It became my comfort anime, as I found it to be a fun and relaxing watch during those bad days. As a teenager, I was enamored with these beautiful boys and the melodrama surrounding them. Once I caved to the show’s immense popularity and watched it in its entirety, I too came to understand what the hype was about. I didn’t experience it for myself until a few years later, when the sequel series Eternal Summer was airing.

Lo and behold, only a few short months later, Kyoto Animation releases a full-length series featuring those same swimmers titled Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club. In just 48 hours, this short, dubbed the “Swimming Anime” spreads throughout the anime community like wildfire, with its own fanfiction, AMVs, and even a petition by Crunchyroll to have an anime released. Unlike the regular shorts that showcase the studio’s animation and feature petite girls, it focuses on four swimsuit-clad boys cavorting by the pool. It’s March 2013, and Kyoto Animation has dropped a new 30-second advertisement.