English Dub Review: Free! Dive to the Future “An Ominous Workout!”

Romio, Romio, wherefore did thou dive?

Overview (Spoilers!) 

The Iwatobi, Samezuka, and Soufuukan Swim Clubs are taking part in a summer training camp together, with special guests Sosuke and Natsuya! After surviving Amakata-sensei’s reckless driving, the Iwatobi team is looking good. But new member Romio hesitates whenever he begins his swim, and Nagisa believes there’s something on his mind. Meanwhile, a playful rivalry builds between Momo and Soufuukan swimmer Aoba Usami.

Accompanying Rei on a shopping trip, Shizuru reveals that Romio had a false start during their last middle school swim tournament. To Sosuke and Nagisa, Romio confirms that he’s now terrified to dive into the pool, lest he starts too early again.

At dinner, everyone enjoys Ayumu’s homemade curry. Momo and Aoba duke it out to see who can eat the most, while Shizuru and Romio share a little of their upbringings with the Iwatobi team.

Back in Tokyo, Makoto begins work as Misaki’s swim coach, but Haru is still haunted by Hiyori’s words.

For the last day of the training camp, Rei and Nagisa organize a relay. Romio is nervous, but due to Rei’s encouragement, he is able to draw strength from his team and start on time. Natsuya asks if Sosuke has decided whether to undergo a risky shoulder surgery that could allow him to swim competitively—or could ruin his chances of swimming ever again. Natsuya wants to settle the matter with a bet, but Sosuke says he’ll decide on his own.

Misaki points his old coach out to Makoto, and, dramatic gasp—it’s none other than our old friend Nao Serizawa!

Our Take

Unlike some of Dive to the Future’s character-packed episodes, this one has a clear focus. Over the course of twenty minutes, Romio undergoes a concise character arc: his old mistake causes him anxiety, his teammates build him up, and he ends up starting successfully. It’s a gentle story, and it’s very predictable. It’s hard to feel too deeply for Romio when the stakes are so low—sure, he messed up in one middle-school tournament, but how many people haven’t embarrassed themselves at some point during middle school? But it’s nice that we get to learn more about Romio and Shizuru, who were both blank slates up until now.

Perhaps more importantly, Romio becomes a foil to Ikuya. Both are haunted by traumatic incidents that prevent them from swimming at their full capacity, but unlike Ikuya, Romio succeeds because of his teammates’ support. Until Ikuya learns this lesson and lets others into his life (especially by swimming relays), he is destined to let his terrible memories hold him back. It isn’t a subtle message, nor a particularly nuanced one. But it’s still a good moral, especially for the high school overachievers who may be watching this show: no matter how much you want to succeed, you can’t do everything on your own. Sometimes you need to slow down and ask for support. “Don’t try to carry this burden alone,” Rei tells Romio. “We’re here to help you overcome your fear.”

Other than Romio’s arc, most of this episode is silly filler—and I mean that in the most affectionate way. Although neither of their voice actors do particularly brilliant work here, Momo and Aoba’s antics make me smile more often than not. And with her deadpan one-liners, Ayumu is still my favorite addition to the Free! squad (although, when you consider her passion for pudgy bodies, I do have to question her motives in cooking for the swim clubs). Other than some immature vomit humor at the episode’s opening, the lighthearted banter of “An Ominous Workout!” is sure to entertain.

Yet I’m consistently annoyed by this show’s tendency to spend too long on the recap, and this episode is no exception. This time it’s Natsuya and Sosuke’s turn to beat around the bush, allowing the audience to marvel at the amaaaazing coincidence that Natsuya ran into Rin a few days before chatting up Sosuke.

I also don’t quite understand Natsuya’s obsession with Mikhail’s advice: “Victory only comes to people who believe in themselves.” After hearing this phrase only once, Natsuya claims it’s become his mantra. But isn’t that pretty standard advice? Like, I’m sure I’ve seen it on a mass-produced poster in a high school classroom. Why did hearing it from Mikhail suddenly give Natsuya a revelation? Was his problem really that he didn’t believe in himself? At the same time, I appreciate the scene where Sosuke realizes he needs to make his own decision. If he decided whether to get surgery on a coin flip, I’d flip a table.

To sum it up, what I liked and disliked about this episode reflect my feelings for this show so far as a whole. When Free! focuses on its message, about the importance of taking breaks and pursuing friendships—or when it lets the characters be silly and fun—the show is entertaining and meaningful. But at other times, Dive to the Future gets bogged down by planning and recap and funny coincidences that aren’t all that funny in the end. Fortunately, this episode features far more of the former.