The Things Rin & Haru Said About Each Other Through !ES
Wrapping up the !ES Quote Compilation list with Rin and Haru themselves, since most of the best quotes actually came from their own mouths.
Other Masterlists:
Season 1: Makoto’s, Nagisa’s, Gou’s, Rei’s & Nitori’s Quotes
Other Characters’ Quotes About Rin&Haru Through !ES
Just like before, I will group the quotes by character and chronologically. And... well, since I have a weak will, I caved and included some of the most memorable things said about each other — to each other. So the post is image heavy! It includes some a lot of quotes by the staff and voice actors as well.
As per usual — please do let me know if I missed any! :D
HARU:
Haru’s subconscious being telling:
“[...] And I think that’s what Rin’s brightness has always been about. Like, even in Haruka’s nightmare, Rin is backlit by this crazy bright light, extending a hand toward Haruka, and the reason he thinks it’s so bright—is because Haru believes that world [Rin is heading to] is such a bright one.” - Zakki [x]
“Haruka’s true feelings that Rin was able to draw out solely because he’s Rin, and Rin who started thinking about Haruka after hearing his true feelings”. - Utsumi [x]
“Rin always appeared bright to haruka since the first episode. when [rin] decided right away [in childhood] on what he wanted to do and when he said he would make the best team, he looked sparkling-- but [haruka] himself didn't have that. of course, [haruka] wants to swim for his team, but when it came to his future, he didn't have anything.” - Zakki [x]
“They didn’t say it directly but their feelings were the same, and they were able to convey that [when] they remembered when they met. I think it was the final factor in Haruka deciding his dream, that talk was really important.” - Zakki [x]
“He does smile more now, but! Rin’s closed-eyes smile is very precious, so I only allowed it at specific moments. Like in episode 10 when the team hugs… Or in the last episode, when Haruka tells him “Thank you, Rin.”, he gets a bright smile. It is very precious!” - Utsumi [x]
Zakki: […] So, him thinking that Rin is bright is him thinking that the world [that Rin is in] is a bright one. Miyano: Yeah, maybe somewhere in his heart he wanted to be in that world too, but when he realized that, he still thought “That’s not cool” or “That’s not true.” So [not being honest with himself] is what keeps things from getting better for him. [x]
“When I tried to think about what on earth could move the heart of a boy like Haruka, who’s awkward and never really gets agitated over anything, I realized that it would have to be something out of the box, or it wouldn’t work. But maybe something as big as going to Australia would be sufficient to awaken something within him. [...] Rin himself would probably choose to take him to the place where he’d grown up, Australia. For Rin, Australia was a place filled with a lot of harsh memories—but they weren’t all bad, and he saw and experienced a lot of things there, so he’d want Haruka to see those same things. And I feel he was the only one who could do that for Haruka; its as a very “Rin” approach to the issue.” - Utsumi [x]
“Rin’s motivation is to become a swimmer at the international level and score times at all manner of tournaments and win a gold medal, but even if Haruka chooses that same swimming career as Rin, I feel he’ll do it for his own, Haruka-ish reasons. He wants to swim “in the place”, the whole world, and that’s why he chooses that path.” - Utsumi [x]
“Right from the beginning stages the staff agreed on 2 main themes [For Season 1]. Those were “Haruka’s growth” and “the story of Rin’s salvation” - Utsumi on Season 1′s themes [x]
HARU BONUSES:
“[In the final scene of the series], Rin as usual is eager for a race, but Haruka smiles when he looks at Rin. All we really see is that, but I believe that's a shot that illustrates their new relationship as they walk down the same path of professional swimming together.” - Utsumi [x]
“Indeed; it’s a path Haruka never would have chosen himself. But despite claims that he doesn’t care about winning or losing or scoring certain times, he’s always been attentive to Rin’s presence. So I believe there were signs, deep down, that he would choose this path for his future”. - Utsumi [x]
“Haru said "I'll let you swim since I have no choice" but the truth is that he wanted to swim too, huh.” - Makoto [x]
(Haru has Rin as the hero of his IwaMoge Fanfic - and his character is quite possibly based on his beloved Dark Hero Iwatobi-chan [x].)
RIN:
Sousuke: You’re one to talk. You’re the one who transferred in the middle of winter when we were in sixth grade!
“Rin may have placed 2nd [against Haruka], but his expression doesn't show an ounce of disappointment. Haruka, growing faster with each race against Rin, is his greatest rival and a precious existence to Rin.” - Free! ES Official Fanbook [x]
Makoto: But you know, I think in his own way, Haru is thinking things over. Even if he doesn’t say it out-loud.
Wanting to see more of the world we want to stand against, (What?) that's how we are, right? (Oh yeah!) As long as I can swim (Yeah!) together with you, (Yeah!) we will definitely, (Okay!) even more…! - Over the Dream [x]
“Australia is a very important place to Rin, and that’s exactly why he wanted Haruka to see, “Look at this world waiting out there!” If he’d just wanted Haruka to see a pool where international tournaments are held, Rin could have taken him straight to the pool and been done with it—but he wanted Haruka to feel, with his own skin, just how wide the world was. Of course, it was up to Haruka himself to decide how to react to that once he understood it [...]” - Utsumi [x]
“After the events in episode 9, Rin—who had thus far pushed his feelings on others—thought about what he could do, which makes episode 12, where Rin takes action and we can see how he’s really grown, a favorite episode, personally.” - Utsumi [x]
“[...] but he wanted Haruka to feel, with his own skin, just how wide the world was. Of course, it was up to Haruka himself to decide how to react to that once he understood it, and if he hadn’t felt anything at all, then that would’ve been fine too. I believe that Rin brought him to Australia, fully committed to that.” - Utsumi [x]
“Rin didn’t understand Haru’s situation and pushed him and regretted it after. He wanted to help Haru in a way that doesn’t pressure him so he wanted to show him that he was also like that, troubled, and let him know his own experience and let him decide for himself. [...] And wanted Haru to see in Australia that he went through hard times but there were also wonderful things.” - Mamo [x]
“What it all boiled down to, basically, was that Haruka was Rin’s ideal. Without some image in his mind, just recklessly throwing himself into training and trying to improve his times, he’d never be able to swim faster. So the image Rin kept fixed firmly in his mind—was Haruka.” - High Speed! [x]
Rin: I was testing you then. I wanted to see if that was really the farthest you could go. And when I sensed you coming up from behind me, I knew for sure.
“[...] From the scene where something inside Haruka slowly begins to awaken thanks to the words Rin speaks to Haruka’s heart in their bedroom scene (haha) to Haruka finding his dream at the international pool—that represented the core axis of Season 2. Those scenes were the most important ones for Haruka’s future, so I recall being extremely nervous during production.” - Utsumi [x]
“Rin is the one who was always able to move Haruka’s heart.” - Zakki [x]
RIN BONUSES:
“In Season 1, Rin was the reason Haruka started swimming again, and in Season 2, Rin became the reason Haruka was finally able to shake off his hesitation about his future”. [x]
“Rin, who’s had a clear vision of wanting to swim at the international level ever since he was a child, set off for Australia right after graduation, vowing to get revenge in the place where he’d once experienced bitter failure. He now spends his days globetrotting with Haruka, who said he wanted to swim together with him. From now on, they’ll likely continue to be great, close friends who compete while influencing each other, as well as rivals.” [x]