As the all-awaited sequel to the original manservice anime, this sequel proved to be one of the biggest surprises since first watching the Love Live! series. Although the first season had a rather cliched writing that justified its fanservice-heavy tones, the second season had definitely stripped off at least half of the fanservice moments from before and brought a truly remarkable continuation to the series with an conclusive ending.
Story:
Without referring too much to the first season, it is still not perfect but definitely improved from the first. The stakes have been raised, the final year of Haruka, Makoto, and Rin is ending, post-graduation choices have
...
to be made. While in content it might sound generic like many high-school themed shows, its execution was more raw than the first. We get to relate with the characters more easily through their stories, their talents are being scrutinised by a larger audience than their peers, and we are constantly reminded of their progress up to the ending. There were enough twists to spice up the continuity. One could say that this formula is just enough to keep the audience interested
Some critical aspects need to be mentioned, however. There was no escaping the fact that the story's "friendship" trope is omnipresent throughout the series, sometimes making it hard to take the show seriously. This is somewhat remedied by the longer interactions between Rin and Haruka, and the reminders of their graduation towards the end. The constant transitions to flashbacks is sometimes rather overused to flesh out the story, but personally it didn't make the show too choppy. In fact, despite these flaws, the story's simplicity and improved development made the show an easy watch without the feeling of bingeing.
Art:
What can I say? I'm such a fan of Kyoto Animation's art style. They have produced arguably the most precise and fluid animation I've laid witness to, while rivals might include Madhouse or ComixWave (Shinkai Makoto's works). Although the highlights of the show were its swimming scenes, I even noticed how the small conversations between characters were so minutely animated, with the tiniest wave of hair to the little movements of the hand when they are supposed to be stationary. Very few studios can deliver such detail to the TV screen, let alone with such consistency from start to finish.
Even with the scenery, the accuracy of the fictitious Iwatobi town (based off Iwami in Tottori prefecture) and Sydney pops up very well, with the credits even thanking authorities from Tottori and Australia for contributing to the background design. I believe Kyoto Animation just gets better at animating as the years go by, while Free! and Free! Eternal Summer are one of the studio's fine works, at least visually.
Sound:
I can't speak too much about the background music other than that it didn't ruin the watching experience. What I can say is that the opening and ending themes (with the same singers from season one) have a sense of juxtaposition: the opening was rough and energetic to set the mood of a sports anime, while the ending cooled down the mood. I have disagreements on the ending theme when the episode ends on a dramatic note, as it sometimes killed the mood; the studio could have just ended it with a string of credits over the episode without music.
Character:
We are presented with the same characters Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, Rei in Iwatobi swim club, and Rin from Samezuka. Side characters are present and add spice to the story-telling with their individual perks. New often-present side characters include Momotaro who's the comedy relief throughout the show, and finally Sousuke as the childhood friend of Rin before he met Haruka. Although most of these characters didn't feel out of place, their character development felt rather slow and stiff throughout the series; in other words their "tropeyness" was not shed in the end.
The only character whom I have issues with is Sousuke, who in my opinion felt like an afterthought when the source material was written. The back-story of Sousuke was revealed a tad bit later than I'd like, and even so it felt rather rushed and plugged in to add twist. Even his alleged friendship with Rin was not as convincing as Rin with Haruka and the others from Iwatobi. The addition of an extra character is not bad per se, but I would have liked if he had a more convincing relationship with the other members of Samezuka and Rin.
Enjoyment:
Not knowing what to expect after finishing the first season, the show was one hell of a ride. It was DEFINITELY easier to digest given the reduced fanservice moments. The entire experience combined (story, art, sound, character) was a package deal of very emotional moments by the final episode; I admit I was close to shedding a tear (but didn't, hah!) during their farewell. What this means is that the second season to the #swimminganime franchise and hype was a surprising but satisfying experience.
Overall:
if I had to consider the critical points I've noted throughout my watching experience, I must admit that I am still hesitant to call this a masterpiece, let alone something along the lines of something that breaks my thought paradigm. While the first season felt lacklustre story-wise, it is still worth bingeing through so that one can witness the much-improved second season. I'd rate it 8/10 for breaking my expectations as a rather memorable show, but shy of my hall of fame.
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Dec 19, 2016
Free! Eternal Summer
(Anime)
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As the all-awaited sequel to the original manservice anime, this sequel proved to be one of the biggest surprises since first watching the Love Live! series. Although the first season had a rather cliched writing that justified its fanservice-heavy tones, the second season had definitely stripped off at least half of the fanservice moments from before and brought a truly remarkable continuation to the series with an conclusive ending.
Story: Without referring too much to the first season, it is still not perfect but definitely improved from the first. The stakes have been raised, the final year of Haruka, Makoto, and Rin is ending, post-graduation choices have ... |
