Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

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Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Melon »

Oh god I just watched the first episode of Free. (The swimming anime) I think nesh is the only one with me on this, but whatever, we shall ~together~ this!
 
1. The amount of fanservice is amazing. It's hilarious how many shirtless scenes they managed to cram in one episode, as is how dramatic they are about stripping off said clothing, and how well defined their abs are - did I mention they even did the shirtless apron thing with a dude? :lol: Also, fanservice like that isn't as annoying as female oriented, probably because men don't have boobs to bounce or shit like that (THe lack of KYAAAAAAA is also factored in, I suppose)
2. It's actually...pretty fun/good?! It's like the K-ON! of male sports shows or something. The cast blends together well so far. In fact, there is a distinct lack of blatant :homo: and it's more of the usual things shippers would pick up on and exploit. Which means, for the non-wankers out there, it's actually just a normal sporting anime with the usual tropes associated with it. 
3. The ED has them cosplayed as desert dwellers - hooooooooooooemgeeee, right in the fetish box. :jerkit: And then there's weird club scenes, which are totally lame.
4. The male lead is that one track mind type, which is the type of dude I like in my media for humor purposes.  (It was cute how his eyes would go all googly at the mention of swimming) The other two kinda annoy me (well, the little kid/shota/loli type is really annoying to me in general, male or female) The rival plays his role as expected.
5. No, really, I am in awe of the number of shirtless scenes and how ~doramatikku~ they managed to make each one.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Tsuki »

[quote="Petit Melon"]
Oh god I just watched the first episode of Free. (The swimming anime) I think nesh is the only one with me on this, but whatever, we shall ~together~ this!
 
1. The amount of fanservice is amazing. It's hilarious how many shirtless scenes they managed to cram in one episode, as is how dramatic they are about stripping off said clothing, and how well defined their abs are - did I mention they even did the shirtless apron thing with a dude? :lol: Also, fanservice like that isn't as annoying as female oriented, probably because men don't have boobs to bounce or shit like that (THe lack of KYAAAAAAA is also factored in, I suppose)
2. It's actually...pretty fun/good?! It's like the K-ON! of male sports shows or something. The cast blends together well so far. In fact, there is a distinct lack of blatant :homo: and it's more of the usual things shippers would pick up on and exploit. Which means, for the non-wankers out there, it's actually just a normal sporting anime with the usual tropes associated with it. 
3. The ED has them cosplayed as desert dwellers - hooooooooooooemgeeee, right in the fetish box. :jerkit: And then there's weird club scenes, which are totally lame.
4. The male lead is that one track mind type, which is the type of dude I like in my media for humor purposes.  (It was cute how his eyes would go all googly at the mention of swimming) The other two kinda annoy me (well, the little kid/shota/loli type is really annoying to me in general, male or female) The rival plays his role as expected.
5. No, really, I am in awe of the number of shirtless scenes and how ~doramatikku~ they managed to make each one.
 
[/quote]
So I finished watching it and I pretty much agree with everything you said! The K-ON comparison was spot on, but I mean, it is Kyoani after all, so the art style is similar anyway. The animation was of course top notch.
 
I was hoping for some more twists to the usual sports tropes but since I don't watch too many sports anime (actually pretty much only Oofuri) it didn't bother me too much. Haruka is very cute with how one-track-minded he is. The loli-shota character was a bit much for me too, but I liked Makoto's general feel. I also really like that they all have girly names for some reason, haha. 
 
I hope they'll switch it up in the later episodes some more, since this was a pretty conservative first episode, even with the fanservice.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

@Petit YISSSSS. I really like it and I agree with basically everything you said. I love that all of them are just absolute pros at whipping their clothes off. And I LOST IT for the ED. It's so great. I'm really glad that all the prerelease PVs were mostly about that first episode. Tsundere being the main is nice because it gives the other two a lot of room to be really interesting characters while he plays it straight. I'm not feeling that Gou though. WE DON'T NEED YOUR KIND THANKS LADY.


Episode one is on Crunchyroll, but I needed premium to watch it (but I may have seen it really close to upload). If you get a free account, they give you a 14-day free trial.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Shoujo Q »

[quote="Petit Melon"]
Oh god I just watched the first episode of Free. (The swimming anime) I think nesh is the only one with me on this, but whatever, we shall ~together~ this!
 
