Free! – 02

Just in case things weren’t flashy enough for you.

Free! was hyped to the high heavens before airing. Whether or not it lives up to those expectations varies from person to person, but there’s no doubt that Free! is fun and playful. A series like this (full of muscular butts and appropriately timed dubstep) calls for an equally playful blogging style. As such, a different blogger will cover the show each week to give you a new take on the show! Well..not like there’s much else to take away from each episode other than dripping wet boys, but it’s more fun this way. Anyways, I’m up first so let’s dive in!

Getting Haruka to swim (in places other than bath tubs and fish tanks) has been a bit of a chore up until now. Ever since he wrote off competitive swimming, he hasn’t done any actual swimming for quite a while. That’s not exactly a good state for the main character of a swimming show. Episode 2 remedies this by going through a whirlwind of events that get Haruka just a little bit closer to the pool. Furthermore, we learn more about why Haruka suddenly stopped swimming competitively when he’s practically a dolphin masquerading as a human. All of this ties into Rin’s story, who we mostly hear secondhand from his sister and the team’s ex-coach.

I’m glad everyone has stopped sneaking into pools at night and started doing something a little more on the legal side of things. The montage of them pulling weeds and recruiting members was also surprisingly funny, from Haruka’s dedicated woodcutting to the art club trying to steal him. They had to really work to get that club started, which makes it seem all the more important. This club is the start of where all the real action will take place. Tournaments! Intense training montages! Poolside shots of the guys in swimsuits while Rin drools in delight! Ah, yes, this is the start of something wonderful. I feel like we were a bit cheated by only seeing Rin and Haruka’s battle in small parts, so hopefully future tournaments will have a bit more swimming action. If anyone can make swimming interesting to watch, it’s Kyoani.

I thought this would be the episode where the mysterious megane-kun would join the team. Instead, he outright rejects them and joins another club. This gives Kou some screentime to get to know the members. I guess I don’t understand because I have no siblings, but she is very worried about her brother and wants to use every resource she can to find out what’s wrong with him. The closest link to her brother that she knows is the swim club. It doesn’t take her long to befriend them and help establish their club.

I was worried she might be more of a burden or a tacked-on love interest, but she’s quite charming. Kou is supposed to represent the audience and their reactions, by being completely enamoured with all the fanservice thrown her way. The boys don’t think much of the constant stripping, but any teenage girl would go at least a little bit red in the presence of all these toned bodies. If you’re not watching this show with a friend, it’s kind of like having someone to sympathize with you. Someone to fangirl with. She’s not obsessed to the point where she’s being a pervert and feeling all the guys up either, so it never becomes annoying. It’s all innocent fun.

Aside from going ga-ga over all those biceps, triceps, pecs etc., Kou spends a lot of time trying to find out what’s up with her brother. It’s Makoto who actually pieces together all the bits and pieces from what he sees and what he hears from others. He’s like the glue holding the group together, although so far that magic has not quite worked on Rin yet. It’s a promising start, but someone that stubborn will take a long time to come around. Through stories told be Makoto himself, Kou and the…er..ornate ex-coach, we learn why both Rin and Haruka quit swimming competitively. Rin took the competition aspect so seriously that he dedicated all his training towards beating Haruka. When he still lost after swimming in Australia, he was devastated. That was the start of his bitter attitude.

Haruka, on the other hand, just wants to be in water. He doesn’t care about winning. That nonchalence pisses off Rin, because he has dedicated his life to beating someone who doesn’t even acknowledge that there’s a rivalry between them. He feels like he’s being looked down upon, when it’s just Haruka being…Haruka. Things might get a little more friendly after they swim out their frustrations. Neither are really the type who talk to solve their problems, so it’ll most likely be settled in a swim battle. That’s fine by me, because this kind of drama is kind of petty when you boil it all down.

If you couldn’t already tell, Fosh is providing the captions each week ;D

Preview: Enough with this NTR crap, it’s time to win back megane-kun’s heart! A new episode, a new character, and a new blogger…stay tuned!

About Overcooled

A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.