This might be a bit sexist of me, but it almost feels like the issue with S3 is that it's directed by a man instead of a woman this time. It's just just so shallow and there's so little emotion and so few meaningful interactions. Instead it seems apparent that it's done by some guy fumbling around like "muscles!!! queer baiting!! that's why people like Free!, right??" So the entire essence of the series—unapologetically emotional men with healthy male-male relationships—has been washed out.
It’s true. This season feels to me like a huge making fun of the Free! fans. You like pretty and angsty guys, right? Here you go, he’s very pretty and super angsty. That’s it. You like these particular scenes from the previous seasons? Here you go.
Now Free! has 3 characters yelling about muscles like obsessed. It was funny with Gou, now it’s just idiotic.
There are no emotions, all the characters are badly written, but he’s like “here you go, they’re playing with babies, that’s what making your ovaries explode right?”
It's just really sad that he thinks that we’re that shallow, but from some messages I get, lots of people are good with just watching them eat in cafes and not even new queerbating scenes so sadly he was like half right. And if you go on Kissanime first ten comments are gonna be “finally more abs”, and yes, of course I love their abs and I love Haru’s ass, but that’s clearly not enough to make me stick around. And no I’m not gonna like Ikuya because he’s pretty, they’re all pretty there.
I just always remember my heart exploding during s1 and it makes me super sad. But once again it’s not the first show that’s gone to shit because the original creators left, but they still want money.
But thinking that we’re that dumb is also not good for them, the fandom is already pissed and they can’t go back and I mean the fandom, not tumblr who will eat every even remotely gay scene they can get.
It’s also been proven that men indeed see Free! as just abs, lots of famous anime reviewers haven’t even watched it and already labeled it, while promoting animes with girls fighting with their butts and boobs. It’s typical tbh, letting a man being in charge of animes like Free! most likely will get these results.
