It’s Sad How Much Of What Is Taught In School Is Useless To Over 99% Of The Population.

save the best for last

two of em

Flowing Energies, part 2

Part 1 can be found here.

In the opening of Free!: Eternal Summer (FES), Haruka and Sousuke are centerpiece foils, ostensibly illustrating their conflict and eventually their resolution as essential to their respective arcs. For the sake of a significant plot point, namely the overarching theme “future,” the conflict between them prioritizes Rin’s inclusion and by the series’ conclusion the dispute remains unsettled, aside from them ending on more friendlier terms. Only a few things are retained from the novels while many aspects of characterization are overblown for underwhelming drama. 

Episode 1:

Following his notorious monologue, Haruka contemplates over the water cupped in his hand, designating it tamed, defanged, sterilized of its vitality, “just not enough,” and thus lacking its vibrancy. He slowly sinks further inside the bathtub.

“You’re not here to join the club?”

Sousuke arrives in front of the newly established Iwatobi Swimming Club Returns (ISCR), confirming with Coach Sasabe that the building is indeed the same Iwatobi Swimming Club. When Coach Sasabe offers his indoor pool for the practice of Iwatobi High’s swim club, Haruka immediately dives in. 

Unbeknownst to the others, Sousuke watches from behind the window of the lobby, obscured; by contrast, Haruka is bathed in light. Portended is their respective roles within the narrative before intersecting: Sousuke, embittered and lurking in the shadows with his dreams in pieces, discarding the old to embark on the new; Haruka, peacefully immersed in his safe space, lighthearted in his boundless potential. They occupy different planes, separated by the glass window, Sousuke on the outside looking in.

After a botched attempt to actualize Rin’s childhood wish (“I want to try swimming like that sometime, in a pool full of cherry blossoms.” High Speed, 1), Rin berates Haruka and Makoto for their lack of graduation plans, signaling the season’s central theme, “for the future”. Rain passes through Iwatobi High School, leaving the cherry trees bare of blossoms, and Haruka sights a bird circling the sky. Subsequently, the closing scenes depict Sousuke’s transference to Samezuka Academy. The sequence of images perhaps serve as a callback to their sky parallel found in High Speed! 2 (HS2).

A neat observation is the connection of weather and the arrival of the enigmatic “antagonist”. Last season, a windswept petal landing in Haruka’s bathwater precedes Rin’s return to Japan, whereas an abrupt rainshower separating the cluster of petals precedes Sousuke’s official introduction. Another interpretation found within this symbolism is the clashing of two different elements (wind and water) and of the same element but from different sources (pool water and rainwater). Interestingly, Haruka is the first character introduced in the episode, with Sousuke being the last, almost like bookends for the season’s onset.

Episode 2:

Sousuke introduces himself to Samezuka’s swimming team. Nitori greets Sousuke as he flexes his left shoulder, hand flinching when Nitori mentions Haruka.

“He’s got nothing to do with Haru.” “I know about Nanase.” 

According to Rin, Sousuke and Haruka share zero association with each other, which contradicts HS2. Rin and Sousuke exchanged letters about Sousuke’s interactions with and opinions of Haruka. Sousuke disputes Rin’s claims, explaining how he encountered Haruka and the experience of racing him:

“I once raced him at a tournament. My entire body buzzed with energy when I swam with him. I see why you’re so taken with him.”

Sousuke’s aforementioned quote reorients the sentiment so it focalizes Rin’s fascination with Haruka (to Rin’s embarrassment), when it is supposedly meant to illustrate Sousuke’s recognition of Haruka’s swimming prowess and as a worthwhile rival. (“Rin’s feelings, I finally understood them. [...] The pressure of being gained on by Nanase. [...] While swimming, my skin tingled. That was the first time. [...] – But, I’ve already experienced it. Next time, I won’t let you overtake me!” HS2, 12) Remember, this electrifying sensation was shared between Sousuke and Haruka; it was not one-sided. (“He was able to feel Sousuke to the extent that his skin tingled with electricity.” HS2, 12)

Coach Sasabe prepares for the grand opening of ISCR, “Splash Fest”; with the assistance of Iwatobi High’s swim club, posters are distributed and the launch’s main event is decided upon after Haruka suggests a relay event. With any race, one needs opponents, which leads to the crew asking for Rin’s help; he reluctantly agrees. 

“I’d like to swim the freestyle leg.”

“I just feel like swimming freestyle.”

Hesitant to ask his own team members for their participation in an unofficial event, Rin wonders how he should broach the request. Sousuke volunteers himself under the condition he swims the freestyle leg despite his speciality being butterfly. Just like in the past, where Sousuke joined his middle school’s swim club to actively challenge Haruka, Sousuke wishes to settle a score.

On the day of ISCR’s grand opening, the establishment bustles with activity. Sousuke enters the building alone; Haruka is the first to notice his presence, eyes shifting towards his approaching figure.

Ensue slow-mo stare down, indicating some history leveled between them. Sousuke’s eyes are dim to contrast Haruka’s bright albeit cautious gaze.

