・ English is my second language, there may be errors in my grammar..
・I try to make a spoiler-free review, however, in the section opinion might have some spoilers.
・General experience ≠ Final score. My personal score is based in 5 star system, so I tried to put an accurate number here, but isn't always the case.
・Locate (Brief) Conclusion + Recommendation section where the main points are summarized.

[ ! ] Originally watched and written in 2022, I've decided to share my thoughts now (giving a prooreading) - along with future reviews covering the series all the way through the movies. It's not a big deal, but I truly loved this anime.━━━━━━━ ⟡ ━━━━━━━

Experience with Free!: Eternal Summer

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One year has passed since the success where Haru loosened his stubborn behavior and decided to approach his feelings sincerely. Or so we believed.

Now *Iwatobi’s Swimming Club faces the annual goal of scouting new members; conversely, Rin is chosen to be Samezuka’s new captain*. Even if they’re far away, the prefectural and national is the right place to meet again; however, Rin realizes that he doesn’t have a team for the medley relay. The choice for this is based on the record for each category, but he wants a team created by the passion and union of being part of this kind of encounter.

They're in the last year, and the weight from it is palpable. It’s time to be serious about what to do after high school and thus have to make their last tournament a meaningful encounter. For someone like Haru, others' expectations come to hurt him. He doesn’t understand why everyone expects him to enter the world of competition and momentarily forgets his reasons for swimming.

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In this second season we explore the inner motivation of the characters, but in particular we can witness the process of Haru, where he finds himself lost about his qualities and abilities, having an inner void that no one can take care of. The problem is Haru got a narrow vision; he felt that nobody understood him, and in a certain way, it can look like he only cares about himself, ignoring the worries of his friends.

It’s not like they want him to swim because he’s talented; they want him to be happy making the best decision for him. Throughout the episode, the development of different characters will lead us to the decision of Haru.

Henceforth, with bittersweet feelings, the characters find their way out of the circle of which they were part, making decisions and beginning to live. Not forgetting how important it is to be part of a team. Haru obtained the opportunity to expand his horizons; he was able to realize his reasons for being in the water. With the help of Rin decided that he would enter the world of competitions, but with different motives. As long as he is able to dive in the water, he will put more dedication into his swimming.

Now, about the technical aspects we encounter with amazing and fluid animation. Free! returns with a quality comparable to its first season, although a little better, also playing with the fanservice approach and misunderstanding to catch your attention. The musical section fits with its intention to be intense and significant, adding a new soundtrack that is sharper and more cutting for certain characters. In general, the opening and ending contrast between being a sharper boost against one of colorful energy.

━━━━━━━ ⟡ ━━━━━━━(ʙʀɪᴇғ) Cᴏɴᴄʟᴜsɪᴏɴ + Rᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

Free! In this instance, focus on the path that each one will have to travel after finishing their third year, making the memories of the tournament the starting point to continue improving.

Our protagonist is spaced by not understanding what they mean by "dream." His reasons for swimming differ from those of Rin, his rival, who wants to excel in the world of competitions.

For youth that always find themselves conflicted about the future, I found that in this part of the story they manage to explore it; they convey the meaning of living and accepting the frustration where all the factors are involved, and it’s up to you if you give up before trying it. This season gives us the hints that the journey of the protagonists will continue for a while, where this moment that seems a detour even has a meaning.

If you are doubting continuing watching after the first season, I recommend you give an opportunity for what comes next. It’s a touching story that may coincide with some stage of our life. With good animation and constant growth of their characters, this anime will be a memorable and entertaining experience.

━━━━━━━ ⟡ ━━━━━━━ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ sᴄᴏʀᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ ★★★★★ ━━━━━━━ ⟡ ━━━━━━━