The High Speed! -Free! Starting Days- film is directly inspired by the High Speed! novel by Kōji Ōji that was loosely adapted into the original Free! television anime.
Whereas the Free! anime centers on Haruka and the other swimmers during high school, High Speed! followed them during middle school.
Kyoto Animation announced on Monday that its Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club television anime is getting a novel adaptation that will debut in June.
Masahiro Yokotani, the script writer and supervisor for all the anime in the Free! franchise, is writing the novel.