Introductions and friendly banter are exchanged, then Rin leads the Samezuka group away, leaving Haruka to watch Sousuke’s retreating back. A quizzical expression crosses Haruka’s face, as if deciphering a code. An argument could be made that Haruka shows immediate, quiet concern for Sousuke and the hostility exuding from his gaze: What had hardened Sousuke’s challenging gaze into something cool and unforgiving? What has caused this tension between them? Haruka’s and Sousuke’s supposed last encounter – from the novel, though not much of the anime adaptation extrapolates from it aside from some characterization and incidences – ended on a hopeful note, vowing to face each other in friendly competition.

Before the main event, while getting a drink from the vending machine, Haruka initiates conversation with Sousuke, who is leaning against the nearby wall behind Haruka. Haruka tentatively glares, wary of Sousuke’s intentions: 

“What do you want, Yamazaki?” “It’s been a while, Nanase. I saw your relay at regionals last year.” “You’re out here now?”

“As it happens. What you guys did was really idiotic, though. You even dragged Rin into it.” [Sousuke laughs mirthlessly.] “What is it you want to say?” [Sousuke’s smile drops and his expression turns pained.] “I would never have made him do something like that.” [Haruka glares defensively.] “What do you mean?”

Coming off the wall, Sousuke steps into Haruka’s personal space, which results in Haruka taking a step back into the vending machine obstructing his path. The discordant music creates dissonance between what happens onscreen and what one expects to happen, considering Haruka and Rin’s strained reunion last season, specifically the fence scene. Unlike Rin, Sousuke does not lay a hand on Haruka, but he uses his imposing height inappropriately as he goes into overprotective friend mode. 

Sousuke sternly utters, “Don’t ever get in Rin’s way again.” Looming over Haruka, Sousuke’s eyes stay locked with Haruka’s until Sousuke walks away. Haruka’s face looks as though he is experiencing déjà vu.

Despite Sousuke’s grim behavior, it does not deter Haruka from throwing pensive looks in his direction. The medley relay commences. 

Both of them seem to discern the other as an opponent they refuse to lose to, just like they did in seventh grade. 

On the freestyle leg, Haruka leaps from the starting block and slips easily into the water; Sousuke lifts his eyes in a glare. 

At the turn, Haruka senses Sousuke, his sharp intake of breath palpable. Sousuke has little difficulty closing the gap between himself and Haruka. 

“He’s keeping pace with Haru’s speed!”

This is the first time Haruka looks back during a race; Sousuke gaining on him leaves an indelible impression. Slamming his hand against the wall, Haruka emerges from the water, gulping for air, immediately followed by Sousuke.

Haruka is nonchalant by the victory, but he watches Sousuke as he climbs out the water, preoccupied until Makoto reaches out a hand. 

Observing Sousuke who stands apart from Samezuka’s team, Haruka keeps his gaze fixed on him. As if sensing those inquisitive eyes, Sousuke turns his neck, profile stony. Haruka’s expression drops into concern. 

Sousuke’s confrontation brings up last year’s regional tournament where the Iwatobi swim club and Rin pulled off a stunt that got them disqualified. Sousuke’s appropriative anger seems reasonable to an extent because the repercussions could have been more severe: Rin could have been expelled or suspended from Samezuka’s team and banned from future competitions, thus jeopardising any chances of getting scouted as a third-year. Rin’s dreams to become an Olympian would have gone up in smoke. From Sousuke’s limited perspective, Haruka’s actions threaten Rin’s swimming career by dragging him into unnecessary antics. Sousuke is not bullying Haruka. He is, however, being a misguided, loyal friend running off on little knowledge of the events that transpired between Haruka and Rin.

Not only is Sousuke overly defensive of Rin, but one could argue that Sousuke resents losing his rivalry with Rin to Haruka – something that was resolved in HS2 through Sousuke and Haruka mutually challenging each other into a new rivalry. Once again, instead of exposing Rin to his raw emotions, Sousuke hurls his frustrations at Haruka; the difference here is Sousuke does not reflect on the error of his judgment or make immediate amends like he did back in middle school. Eventually Sousuke’s animosity towards Haruka shifts from treating Haruka as the flighty distraction, to the swimmer he envies and thus refuses to acknowledge, to the prodigy unaware of his extensive influence on Rin.

Justifiably cautious towards Sousuke’s grudge, Haruka does not rely on his avoidant coping mechanisms when encountering Sousuke. Not only does Haruka spark dialogue with someone obviously angry at him, but he faces that anger head-on by asking for clarification. Fandom has a tendency to victimize and infantilize Haruka but Haruka never feels endangered by Sousuke. Even at the vending machine, Haruka is startled and confused by Sousuke’s rude presumptions rather than threatened or frightened. Of course this does not excuse Sousuke’s invasion of Haruka’s personal space, but their relationship is not a pattern of harassment and physical violence. If that was the case, Haruka would hardly be proactive in his attempts to understand Sousuke, let alone even converse with him.

Episode 3:

“Haruka-senpai?”

Haruka takes a reprieve from laps until Gou’s voice pierces through his meditation. In contrast to last season’s passiveness, Haruka plainly inquires about Sousuke: “Can I ask you something?” 

