Anime Review: Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Sports, Drama, and School

Rating: 7/10 Overall, this was an entertaining anime. I won't watch the second season, but I'm glad that I was able to understand what the hype of this anime was all about.

Nanase Haruka loved to be in the water - loved swimming. In elementary school, Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto, Matsuoka Rin, and Hazuki Nagisa attended the same swimming class together. Time passed, and as Haruka was living an uneventful high school life, he suddenly encountered Rin again. Rin challenged Haruka to a race and showed him how much stronger he had become. Soon enough, Makoto and Nagisa also rejoined the group, and along with a new classmate, Ryugazaki Rei, they established the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club.

Review: Man, this was a pretty cheery anime to watch. This anime follows the lives of a couple of high school boys with very girly names. There's even a girl with a very boyish name as well. Honestly, it is the running joke of the anime. The anime is very focused on the idea of being free to be yourself in the water. Heck the main character even tried to swim in a fish tank!

This anime of course, is full of fan service of the male body. It isn't in the NSFW category but more like a depiction of the male body. Anyway, this anime is funny. I wouldn't say that it made me laugh until I cried, but I did have a chuckle or two. It blends the correct amount of seriousness and comedy into an anime.

Also, don't let the handsome bodies fool you, this anime is completely about sports and friendship. Throughout the anime, we see distinctive styles of swimming and all the training that is needed to reach nationals. It brings me back memories to those years where I swam competitively. Overall, it is a super refreshing anime. I even went to the pool this weekend just to swim a bit too!

I also love the art within this anime. The characters are drawn beautifully and they're full of color and life. The swimming scenes are my absolute favorite. There is something so beautiful about seeing all these people swim gracefully through the water. The characters are also very beautifully drawn as well <3

At the very end, this anime is about friendship. All the characters focus on friendship first. There was a tear within their relationship and that tear was also the reason they worked hard in their sport. All the characters were accepting, understanding, and were willing to change. Makoto is my absolute favorite. He is BEST BOI!

That is all everyone! I hope you take a moment to watch this anime when you can. I don't think I'll watch the second season of this anime. It isn't really my type of anime, but I can see why many people enjoy it. If you've seen this, let me know who's your favorite character :)