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[Dedication Through Light]

What is Free!?
A story focusing on the key themes of boys friendship, swimming, and upper body
Genre: Sports, Drama, School

Original Teaser Commercial
PV 1
PV 2 (with swimming)

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll Every Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. EDT | United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Turkey, Latin America (Central and South America including Caribbean), Spain, and Portugal.

Story:
Free! revolves around members of a high school boy's swimming team. Four boys—Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin—all participated in a swimming tournament shortly before graduating elementary school and later parted ways. Years later, they reunite when Rin challenges Haruka to a race and wins. Not wanting to be defeated so easily, Haruka gathers Makoto and Nagisa and a new recruit named Rei to form the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club.

Characters

Makoto Tachibana (CV: Tatsuhisa Suzuki) - Haruka's inseparable best friend in 11th grade.
Rei Ryugazaki (CV: Daisuke Hirakawa) - A handsome, intelligent young man who often gets manipulated by Rin for some reason.
Rin Matsuoka (CV: Mamoru Miyano) - Haruka's rival who is also in 11th grade
Nagisa Hazuki: (CV: Tsubasa Yonaga) - An admirer of Haruka's swimming and wanting to swim with him once again, he entered the same school as Haruka was attending.
Haruka NanaseCV: Nobunaga Shimazaki) - His strong and quiet swimming style fascinates many, and he holds a strong fixation on freestyle swimming

Staff:
Produced by Kyoto Animation and Animation Do
Directed by Hiroko Utsumi
Written by Masahiro Yokotani
Character designs by Futoshi Nishiya
Music by Tatsuya Katō
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR- Upper bodies are filled with dreams. Don't forget to stare at their chests and shoulders.
OP2: Dried Up Youthful Flame - Old Codex

OP: Rage On - Old Codex

Evolution of Free

Relationship Chart

 

[survivor]

Anime of the decade.

 

[phaze]

Oh dear. As a former swimmer I feel obligated to check this out.

 

[OceanBlue]

Rei Ryugazaki (CV: Daisuke Hirakawa) - A handsome, intelligent young man who often gets manipulated by Rin for some reason.

I see...

 

[Squalor]

Haha, is this yaoi?

I'll be sure not to watch.

 

[phaze]

I see...

 

[PdotMichael]

Oh dear. As a former swimmer I feel obliged to check this out.

It's not about swimming though.

 

[Gintoki313]

Hope it has comedy in it and actually has lots of swimming or swim talking in it. I like sports anime that goes in-depth with the sport its about.

 

[Squalor]

It's not about swimming though.

It's about "swimmers," but not the kind that swim in pools as sport.

 

[jbug617]

Hope it has comedy in it and actually has lots of swimming or swim talking in it. I like sports anime that goes in-depth with the sport its about.

yeah we probably won't get a lot of that.

 

[OceanBlue]

Haha, is this yaoi?

Lol, why would you ever think that? I don't see any yaoi!

 

[Delusibeta]

Where Wet Dreams Come True

I laughed at the thread title. Well done DTL.

 

[Lavalamp1138]

I hope the lifeguard is on duty because I'm drowning in the hype!

Haha, is this yaoi?

I'll be sure not to watch.

Fear not, Squalor. I encourage you to check out the first episode and surf on this swag. Come join us in the sun.

 

[Theonik]

Stay Free! DTL

 

[SDBurton]

That thread title, well done.

 

[Chet Rippo]

I'm expecting at least one reference to K-ON!


Don't disappoint me KyoAni!

 

[Gintoki313]

yeah we probably won't get a lot of that.

 

[Kurita]

HYPE

 

[meltingparappa]

This show is going to put me through second puberty.

 

[PdotMichael]

dat upper body!

(though his right arm looks deformed)

 

[R_thanatos]

Nice title DTL , Very NICE..

 

[Chet Rippo]

dat upper body!

(though his right arm looks deformed)

They're all deformed.

 

[Kurita]

#TeamGlasses

 

[Narag]

Bravo, DTL.

 

[Pirabear]

The anime that will change the world

 

[Kunan]

lol sounds hilarious

 

[dramatis]

And thus anime shall be saved.

Godspeed to DTL.

 

[Jubern]

Just saw episode 1!

Looks pretty good, and the story seems like pretty standard sport anime fare.

It's totally pandering to fujoshi

Spoiler

and DTL

and they know it!

Spoiler

Surprise: there's actually a fairly important female cast member. I expect her to be sidelined fast lol

 

[FlutterPuffs]

Oh LOL DTL.

 

[dakkumauji]

Upper body will save anime.

 

[phaze]

It's not about swimming though.

:lol I suspected as much.

Only just noticed that Free! in the thread title is the name of this.

 

[sleepykyo]

I clapped aloud at the title. Nice work DTL.

 

[R_thanatos]

For some reason i had the urge to make a gif ...

 

[Parallax]

for a swimming anime, i expect to see more dude ass.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

I will not watch this show, but I want to give props to DTL for the title.

 

[Tizoc]

Is this a yaoi anime? Just checking to be on the safe side.

 

[survivor]

Is this a yaoi anime? Just checking to be on the safe side.

No.

 

[Jex]

Is this a yaoi anime? Just checking to be on the safe side.

It's all clear in the OP!

What is Free!?
A story focusing on the key themes of boys friendship, swimming, and upper body
Genre: Sports, Drama, School

 

[Bright Side of Life]

#TeamGlasses

Same.

Watched the pv, all I could think was, "Are fit guys' upper bodies always so weird looking" especially when they took off their shirts. That just felt like a weird case of anatomy and muscle placement. Will check out later for the heck of it.

For everyone thinking this is a yaoi: No but it'll certainly spawn it. At most this is a high school bromance

 

[Subitai]

Oh dear. As a former swimmer I feel obligated to check this out.

Same

 

[JordanN]

It's like an all male Umisho (which was also a genius idea for fanservice).

 

[meltingparappa]

That just felt like a weird case of anatomy and muscle placement.

Think of this as having a similar type of caricature as the witch in Dragon's Crown.

 

[sleepykyo]

For some reason i had the urge to make a gif ...

Still on teamglasses.

 

[Tizoc]

It's all clear in the OP!

Hmm but OP's avatar looks like it's from the anime...
...and he may not have mentioned it being yaoi to convince more to watch it!

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

posting because of DTL

 

[Kurita]

Hmm but OP's avatar looks like it's from the anime...
...and he may not have mentioned it being yaoi to convince more to watch it!

DTL's avatars are always yaoi fanarts.

 

[dakkumauji]

For some reason i had the urge to make a gif ...

[.IMG]https://dl.dropbox.com/s/lwwdjkzrit2vnpi/free_test.gif[/IMG]

Ew, the shota.

There's a reason he's the least popular one.

 

[Soma]

probs not gonna watch anytime soon

but

#TeamGlasses

 

[Kurita]

I don't even know how one could choose an other team.

 

[dakkumauji]

I don't even know how one could choose an other team.

Team Mamoru Miyano

or

Team Best Friend

are all acceptable teams.