Anime Club: Free: Iwatobi Swim Club

Hello everybody! We have a rather different kind of anime that we don’t normally review over here on Media in Review. Let’s just dive right into this week’s anime club with Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

FREE! IWATOBI SWIM CLUB

CREATED BY: Hiroko Utsumi

NO. OF EPISODES: 12 Episodes

GENRE: Drama, Slice of Life, Sports

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: Japan

Free! starts with four boys—Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin—before they graduate from elementary school. They all participated in a swimming tournament and won, though they parted ways. Years later, Haruka and Makoto reunite with Nagisa when he enrolls in their high school. Not long after, Rin, who was thought to be in Australia, turns up and challenges Haruka to a race and wins. Afterward, Nagisa suggests creating a swimming club and using the school’s run-down outdoor pool. Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and later on, Rei, create the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club and work together to make the club a success. Rin’s victory over Haruka means nothing to him as he realizes that Haruka had stopped swimming competitively and wasn’t in top shape. He claims that he cannot get over the fact until Haruka competes against him for real. The members of the revived Iwatobi Swim Club later enter a swimming competition against Rin.

Alright, so I never wanted to actually watch this series. I knew it wasn’t for me (for obvious reasons) but I have been addicted to watching anime vines and Free! is everywhere. So I finally decided to check it out…and I am hooked. Look past all of the ridiculous triceps, biceps, and deltoids, you can actually find some interestingly deep characters that talk about philosophical ideals and the future. The animation style is absolutely beautiful and it makes swimming (while I am already a fan of the sport) even more intense and awesome. Who knew that an anime all about swimming could actually have a story and interesting characters?

Unfortunately, many people don’t actually look into Free! beyond the surface. They can’t look at the muscular characters and not be distracted. Many fans of Free! remind me of the Iwatobi Swim Club’s manager Kou/Gou. She mainly decided to join the Iwatobi Swim Club so she could oggle at all of the other characters’ muscles and she can be constantly seen freaking out over all of the other participants’ bodies. Look past the good looking guys people!

PROS:

• Interestingly deep characters.
• Philosophical ideals and the future.
• Beautiful animation style.
• Interesting story.

CONS:

• Distracting character appearance.
• So…much…muscles.
• Stigma.

SCORE: 7.5 / 10

If you have any suggestions for films/TV/Games/Music/Anime for me to review, drop me a comment!

Remember: Like Media In Review @ https://www.facebook.com/MediaInReview?ref=hl Follow Media in Review @ https://twitter.com/Media_In_Review.

All check out my lengthier video game reviews over at Nerd Bacon Games.

Brandon Stuhr

Who am I? Just some guy who decided to start writing on the Internet years ago and now operates his own brand and site. Owner/Operator of Modern Neon Media, I make all kinds of niche content to suit my interests at the time. DIY Enthusiast, Brewmaster extraordinaire, and avid freak for geek culture. Follow on my socials for a more “on” version of me.