Story
The groundbreaking story of the second season of Free! is that Haru, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei of Iwatobi as well as Rin of Samezuka are training so that they can enter swimming competitions, as well as dealing with life problems in between conflicts related to sports, and- …Oh. I suppose the story is not that different between seasons. Also, similarly to season one, swimming and other activities related to the clubs are only half of the story. The plot is driven by the personal struggles of the characters and their conflicts with each other. How does this aspect of the story compare to season one? See the Character section below.
Art
This is probably the only area in which the anime didn’t improve. Of course, it’s a bit difficult to reach new heights when you are already at the top. In other words, the animation, especially in regards to the water, is just as beautiful as ever.
Sound
The soundtrack of the first season of Free! was pleasant, but not exceptional, and my opinion remains the same in the second season. The exception is in regards to the opening and ending themes, both of which were catchier in season two than in season one.
Characters
This is the area in which the anime improved the most. My favorite characters from season one became even more likeable, characters that I felt indifferent to became much more relatable, and boring minor characters were either made slightly more compelling or delegated to the background in favor of new and far more interesting main characters.
Haru and Rin change from being punchlines in season one to genuine characters with relatable issues in season two. Since the end of season one, Haru and Rin have reclaimed their former relationship as friendly rivals, so there is far less of the overly dramatic angst that accompanied their falling out in season one. Haru primarily deals with his indecision upon what to do when he graduates. His reactions to the issue felt much more realistic than they were in season one, making him a much more likeable and relatable character.
Meanwhile, Rin addresses the obvious issue that, even though he has reconciled with the members of the Iwatobi team and decided that he wants to swim for the sake of a team and not just himself, he still goes to a different school at which he has not formed strong enough bonds with his classmates to form this team. This is a legitimate issue that was interesting to see the result of. Rin transforms from a cruel antagonist in season one to a total sweetheart in season two. I will say that Rin does still occasionally overreact with a liberal amount of tears, but, in the very least, he seems to only react this way when he is concerned about a genuine issue that one of his friends is going through.
Makoto, similarly to Haru, also struggles with the decision of what to do upon graduation. Not only does this issue lend itself to intriguing character development for Makoto, but it also leads to a particular focus upon the relationship between him and Haru, moreso than in the first season. Similarly to season one, this proved to be rather interesting whether one is a fan of yaoi or not.
Some complained that Nagisa and Rei were put to the side in favor of the development of other characters. In the case of Nagisa, I strongly disagree. He may not have been onscreen quite as much as he was in the first season, but, unlike the first season, Nagisa actually recieves a backstory during the second season. As for Rei, he received so much focus in season one that I honestly couldn’t feel too bad about his treatment in season two, and it isn’t as though he’s completely ignored during this season. He still achieved development during this season, both in his physical swimming skills and his relationship with other characters, especially Nagisa and Rin.
Although my feelings towards the two new characters introduced were a bit mixed, I at least have to give them credit for being more entertaining than the minor characters that appeared so frequently in season one. Althought Momo did not receive much character development, he was still a rather fun conveyor of comic relief. Meanwhile, Sousuke… oh, how do I put this? I wanted to like Sousuke. I get the impression that the creators wanted me to like Sousuke. However, for the life of me, I still have difficulty reconciling Sousuke in my mind, and it all boils down to a single scene towards the beginning of the season. Just one scene. After that, the creators go out of their way to endear the audience to Sousuke, giving him a tragic backstory that he continues to deal with the effects of, as well as showing adorable interactions between himself and Rin. However, I suppose what people say about first impressions being important must be correct, as this one morally ambiguous action on Sousuke’s part at the beginning of the season makes every following scene intended to endear the audience to Sousuke feel like manipulation on the part of the creators on behalf of a character who does not deserve it.
Gou, Coach Sasabe, and Miss Amakata continue to be boring during this season, but, in the very least, they appear far less frequently than they did in season one. Unfortunately, Nitori does receive a larger role in this season, and he is still rather annoying. All of his motivation is still based upon his rather pathetic desire to impress Rin, but at least he doesn’t seem to follow Rin quite as closely or help to aggravate him into a rage.
Enjoyment
I’m not sure what to talk about in this category…um…oh! Yes, there’s still plenty of fanservice. Was it better than it was in the first season? I would say so, but I’m pretty much basing my entire assessment upon the scene in which Makoto was taking a shower. I suppose that’s a matter of opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed Free! Eternal Summer far more than the first season of Free! However, I enjoyed both of them very much. Even if you watched the first season of Free! and thought that it was just OK, I would still recommend watching the second season, because if you thought that the first season was at least OK, I can almost guarantee that you will find the second season to be awesome.