1. The amount of fanservice is amazing. It's hilarious how many shirtless scenes they managed to cram in one episode, as is how dramatic they are about stripping off said clothing, and how well defined their abs are - did I mention they even did the shirtless apron thing with a dude? :lol: Also, fanservice like that isn't as annoying as female oriented, probably because men don't have boobs to bounce or shit like that (THe lack of KYAAAAAAA is also factored in, I suppose)
2. It's actually...pretty fun/good?! It's like the K-ON! of male sports shows or something. The cast blends together well so far. In fact, there is a distinct lack of blatant :homo: and it's more of the usual things shippers would pick up on and exploit. Which means, for the non-wankers out there, it's actually just a normal sporting anime with the usual tropes associated with it. 
3. The ED has them cosplayed as desert dwellers - hooooooooooooemgeeee, right in the fetish box. :jerkit: And then there's weird club scenes, which are totally lame.
4. The male lead is that one track mind type, which is the type of dude I like in my media for humor purposes.  (It was cute how his eyes would go all googly at the mention of swimming) The other two kinda annoy me (well, the little kid/shota/loli type is really annoying to me in general, male or female) The rival plays his role as expected.
5. No, really, I am in awe of the number of shirtless scenes and how ~doramatikku~ they managed to make each one.
[/quote]
 
I watched the first episode and I already want the male lead and his rival to kiss and make up, and video tape the whole thing for my enjoyment. What no, I mean, I love Kyo-Anime for doing something that isn't another fan-service show for guys.  :whistling:
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Melon »

I love tsundere guys. LOVE THEM. I guess quiet moody guys fall under that catagory too. They're so adorable! Oh god I'm sounding like a fujoshi.
 
edit - I need more episodes before I start on OTP, but Haruka and Rin doing some rival survival hate sex would be suweeeetttt.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

Alright, this is the official thread for Free! Iwatobi Swim Club aka Swimming Anime, the teaser trailer that set an entire world aflame. Episode one has already aired and is available on Crunchyroll and other channels now.


Episode one has already aired with an elementary swim club reuniting in high school with the return of an unlikely rival. For a show built upon fan service, there isn't a lot of outright pandering, but it does have some slowness associated with anime.


Some starter questions: Who do you ship? Who do you think Gou will fall for? Who do you think wins the race at the end of the first episode?

(Mods, can you migrate the posts from the spam thread? <3)
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Tsuki »

I was getting kind of freaked out about Rin's teeth. Are they going for the Haruka = dolphin and Rin = shark thing? 
 
I imagine the first episode was deliberately paced this way so that it could be seen as a legit anime rather than the very weird offspring of raving tumblr fangirl/shippers. I'm liking the homeroom teacher (her voice actress sounded familiar) but I'm hoping Gou doesn't turn into a love interest for any of the guys. But, she probably will. I was kind of hoping they'd treat this more like Ouran Host Club rather than K-ON! but I guess we'll have to take what we can get.
 
(I'm the only mod of members and chillout, btw)
 
 
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Shoujo Q »

Watching the first episode, when they were doing the scenes when they were younger, whoever did the voice of Makoto. OMG was that annoying. It was like they weren't even to try to sound like a boy. His balls were nowhere to be found.
 
It will be interesting to see how the dynamics and the ships change once Rei shows up. 
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Melon »

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Tsuki" data-cid="157018" data-time="1373068095">
<div>
I was getting kind of freaked out about Rin's teeth. Are they going for the Haruka = dolphin and Rin = shark thing? 
</div>
</blockquote>
 
That's a good analogy. I thought he was a part of the "red haired fang rough personality" archetype found in a lot of anime. :rofl:
 
I think Gou will end up liking Haruka, simply because the official profile images where they are drawn with the same expression. My shoujo-sense is tingling!
ImageImage
 
But I doubt they would offend the fujoshi with a blatant heterosexual pairing. I think it would end up more like Prince of Tennis where she may have a crush on him, but the interactions between them are more one-sided. (I only watched/read like 1 or 2 arcs of the show/manga though, so I have no clue if they ended up having an actual relationship. I just know that show is fujoshi bait ahahaha) We all know the real pairings anyway~  8o  (BTW, I'll just go full on and say my OTP is Gou and Gou's friend! <a href="http://i.minus.com/icDbBjF8G0eOS.jpg">Look at those cute tendrils of hair!</a>)
 
 
I want to see Megane-kun's personality. I also have a thing for dudes in glasses. Especially if they're the harsh type. uguuuu I didn't watch the PVs, I want to be surprised. >> But I like tsundere types more, so I bet Haruka will end up being my favorite. Oh geez, so predictable. At least tsundere types can pair up with any other type and ensure hilarity/cuteness.
 
tumblr time? TUMBLR TIME!
 
