On Haru (S2 + Episode 10)
I usually love trying to read Haru (it’s honestly my favorite sport in Free!), but this season he’s just been so soulless. Like he smiles and engages others and is more assertive and all (and I’m very proud of him for this), but it’s like he’s just going through the motions.
And I honestly blame the director. Gone are the careful zoom ins on his eyes and in the most minute change of his expressions. Or all the subtle ways in which Utsumi brought him to life.
I feel like this director simply doesn’t know how to bring the best out of Haru. While Utsumi got her show-and-don’t-tell down pretty well, this director is more about telling and not showing. And since Haru hasn’t said what’s going on with him, it all just feels pretty empty IMO.
My best guess about his current behavior is that Haru just… doesn’t get what people see in him and is honest to God fearing he’s just not all that special / plus not finding the competitive world all that rewarding just yet.
Warning: the post is image-heavy!
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