Free! Eternal Summer – 02
Welcome to the gender-bent episode…
NOT! But some guys definitely thanked KyoAni for these moe girl shots. It’s another HOT day of Summer and another rightful episode of Free! ~Eternal Summer~ with muscled bishies. As I mentioned in our first impressions, different episodes will be reviewed by different Metanorn writers so look forward to the colourful coverage of this series. Let me also shout-out to our Meme-master, Fosh, who has revived Shark-kun/chan quite successfully yet again. Before I get on with the recent episode, let me just voice the entire Free!dom’s (Free! fandom) plea in one sentence:
Old-school brofist ftw~
Ahem, punctuating that thought is our new challenger, who appears to be everything that we feared. Sousuke Yamazaki means business and he is here to not only spread his angst vibes but ruffle some feathers in the process. Some of us already put 2 and 2 together after witnessing his stalking in the previous episode but just for the sake of backstory, Sousuke is Rin’s Elementary school friend, who was abandoned by Rin. Why? Well, because of those awesome Iwatobi kids as they seemed amazing rivals. Of course, it was the competitive spirit in Rin that made him get transferred in the middle of a term but being such a kid and all, he never thought about Sousuke’s FEELINGS, who even has a secret handshake-brofist with him… I do feel bad for Sousuke for investing on such a shitty friend but he might just punch me for this line due to his never-ending admiration for Rin. Why else do you think he continued training hard as hell and became Japan’s top 10 Butterfly swimmer and already scouted? Something that even Rin doesn’t have yet.
From the looks of things, Sousuke has been training hard in the five years they were apart, while Rin went to Australia and back continuing his obsession with swimming. His motivation for it has always been being a proper friend to Rin (add all the other connotations here as well), along with a world class athlete who could swim side by side him. From how SERIOUS he gets, he’s definitely very obsessed with Rin, which is almost like an aggressive father-figure to Rin compared to Makoto’s mother-hen routine over Haru. It’s funny how similar these two are even after being quite different.
Stalker! Stalker!
However Sousuke might huff and puff, he had to concede to the fact that Rin always looked up to Haru’s Freestyle because it is a thing of beauty after all with the abandon that he swims. Even after bullying Haru, he did not throw a fit after losing in the relay match as an event for the re-opening of Iwatobi Swimming Club. That pretty much shows his maturity and a nod at Haru’s skill. Though, he has his flaws on how he is focusing all his angst on Haru, when he should actually be punching Rin on why he did not keep in contact after joining Iwatobi or even moving to Australia for a while. Gou’s encounter with him is basically a hint on how Rin hasn’t been keeping tabs on anyone, not even Haru while he was training hard in Australia. Well, that’s how he is but it’s not cool to ditch friends and Rin should realize this sooner than later.
Besides the explosive introduction of Sousuke, we have another contender to complete the four-man relay team at Samezuka: the younger brother of ex-Captain, Momotarou Mikoshiba. He is a backstroke specialist and a loudmouth to boot. His character is so similar to Seijuurou that it’s not even funny. The whole kimi-wa-kawawiii-ne had me rolling on the floor, not to mention the super-fast monologue he ensued after seeing Gou to the part he washes first while taking a bath… Too much information Momotarou but just because he is adorable, I’m letting this go. With his addition, Samezuka successfully competes against Iwatobi in the relay race but fails to keep up with the Iwatobi rhythm. However, they were too close even when it was the first time they were swimming together in a relay, this points to the fact that they will be quite good after practice, a point to be noted by our Iwatobi swie-bu.
Swimming is back-breaking yo!
We are most probably done with the new character introductions, which leaves room to simmer the current angst between Sousuke and Haru. Rin seems oblivious of the whole incident but hopefully not for long even if he’s not that perceptive. I see Haru being victimized in a sense here because he has always been the quiet type to just imbibe things rather than being loud about it. Look at how he loves swimming but even after blatantly being asked about what he wants to do in future by Rin or even at school for career counselling by Amakata, the only response he gives is Free. Yes, we know you love freestyle swimming but you have to think about it seriously and work on it rather than just expecting everyone to understand. Makoto being Makoto does not push him and let’s him decide his pace but with Sousuke in the mix and Rin challenging him on every account, Haru needs to get serious about things and soon.