[spoiler2]
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Shota wears penguin underwear. Despite my love of penguins, this is still not enough to endear him to me.
Image
 
 
ImageHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
 
ImageImage
 
 
ImageTRUESPEAK
 
Image
 
As an aside, I like the muscles more in the CM, but these are still nice too mmkay
 
Image
UUNNNFFFFFFFFFF
 
 
aside (I saw someone put the tagline for the show as "Where Wet Dreams Come True" :rofl:)
 
[/spoiler2]
 
I think I just went full-on fujoshi. No judging guys! :puppyeyes:  It's been so long since my last sexing these animated dudes are making me randy. Damn, that is full on fujoshi.  :goldunko:
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Shoujo Q »

I can see their rib cages, someone feed those boys! 
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Tsuki »

I am trying very hard to not have my inner fujoshi run rampant on this show because I don't want it to be disappointed when kyoani decides to fuck it all up.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Noa »

My father is having a party and my friend and I holed up in the living room to watch this. This is delicious. I really like all of the characters, but I'm leaning towards Makoto. And unlike all of you, I quite like Nagisa, he reminds me of Hunny Senpai from Ouran High School Host Club. And Makoto is very Tamaki esque.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

Heads up that tomorrow Crunchyroll will show you something you've never seen before (episode 2). I'm putting the over/under of dramatic undressings at 4.5. Any takers?
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Melon »

Four sounds way too conservative, but then again, they can't keep upping the ante. I'll go lower at 3!
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Tsuki »

I'm going to go for broke and say at LEAST 5, we haven't gotten the new guy yet! And Nagisa only got 1 undressing and no real Makoto one!
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

Makoto pulled his shirt off kind of dramatically in the pool and I'd count that. It wasn't a mid-sprint-strip, but it was a notch above casual undressing (see: Tsundere undressing outside the swimming academy during the day).
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Tsuki »

If I have to be honest though, I will take the casual undressing so much more than the dramatic flourishes they've been doing. I don't want the show to take itself too seriously now, but the fanservice is better... serviced by, dare I say, sensuality over the dramatic.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Melon »

If some dude dramatically removed his shirt in real life in front of me I think I would die laughing. The mental image alone is making me crack up.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

I can't help but be reminded of the expert undressing seen in gay pornos. :wub:
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

Damn. Crunchyroll is now saying 17 hours until episode 2 is available. That's about 2pE tomorrow. Fuckers :dammit:
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Melon »

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Petit Melon" data-cid="157296" data-time="1373335588">
<div>
Four sounds way too conservative, but then again, they can't keep upping the ante. I'll go lower at 3!
</div>
</blockquote>
 

1. Dem Triceps! 2. Kekekeke aquarium is not a pool silly Haru! 3. New pool timeeee!
 
Episode 2 review/comments:
Opens with hard music and shark teeth? Ooooh my! Dat water animation is just pure unf.
I am officially a fangirl of Haruka. He is too adorable. Man he pines for Rin hardcore. I can't ship him with him anymore, it's just too too cheesy at this point. Being surprisingly talented at art was really cute too! That weird mascot though...
I like Makoto a lot more after this episode. He's a strong #2 now. Seeing his interactions with his siblings was great and endearing. He also has that great big brother vibe that takes care of everyone...awww, how sweet! :3 Also, shota (I keep forgetting his name...willfully hah) was less annoying too. Glasses-kun has a short cameo. For that brief line I bet he'll overtake Haruka for my fangirlisms. Rin.... completely annoys me now. He is my most disliked character over Shota.
A lot of Gou in this episode, but it'll drop off after this imo, she was used as a vehicle for the viewer to gain more expository information, and as soon as that's said and done (maybe a little more in episode 3, but I doubt it will be the extent this episode was) her amount of lines should dwindle. That said, I like her a lot. She's cute and ditzy Rabbit season! Duck season! without being overboard "moe".  (lbr gurl you want to join to oogle the mens, not for some "brother" stuff ;D) She's almost like the personification of the female viewers at this point lol
The teacher is rather cute too, just the right amount of sugar and evil. She kinda reminds me of the teacher from K-ON though.
Even though I fangirl, really, everything is pitch perfect to a normal sports anime right now, for those who are scared to watch because of ~fanservice~.
 
