News
Free! Iwatobi Swim Club's 'FrFr!' Bonus Anime Promo Streamed
posted on by Sarah Nelkin
Kyoto Animation began streaming a promotional video on Sunday for the first bonus anime titled "FrFr! ~Free! short movie~" that will be bundled with the first Blu-ray Disc and DVD release of the Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club television anime series.
The preview video below features the segments "Makoto's Worries" and "Calling New Members!." In "Makoto's Worries," Makoto asks advice from Nagisa on Haruka constantly stripping his clothes in public to swim. In "Calling New Members!," Nagisa and the Iwatobi Swim Club try and come up with tactics to recruit new members to the club, to which Nagisa suggests that they offer one his special keychain mascots, Iwatobi-chan.
The first Blu-ray Disc and DVD release of Free! will be released on September 11, and will come bundled with the FrFr! anime, a special "splash" sleeve package, a reversible jacket featuring one side with Makoto and Nagisa, and another side with Rei. The release will also include a "'SPECIAL BOOK Free! Vol.1 featuring Rin Matsuoka" booklet with character interviews and images from the anime, and two postcards. The disc will also include Japanese subtitles and the clean opening and ending sequences.
The anime premiered last month, and the story revolves around Haruka when he is in high school. After years of separation, his childhood friend Rin challenges him to a swimming match, showing Haruka his overwhelming power. Not wanting it to end like this, Haruka gathers together Makoto and Nagisa once again, and also brings a new member named Rei Ryugazaki to create the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club. Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, and Rin come together for a story of swimming, youth, and friendship.
Hiroko Utsumi of Animation DO is directing the anime, and Masahiro Yokotani is supervising the scripts. Futoshi Nishiya is designing the characters, and Tatsuya Katou is composing the music. Much of the same production staff created the "Suiei-hen" (Swimming) anime commercial that was unveiled in March. Animation DO had teased "a project in the works" with an image of Haruka swimming last year.
Kōji Ōji's High Speed! novel served as the basis for the anime, and Kyoto Animation published the novel in Japan last month. The novel follows Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rin during their elementary school days. When Haruka was in sixth grade, he was in a swimming club with his longtime friend Makoto and fifth grader Nagisa. Then their rival Rin transfers into their school.
The novel received an honorable mention in the 2nd Kyoto Animation Award in 2011, and Free! character designer Futoshi Nishiya illustrated the novel.
Crunchyroll is streaming the anime as it airs in Japan.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history