Free! Eternal Summer – 08
Makoto’s new job: drowning children
Free! is back with Highway this week! And this time it’s my other favorite character’s turn.
Whaddaya Wanna Do With Your Life?!?!?!
Maybe Makoto’s got a clue about it now
That’s been a question all season for the 3rd years in the swim club (and the answer probably hasn’t been “I Wanna Rock!“). Haru seems completely uninterested in thinking about the future, and Makoto has just been rather swamped by the whole idea, unable to think of anything that he wants to do. But I think we might have gotten an idea about what he’s going to be drawn to with his latest side activity.
He’s making you look bad, Gorou
Having gone to the swim club to try to get Gorou to take a look at their times from the prefectural meet, Makoto is asked by Gorou to help out at the swim club by teaching a swim class. So because he’s got nothing better to do, he helps out. And he’s got the class of 5 kids, one of whom doesn’t like swimming. I liked the way he worried about Hayato-kun not liking swimming, and also the way that he tried to figure out, and eventually succeeded, a way to get Hayato to like swimming. I wonder if he could think of something different for a kid that had a different phobia, but applying his own experience certainly helped Hayato.
Odds and Ends
My best friend ran off with my other best friend!
We get a little background stuff for Haru, in a confluence with Makoto’s swim class, as one of the students is the younger brother of one of Makoto and Haru’s elementary and middle school friends, Kisumi. They really gave the impression that Haru had a problem with Kisumi, shunning his overt friendliness (the same stuff that Haru accepts from Makoto and Nagisa) perhaps over some old grudge or something. But Kisumi does bring some interesting information: Sousuke has been getting treatment at the hospital for his shoulder (someone mentioned that possibility in the comments last week).
Sousuke is the world champion at looming
Meanwhile, Sousuke himself does something a little out of character: He helps Ai-chan (who is seriously the most annoying person on the show) try to get better at his stroke so that he can swim in the relay with Rin. I don’t know if that will help Sousuke be less of a wet blanket, but maybe they can put the two of them in the pool together and get them off the show.
Fosh’s Free! Funnies
Not a bad episode at all, focusing on Makoto and what seems to be something that might turn into a vocation for him. He was really good with all the kids, seeming to enjoy his time with them and be sad to have to stop. I know that it focused on Hayato, but I think it’s important to see how much all the other kids seemed to respond well to his teaching. There wasn’t anything else from most of the other characters, just a setup for Ai getting into the relay that I’m sure will be coming as the big finale of the show, possibly at the expense of Sousuke.
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Dat Paedophile Look on his face… Somehow those comments can be seriously misinterpreted.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Big Brother Makoto. Always looking out for others. How rare it is to have someone who is kind unconditionally. Seeing him help those kids was the highlight of the episode. A job as a swim teacher would suit him well.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Design wise, Kisumi really looks like a shoujo manga character. The feathery hair, cheeky smile, now he just needs shoujo sparkles.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
PS. Kisumi actually comes from High Speed! vol 2, so I’m wondering if more LN characters will be introduced or not.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Summaries of High Speed vol. 2, for those interested:
http://fencer-x.tumblr.com/tagged/summary
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Samezuka boys hanging out:
http://gallery.minitokyo.net/view/658843
http://gallery.minitokyo.net/view/658844
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
A great episode, and we see what direction Makoto will probably take after graduation. I’ve suspected for a long time that he would eventually head into becoming a swim teacher or coach. He’s proven that he’s good with kids and he has the patience of a saint. His mother hen personality also helps as well.
Haru on the other hand is just not that good of a teacher or socializing really. Hopefully next week he realizes that professional swimming is probably the best (and maybe only) field that is good for him. We’ll see.
As for Kisumi, he was a good character, though his little brother stole the show with his adorable-ness.
However, we do get conformation that Sousuke has an injury involving his shoulder. We learn that from both Kisumi, as well as himself, when he gives the cryptic advice to Nitori about not pushing yourself to the point where you’re no longer able to do the things you were once able to. Now how much this will come into play later, we’ll have to see. Is this a debilitating problem? Is he doing irreparable damage to himself by swimming?
We’ll have to see next time.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yep Makoto definitely should follow a career as a swim coach or hell a teacher in general fits him perfectly! Now if we can just kick Haru in the butt so he gets motivated to find his future career we will be golden!
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Anyone wants some free children?! OMG, I DIED, Fosh! xD
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
BUT I THOUGHT MAKOTO WAS GOING TO BE A FIREFIGHTER
Fuck yeah Makoto x Haru. Obviously Haru doesn’t like Kisumi because that cutie was whoring himself to feel Makoto everywhere *how anaaga sees Free last week*
Fujoshi goggles aside, I like how Makoto is actually moving on with his life, completely forgetting the problem he had with Haru lol. Haru, on the other hands, is getting nowhere, and Makoto’s resolve is making him more confused.
Ah, so Sousuke won’t be able to swim soon. I kinda sympathize with him now… Kinda. Still not an excuse to be such as ass for the past 7 episodes