anonymous255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvFmyyBt7d
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Hi!~ Since you're good at analyzing and see things that others don't I wanted to ask you about free! OP and lyrics. I know for sure that free! songs and lyrics usually have DEEP meaning and they give us a better understanding of characters and relationships. "Rage on" had very interesting lyrics that were definitely about Rin and Haru's relationship. "Rage on" is then Haru's POV. Now, what I wanted to ask. New OP "Dried up youthful fame" has this very weird part that confuses me.
Hi, anon! Nooo please don’t apologize for sharing your opinion with me; I meant it when I said my ask box is always open to rambling. I really enjoyed reading it! Thank you for doing so, and for wanting to know my thoughts as well. I am honored!
I have to admit that I am a bit hesitant about truly trying to dig into the opening as of now since the real plot of S2 has yet to start unfolding. I think starting next week - and especially around episodes 7 and 8 - the picture will be much clearer, so the opening should be easier to figure out then.
BUT what’s the harm in some speculation, right? Below are my (wild) guesses based on what we’ve seen far! I am focusing on the character growth that the opening seems to foreshadow when it comes to Haruka since those are the parts that I feel the strongest about.
255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPxuXiGJHN
That verse definitely strikes me as the most important when it comes to foreshadowing. If we assume the entire song is from Haru’s POV (just like in Rage On! there are some particular bits that strike me more as Rin, so I tend to see them as conjoint POV lyrics - though most parts are from Haru’s), given the way things have been going, that ‘He’ can either refer to Makoto, to Rin or both if all three truly go into different directions.
My take would be:
stay cool255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9iEPSVoxF
he’ll be fine, I’ll be alright too255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Bu6Awnt52
you can always come back home255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqk4sTFNk9
when standing up to the eternal fame255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY8Q24OvP1
don’t be afraid to go, holding
That Haru is telling himself to ‘stay cool’ because despite being separated, they will be fine; and their home won’t be going anywhere, they will be able to come and meet any time they want.
The ‘holding’ and ‘eternal fame’ are trickier for me because I… honestly don’t trust their handling of English lol So I have no clue if they’re actually saying what they thought they were expressing. But taking it literally, to me it sounds like Haru embracing not being ordinary.
In a more liberal and general interpretation though, I would relate those lines more with losing the hesitation and fear of going all the way and chasing his passion. So in this case, I take ‘eternal fame’ to be a reference to the future. If I take ‘fame’ literally, then I can’t help but see it as more foreshadowing of Haru going pro.
Though well - I may be wrong, but for me, the whole opening foreshadows that.
There are a couple of things that really stood out to me in the opening because they seem to be motifs that actually progress through it:
Notice how at the start of the opening, Haru is submerged in a pool and looking up with a languid expression.
Next time we are shown that scene, however, Haru is no longer in a simple pool; and he is no longer lethargic, either. Right before his very eyes, there is a world of light (a sight) just beyond the surface, and Haru looks up at it with curiosity and wonder.
But his expression soon changes. It loses the wonder. Gives way to a certain thoughtfulness. To me, it looks like he is hesitating on whether to go towards the light or not.
And then comes this:
We are shown the two people who take pro swimming seriously and have fired up Haru’s competitive spirit. And what do we see? Haru no longer looks hesitant, nor lethargic - he looks determined.
And on cue, the lyrics for those two sequences are the following:
It allows me to change a single thing255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjlnCWsBN9
Into a vivid memory
In the song, what is that “it” that helped him find his determination? Noticing “the shadow of the bird soaring through the skies” (during this bit, we happen to be shown Samezuka).
That is the second key of the opening for me: the bird. I have to admit that I am torn on how to interpret the bird; it can be freedom, it can symbolize the future - or it could also symbolize dreams and goals. So in a broader way, it could be the symbol of what one is chasing after.
So one of the most interesting parts of the opening for me is the imagery during the “you can always come back home” line. Because right when the bird is flying over the pool, we flash to Haru:
I believe that he is seeing himself in the future. He is swimming - most likely competitively, given that the imagery chosen is him standing alone right before diving in. The fact that he is crying - plus the lyrics - make it sound to me like this future of his is going to take him away from Iwatobi.
Nonetheless, IMO the line is meant to be reassuring. Like despite the pain, Haru has found an answer to the things that were holding him back.
To me though, what matters here is that right after that, Haru not only catches up to the bird - but overtakes it.
He is then no longer under the bird’s shadow, but actually reaching out to grab his freedom: his future, his goal.
I also can’t help but connect the lyrics and imagery during that final shot to Rage On!
Taking off to the future I sought255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooY6qQD6yt
Chasing the birds255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXrfVGBfOT
As I reach out, my hand255Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQeHCAMWnL
Is connected to a view I’ve never seen before
Specially because, what is the last shot of the opening?
The place where Haru was submerged before is now empty; which I take to mean that Haru did go towards the light - did reach out to grab that sight he has never seen before.
So for now at least, that is more or less my take on my opening. I hope it made sense!
My apologies for leaving out the parts of the song that didn’t make it to the opening; I feel that they chose which parts to include in the montage pretty carefully, so I can’t help but to give more weight to those orz
Also, sorry for not addressing Abendsonne, but the truth is I can hardly make out the lyrics are haha
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