This show was a random choice for me. I'm not much into sports anime(s), let alone live-action sports dramas. I just can't seem to focus my attention on them. However, this show seemed to have some "magical" draw to it that I can't really put my finger on.

Whether it was the actors, the story, or the drama that played out I couldn't tell you specifically. I have to be honest, though... I did want to stop watching after the first episode. Yet somewhere this show hooked me from episode 1, too. I can't say it was the story that got my attention; because it was definitely the actors. Each one held my attention so strongly with their spirited attitudes, cheeky personalities, and their fierce passion. I definitely laughed a lot thanks to the men in this show!

However, as I continued watching, I felt more like I was dropped into the middle of a 10 episode show instead of just an 8 episode show. I feel like the actors carried this show very well, the story was definitely not your typical "sports dramatics" either, and I definitely believe this show has a strong spirit of its own. It could have absolutely gone for a couple of more episodes. It is hard to get people into swimming shows/movies/animes of any kind, I think; maybe because swimming is so fun or maybe because just watching swimming is boring... Who knows?

This is a good show to watch if you're in a rut or just starting out with Japanese dramas. This show is very captivating and very well made until the end.