#throwback anime - Free! Iwatobi Swim Club & Free! Eternal Summer!

This week's #throwback anime features Free! Iwatobi Swim Club and Free! Eternal Summer, a production of Kyoto Animation.

Free! Iwatobi Swim Club (Season 1) was released in summer 2013, while Free! Eternal Summer (Season 2) premiered in summer 2014. The franchise enjoyed relative popularity that expanded to multiple media such as radio shows, manga, light novels, drama CDs, multiple character songs CDs and other merchandises.

*This is only the character songs CDs for season 1!
The story revolves around Haruka Nanase, a boy who has always loved to be immersed in water, and to swim in it. The first season story focus on the formation of the club and the eventual match with their rival school. The first season is more lighthearted with jokes, gags(especially on the male leads girly names), fan service and occasional shipping of the male leads (to please target audience group), but it does prepare the viewers a basic understanding of each character and their own struggles in growing up and apart.

In the second season, Haruka and co. is now in their third year and facing decisions regarding their future. The second season takes a more serious theme of making a decision for yourself and growing up to a young adult. It also explore some sports related themes such as injury and age in the sports world (only a little). It still keeps the occasional fan services but are more toned down.

Opening songs for both season is sung by OLDCODEX a JRock band with lead vocalist Tatsuhisa Suzuki (VA for Tachibana Makoto), while ending song is performed by the male leads VA band called "Style Five".

Cast includes:
Nobunaga Shimazaki
Tatsuhisa Suzuki
Tsubasa Yonaga
Daisuke Hirakawa
Mamoru Miyano
Here's a picture of them doing funny poses!

Overall it is an enjoyable boy's love sports anime. Hehe