not stand the knowledge that I am unable to breathe, even if it only for a few seconds underwater. However, in the very least, swimming seems to be one of the easiest sports to understand. I can understand that the first person to travel from one end of the pool to the other wins, and that seems to be all that I needed to know to understand the action in this anime.
(In all seriousness, one genuine advantage of the anime’s focus upon swimming is its animation. Even those who strongly disliked this anime readily admitted that the animators know how to animate water realistically and beautifully.)
That being said, even if I didn’t understand the fundamental basics of swimming, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I wouldn’t understand the majority of this anime, because the majority of this anime does not consist of swimming. In fact, I would say that Free! is only 25% sports anime, which left 75% with the potential for me to enjoy. What is the other 75%? I’m glad that you asked.
25% relates to the “slice of life” genre. This includes the characters partaking in activities that are related to swimming, but not actually swimming, such as repairing the school’s pool; activities that are related to the maintenance of the swimming club in general, such as the quest to gain new members; and activities that involve the characters just hanging out. As the name implies, a “slice of life” story is relatively grounded in realistic, relatable situations. Because these situations tend to be mundane and uninteresting in their own right, the best way to make the story engaging to the audience is through a cast of likeable characters.
Free! certainly succeeds in having a likeable cast of main characters. However, one aspect of the characters that may not have been intentional is that is quite difficult to take most of them seriously. This is especially true in regards to the protagonist, Haru, and the antagonist, Rin. On one hand, Haru and Rin never failed to make me laugh. On the other hand, I get the impression that this was not the intended reaction to their characters.
Haru’s love of water and stoicism is exaggerated to a ridiculous degree. It was quite easy to make jokes about him being sexually attracted to water. I also found it funny that Haru was just as emo as a young child in his flashbacks as he was as a young adult. At least Rin was a little more realistic, beginning as an energetic and happy child and entering an emo phase as a teen. His character motivations are also more satisfactorily explained than Haru’s. However, Rin’s actions are still just as ridiculously over the top as Haru’s, with him constantly flying into a rage or sobbing at little provocation. The interactions of these two characters esentially sums up another 25% of the anime, which can most accurately be described as a soap opera. The primary conflict in Free! is the emotional tension between Haru and Rin. Due to their exaggeratedly dramatic interactions, it is quite difficult to take their conflict seriously, rendering it rather humorous.
The other main characters are, ironically, probably more likeable and easier to take seriously than the protagonist and antagonist. Rei was an especially interesting character. Although he received little backstory, he grows throughout the series more than any other character, both in physical skills and his relationships with others. Nagisa also does not receive a backstory, and nor does he really change throughout the series. Despite this, I still felt as though I could take his character more seriously than Haru or Rin. His enthusiasm and playfulness are exceptional, but not unrealistic. My favorite character is definitely Makoto. Makoto has the most common sense of any of the characters, and, I suppose in spite of this common sense, he remains devoted to his friends and cares deeply for them. Unlike Nagisa and Rei, Makoto actually does receive a bit of backstory, and, unlike Haru or Rin, he is not overly dramatic or unrealistic in the way that it shapes his character.
I will readily admit the the supporting cast of Free! is quite poor. The only supporting character that I was glad was a part of the show was Nitori, solely because I received pleasure from watching him get hurt. (I’m a sadist. What of it?) Nitori is an annoying fanboy of Rin, who refuses to quit following him despite Rin frequently demanding him to go away. His counterpart is Gou, a fangirl of the members of the Iwatobi swimming club and younger sister of Rin. While she is less annoying than Nitori, I thought that she was a massive waste of potential. Even though she never swims, she is still technically a member of the swimming team, but she never really develops a compelling bond to any of her teammates. Coach Sasabe has almost no personality. Miss Amakata has almost no personality and is annoying. (Her entire character consists of two running gags, one of which was dragged out throughout the series despite having an obvious punchline, and the other of which was simply not funny.)
The final quarter of Free!, as well as the aspect that it seems to be the most known for, is its fanservice. It was featured prominently throughout the show, and it was just as high quality as the animation of the water. The character designs left little to be desired, with all of the main characters somehow managing to be simultaneously baddass with their muscular bodies and adorable with their pretty faces. Immature and easily amused, I thought that the fanservice was one of the best comedic aspects of the show, especially in regards to how obvious some of it was.
Another aspect of the show that many seem to classify as fanservice is the relationships between the characters. Whether the relationships were romantically inclined or not, they were definitely strong and one of the more compelling aspects of the show. Between the lifetime friendship between Makoto and Haru, in which they resembled an elderly married couple who could read each other’s thoughts, and the budding relationship between Rei and Nagisa, in which the latter can’t get enough of teasing the former, there are plenty of sweet moments in the show between characters that can appeal to those who are fans of yaoi as well as those who are not.
The exception to this rule, in my opinion, was the relationship between Rin and Haru. I can argue that Makoto and Haru are just friends with the personal example of the dynamic between myself and my best friend. I can argue that Nagisa has a flirty personality in general, not just towards Rei. I have trouble arguing that Rin and Haru could be considered ‘just friends.’ The magnitude of the decisions that they base upon each other seems to imply that there is a very particular kind of tension behind their interactions. Unfortunately, the exaggerated subtext made their relationship especially ambiguous, and since none of the main characters ever confess romantic feelings onscreen, it just leaves the audience feeling especially confused and/or disappointed.
Overall, I enjoyed Free!, even though I could not take it very seriously. This anime is recommended to those who are interested in beautiful animation, likeable characters, compelling relationships, and ridiculous fanservice. There should be at least 25% that can appeal to you, right?
