Free! - Timeless Medley - The Bond
Free! - Timeless Medley - 绊
Language
Japanese with English & Chinese subtitles
Cast
Nobunaga Shimazaki, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Tsubasa Yonaga, Daisuke Hirakawa, Mamoru Miyano
Synopsis
In the last summer before graduation, Haruka Nanase (voiced by Nobunaga
Shimazaki 岛﨑信长), a third-year high school student at Iwatobi High School, finds himself lost and uncertain about his future after graduation. An extraordinary freestyle swimmer, Haruka; however, deliberates from
becoming a professional competitive swimmer, because it goes against his beliefs.
Haruka sets his mind on swimming the relay at the Nationals for one final time with his teammates Makoto Tachibana (voiced by Tatsuhisa Suzuki 铃木达央), Nagisa Hazuki (Tsubasa Yonaga 代永翼) and Rei Ryugazaki (voiced by Daisuke Hirakawa 平川大辅) of the Iwatobi Swim Club 岩鸢高中游泳部.
His teammates notice a change in him, as he seems to have given up on individual freestyle swimming, which he loved. Makoto, especially, is worried about Haruka, but a misunderstanding arises between them, as they draw closer to the Nationals.
Reviews
By Vanessa Koh 02 Mar 2018
While admittedly the movie is an Iwatobi focused retelling of Free! Eternal Summer, Kyoto Animation has added in extra scenes showcasing some of the goings-on behind the scenes of the main storyline.
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The Iwatobi boy are back in their second big-screen outing!
Dealing with the looming crisis of graduation and post-high school life, Nanase Haruka and Tachibana Makoto fumble to find their way through uncertainty and anxiety with the help of juniors Hazuki Nagisa and Ryugazaki Rei. Not forgetting good friend and eternal rival Matsuoka Rin of Samezuka Academy, Free! Timeless Medley is a well-crafted and unforgettable coming of age story hidden in a sports anime filled with half-naked boys and lots of fanservice for the fans.
While admittedly the movie is an Iwatobi focused retelling of Free! Eternal Summer, Kyoto Animation has added in extra scenes showcasing some of the goings-on behind the scenes of the main storyline. From Nagisa and Rei worrying over Haruka over a study session, to showcasing the trust Makoto has in fellow captain Rin, these little bonus scenes don’t just give clarity but just the right amount to make the memorable scenes even more meaningful.
On the flipside of things, I do highly recommend watching the first season if you’re planning on giving this movie a watch. After all, it’s easy for jokes and references to get lost in the grand scheme of things despite the extremely quick and brief flashback of the earlier season right before the movie starts.
All in all, it's a movie worth checking out at the very least if you're a fan of the series. Re-experiencing that rollercoaster of emotions is worth giving this movie a chance. With an all-star voice cast, gorgeous animation and enough muscles to make even Matsuoka Gou blush, this movie has got this fangirl’s seal of approval. Of course, the big screen really does make plenty of difference between fanservice and Fanservice.
Oh, and don't forget to stay a little longer for some sharky reunion at the end. Post credit scenes are quite literally, everywhere nowadays.
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