Also, Kyoani has managed to define the cute for males and female into its zenith. I'm glad they kept the K-ON artstyle, it's rather nice on the eyes.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

(Spoilers below)

Your #1 was just being shirtless, but still definitely service-y.

My favorite shot was definitely during the montage and the three are looking at the crack and Shota is just on the bottom of the frame peeking up to see it. That and the art club shot. It's interesting that Haru is almost unilaterally talented at everything but probably doesn't practice much beyond mild everyday execution. Swimming, carving, whittling, cooking. It definitely fits in with Rin being viciously annoyed at how skilled Haru is.

I don't know where Cleavage (the guy from the swim school chatting up Gou) is going to fit in unless he's the rival team captain. He didn't look like any of the kids from the other swim club photo, but they were all pretty undescript.

Rin is definitely more sympathetic this episode, but he's going to end up being more mean-spirited later on when his return to swimming was because of Haru instead of a lifelong commitment. The bit about him targeting the previous swim club class was unexpected. It's going to be hard to paint a lot of other rivals as mean, so a lot of it will def fall on Rin to be the driving antagonist.

Shota and Makoto are vying for my favorite character. Shota isn't content with just being cute or going with the flow; he's been the ringmaster since his first line. Conversely, Makoto plays the best straight man role by being a cautious voice of reason. He's the biggest, but also the most spookable where Shota is the smallest, but the spearhead. They both wear casual sweaters, but Shota also had that ascot in episode one, so he's got an advantage.

Miss Ama had to have been a failed model. She reminds me a lot of the pushover teacher from Nichijou. She'll be a nice ancillary character.

Gou is definitely going to be around all season. She'll be a consistent voice of "hermagerd tricerps" just to separate the blatant moments from necessary moments. Cleavage will want her, but she wants Makoto/has a commitment to her own team.

Haru is gradually building up to the prodigy status and storyline, but I think that may end up seeming the most farfetched plot point in the show.


MVS (most valuable ship): mermaid!Haru-Makoto. A weary fisherman Makoto meets an unlikely sight: a mermaid! After bringing Haru on land, Makoto unwittingly tips off the circus leader Rin and Haru, in a fit of rage leaves with the shark-tooth businessman. Makoto tracks down the circus, beats the hell out of the cruel Rin, and saves Makoto and a whole school of fishy friends. The two kiss in the glow of the setting sun, the salty water mixing with their saliva for an unforgettable taste.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Tsuki »

The episode was incredibly, incredibly cute and it gave a lot of much needed plot revealment that I was afraid it was going to hold out on. Haruka is exactly the right mix of stoic tsundere, but I'm not exactly seeing the googly eyes over Rin yet.
 
Now Rin on the other hand, I think he's got a thing for that kid in the picture who I *think* is orange-haired dude that declared Gou-Kou 'cute', since it doesn't make a lot of sense for them to have a rather uniquely designed character say something random like that just for Gou to find out Rin isn't on the swim team. Also, do we really need spoilers? People shouldn't come in this thread unless they've watched the episodes~
 
All the characters endeared themselves to me more, except yeah, probably Rin and Nagisa. 
 
(Rin's teeth are still really freaking me out. I'm not used to a 'normal' character having sharp teeth like that at all, last one I can remember watching was Viral from Gurren Lagann and he was a Beastman. It sort of disturbs my immersion almost having Rin with inhuman teeth like that.
 
 
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Shoujo Q »

A lot of anime I want to watch started on the same day this second episode came out, but I watched it. I don't think I can really comment on anything that hasn't already been touched on, but I will say, I've been spoiled with KyoAni because any other show just isn't the same, art wise.
 
