Conclusion : Haruka is an adorable tsundere who is sexually attracted to water and therefore strips and/or blushes whenever he sees/is near it.
Actually I'm not so sure about the tsundere part but Haruka is my adorable bishie so that's the end of that. Free! is turning out to an interesting anime from the start. We have the two close childhood friends whose relationship went wrong and then poof!, the other guy appears and competition starts.
Free! is definitely fanservice. It's definitely meant to attract females. But while fujoshi and non-fujoshi argue about why Free! is gay, I will calmly ( yeah right ) point out why there is more bromance than shounen-ai and whatever weird shippings that pop up.
( Fujoshi do not kill me. I have nothing against you, you have nothing against me and we are the best of friends, because, surprise, I'm not disturbed by the weird pictures I see popping up on Google Images. I have read a shounen-ai manga and surprisingly liked it, not because it's boy x boy but because of the interesting perspective of love and the situation ).
Before I go off topic, this episode has turned out very intriguing. I can't wait to see what happens in the next one. Basically, we are introduced to Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin. The four of them were childhood friends but Rin had to leave for Australia to go to a swimming school. The relationship between Haruka and Rin was especially close but something happened that made it go very very wrong.
Now in high school, Nagisa, who is a year younger than Makoto and Haruka, enters Iwatobi High and he informs Haruka ( whom by now, we have all established, is sexually attracted to water ) and Makoto that their middle-school swimming pool is about to close down.
Makoto knows how to manipulate Haruka's mind. Hohoho. While our Tusn-kun refuses, Makoto sneakily informs him that he can swim if they go and see the pool.
And so the boys sneak into the school at the middle of the night, Nagisa's protection plan fails when Haruka's unusually sharp senses realise the mistake, Makoto is actually scared of the strange creatures that roam the darkness and in a hilariously predictable way, Rin walks towards them. And sure enough, Rin challenges Haruka to a race, Makoto and Nagisa try to stop them but well, these old lovers are too absorbed in their own world to pay attention - that is, until they realise that all the water in the pool has been drained which is what the other two have been trying to warn them of the whole time.
Rin scoffs and walks out, but not before tossing a trophy to the ground - the object that they all had actually come for.
The trophy is the winning trophy that they all got for winning the tournament that they entered together for a relay, the final one before Rin left for Australia.
In this episode, we meet Rin's younger sister, Matsuoka Gou and the teacher, Ama-chan-sensei.
It's especially emphasised that the main boys are all guys with girly names and Gou is a girl with a boyish name. It's kind of cute and hilarious at the same time.
After realising that Gou has enrolled at their school, Makoto and Nagisa find out that Rin is actually in Samezuka. They decide to drag Haruka into visiting Rin ( aka Makoto once again tempts Haruka with the promise of a pool to swim in ) but they end up sneaking into the pool at night - again. Haruka strips ( down to his swimming trunks which he seems to be unable to part with ) and jumps in to embrace his beloved water, Nagisa makes a hilarious dive into the water - naked much to Makoto's horror and the latter is then unwillingly pulled in.
So while they have their fun, Rin enters and then challenges Haru to a race. The episode ends off with this cliffhanger.
I AM JUST SO EXCITED MY FEELS I CANNOT - //shot.
Yes, I took 374 screenshots because
and
The anime has a really attractive opening but I love the ending the most. It's set in a desert and the clothing is designed really beautifully. For the first few seconds of this episode, I was just staring at the screen in obvious horror wondering if they'd done something wrong. The guys looked younger, they were voiced by girls and basically super gay. But then I realised that this was just them when they were in middle school and all was right in the world agian.
LOOK. LOOK AT THAT. HARUKA'S HAD MORE SWAG THAN YOU WHEN YOU WERE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
These kiddy versions of them will be the end of me, I swear.
Why are you in the tub WITH YOUR SWIMMING TRUNKS ON.
Why are you grilling fish.
WHY ARE YOU WEARING AN APRON OVER NOTHING BUT YOUR SWIMMING TRUNKS.
Dat mini-blush.
How much cuter can they get?! Oh god, someone stop me before I rape them.
Guys, I think there is more to the world than just the two of you.
Again! DAT MINI-BLUSH!
Nagisa reminded me of an over-excited Titan jumping into the water. It was very comical, the way they animated him that moment.
You spoke too late, Mako-chan.
L'Oreal because Haru is worth it.
And that concludes the end of this episode. It has made me long for more so I'm definitely staying tuned. This is KyoAni after all, the very same KyoAni who did Kanon, Air and Clannad.
