Anime like this one are a gem on several levels. We got an intriguing storyline, we got gorgeous animation and we got characters that are not mere stereotypes but living and breathing and real and tangible. AND it is a collection of characters that serve to the female gaze in an amount unkown so far outside the yaoi genre. Especially considering the fanservice is connected to the storyline (swimming is hard with clothes on - this has more logic than you usually see in fanservice-y shows regardless the audience) AND still manages to steer off the unrealistic area (which most shows catering to men don't manage). 

As I said though, the fanservice and the rpresentation of it is a factor in our love for "Free!" . It is however, far from being the only thing the show has going for itself. See, without the proper filling to the nice looks it would be just boring, dull, at worst annoying.

So, what has "Free!"?

A very character-driven, not-too-complex (read as: not 20thousand threads left hanging), engrossing story line with several twists and turns. As I said, character driven. The main conflict comes from the decisions the main cast make and how they live with their decisions and the consequences. Case in point: This is a story about competitive high school swimming. One of the main cast, ambitiously aiming for the Olympic, left Japan to attend a sports school in Australia, while Haruka, main character and probably a progidy regarding swimming, stays behind. However, a year later, Rin (Australia guy) still can't beat Haruka and thus quits swimming.

Haruka in return quits competitive swimming because he hurt Rin.

THIS is the backstory. The main story line is mainly the conflict between Rin and Haruka and their individual views regarding swimming, competition, Haruka hesitatingly warming up again towards cometitive swimming, their newest team member actually having to learn how to swim...

As I said - highly character driven. The characters make the story, not the story happens to the characters. I like this concept and especially in slliceof-life anime like "Free!" it frankly fits better (could be just me though)

The humor. Equally mostly taken from the characters, their quirks and their interaction with each other. As such, we get different flavours and levels, from "Someone is so obsessed with water that he tries to swim wherever he goes - even in a FISH TANK!" to "guy obsessed with "beautiful" sports tries to learn swimming and can't even float. and bellyflops into water" to "cute girl has muscle fetish and squeals whenever she sees them"... ... let's just say, the series is blatantly funny. 

Cute girl is the cue word by the way - it is rare for an anime with such a strong female demographic and such a strong fanservice to a) give us female characters at all b) make them so likeable like Ama-chan and Gou and c) thus having a female fan base that happily embraces the ladies.

Let's face it. Once in a while we can be rather... unpleasant about the female characters. The more reason to continue the trend.

And then... 

it is a high school drama! And a sports drama! Both genres are simply not known for being over after just one season. The school year has just started, the club will swim in the regionals in the last episode and then? We wish to know! We need to know! 

Also resolving the conflict between Rin and the club - both with the club as a whole and with the individual members - will take more than the two episodes left it it is to be done properly.

Conclusion:

We need a second season. 

Really. "Free!" is an awesome anime and well-loved in Japan and overseas and a great example on the "Fanservice done right" side (as in "even if the main idea was fanservice to begin with, there has to be more to a show and a character. Make this "more" the main and add the fainservice in amounts reasonable for the story".)

We need more shows like that, both for the male and the female demographic (we need them desparately for both of them, though for different reasons).

Before that happens however, we desperately need a 2nd season of "Free!"