Anime 38400 Free Movie 4 The Final Stroke - Zenpen

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Gekijouban Free! The Final Stroke Zenpen

Japanese: 劇場版 Free!-the Final Stroke-

Information

Type: Movie

Episodes: 1

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Sep 17, 2021

Producers: ABC Animation

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: Kyoto Animation

Source: Original

Genre: Sports

Theme: School

Duration: 1 hr. 26 min.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 7.76¹ (scored by 9,306 users)

¹ indicates a .

Ranked: #1109²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #2863

Members: 59,240

Favorites: 211

Available At

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Resources

AniDB

ANN

7.76

Ranked #1109Popularity #2863Members 59,240

MovieKyoto Animation

Trailer

play

Synopsis

Haruka Nanase's new stage is Sydney, the place of his dreams that he once visited. One day while taking a short break before his departure, Haru has a chance confrontation with a fellow athlete from the All-Japan Invitational. Carrying all the feelings from those he's swam with in his heart, Haru takes his first step forward into a new world.

Waiting for him there is the unmistakable champion, Albert Volandel.

In the lead up to the Sydney tournament, all the competitors attempt to boost their morale. What is each competitor feeling, and what do they swim for, as they attempt to compete at the top of the world?

Their passionate struggle against the water begins from here――！

(Source: Free! website, Translated)

Background

No background information has been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding background information here.

Related Anime

Prequel:	Free! Dive to the Future, Free! Movie 3: Road to the World - Yume
Sequel:	Free! Movie 5: The Final Stroke - Kouhen

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Matsuoka, Rin

Main

Miyano, Mamoru
Japanese

Nanase, Haruka

Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga
Japanese

Kirishima, Ikuya

Main

Uchiyama, Kouki
Japanese

Tachibana, Makoto

Supporting

Suzuki, Tatsuhisa
Japanese

Hazuki, Nagisa

Supporting

Yonaga, Tsubasa
Japanese

Ryuugazaki, Rei

Supporting

Hirakawa, Daisuke
Japanese

Yamazaki, Sousuke

Supporting

Hosoya, Yoshimasa
Japanese

Matsuoka, Gou

Supporting

Watanabe, Akeno
Japanese

Shigino, Kisumi

Supporting

Suzuki, Chihiro
Japanese

Mikoshiba, Momotarou

Supporting

Suzumura, Kenichi
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Producer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

Ending Theme

"Heading to Over - Version:Free -" by OLDCODEX

Reviews

Feb 21, 2022

rkoradiopictures

Recommended

This first part of the final installment of the Free! series was really enjoyable!

It was so exciting to see the cast of characters again. To see what they are doing career and school-wise, and also to see them interacting as friends once more. From the characters hanging out in college and professional swimming competitions to those still in Iwatobi and Samezuka high schools. I was so satisfied throughout by how each character and each friendship got some screen time. The story jumped around a lot from person to person, feeling kind of like a TV episode, keeping you invested.

I was invested in how the ...

May 23, 2022

BabyGirl06301

Recommended

I know I'm in the super minority when I say this but Free! is one of my all-time favorite anime, so those of you who hate it should step away now: I think it's getting better.

I understand the critiques people have about the pacing of the plot, but to be honest, this film covered a lot of important ground. The world stage where these characters are standing now is no short road to walk down, which is why it's taken so long to reach the point where Haru and the rest are at. Now, though, the concept of pulling these characters along tournament after tournament ...

Jan 30, 2022

ashsays

Mixed Feelings

A disgruntled mess that will probably only be enjoyed if you actually like free!!.

Cons :
- The movie darts from plot point to plot point, from scene to scene, that coming up with a reasonable timeline for it is extremely difficult. One moment, we're in a school festival, the next Sydney where we're competing, and literally the next scene, we're back in Japan. The (main) story never lets itself breathe, and it becomes increasingly difficult to figure out what's going on with the multitude of smaller side plots - making the pacing both excruciatingly slow and extremely fast. A lot of the final act is ... just set up for part 2, ending at a moment equal parts camp, and terrible writing.

- To add on the previous point, way too many characters. Starting s3 the show starts to lose its balance when designating time to different characters, it's definitely worse here. So many small moments with other people of the main cast (Makoto, Sousuke and etc) could be cut out but can't because it's free!! and they need the characters to show up. It's better done in the tv show because the 87 minute time limit is ultimately one of the movies largest shortcomings.

- An issue that stems all the way from S3 is Albert's (and the english speakers) terrible voice delivery. It's similar to Squid Game in the way that the english barely sounds like actual people and more like what people assume english sounds like. Considering that the show was able to integrate the english speakers better in s2, I find it confusing how terrible Albert's voice is.

Pros :
- It's quite enjoyable to watch, and the comedic timing is still high up there. While Free!! isn't the most comical series out there, it's still a fun show to watch and I think the movie absolutely delivers on that part. I could pinpoint multiple times in the movie where the people in the theatre I went to laughed out loud.

- While there is a problem with the number of characters, there are so many good character interactions. I feel like the staff behind Free!! understand a huge part of the appeal of Free!! are the characters in the show; we see characters who barely interact in the TV series get full conversations that last a substantial chunk of time. These scenes really are the best part of the film.

- It really is just Free!! It has the same underlying homoerotic tendencies (that could still be read as just guys messing around) that all of the other films and seasons have, all the strange melodramatic conflicts, and all the moments that make you want to cringe. Free!! is like comfort food, sometimes it isn't the best but it's still nice to go back to, and this movie encapsulates that feeling super well.

Things to note :
- There is quite a fair usage of 3d animation, similar to the tv show. It isn't terribly blended into the 2d animation but it is noticeable. It took me out of the movie a little but it isn't too bad.

- The cinema I went to screened the film at a 21:9 aspect ratio, cutting out a large part of the frame. This kind of also impacted the way I felt towards this film as I could not see the whole screen fully.

- Something weird, and not necessarily a con, is that they added a flashback to a moment we have not seen before. Shown in the ten minute preview, Rin loses miserably to Kinjou. This moment kind of baffled me the first time I saw it, and I genuinely wonder why the writers chose to start the movie JUST before the Sydney competition, and not right where we left off last season. Moreover, so much of this movie is flashbacks. For a sequel to the Free! series, about 40% of the film is in flashbacks.

Overall, as a big fan of this series I think it suffers from being the first half of a two parter, needing to end on a hook to draw audiences back in. I really enjoyed it (very biased, I would give literally anything that comes out of this show a 10/10 *subjectively*) but there are so many issues that plague this movie.

The movie feels contradictory and confusing. It's a blender of ideas that are never fully developed, a film where there are too many characters who are also extremely fun to watch, and a film completely dependent on how much you actually care about a well written plot. If you are a fan of this series, it's still enjoyable to watch and I think it'll be much better when the second part comes out.

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Anime 38400 Free Movie 4 The Final Stroke - Zenpen

Alternative Titles

Information

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Synopsis

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Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Matsuoka, Rin

Nanase, Haruka

Kirishima, Ikuya

Tachibana, Makoto

Hazuki, Nagisa

Ryuugazaki, Rei

Yamazaki, Sousuke

Matsuoka, Gou

Shigino, Kisumi

Mikoshiba, Momotarou

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Ending Theme

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