“Did something happen with Sousuke-kun?” “No.”

Attentively listening to Gou, Haruka learns that Sousuke’s future has already been decided through a university scouting him; he transferred to Samezuka to spend his last year of high school back home and to swim in his own way. Haruka flashbacks to Sousuke’s crude warning.

Notably, rather than dissociating from Sousuke, whose hostility spells trouble, Haruka consciously acts on his curiosity and investigates. It exemplifies his character development from season one, where he sees the benefit of assertiveness. Regardless of the emotional changes undergone, Haruka is still equivocal, as attested by Haruka denying Gou’s conjecture that something transpired between Sousuke and him. However, neither Gou nor Makoto function as a bridge between Haruka and the season’s “antagonist” like they did last season. Haruka brings up Sousuke and asks further questions about him of his own volition, something that stops occurring around the reveal of Sousuke’s shoulder.

Episode 4:

“Rin and Yamazaki?”

Gou mentions bumping into Rin and Sousuke during her shopping trip for protein powder. Haruka’s eyes widen after hearing Sousuke’s name.

During warm ups, while Rei helps Haruka stretch, the former asks why Rin didn’t swim the sixth-grade relay with Sousuke if they were best friends. Haruka freezes.

In the flashback of Rin and Sousuke’s first and last attempt to swim in a relay together, Sousuke delivers solemn truths which seem to mirror Haruka’s opinions on cooperative swimming:

“I guess for me, swimming really is an individual sport. When you dive in the water, you’re alone. And it’s not like feeling all buddy-buddy makes you any faster… We think too differently about this. You and I are better off not teaming up. I swim for myself. So I want to swim and be responsible only for myself.”

Ultimately, that was what being in a relay meant. You couldn't swim just for yourself. You had to be concerned with things like winning and losing, responsibility, and teamwork. (HS, 4)

Swimming was fundamentally an individual contest, and Haruka thought relays were an extension of that. That was why it seemed logical to him to practice individually, and he saw no need to fixate on being in a team. [...] Once you jumped into the water, you were alone. All each swimmer had to do was show their respective power and swim as fast as they could. There was no other way that Haruka could think about it. (HS, 5)

Another discrepancy crops up between HS2 and FES. Sousuke has no qualms with swimming in a team, but the show implies that after the one attempt, Sousuke never tries to participate in a relay again until he chases after his new dream. Ohji’s Sousuke never rejects the concept of teamwork, but Rin does claim that because of their deep similarities and understanding of each other, they often quarreled or inadvertently silenced one another, making it exhaustive to be on the same team (HS, 7).

Episode 6:

“What about Yamazaki?” “Sousuke-kun’s specialty is butterfly, but it looks like he’s not racing in the butterfly here.”

Another example of Haruka taking blatant interest in Sousuke occurs during prefecturals, to Nagisa’s quiet astonishment: “What about Yamazaki?” Sousuke opts out of participating in the butterfly event, foreshadowing his injury.

Regardless of the 0.02 second difference between them, when Rin comes second to Haruka, Sousuke admonishes Rin as they prepare to depart from prefecturals:

“You can’t go losing a race like that, Rin.” “Easy for you to say. That Haru… Every time I swim against him, he gets faster. He’s like a freaking monster!”

At Rin’s appreciation of Haruka’s ability, Sousuke’s face becomes crestfallen. It can be postulated that bitterness lurks behind Sousuke’s expression because he envies Haruka for having Rin’s approval, the abandoned rivalry between Rin and him, the capacity to even swim and pursue aspirations Sousuke has lost. Imagine if the show had extrapolated from Ohji’s writing, where the Sousuke-Haruka rivalry remained intact and Sousuke envies Rin for becoming Haruka’s match, as Sousuke grapples with his debilitating injury. It is not out of character for Sousuke to want what Rin has but personally lacks. (“He felt envious of that Rin, who can run off with such a vague motive. Within Sousuke, there was nothing like that.” HS2, 4) In any case, the show does not adequately convey this side of Sousuke’s resentment in explicit terms, since the audience is not privy to Sousuke’s introspection.

Additionally, there is a glaring disconnect in Utsumi’s interpretations of Ohji’s characters. Sousuke is the type of straightforward person who gets caught up in the moment, but he is quite self-reflective when he crosses lines. Several times in the novel he bluntly confronts Haruka, changing his attitude when appropriate, and yet they barely have any two-sided interactions throughout the show, with Sousuke largely unapologetic with regards to his belligerence. Their conflict is left incomplete by the end of the season; the bonus episode fails to address the crux of their turbulent relationship despite presenting the signs of a mutual truce.

Episode 7:

Glaring sidelong at Haruka, Sousuke recalls Rin’s lofty words: “But I was saved by Haru and the others. By my friends.” However, Sousuke refuses to understand the sentiment behind the claim, as Sousuke’s misdirected envy consumes him: Even so, I won’t acknowledge you.

“Haru...”

