s3 ep4 crisis?
I’ve sensed a lot of frustration from the fandom after this episode, so i would like to talk about it. This might get a little… angry.
This is going to sound mean, but from a narrative standpoint your favourite characters suffering and struggling is a good thing. Free is hugely centred around character development and relationship development, so having no emotional conflict would basically make the story about a bunch of friends who swim together and do silly things for an entire 12 episodes. That might sound good in theory, but it would get boring very quickly, and is inconsistent with the rest of the series.
This is clearly not what kyoani is going for. It has been made very clear that Ikuya and Haru’s relationship is going to be a central part of this season, it was set up in the movies, now we get further setup and payoff. This is not a surprise.
I think what people are confusing is their feelings about the characters themselves, and their feelings about the characters positions in the narrative. People are angry that Hiyori is the worst and that he even asked them to race in the first place (it is dumb) and they’re mad that haru is being broken down again.
This is frustrating mostly because we don’t know how this story will end, we don’t know how far the little mermaid reference will go, when or if ikuya will get more development, or who the hell all those guys in the opening are because we’ve never even seen them before. Right now it seems like a mess. Since we only get episodes weekly we’re left stewing in our own headcanons and theories and it can be incredibly frustrating so lets just take a fandom wide deep breath.
We need to wait and see how the story is going to play out. We’re only 1/3 of the way in, there is still a lot of room for things to change, and they have to change the climax of the story hasn’t even happened yet.
What is so good about free is that while there is a definite ending to each part of the series, there is always endless possibility for more because these characters feel like real people. Haru’s struggle to overcome his guilt and continue to be the person he wants to be is a very common and very human struggle. Yes it is frustrating to see him back in that place, unsure and confused and upset because we love him and we want to see him happy.
Haru needs to find strength within himself, and this would be an ideal place to do that. Looking into himself and with the same resolve that made him chase ikuya for 3 fucking days say nope, I know who I am I know my friends don’t hate me I know it wasn’t all my fault and even if I was to blame I have done what I can to fix things. That would be a great next step for his character.
I’ve also seen people unhappy with how in series the characters aren’t taking things seriously? I personally think that the uni boys openly thinking Hiyori challenging them to a race is stupid is because it is just that; stupid. Hiyori’s behaviour is not normal or healthy friend behaviour and the cast not recognising that would remove the development of Hiyori and Ikuya’s friendship as abnormal and unhealthy.
There is also the aspect of doing even what seems ridiculous for the sake of love and friendship, which they are clearly willing to do because they agree to hiyori’s dumb race idea. Regardless of how they try to rationalize their actions they still care enough to do more than what is reasonable. This is also reflected in Hiyori’s actions, but he takes it too far in the opposite direction, becoming aggressive towards his perceived “rivals.”
The broader point I’m trying to make here is very similar to my other discussion post; it is still early days. It is very frustrating to feel like your favourite characters are being attacked when you only get one episode a week, but that shouldn’t cloud your mind to the greater story unfolding. Looking back on this season later when all has been revealed, you might see these episodes differently, so don’t poison yourself to them just yet.
soumako central 