With Momotarou joining Samezuka, their team is all ready for the next competition and same should be for Iwatobi but they definitely need more members. I know the next episode title is very dodgy as if Rei will leave the club but nope.jpg. It’s not happening. You have to remember that he has worked really hard to become better in Butterfly-stroke and even as a team member, where he had issues of fitting in due to track-record of Rin. Now that he’s literally part of the Iwatobi homies, I have a feeling the next episode will be more on Rei’s discovery of how to level up his skills with their club’s continuous efforts of getting new members.
MEME & GIFFY TIMEU
Rin x Sousuke wiggle already exists….
Click for more: Show ▼
Another happening episode with character introductions done well. My only concern was KyoAni using Suzumura Kenichi to voice a random character (the one who asked for an eraser from Makoto), before Momotarou’s introduction. Really now, he has a signature voice and pinning him is quite easy so it was pretty slack of the staff to do this but oh well. I am happy to have two of my favourite seiyuu (Yoshimasa Hosoya and SuzuKen) joining the already brilliant Free! cast.
In terms of events, our Iwatobi boys are still looking for new members without any success but at least they were able to help Gorou for the opening ceremony of Iwatobi Swimming Club. I’m sure the muscle contest was done on Gou’s insistence and not even surprised of Makoto winning it because have you looked at that back?! Anyways, now that the Samezuka four-man relay team is complete with Rin, Ai, Sousuke and Momotarou, things should be heating up fast with the underlying rivalry angst coming to the fore with the next inter-school competition.
Preview:
Has Gou’s another plan failed in recruiting members? Though, this better not be Rei quitting. Thousands of tables will be flipped!
About Kyokai
The Boss lady of Metanorn, who makes it all happen. An animanga enthusiast, who watches/reads almost anything that strikes her fancy. Just beware of her Death Perception and always keep her happy. Regularly found at @KyokaiTM & #[email protected].
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Another reason why pettanko is better: More hydrodynamic and causes less turbulence in water. 😛
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
..they almost had the winning formula here, didn’t they? But noooooooo…more Bishie…:sigh::
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Go watch some Love Stage. 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
^ Filled with moe.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Best trap ever. My twitter male friends went gay on the main character
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Such a deceptive trap is cruel and unusual.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Dunno if you like traps BB, but the transformation before and after the dress is definitely godly
Before: http://static.metanorn.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Love_Stage_01-00040.jpg
After: http://static.metanorn.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Love_Stage_01-00063.jpg
Or the shota version:
Before: http://static.metanorn.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Love_Stage_01-00031-325×182.jpg
After: http://static.metanorn.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Love_Stage_01-00033-325×182.jpg
so hurry up and turn gay also, BB
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
KyoAni already has the best moe, loli, DFC formulas really. They are just diversifying well with Free! 😉
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
You mean KyoMani. 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I like the sound of that 😉
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Armoured swimming was a real samurai defensive art developed to account for situations where a samurai had to cross or battle in bodies of water with their armour on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLcT5J7yg9k
Sousuke’s animal mascot confirmed as the whaleshark.
http://33.media.tumblr.com/8b4efb1043e8229abfb630a1235416d1/tumblr_n8i31wmiPp1qdff3yo1_250.png
http://37.media.tumblr.com/0c946cc6085808e22812cc481141af8d/tumblr_n8hkktUnTL1ts691ao1_r1_1280.png
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Thanks for the info. And the whaleshark is very fitting for Sousuke because Rin is a shark too. xD
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Another excellent episode. We get to see more of our favorite swimmers as they do what is most important to them: swimming.
I loved Makoto’s siblings, they are so cute. And the ex-captain’s brother is kind of adorable, and can really swim. I also think he’s an excellent match for our Gou. Sure his brother was good, but since these two are pretty much the same age, it’s a better match.
As for our new character Sousuke, he’s interesting, but I can see why the author didn’t give him the honor of having a feminine name like our main 5. His role seems more side character than main character to me. He’s an old friend of Rin’s that want’s to protect Rin, yet I don’t think he can understand the current Rin either. If so, he would have understood why they did what they did at the last regionals and that they weren’t “dragging” Rin into anything. However, even before that thing with Rin, it feels like he and Haru have some kind of beef. The way they always look at each other in some form of distaste. I don’t know what it is, but it’s weird.