The theme of future apposes between Haruka and Sousuke, as they navigate through their respective character arcs. On Haruka’s end, Ama-sensei bears news of a scout contacting the school because of his stellar performance during prefecturals. Haruka does not share the rest of the cast’s enthusiasm, his features and response neutral. Delighted that this may inspire Haruka into exploring post-graduation options, Ama-sensei reassures that this will make things easier on him, only for Haruka to walk away mid-conversation and dive into the pool. Ever the big-brother type, Makoto does not look pleased by Haruka’s deflection.

“Are you not feeling well?”

On Sousuke’s end, Rin informs him that the same university that scouted Sousuke contacted him. When Rin good-naturedly chuckles at the thought of him and Sousuke potentially swimming in the same team after graduation, Sousuke instantly drops the weight machine to a complete stop. Seeing Sousuke turn dismissive and sullen flares up Rin’s suspicion over the peculiar behavior, becoming irritated by Sousuke’s reticence.

Episode seven concludes with Haruka and Sousuke as inverses, reflecting the contrast between companionship-determination and loneliness-resignation. Moving forward with his teammates, Haruka speaks candidly, “I want to swim with you guys. Right now, what I want to do is treasure this feeling.” Eyes downcast and mouth set in a somber line, Sousuke heads to the hospital alone.

Perhaps because of insecurity, Sousuke rejects Haruka. Haruka aided Rin in overcoming his wall while Sousuke remained helpless during Rin’s five-year long silence. Haruka can stand by Rin’s side so effortlessly whereas Sousuke recklessly damaged his body in hopes of reaching the same stage and still failed. Yet, according to Ohji’s handling of Sousuke, Sousuke acknowledges Haruka’s efforts, even offering advice on how to perfect a new swimming form (HS2, 8) and congratulating Haruka for breaking records (HS2, 12).

Episode 8:

His shoulder...healed?

Kisumi delivers the bomb: “Oh, so then Sousuke’s shoulder must have healed, huh?” Haruka’s eyebrows furrow, taken aback by Kisumi’s words. At the news of Sousuke’s participation in tournaments, Kisumi explains that he ran into Sousuke back at the hospital while getting treatment for a minor injury. 

“Sousuke?”

Caught red-handed, Sousuke grits his molars in the flashback. But since Sousuke is competing, it must be guaranteed that his injury was minor or at least not a deterrent. 

Haruka seems, if not skeptical, at least clearly worried. 

The preview for the upcoming episode has Sousuke’s disembodied voice ask Haruka some hard-pressed questions, with Haruka faltering in his response:

“Nanase, what do you intend to do? Are you prepared to cast aside everything else and swim for a dream you cannot surrender to anyone else? If you’re not prepared to do that, then you have no right to stand on this stage.” “Dream? Future? I…”

One would presume that this exchange would delineate the last stretch of the season’s theme through the conflict between literary foils. Disappointingly, the series does not even end on a Haruka-centric note, despite him being the main protagonist and the fundamental character whose lack of a concrete future plunged him into a crisis, let alone draw conclusions between Haruka and Sousuke. The latter character does not even have a denouement to speak of; Sousuke conveniently disappears and reappears, complicit in the writing’s treatment of Haruka as the key to Rin’s narrative fulfillment, while he – as an injured athlete – has no future or place in the pro swimming world.

Episode 9:

Episodes nine and ten are fondly and frustratingly referred to as “catharses that went nowhere,” at least for this analysis. Before diving in, here is a lighthearted parallel of two introverts and their aversion towards inconveniences.

“No fair! Coach me, too!: “What a pain...”

“Haru-chan, teach him how to swim!” “No, that requires effort.”

“Oh, it’s nothing...”

“Gou-chan, have you heard anything about Yamazaki-kun?”

At the end of practice, Gou announces that Nitori may be swimming in the relay for Samezuka; Nagisa, thrilled that his rival in breaststroke is potentially participating, worries about the strong competition “Rin-chan” and “Sou-chan” will impose. Recalling Kisumi’s words and snapping out of the memory by Gou, Makoto asks her if she has heard anything about Sousuke, Haruka averting his eyes in the background. When prompted to elaborate his curiosity, Makoto deflects. 

On their way home, Haruka and Makoto sit by the shore, Makoto wondering aloud the validity of Kisumi’s claim. Haruka replies: “Who knows? It doesn’t matter either way. If he can swim, it must be fine.” 

Makoto agrees: "We need to worry about ourselves right now.” Haruka’s profile stays reflective as the sea breeze ruffles his hair.  

Haruka tends to perceive things at face value and hardly considers hypotheticals and possibilities which negate direct observations. Consequently, he expects others to be forthright and genuine with their intentions – which is why when people suddenly contradict their previous statements or actions, he becomes frazzled and vexed. He does not pry or badger those who withhold information from him because he tends to keep to himself. Usually Haruka logically evaluates a situation with a stiff upper lip, keeping quiet of his restless emotions. In retrospect, Haruka also seems to be reassuring himself that Sousuke’s condition is nothing to fret over, while simultaneously throwing furtive looks of worry at him. Considering Haruka’s belief that water holds healing properties, (“Once he got into the water, he was healed. After he swam, something as small as a cold would always be cured as if it had never been there at all.” HS, 2; “[H]e felt as though he was being healed. For Haruka, this is how the water always was.” HS, 3; “He wanted to be healed by the water.” HS2, 5) Haruka rationalizes that Sousuke is in good health, as he has seen no evidence that points otherwise.

