'Free!' Anime News, Release Date: The Boys of Iwatobi Swim Club to Return in 2018 for a New Season
It has just been announced that Haruka Nanase and the rest of the Iwatobi Swim Club will be returning next year for the third season of the Japanese sports anime series, "Free!" The upcoming season will reportedly be a sequel to the recently released "Free! -Take Your Marks-" theatrical anime movie.
The announcement was made via the anime franchise's official site and was initially teased during the advance screening of "Free! -Take Your Marks-" at the "Third KyoAni & Do Thanks Event" that was held on Oct. 21.
The said anime movie piqued fans' interest when it ended with the message, "See You Next Stage," which was similar to how the first season ended with "See You Next Summer" to tease the anime series' second season.
Additionally, an advertising billboard truck has also reportedly been traveling through the streets of Tokyo's Ikebukuro, Shibuya, and Shinjuku districts, advertising the anime series' return.
The upcoming third season will be ushered in by a special episode simply titled, "Episode 0," which will not be aired as a normal television anime episode. Instead, it will be available for viewing via special event screenings. An application form for priority sales tickets for these event screenings will be included in the initial Blu-ray Disc and DVD releases for "Free! –Timeless Medley—Kizuna" and "Free! –Timeless Medley—Yakusoku." The former has already been released, while the latter is expected to be out on the market on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
Further details about the upcoming event screenings will be released at a later date.
"Free!" is based on a two-volume light novel series written by Koji Oji, which was published in July 2013. The ongoing narrative, as well as the newly released "Free! –Take Your Marks" movie, are said to be anime original stories.
"Free!" season 3 is scheduled for release in Summer 2018.
