News
Free! The Final Stroke Films Will Be Released in U.K. Cinemas on August 31
posted on by Andrew Osmond
Anime Limited has Tweeted that it will release both Free! The Final Stroke films, which conclude Kyoto Animation's swimming race franchise, in UK cinemas on August 31. Venue details and booking links are available at https://swimfreefilm.co.uk/. All screenings will be subtitled.
In Japan, the first Free! The Final Stroke film was released in September 2021 and the second in April 2022. In the two films, Haruka finally arrives in Sydney, the dream destination for his world-class competitive swimming aspirations. As he steps into this new frontier, he is faced with his friends and rivals from the All Japan Invitational, including the current world champion Albert Volandel. In order to stand at the very top of the world, Haru may need to make sacrifices, including his dream of swimming with his friends. The project's tagline was, "Let's go, to the stage of glory."
Kyoto Animation's original Free! TV anime about the Iwatobi High School Swim Club premiered in July 2013. Free! Eternal Summer, the second television anime season, premiered in July 2014. The High Speed! -Free! Starting Days- film, which was directly inspired by the High Speed! novel that had been loosely adapted into the original Free! television anime, opened in Japan in December 2015. Whereas the Free! anime centres on Haruka and the other swimmers during high school, High Speed! -Free! Starting Days- followed the characters during middle school.
The Free! -Timeless Medley- Kizuna compilation film opened in April 2017, and a second compilation film, Free! -Timeless Medley- Yakusoku, opened in July 2017. Free! -Take Your Marks- was an omnibus film of short stories that opened in Japan in October 2017.
A third TV series, Free! Dive to the Future, was broadcast in 2018 and was compiled into the film Free! -Road to the World- The Dream in 2019.
