Free! Iwatobi Swim Club - Recommendations

If you're looking for anime similar to Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, you might like these titles.

Chihayafuru

Chihayafuru

Chihaya Ayase is a famous beauty at her school, but she’s far from a conventional girl. Three years ago in her final year of elementary school, Chihaya and her friend Taichi became infatuated with the card game, Karuta, after connecting with a lonely boy named Arata Wataya. But when the trio graduated from elementary school, they each went their separate ways but shared one common goal: to excel in the game and meet each other at the national championships. Now, Chihaya is attempting to share her passion for the game by creating a competitive Karuta club at school, but when she reunites with Taichi it seems that maybe she’s the only one with the intention of fulfilling their childhood promise...

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Reasons you might like Chihayafuru...

InnocentSmile InnocentSmile says...

Both anime are about high school clubs and the characters that involved in it. Chihayafuru is interesting because it is about Karuta card game. Both has anime amazing animation

emilyp98 emilyp98 says...

*please excuse any spelling error sorry in advance*

Personally I see a lot of underlying similarities between these two shows.

Simliarities:

  • Themes/motifs like teamwork and competeing
  • Determined characters
  • Childhood flashbacks and stories
  • Being inpsired through the passion of others

Differences:

  • swimming vs. kaurta
  • cast practically all males minus 2 characters vs. almost 50/50 but majority male
  • lots of shirtless men vs. no shirtless men 
  • 24 episode (2 seasons) vs 48 episodes (2 seasons)

I loved both of these animes and honestly I dont think I could pick a favorite. I highly recommend it. So if you are lik me and youre browsing for your next binge session look no further just check out the first episode watch it all youll be hook i promise.

Also go on youtube and watch the first episode of the parody, 50% off. (its great like definatly check it out)

K-On!

K-On!

It's the first day of high school, and plenty of school clubs are doing their best to recruit new members, but for ditzy Yui, none of them seem to fit the bill. However, when she accidentally signs up to join the light music club, Yui begins a hilarious adventure to become a world class guitarist! There's just one problem: she's never played the guitar before in her life! Joined by bassist Mio, drummer Ritsu and keyboardist Tsumugi, Yui and the gang will juggle their studies with buying instruments, learning how to read music and even performing in the school festival, all in the hopes of someday becoming a successful band!

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Ailly Ailly says...

Free! is basically a genderswapped K-On! with swimming instead of music. Both anime are about a group of friends starting a club and encountering all sorts of problems that come along with it. The animation style is very similar (which is a given, since they're done by the same studio) and feature all kinds of adorable, cute characters.

HiddenNugget HiddenNugget says...

Both anime are about a group of friends beginning a club together and being the best friends they can be!

Orenchi no Furo Jijou

Orenchi no Furo Jijou

A hot boy mermaid named Wakasa has taken over the bath of a teenage boy named Tatsumi! This cute but selfish freeloader is a perfect match for the cool but tender and caring Tatsumi. Let's see how they get by together!

2 votes

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Reasons you might like Orenchi no Furo Jijou...

LadyPsychic LadyPsychic says...

While they have different plots (and different episode lengths), both anime seem to appeal to the same audience.  Both have mostly male casts (and hot looking male characters at that).  While neither is truly a BL anime, they both at the very least have BL-ish undertones.  Both can have their funny moments (though Free! has plenty serious moments too).  Also, some of the voice actors who voice characters in Free! also voice characters in Orenchi no Furo Jijou. 

FullmetalDragon FullmetalDragon says...

Both series are set around the water (wether that be bathtub or the pool), and guys who either are mermen or swim so much they might as well be. 

Makura no Danshi

Makura no Danshi

If you are lonely sleeping alone at night, then this show is for you! A first-person anime, each episode features a different boyfriend who sleeps beside the viewer each week. With 12 different personalities and ranging from a stall vendor to a librarian boy, there is surely a boyfriend for every viewer!

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sothis sothis says...

There's a high probability that if you're watching either Pillow Boys or Free, you're not doing so for the sleeping banter (PB) or the sports (Free). Let's be honest, you're in it for the fanservice; so even though these titles are completely different, they both deliver (to varying degrees). Pillow Boys inundates you with cheesy, best-effort smutty lines and bedroom eyes, and Free is pretty much a nonstop bare, muscular chests extravaganza.

hamletsmage hamletsmage says...

