Recap: With a mere week before their big debut, Gou submits the swimming team to a phenomenal training regime, yet her meticulously planned schedule is quickly tossed out as Rei cannot catch up. It is up to Makoto and Nagisa to teach him how to swim.

Though I am certain some people in the community will disagree, I think it is about time we stop talking about the role Free! can play in the ever ongoing discussion about fanservice and gender politics in anime, and start focussing on the actual show behind the phenomenon. Gou’s line after getting tired of the plentiful peekaboos provided by the swimbros during their shopping spree was all the nice affirmation of its cheeky intent the show needed. Even the audience proxy gets tired of naked bodies after a while, and she literally has to rush out of the scene to get the plot moving forward again. It is a clever nod to how Kyoto Animation is trying to balance out its blatant fanservice — let’s not try to skirt around that fact — with its good intentions.

Despite Kyoto Animation’s claims to fame still lurking behind every corner, they actually managed to make an episode in which the characters do what they are supposed to be doing for once. For an entire episode, we get to watch the swimbros, well, actually swimming. And talking about swimming. And making jokes about swimming. Okay, maybe the focus is on swimming just a bit too much this week. You could argue the quick jargon explaining session at the beginning served little to no purpose. After all, is there anyone watching this show who doesn’t know the difference between breaststroke and front crawl? I would prefer it if they explained where all the muscles Gou likes to fawn over are located.  Or is that just me?

He should have bought this one.

After all, being an accurate rendition of the swimming sport does not seem to be one of Free!‘s aspirations, as this week’s episode ends on resident brick Rei mastering butterfly stroke — widely considered to be the most difficult one of the bunch — in a fortnight. We meet again, rule of fun. Although the episode was once again meant to focus on Rei and his mad scientist antics, I found Haruka to be going through some exceptional character development behind the scenes. Unlike the usual sports anime hero, he is entirely void of ambition. All he wants to do is swim. Up until now, he has always kept to himself, but his calling Rin out for his relentless loser complex revealed that he wants to share his enjoyment with people he cares about. He realizes he wants not only himself, but Rin to have fun as well, free from the chains of competition.

It is because of this that he eventually does decide to train Rei, as a means of teaching him to have fun. It is a nice step up for a guy who’s main personality trait used to be that he has passionate love affairs with large bodies of water. Wait a second…

… Oh my.

Random observations

• Gou certainly has a unique fashion sense. The crop top/long skirt combo is oddly fashionable for a girl like her, but the white socks in slippers? That is a crime and you know it.
• “They haven’t been working out.” … Seriously, Rin? Seriously?
• The sadistic child hater who came up with the idea of making schoolboys wear these horrible polka dot ties should be fired.