The way Japanese guys are drawn, it feels like I'm watching an old CLAMP series. They are all so overly sized and look like giants compared to the girls. There doesn't seem to be a happy medium.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Kahoryn »

I just want to chime in and say I'm watching this series too and SHARK TEETH.  So if Haruka is a dolphin, and Rin is a shark, and Nagisa has penguin boxers so he's a penguin, what's Makoto?  THOUGHTS ON THIS?!
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

Makoto's big and gentle, so maybe a whale or manatee? Maybe a sea lion? Makes me wonder what Megane's animal is... 
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

I haven't seen episode 3 yet (keep the pace! don't hit the wall!), but anyone want to do another over-under? It's pretty clear we'll be getting Megane added to the cast proper, so how about the over-under on new characters making an appearance? Last week had a number of them like Megane and Cleavage-kun. I'm thinking it'll be 3 brand-new characters if only because they need to start setting up other swimming rivals, right? Remember that Rin pulled off that photo of another swim club and mentioned seeking them out last episode. 
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Melon »

Let's predict!
 
I haven't watched it either since I've had to work. Doing it tonight or tomorrow morning.
 
So, since we're getting new characters, that means we should be introducing them proper. So like the first episode, I predict SHIRTS, PANTS, EVERYWHERE! Umm.. let's go 15!
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by neshcom »

Finally got to see episode three. I put some beautiful, spoiler-filled screencaps on imgur: <a href="http://imgur.com/a/2rR2Q">http://imgur.com/a/2rR2Q</a>


So, we only got one new character introduced, but there was a lot of shirtless ogling and "beautiful" was mentioned dozens of times.

Haru is showing a goofier side this episode. His need to be swimming all year round is turning comical and it's actually humanizing him more than just a sad kid in a bathtub.

Nagisa is, once again, the catalyst of the entire show and his relationship with Ryugazaki will be an interesting dynamic.

Makoto was pretty invisible this week.

Ryugazaki is definitely the odd one out tone-wise, but his character is as conceptually funny as any of the others. Compared to the organically talented Haru, Ryugazaki shows that you can't math your way to being a good athlete. His not being able to swim being the best executed buildup and laugh of the show.

Gou and Rin really didn't have as much interaction as they should have. Gou did pull off the fujoshi card in just the right measure.


The whole episode was brought down by the constant reminder that they need to write-in Ryugazaki to the team because relays need four people and the school says to have four people and the academy wants four people and the intro kind of showcases four people. The Nagisa-Ryu scenes were also very strong. It was nice to see that Nagisa wasn't played as the guy who can't keep up when they were running.


Also, the dance scene during the end credits has the skinny on the characters' animal counterparts. Nagisa is a penguin, Makoto is a killer whale, and Ryu is a butterfly. Haru's looks like a dolphin or a shark, but the show seems to be leaning towards dolphin.


MVS (Most Valuable Ship) of the Week: Ryugazaki-Nagisa. On the jog to school, Ryu and an un characteristically nervous Nagisa stop for breath overlooking the endless plains. The beauty of rolling fields and blooming flowers is only dwarfed by the love these two feel in their hearts. But when Nagisa brings up ex-lover-turned-friend Haru, Ryugazaki turns his sights on making sure Haru never interferes in the blossoming love of the butterfly and the penguin.

But seriously, if you aren't shipping jealous!Ryu with Nagisa immediately, you are out of my BBS headcanon.
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Re: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Swimming Anime Thread!

Post by Tsuki »

This felt like a slower episode (plot wise) than the first two, but I still enjoyed it. They had just enough character development to keep me interested. Nagisa still kind of bothers me with his overenthusiasm/cutesy act. He's growing on me, but I'm still not sure I necessarily like him. Rei was a good twist on the typical megane character and I'm liking him in those speedos. I feel kind of perverted for wanting more of a bulge in their swimsuits. I also always love characters that affix -san to -chan names when that's all they've heard them as secondhand. (Haru-chan-san~)
 
Like nesh said, the worst part definitely was the constant beating on the viewer's head that there needs to be four people. But it gave a nice little setup for Haru to try his hand at active recruiting. Haru continues to be the best character and I find that very unusual for the "main" character of a show to be the best, but Haru is often in the background and his understated nature brings that out.
 
I'm still not feeling any of my true fujoshi tinglings yet, the show has so far been very... adept at gently pushing away easily slashed pairings. I think the most overtly they've done it so far is Nagisa's "you were beautiful! / Rei-chan" and Rei's constant slight blushing at all of that. G/Kou is not in my eyes being fujoshi at all, since she's not pairing up any of the dudes in her head. She's just really into their muscles. Which I could totally understand, but muscle fetish does not a fujoshi make. K/Gou, you'd better be picking that slack soon.
Last edited by Tsuki on Sat Jul 20, 2013 7:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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