Thoughts on the RinHaru ship: I think that between Rin and Haru, Rin is the one who underestimates how important he is to Haru. I think he sees himself as inferior to Haru, or maybe just as one of Haru’s friends and nothing more. Mainly because he sees Haru as someone who is naturally gifted at swimming, he basically draws a line between them.
This is probably why he never contacted Haru while he was in Australia, why he didn’t directly address the letter to Haru, why he screamed for Haru to laugh at his loss, why he thought Haru would not agree with his Australia trip, or when he told Ikuya, “Our relationship is kind of complicated,” and later said, “He and I are not that kind of thing.” Rin never really grasped his role in Haru’s life. Maybe that is why, when Asahi said Haru would worry about him, Rin asked, “Would Haru do that?” Rin clearly sees himself as just another person who admires Haru—nothing more, nothing special. He refuses to acknowledge how dependent Haru is on his presence.
Haru refused to swim in a relay with a new team. He was incredibly lonely when Rin left for Australia. Haru even stopped swimming competitively because he thought he had hurt Rin. Rin probably never thought Haru would miss him that much. But Haru, on the other hand, missed him deeply. He would flinch every time Rin’s name was mentioned. He swam competitively again because Rin came back. Most of Haru’s life decisions, even his future, were influenced by Rin.
Though I would say Rin’s absence taught Haru to rely more on his friends, whenever Rin is present, Haru’s emotional dependence always falls back on him. It’s funny how Haru, despite being so unexpressive, has voiced this many times: “Because of you, I found my dream,” “You taught me something important,” “I want to swim with Rin,” “I was able to move forward because of you,” and “Because you were there, I wanted to swim next to your lane.” Even in the interview scene where Haru was asked who changed his life, his answer was Rin.
Even after their fight, Haru was overworking himself. He wasn’t breathing properly, and maybe it was just me, but when Haru was jogging days after their fight, he looked exhausted, like he had been crying. We only ever really saw Haru cry because of Rin. And honestly, Rin, how could you not realize how important you are in Haru’s life?
Even the people around them clearly saw that their feelings for each other were mutual. Makoto, despite being Haru’s best friend, knew that the biggest changes in Haru’s attitude were caused by Rin’s absence. Whenever Haru was in emotional turmoil, Makoto knew exactly who to call: Rin. He knew Rin was the only person who could truly get through to Haru, even more than Sosuke could. Rei understood it too. He confronted Haru by saying there was someone Haru wanted to swim for, and that person was Rin.
I don’t think Haru ever failed to realize how important Rin was to him. Haru was always honest about wanting Rin beside him whenever he swam. But Rin always treated swimming with Haru as if it were just a chance or opportunity he didn’t deserve, while Haru thought the exact opposite. That was especially evident during the night pool confrontation, when Haru was finally able to breathe again because of Rin.
I was actually surprised by Rin’s remark to Ikuya that he and Haru were “not that kind of relationship,” especially considering how he didn’t stay by Haru’s side when Haru collapsed. Maybe Rin thought Makoto should have been the one there for him instead. Even after Rin’s monologue at the night pool scene, where he admitted how stupid he was for not noticing Haru’s feelings after he disappeared, it still felt like he never fully resolved that insecurity. They agreed to train together, yet during the tournament, Rin still refused to see Haru because he thought his presence was unnecessary, even when Ikuya pointed out that it sounded more like Rin simply didn’t want to face him.
And honestly, Rin probably didn’t even contact Haru while Haru was in rehab. They only found out they were both in Hungary through Makoto and Nitori. Rin, how could you forget Haru’s “You could’ve called”? Haru wanted him to call. He wanted him to write to him. Man, just pick up the damn phone.
Which brings me back to the intense “You will swim for me” moment. Haru didn’t argue or refuse. He just wanted Rin to promise not to quit swimming. Even during their talk on the beach, Haru made it clear that he never wanted Rin to stop swimming. So when Rin said he wouldn’t compete in freestyle anymore, Haru was devastated. We even got that iconic rain scene afterward. Haru was so tired of Rin disappearing from his life that he lashed out and said cruel things. But Rin wasn’t even quitting swimming entirely—he just wanted to focus on butterfly so he could still go pro while swimming alongside Haru. Yet Haru still couldn’t accept it. Haru has always been vocal about how the lane next to his belongs to Rin.
I know it’s kind of late now, and there’s no more free content left, but the last thing I remember is that Rin and Haru were still swimming together. The railway scene was especially significant because Rin was no longer running away, and Haru was no longer chasing after him. They finally met halfway. Their feelings and dreams had finally become one.
I just hope that maybe, in a different universe, Rin would finally feel secure enough to understand that Haru truly wants him by his side. Rin needs to let go of the line he keeps drawing between them, because Haru crossed that line for him a long time ago.
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