Free!
Seen it?2013 | 3 seasons | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Solid across the board without standing out anywhere. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who wants a laugh and animation lovers.
- The mood
- Funny with heart, feel-good.
- The pace
- 3 seasons: a few weeks of evenings, short, snackable episodes, about 15 hours in all.
- What might put you off
- Rated TV-PG. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
The story revolves around Haruka Nanase, a boy who has always loved to be immersed in water, and to swim in it. Before graduating from elementary school, he participated in a swimming tournament along with his fellow swimming club members, Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki, and Rin Matsuoka. After achieving victory, each of the boys went their separate ways. Time passed, and in the middle of their uneventful high school lives Rin appears and challenges Haruka to a match, showing Haruka his overwhelming power. Not wanting it to end like this, Haruka, gathers together Makoto and Nagisa once again and brings a new member named Rei Ryugazaki to create the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club in order to defeat Rin.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
- AudiencesSolid
8.2 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Ran for 3 seasons and reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 109K people sought it out in the past year
Season by season
The show overall is a Sunday Safe Bet. Here's how each season stacks up; Free! Eternal Summer is the high point.
Free! Iwatobi Swim Club2013 · 12 episodes · 5.8 out of 10Monday- Free! Eternal Summer2014 · 13 episodes · 6.2 out of 10Monday
- Free! Dive to the Future2018 · 12 episodes · 3.0 out of 10Monday
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Cast & crew
- Nobunaga ShimazakiHaruka Nanase (voice)
- Daisuke HirakawaRei Ryugazaki (voice)
- Akeno WatanabeGou Matsuoka (voice)
- Kenjiro TsudaSeijuro Mikoshiba (voice)
- Mamoru MiyanoRin Matsuoka (voice)
- Hiroshi YanakaGorou Sasabe (voice)
- Tatsuhisa SuzukiMakoto Tachibana (voice)
- Satsuki YukinoMiho Amakata (voice)
- Kouki MiyataAiichiro Nitori (voice)
- Yoshimasa HosoyaSosuke Yamazaki (voice)