Cute boys? Check. In a variety pack of personalities? Check. Made for women to ogle hotties? Check. While the two series are vastly different in terms of plot, length, and general amount of clothing, not are definitely geared for male fanservice. 

Yuri!!! on Ice: Welcome to The Madness

Yuri!!! on Ice: Welcome to The Madness

2 votes

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Reasons you might like Yuri!!! on Ice: Welcome to The Madness...

Danmoo Danmoo says...

Free! is a Japanese anime television series directed by Hiroko Utsumi and produced by Kyoto Animation and Animation Do and a sports anime.

PrincessSparkle21 PrincessSparkle21 says...

They are both beautiful sport anime that describe the real bonds and friendships and challenges in the characters' lives. Very relatable. They are also two of my favorite anime!

My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia

Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers. That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not going to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies. Now, the only thing standing between him and his first class is the academy’s formidable entrance exam—nothing a little private tutoring from the world’s mightiest hero can’t solve.

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GreekIrene GreekIrene says...

Free! and My Hero Acadameia both have a lot of things in common, with the fact that everyone has a mission to get something done.

Sarabellatrixx Sarabellatrixx says...

Both shounen with a focus on friendship and teamwork. Good characters, nice art style, both good quality series. 

SK8 the Infinity

SK8 the Infinity

High school students Reki and Langa are hooked on one thing—a dangerous, top secret, no-holds-barred downhill skateboarding race called “S.” When Reki takes Langa, a transfer student, to the mountain where “S” is held, Langa finds himself sucked in. These colorful skaters will take you through a thrilling story of skateboard battles and unlimited possibilities!

2 votes

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Reasons you might like SK8 the Infinity...

Bacteria Bacteria says...

Same director. They both have almost the same artstyle. However, SK8 is much more interesting than Free! No cap.

Umaianpan Umaianpan says...

The tone is very similar in the two series- sport; good-looking guys; ambition; angsty friendships and rivalries. Free! is more of a slow burner though while Sk8 is the more action packed.

RE-MAIN

RE-MAIN

The anime's story centers on Minato, a boy who stopped playing water polo due to a certain incident in the winter of his third middle school year. He picks the sport back up again with a new team when he starts in high school, but the fledgling team runs into many problems.

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Reasons you might like RE-MAIN...

Callumk Callumk says...

foiin foiin says...

Another water-sport anime with very similar vibes. They have a similar message as well, but overall, if you enjoyed one, you'll enjoy the other. 

Tsuritama

Tsuritama

Yuki is an introverted teenager whose intense fear of public speaking makes it difficult for him to make friends, so hoping for a fresh start, he moves with his grandmother to the small island of Enoshima. Shortly after his arrival he encounters Haru, a strange youth claiming to be an alien - and what's more, the otherworldly visitor requests his help to catch a strange being that inhabits the local waters! Along with fellow classmate and local angling celebrity Natsuki, the boys must now form a bond in the hopes of saving the town from the force that is threatening it. With a mysterious organization also lurking about and posing potential danger, Yuki must put his best face forward and protect the island... with the help of a fishing rod?!

1 vote

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Reasons you might like Tsuritama...

snivets snivets says...

Possibly an odd rec, I think there are enough similarities in the two shows to entertain fans of either. There's a certain flamboyant air to both shows, and both revolve around water. Several of the characters seem similar--introverted protags Haru and Yuki, overly cheerful Nagisa and the alien Haru--and the story is really about relating to other people. Call it a gut feel, but if you liked one, I think you'd like the other.

Gravitation

Gravitation

As a member of a musical duo on the verge of making it into show business, Shindou Shuichi has a lot on his mind -- especially since he writes the songs for his Bad Luck band. His life gets no less hectic when he bumps into Yuki Eiri, a successful yet cynical author extraordinaire, who immediately insults Shuichi’s lyrics upon reading them. Seeking him out to demand an apology, Shuichi nevertheless sees other facets of Eiri’s personality. Can he accept the fact that he might be developing feelings for the novelist who discredited his work on their first meeting?

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Funkgun Funkgun says...

So, did you enjoy these for the deep thought provoking story?

No?

You instead want a bevy of pretty lads?  OK, you might like these either way.