Free! joins the long and impressive family of
Kyoto animation’s long list of famous slice of life animes like Clannad, Lucky
star and the legendary The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. As typical of the genre, it also has
a good sense of humor with plenty of comic relief. What it does not share with
the rest of its older sibling is the sport aspect of the show, swimming to be
exact. Made for the summer season of 2013, with the running-time of 12, 24
minutes long episodes, its last episode aired on 25 of September, 2013. It was made as an adaptation of the novel
High speed and is, in a way, a sequel to the book.
Story
While it is
often classified as a sports anime first and a SLICE OF LIFE anime second, I
argued the opposite. Free!’s story is on
the surface the most basic, copy/pasted slice of life school comedy plot. Four
young friends, going about their daily lives as high school students, form a
club where shenanigans ensue.
It is given
a bit more of an edge with the added competition and rival aspect that the
nature of tournaments brings. While most SLICE OF LIFE animes are just about
the characters’ quirky, but ultimately aimless or mundane day-to-day
experience, Free! does have a ‘ticking clock’ as the characters have to prepare
for the tournament, setting up a club from scratch and training hard to catch
up with the other clubs.
However, I find the centerpiece of the story
is represented by the relationship between the main characters, Haru and Rin.
We are first acquainted with them as little kids and best friends, before being
introduced to their older, estranged selves that then carry the story in the
present. As the plot progresses, it is showed to us through flashback the
string of events that led to their current relationship, thus keeping us
interested in the final reslice of lifeve of their past shadows.
Characters
Similar to
the story, Free !’s main characters could be describe as flat stereotypes of SLICE
OF LIFE types. Haruka Nanase, better known as Haru, as the quiet one, Makoto
Tachibana as the caring and supportive one, Rei Ryuugazaki as the smart one,
Rin Matsuoka as the jerk and Nagisa Hazuki as the lovable, but dependable
‘shota’.
Nevertheless,
just like with the story, you don’t find this to be completely true. The
characters are memorable and likable, each having their own quirks and
personalities to make them unique. Haru turns out to be more of a loveable
eccentric, who, despite being fully capable to fend for himself, still needs
his friends to keep him in line with social norms (such as keeping his clothes
on when near water).Rin also turns out to be quite the opposite of what he
shows on the outside, with the story explaining his hardened shell and his
distant, almost hateful behavior towards his old friends. Nagisa, while bubbly
and cheerful personality-wise, was not as dependable as I expected him to be.
In a lot of cases, he was almost the group leader, pushing the characters
forward and trying to pick up their spirits with his off-beat ways. Lastly, Rei
turned out to be less of the constant calculator, but more of a comic relief,
which was highly welcomed by me. Makoto is probably the most true to his
stereotype, but as an elder brother of a larger family with a off-the-wall
friend like Haru, you believe it was only natural for him to adopt a more
supportive, down-to-earth personality.
The side
characters were fun to watch as well, with special regards going to Matsuoka
Gou, who is one of the most entertaining, unique and relatable female
characters I saw in a long time.
The only
character I felt disapproving of was Nitori Aiichiro, Rin’s roommate. While
having a very minor roll, there was just something about him that was
incredibly irksome. Perhaps it was the higher pitch voice or his puppy-like following
of Rin.
Visuals
I found the
Free!’s art-style to be extremely nice and easy on the eyes. It is done I a
more realistic anime style, with detailed bodies and muscles, but it has a
softer touch o it with thinner lines and brighter colors. I particularly liked
the eyes. While the style itself didn’t stray too far from the glide lines of
anime drawing, unlike an anime like Amnesia, they were used heavily as a tool
to convey the emotions the characters felt in scenes without dialogue.
Sound and voice acting
This anime
harbors the phenomenon where the ending song is probably far more popular than
the opening. The ending, titled Splash free by Style five, is an incredibly
catchy and entertaining song that is perfect for the summer season. Accompanied
with great and unique ending animation, it is the first thing I associate with
this anime, aside from water of course. The opening song, while a very powerful
and energetic song with a lot of fighting spirit, just fails to really capture
the fans’ hearts. he rest of the soundtracks are appropriate and fun to listen
to but nothing would consider really outstanding.
For now,
there isn’t an official English dub, but the Japanese voices acting is spot on.
The voices match the character appearances and personalities to the point,
being almost inseparable from the characters themselves. As I mentioned before,
the only one disturbing me was Nitori’s voice, which was too much on the pitchy
side, but it did fit the character.
Personal thoughts
I
personally adore Free!. As it is, I am a big fan of SLICE OF LIFE animes with a
good balance of comedy and drama, so this anime was right up my alley. I loved
the characters, the humor made me chuckle several times per episode and the
drama that unfold between the mains was enough to leave me eagerly waiting in
my seat with a bowl of popcorn for the next episode. It is good regardless of
the season, but it is abslice of lifeutely perfect for the summer!
Sara