Regionals come to pass. Mirroring episode two, Samezuka members arrive in the same hotel after Iwatobi’s do, and Haruka silently observes Sousuke as the two swim clubs interact before going their separate ways. A night out in the city leads to the Iwatobi club running into Seijuro, Samezuka’s ex-captain, and Toudou, a scout from his university. Earlier in the episode, Haruka receives congratulations and praise from the principal and guidance counselor; meeting Toudou triggers Haruka’s ornery resistance against his escalating anxiety.

“I sense your talent has infinite potential. We can’t allow that talent to go to waste. I’m positive you’ll climb to far greater heights. We have high expectations for your race tomorrow!”

Despite Toudou’s compliments, Haruka’s expression darkens. Even in the hotel room, Haruka slips out in hopes of relieving himself from stress, only to bump into Sousuke and a hotel worker in the elevator. 

When the worker tries to exit the lift, the towel trolley snags over the threshold, causing its contents to fall over. Instinctively Sousuke tries to catch the towels with his bad shoulder. Haruka notices Sousuke’s wince from his periphery. 

Afterwards, Haruka strikes up conversation: 

“Your shoulder hasn’t healed yet?” “What are you talking about?” “I ran into Kisumi the other day. He told me.” [Sousuke clicks his teeth, turning his head to the side.] “Damn him.”

[Sousuke steps out of the elevator.] “Wait.” “It won’t have any effect on the match. But… Don’t breathe a word of this to Rin.” [The elevator doors gradually shut on Haruka’s upset face.]

Haruka calls out to Sousuke, which is a significant act in its rarity. Not one to beat around the bushes when it truly counts, Haruka delves straight into the heart of the matter, but Sousuke instantaneously shuts down further discussion. Sousuke’s loyalty to Rin rears its head again, making Sousuke behave like a scared animal baring its fangs.

“So swim already.”

Outside, Haruka runs, everyone’s expectations lingering on his mind, chasing him into his dreams. Within his subconsciousness, Haruka backs into the wall and his shadow morphs into Sousuke. Haruka’s nightmare leaves a festering wound which affects his performance. 

As Rin gets into position on the starting block, Sousuke and Haruka watch. Preceding Haruka’s race, Sousuke leaves after Rin places first place in his heat. The genius freestyle swimmer burns out. In the locker room, Rin criticizes Haruka until the latter explodes, impulsively confessing he has neither a future nor a dream, to everyone’s shock. Meanwhile, Sousuke silently agonizes under the spray of the showers. Incoming wretched parallels.

Episode 10:

Haruka surveys Rin’s next event with an unreadable countenance, until he leaves the bleachers. The next scene is of the lobby area where Sousuke sits in contemplation, cradling his shoulder. Rin eventually exposes Sousuke’s secret. 

Coincidentally, sitting outside in a daze before noticing the two’s presence, Haruka overhears Sousuke share the painful details of his crushed ambitions to Rin. But since Kyoani does not find it imperative to expand on Haruka and Sousuke’s seventh-grade promise to compete against one another in the future, Sousuke sank into fatalism. “Of course it broke down.”

“I decided to give up swimming.”

After long deliberation and going in and out of physical therapy, Sousuke chose to lay his old dreams to rest. The news leaves Rin and Haruka equally stunned. 

“I want to truly become your friend. Rin, your friend!”

Listening to Sousuke’s heartfelt wish to swim with Rin again, to become Rin’s teammate, instills a renewed drive within Haruka. Perhaps he remembers his own emotional gratification from swimming in relays, from cementing bonds which engulf him in light. Haruka slips away, undetected.

“I want to swim. I want to swim the relay with all of you.”

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

“I want to swim in the relay. I want to swim with you guys again!” (Free!, 9)

Returning to his teammates, Haruka apologizes for his tardiness, stalling in preparations for the final medley race, gaze resolute.

At everyone vocalizing their surprise and concern over Sousuke’s bruised shoulder, Haruka speaks:

“Yamazaki...saw our relay last year. After watching us, Yamazaki found his dream. And he learned what it means to swim with friends. He also gained a strong desire to swim the best possible relay on the best possible team. Even if it meant wrecking his shoulder. So I want us to respond to his wish with all we’ve got.”

The fire in Haruka’s eyes burns bright, evoking his teammates’ fighting spirit. Consistently Haruka is portrayed as highly intuitive and hypersensitive to emotions, easily propelled forward by their momentum. Sousuke’s simple yet poignant dream resonates deeply with Haruka because he, too, once yearned to escape from loneliness and to rebuild his strong sense of self after experiencing loss, no matter the compensation paid.

