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KyoAni Streams Rei Promo for 'Free!' Swimming Anime
posted on by Egan Loo
Kyoto Animation streamed the Rei Ryugazaki version of the second promotional video for its July television anime Free! on Monday. The video showcases Rei, a first-year high schooler who was originally a member of the track team, but decided to join the swimming club instead. He is a handsome, intelligent young man who often gets manipulated by the swim team's rival Rin for some reason.
The anime's official website also posted a voice sample of Rei by Daisuke Hirakawa and two Twitter icons. In the voice sample, Rei introduces himself as a first-year Iwatobi High School student whose specialty is … well, he was on the track team.
The story revolves around Haruka (Nobunaga Shimazaki), a boy who has always loved to be immersed in water, and to swim in it. After years of separation, his childhood friend Rin (Mamoru Miyano) challenges him to a swimming match, showing Haruka his overwhelming power. Not wanting it to end like this, Haruka gathers together Makoto (Tatsuhisa Suzuki) and Nagisa (Tsubasa Yonaga) once again, and also brings in the new member Rei to create the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club. Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, and Rin come together for a story of swimming, youth, and friendship.
The Free! television anime is based on Kōji Ōji's High Speed!, an honorable mention recipient in the 2nd Kyoto Animation Award in 2011. Much of the same production staff created the "Suiei-hen" (Swimming) anime commercial that was unveiled in April. Animation DO had teased "a project in the works" with an image of Haruka swimming last year.
Images © Kōji Ōji, Kyoto Animation/Iwasobi High School Swimming Club
Update: Typo fixed. Thanks, phoenixalia.
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