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Episode Review: Free! Eternal Summer


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 11:33 am Reply with quote
Episode review? Interesting. Well, I find this season to be alright imo but some of the episode feels somewhat slow. The latest few episodes picked up pace again with the competitions and an ongoing storyline. I really wonder how they will wrap this up though with the setup so far this season. For one thing, I'm pretty curious about that new guy Sosuke still. Anyways, there were some memorable moments in this season so far.
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ColonelYao47



Joined: 01 Jan 2013
Posts: 274
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 11:44 am Reply with quote
Yay! The Otaku Journalist has arrived at ANN. Do your best, Lauren.
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laureninspace



Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 11:50 am Reply with quote
ColonelYao47 wrote:
Yay! The Otaku Journalist has arrived at ANN. Do your best, Lauren.


Thanks! I will do my best Very Happy
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SailorTralfamadore



Joined: 25 Feb 2014
Posts: 499
Location: Keep Austin Weeb
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 12:13 pm Reply with quote
Good job Lauren! I'm excited to be working here, and with you! (For those who don't know, this is Rose Bridges, aka the streaming review for Black Butler this season.)

Although I have to say I disagree a little bit on episode 9, which I thought was a huge step up for Free!. To me it was one of the best episodes of the series period, including this season. I was really surprised by how well the show could pull off some psychological drama. That mostly goes with what happened to Haru, though; I agree that they didn't really stick the landing with Sousuke.

But they seem to be building to something next week, so who knows? Maybe they'll do better next water time.


Last edited by SailorTralfamadore on Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2345
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 12:30 pm Reply with quote
I am not a free fan I dropped the first season after the meet. However this was a very well done review. Welcome to ann Lauren its very nice to read stuff from you.
I do have to question a b+ for an episode with such large problems as you describe however I did not watch the episode and free is an amazing show when it wants to be especially for its target audience.
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Dop.L



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 713
Location: London
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:37 pm Reply with quote
OK. On the review page I'm not seeing any review.
I get the image, and then <series> is streaming at... message, but no review.

It's the same with all the review pages. Image, 'is streaming at' but no actual review text!

I'm using Chrome Version 37.0.2062.94 on an iMac running OSX version 10.9.4 if that helps.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:41 pm Reply with quote
We are apparently having this issue with some people but not others. I'm looking into it.
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SailorTralfamadore



Joined: 25 Feb 2014
Posts: 499
Location: Keep Austin Weeb
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:49 pm Reply with quote
Maybe people are just confused by the fact that it links to the main review pages? The links to the individual episode reviews are listed at the bottom (e.g. Free! Eternal Summer episodes 1-8, Free! Eternal Summer episode 9).
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minakichan





PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:50 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Not once has Sousuke winced in the first eight episodes


(Since I'm silly and have rewatched the season almost 6 times) Sousuke's injury is actually hinted at quite a bit! Even in episode 2, he's rolling his shoulder and there's a paused close-up of it. There are a lot of subsequent foreshadowing shots of him having issues with his shoulder, and only working out with the other arm. Eagle-eyed Tumblrites have been guessing that he has some kind of disease or injury since very early in the season Wink
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Irru



Joined: 27 Dec 2012
Posts: 51
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 2:28 pm Reply with quote
Is there a filter to show what 'news' I want to see and what I don't want to see?

I couldn't care less about these reviews.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 2:34 pm Reply with quote
Irru wrote:
Is there a filter to show what 'news' I want to see and what I don't want to see?

I couldn't care less about these reviews.


See the blue bar at the top? Click 'news'.

That's just news. Nothing else.
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laureninspace



Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 2:45 pm Reply with quote
minakichan wrote:
Quote:
Not once has Sousuke winced in the first eight episodes


(Since I'm silly and have rewatched the season almost 6 times) Sousuke's injury is actually hinted at quite a bit! Even in episode 2, he's rolling his shoulder and there's a paused close-up of it. There are a lot of subsequent foreshadowing shots of him having issues with his shoulder, and only working out with the other arm. Eagle-eyed Tumblrites have been guessing that he has some kind of disease or injury since very early in the season Wink


You're a far more astute viewer than I am, then! This makes me want to rewatch because for me, it came right out of left field.

Out of the three shows I'm reviewing, Free! is the most intimidating because it has the biggest fanbase and there are bound to be a lot of opinions. I've seen a LOT of takes on Episode 9 to show that mine is just a drop in the, well, pool. My favorite, circling around on Tumblr, is that Episode 9 is an homage to Neon Genesis Evangelion! "You mustn't run away, Haru..."
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laureninspace



Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 2:48 pm Reply with quote
SailorTralfamadore wrote:


But they seem to be building to something next week, so who knows? Maybe they'll do better next water time.


I have a feeling we're gonna be hanging out in each other's forums a lot. Razz

I mean, there's NO way that it's not going to go up from here and Haru is going to kick butt in the relay and get accepted to the same college as Rin (because that has to be what Rin isn't admitting he wants) and then he'll... decide to go to the local school at Iwatobi, the better to be in Season 3? Or something like that.
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stardf29



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 171
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 3:26 pm Reply with quote
Nice review, Lauren! I've read some of your stuff over at Otaku Journalist (as well as listened to the recent podcast on Beneath the Tangles where you were a guest), and it's nice to see you at work here, too.

As one of the relatively few males watching this show (at least compared to the number of female viewers; I'm sure the actual number of male viewers is still pretty high), I'm finding a lot to enjoy here outside of the female-oriented fanservice, which is great. I agree that Rin's new role in this show is a huge step up from the last season; I don't think he was particularly bad or annoying there, but here, his growth and his ability to handle the Samezuka team and form a place of his own is just wonderful. (Now I just need more sibling bonding between him and Gou...) The things going on with the Iwatobi members are good, too.

As for the latest episode, my favorite part was definitely the dream sequence, showing the kind of pressure Haru is feeling. It's the sort of thing KyoAni does best: using all of their visual and directing prowess to really make the viewer understand and feel what the characters are going through. The Sousuke's shoulder plot is maybe just a bit sudden (though they did hint at some reason why he returned from training overseas, so I was expecting something, at least), but I'm fine with it.
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princess passa passa





PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 3:44 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
It's clear that Free! wasn't really equipped to deal with such heavy emotions in the first place. This is most visible at the very end of the show, when we segue directly from Sousuke crying alone in the shower to Free!'s upbeat “Future Fish” ending theme.


This is so on point, I actually snorted on my drink after watching Sousuke crying on the floor to seeing the blue fish pops up and hearing "Gimme Gimme a Break!"

LOLs all around...

And why use this episode as budget saving episode, some of the animation was wack and undermined the emotional tone they were going for.
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