“I want to swim in a relay with all of you. With the best team I could ask for... I’m sure you feel the same way, Haruka-senpai! The race isn’t important! There’s someone you want to swim with, right?!” (Free!, 12)

“It’s their wish. They want to swim with Nanase no matter what.” Sousuke was where Natsuya was looking. He looked at Haruka with glaring eyes. He wondered if he could swim it. He wondered if he could swim in a way that would satisfy Sousuke. (HS2, 7)

After all is said and done, Haruka looks on as Sousuke expresses his gratitude to his teammates. Fandom reduces Haruka and Sousuke as two teens filled with hatred and spite for each other, but that is far from what the canon presents in both the novel and the show. Even during the tentative stages of accepting Sousuke’s rivalry, Haruka acknowledges and gradually reciprocates Sousuke’s passion. In the same vein, Haruka feels inclined to fully respect the feelings of camaraderie overflowing from Sousuke’s heart. Essentially Sousuke’s final request as a swimmer rejuvenates Haruka’s inner fire. It complements Haruka’s emotional growth and journey of learning the importance of friendship and teamwork. Sadly, the anime warps their relationship as one that is heavily dependent on Rin whereas the novel has them cultivate and sustain something in his absence. Rin is the thread which leads Sousuke to Haruka. However, it is Sousuke who chooses to approach Haruka out of friendship loyalty; it is Haruka who chooses to warm up to Sousuke, even though having equals in water affinity used to evoke negative emotions like anger and insecurity. Both of them operate outside of their association with Rin, who – contrary to Kyoani’s belief – is not the epicenter of either Haruka’s or Sousuke’s life. Put in fannish terms, Haruka, Sousuke, and Rin do not form a triangle, romantic or otherwise.

For the preview for episode eleven, Haruka narrates: “Unchanging sky. Unchanging nothing…” Makoto replies, “Even if they don’t look different, both the sea and the sky do change. And so do we.” Not only are Haruka’s and Sousuke’s faces superimposed on key parts of the aforementioned quote, but it seems to support the idea that the two share complementary arcs. Too bad the writing falls flat.

Episode 11:

“I can see some hesitation in Haruka-senpai’s swimming.”

There are distinct parallels juxtaposed between them. Rei is disconcerted by Haruka’s listless swimming. Rin looks worried over Sousuke. 

“And what caused him to change like that may have been us.”

“Hey, good practice.”

The scenes switch between Haruka and Sousuke as they float in limbo: Haruka stays behind post-practice, contemplating, as Sousuke changes in his dorm room, his shoulder brace out in the open. 

“Yo, Nanase.”

Walking past the school’s gates, Haruka stops in his tracks at his name being called. It is Sousuke, waiting for him. This encounter seems analogous to the one found in chapter seven of HS2. Sousuke echoes the same words from back then: “Come with me for a bit.”

“What do you want?” “At the tournament, you stopped in the middle of a race.” [Haruka’s eyes narrow.] “That’s none of your concern.” “Maybe not, but it concerns Rin. If you stop, Rin could end up stopping, too.” “You’ve come to hound me about that before.” “I still don’t acknowledge you. But you are important to Rin. You understand that, don’t you?” [Haruka steels his shoulders defensively.] “So what?” “Swimming with you brings out Rin’s potential. He needs you.” 

“Why are you always so concerned about Rin?”

“I want him to stand on the international stage. The international stage I couldn’t stand on.” [Haruka averts his eyes in sympathy.] 

“You have incredible ability. So you need to stop wasting time. Take a step! Forward!”

Presumably Sousuke does not witness Haruka’s breakdown since he was experiencing his own breakdown in the showers. If he had been present, it would have been a great callback to Sousuke lecturing Haruka for racing past his limits and failing to face Sousuke with all his might. Not to mention, the irony this would manifest, as roles have been reversed – it is now Sousuke who swims beyond his limits, undoing two-year’s worth of rehabilitation.

Sousuke believes Haruka’s vacillation and inaction discredit Rin’s endeavors; this insinuates that Rin is dependent on Haruka’s swimming, something confirmed by Rin in episode 12. (“That’s why it’s hard for me when you’re not always there ahead of me, showing me the path I should take. Without you, I have nothing to aim for, you know?”) Sousuke’s words ultimately reinforce Rin’s idolization of Haruka and inability to improve without Haruka. This is not so much as a guilt tactic so much as Sousuke making Haruka aware of the bone-deep effect he has on Rin, which is irrelevant because the only one who should be held accountable for that is Rin, the one orbiting around Haruka. However, one cannot argue that the narrative endorses rushing Haruka to choose professional swimming as his dream. Haruka’s and Sousuke’s second direct interaction is cringe-worthy because it aggravates the pressures Haruka faces in the final half of the season. Ranging from school faculty to classmates to friends, Haruka is bombarded by expectations to swim for victory and records, to pursue a career in swimming, with scant breathing room. Conveniently, Sousuke stays ignorant of this fact.

During his unsolicited lecture, Sousuke contradicts himself – he says he does not acknowledge Haruka and yet he praises Haruka’s skill. Moreover, it is a variation of this line – which has been a pervasive infliction on Haruka and unintentionally reduces him to his talents – that makes Haruka snap during his confrontation with Makoto: 

“The truth is, you want to find a dream, too! You should find that dream, and go flying into the outside world to follow it! You have the ability to do that!” “Even you’re talking like this?”

