sugarblaster:

sugarblaster:

And you may ask yourself-

        Well...How did I get here?

- Once in A Lifetime, Talking Heads

Free!, as described by it’s creators, is a “swimming story about friendship and bonds.” Unlike most hot-blooded sports series where the sport is the crux of the plot, in Free! swimming serves merely as a back drop for a classic coming of age story.

Like everyone else, I started watching Free! for the hot bodies and swimming… but as the story progressed, I became engrossed in the narrative structure of the series. This is a literary analysis and trope driven deconstruction of Haruka’s progress throughout the story. 

In short, the Hero’s Journey is an archetypal pattern that supports the narrative of many stories, usually epic quests like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings.

So, that being said… how does Haruka Nanase’s story, as the protagonist of a slice-of-life sports anime, compare to that of epic heroes like Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker?

I’m not kidding. This is a long ride, strap in. 

Read More