Also, we go with the theme of future plans and that while Rin knows what he’s going to do and Sousuke has been scouted, Makoto and Haru still have no idea what they want to do after they graduate. Haru’s not even thinking about it, which I think will be a problem later. I think he would be good in competing in swimming professionally, however, he’s going to need a little more competitive spirit if so. And perhaps, looking at this last race, Sousuke might just help with that.
We’ll have to see how this plays out. I have a feeling that Sousuke’s idea of trying to protect Rin is going to come into play later. I know Rin dreams of doing swimming professionally, but it’s almost seems like he’s waiting for Haru join him as well. I know Makoto is waiting for Haru to make up his mind as well. It’s kind of all hinging on our merman MC.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Yep, swimming their hearts out for the sports they love. And yes, I like how KyoAni inserts these random SoL moments like Makoto siblings and even the moe girls during the Iwatobi swimming club opening ceremony.
I haven’t read the actual novels but I’m not sure how big Sousuke’s role over there. I have a feeling that Haru always avoids trouble because he doesn’t like confrontations, something that we have already seen by his initial encounters with Rin in S1. Sousuke is basically doing the same and you just see Haru going all, what am I going to do look on his face. We’ll see how things roll out.
Rin definitely wants Haru and Makoto join him in professional swimming. I even think he’s completely clueless on why Haru hasn’t done that already. Well, good training for him to understand his friend.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Whoever told Momotaro that girls don’t like male swimmers is a filthy liar.
(*￣m￣)
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Yep. Who can ignore these boys? Really now.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Yes. Definitely.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
Translation: Rin is mine so back off punk.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’d use back off, bitch, just for the imaginary swag. 😉
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That about sums it up.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Which one is Ian Thorpe?
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Haruuuuuu!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Is he uke or seme? Or both?
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Depends on the partner really 😉
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Free! magazine scans, featuring:
1) Free! joggers
2) Shaved ice time
3) Pirates of the Iwatobi
http://sunyshore.tumblr.com/post/91342577167/a-few-scans-from-magazines-out-today-7-10-pash
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Yep, saw these on tumblr and people were going crazy on the fact that maybe Nagisa is wearing a thong. I think it’s basically too much defined muscle cut. :3
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Whatever Kyo, I’m still shipping Rin with Sousuke because Haru x Makoto NNNGGGGGGHHHHHHH
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’m fine with that. Don’t they look awesome wiggly wiggling? 😉
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
A rivalry is brewing. I had a feeling Sousuke wouldn’t be as friendly as he appeared but the way he showed his true colors. The moment the music played, it felt like the atmosphere was bearing down. I mean, as though something heavy was in the air.
That Amakata-sensei heating up at the mention of singing in a bathing suit was awesome. All that was missing was the battle cry “Flame On!”.
Mikoshiba: “Girls don’t like guys on the swim team”. Obviously, he hasn’t met Gou.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Oh yes, his entrance into the Iwatobi Swimming Club was quite foreboding indeed. I guess, Sousuke is going to be our angsty dude for this season. Let’s see.
Gorou should have known better, he literally just woke up the dragon. 😉
It’s almost hilarious why there are not more girls like Gou in Free! I mean, in any other shoujo show, girls would be getting over themselves to get such hot guys like these. There needs to be a cross over!
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 29 comments
LoL. Makoto’s mother-hen routine on Haru. Right. Right. I always thought of it that way too. Nice to see some confirmation there, Kyokai.
By the way, I also thought Sosuke was such a stalker!Throughout the episode when Sosuke stared after poor Haru in that angry glare kept thinking creepy…. Stalker!
He kind of seemed like he was being a bully.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I really adore Makoto because of his over-protective attitude. He’s definitely a great friend to the introverted Haru, who wouldn’t even talk to people if Makoto wasn’t around. And yes, Sousuke is definitely going to be a pain to the Iwatobi guys with special attention on Haru, just because Rin chose Haru over him. I see another angsty ride here. >>;
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 29 comments
An angsty ride is probably unavoidable 🙂