Sousuke calls out Haruka’s obliviousness of his influence over Rin, but it really is no different to how everyone else regards Haruka: his influential ability is meant to be shared to everyone else’s benefit. The difference is Sousuke never postulates himself as Haruka’s ally nor does he treat his brusque actions as sanctimonious. In the novel, they mutually acknowledge each other as worthy opponents; Sousuke confronts Haruka mainly for Rin’s sake, but Sousuke expresses his own interest in and respect for Haruka as a fellow swimmer, which Haruka fully requites.

What is the meaning behind Haruka’s loaded question, “Why are you always so concerned about Rin?”? Nothing is elaborated in the show, as Haruka’s thoughts are largely inaccessible. Had the anime sufficiently covered the base of their rivalry, Haruka would not have asked Sousuke why he shows adamant concern over Rin, as this is barely a frustration of his from HS2. (Logically, what does Haruka’s swimming have to do with Rin’s progress?) “Why are you always so concerned about my life choices?” would have been the more apt question from Haruka – which is exactly in line with their initial dynamic as written by Ohji. (“It’s not like I’m swimming for the sake of pleasing Rin in particular. I swim for myself. It has nothing to do with you.” HS2, 4) In the past, Sousuke has approached Haruka after being thoroughly disappointed in him. In spite of that, Sousuke encourages Haruka to perform at his best when facing each other. Haruka adjusts to and enables Sousuke’s challenges, having an inner desire to race against someone even though such a notion once peeved him. In fact, Haruka welcomes the exhilarating presence of Sousuke swimming in the neighboring lane. (“Sousuke made the turn ahead of him. For a moment, their eyes met. – Come. Sousuke provoked Haruka. He didn’t even need to be told. He released all of his energy at once.” HS2, 12)

Episode 13:

Both Haruka’s and Sousuke’s character arc resolutions, as well as their relationship conflict, suffer from poor execution. The misunderstanding between Haruka and Sousuke is never completely addressed as it is repurposed for Rin’s fulfillment.

“Jeez, talk about going overboard!” “Yeah, I might’ve. But going overboard was worth it.”

“I see...”

The only follow up between Haruka and Sousuke is an indirect one, with Sousuke looking across the pool at Haruka, content that Haruka remains on his pedestal for Rin.

Somehow Sosuke magically accepts Haruka, despite the story lacking any concrete unpacking of his animosity and insecurities tied to his condition. Somehow Haruka stops feeling compelled to reach out to Sousuke, despite imperceptibly chasing after him throughout the season. Permanently injuring Sousuke hinders any further development within his and Haruka’s rivalry; the implication is that neither Haruka nor Sousuke can have rivals aside from Rin, contradicting Ohji’s groundwork. Another implication is the unresolved injury arc has very little to do with Sousuke and more to do with providing Rin with tear-inducing angst. The culmination of Sousuke’s arc is Rin’s tears. It is never made certain if Sousuke attained a future, whether he has made peace with quitting or remains trapped in inertia. Similarly, Haruka’s storyline ends with him having an unnatural, forced investment in professional swimming alongside Rin, with little transition that is neither convincing nor advantageous to the character Ohji crafted.

Both marooned by their circumstances, in better hands perhaps they would find alternatives for their futures. For Sousuke, it would be casting aside his defeatist outlook over his injury and fostering his coaching aptitude. For Haruka, it would be searching for what Haruka wants, not what is expected of him, as he asserts that although his swimming may unintentionally affect another swimmer’s progress, it is not his responsibility to bear. Haruka and Sousuke fall along the same spectrum with regards to the future (lost dreams versus nightmares/no dreams). Instead of having Haruka and Sousuke be rivals meeting halfway, learning things from the other, complementing their strengths and weakness, they are cheated out of their own satisfactory conclusion.

At least the bonus episode gifts the audience with a hopeful tone reminiscent of Ohji’s writing of Haruka and Sousuke’s reconciliation. Pretty self-explanatory, right?

“He competed against Haruka-senpai during middle school, right?” “I guess.”

“Use your head. “Then you come up with a plan.” “If you follow it, sure.”

“Now.”

“You saved me. I owe you one.” “Save the thanks for later.”

“Nanase, dodge!”

“Yamazaki...” “Well, here’s your payback.”

Like his novel counterpart, Haruka presents to Sousuke a peace offering and an opportunity to transform their initially fraught relationship into something harmonious. Sousuke, amused, wholeheartedly accepts:

“See you, Sousuke.” “See you, Haru.”

How to stan the white guy with minimal contribution to fandom's racism problem

Look, I get it. You're obsessed with the white guy. Maybe two of them together. And maybe your series has one or more main Black characters or Asian characters or a brown Latino star. You're here because of the irresistible pull of that white guy (or two), who is fascinating beyond belief. His acting is above anything anyone has ever seen. When you write about him, the words just pour out.

This is a fan-centered space so I feel confident in saying — we've all been there. I'm not going to lie and say I've never been invested in white characters. There's nothing innately wrong with liking white characters (that would be silly).

