The first two seasons are loosely based on the light novel, High Speed! ( Japanese: ハイ☆スピード!, Hepburn: Hai Supīdo!), written by Kōji Ōji, which received an honorable mention in the second Kyoto Animation Award contest in 2011 and was published in July 2013. Free! is a Japanese anime television series produced by Kyoto Animation and Animation Do.