But when it comes to the characters of color in your chosen media, you have a choice. 

You're unmoved by the Black major characters and find them unrelatable? Ok. If you're not able to keep that to yourself, prepare for a discussion about the empathy gap. Because we literally do not need content about your inability to relate to CoC if the intention is for it to stand as some kind of undebatable truth about the inferiority of CoC.

And then there are the deflections. At the first mention of sidelining CoC it comes like clockwork: They're poorly written! The acting is sub par! The character is just not interesting! It's got nothing to do with race!

Except when it happens over and over and over again, it does. It just does.

I can't count how many times a conversation on Reddit or the Jedi Council Forum (or anywhere, really) started out about Finn and became all about Kylo Ren five replies in. Just today I saw the same thing on Tumblr, a post about the poor treatment of Lucas from Stranger Things, and in the comments people were talking about Billy and his trauma. 

If you stan the white guy(s) and don't want to be perceived as part of fandom's racism problem, do not hijack threads about CoC. Not every conversation has to center your guy. Conversations that center Black characters, and I can't stress this enough, do not take anything away from your white fave(s). Nothing at all. It's not a competition.

Stop making excuses about why you don't like the Black character. No one really cares until you start tearing them down with excuses. Don't come up with meta about how the Black hero is a villain, actually, and the white bad guy is a tortured sweet baby who represents all of the forgotten children of the world. It's not clever, it's not good or interesting meta, it's transparent empathy gap racism. 

And, again, that will be discuseed. You can't believe in "maximum inclusion" and draw the line at discussing racism. Responding to racism is not breaking the fandom social contract. It's a long established part of fandom by now.

It really shouldn't bother white guy stans so much to see a Black character in a major role in genre media to the point where they feel the need to aggressively dismiss them and their fans. Not doing that, at least, should be easy. Not doing that means that maybe that fandom critical post about racism isn't about you.

It's not about white guy characters or even their inevitable popularity. It's about fan behavior toward characters and fans of color, whether it's on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit or AO3.

Many transformative works fandoms start with the assumption that they are part of an aggrieved minority that's the target of unjust persecution, given:

- homophobia at large in the wider world (many polls indicate that fandom has a larger-than-average percentage of queer people);

- misogyny at large in the wider world (most polls over the years indicate that fandom is majority female);

- regressive conservatism across the board regarding (but not limited to) media content.

And in the wider world: yes, transformative works fans are a minority, and often each individual has trauma, baggage, &/or a history of being marginalized and oppressed, if not outright harmed, in "real world" spaces.

However, within the communities of fanspace, I have rarely seen any subsect of fandom acknowledge that it is the dominant force within that fanspace in a responsible way beyond the occasional fundraiser (that benefits third party charities and not marginalized individuals within the fandom) or campaigns to get continuations of their preferred media or for their ships to get canonized (which is, ultimately, self-serving).

Instead, we get:

- defensive posturing every time even the mildest thoughtful critique of their favorite ships/characters/fandoms enters their awareness;

- widespread harassment campaigns framed as "victims" just "fighting back" against "oppression" (when the "oppressors" have fewer numbers, smaller reach/social capital/etc within that space);

- a very Americanized blend of "staunch individualism" (where one's own actions should be judged on their own and not as part of a wider pattern across fandom(s)) and "White Girlboss Choice Feminism" (where "if a (white) woman chooses to do something, it is inherently progressive for her to do it, without regard for her positionally or impact within an intersectional framework").

And so on.

What would "responsible ways" of acknowledging one's power within fanspace look like, you may ask?

- donating directly to and signal boosting mutual aid links, especially for fans of marginalized identities;

- taking hard public stances against bigotry of ALL kinds within the ranks of your fellow fans, by sharing information about bad actors, deplatforming and disengaging with bad actors even if they make fanwork you enjoy, and protecting/standing up for targets of harassment outside your fandom coterie(s);

- openness to thoughtful critique of your circle within fanspace (rather than being defensive and assuming victimhood by default) and sharing same, encouraging both yourself and others to learn and improve;

- actively taking steps to read/share/create fanwork (which includes meta, media analysis, etc) that embraces/uplifts a diversity of perspectives beyond your own.

If we can't be responsible with our social power *within the spaces where we do hold that power,* we're no better than those regressive white nerdbros complaining about "woke invasions" of "our spaces" - when the reality is, nerds won the culture war and have way more social capital than some John Hughes-style archetypes of the Bullied Nerd.

We can be better than them. Our fanspaces can be better than that. Let's work together to make that happen.

“During World War One, 10% of all casualties were civilians. During World War Two, the number of civilian deaths rose to 50%. During the Vietnam War, 70% of all casualties were civilians. In the war in Iraq, civilians account for up to 90% of all deaths.”

— The War You Don’t See by John Pilger.  (via pourlapaix)

“With fandom the kind of racism that you most commonly see isn’t things like racial slurs and hate speech and white hoods. What you really see is a constant communal prioritization of white people and white characters, even when there are non-white characters in major roles. This is a trend across almost all fandoms.”

— Holly Quinn in Episode 22A of Fansplaining

stryfewood week day 2: hold