I feel like at first, Free! fandom was more loose and aware of the fanservicey nature of the show and having fun with that. It was open to poking fun at itself more, and accepting and enjoying the show for what it is.

Then came the... I wish I could think of a term for this, sjw is not quite it, but like, the over-sensitive over-analysis and pseudo-psychiatry bullshit and projecting all sorts of nonsense on the characters and most annoyingly, as anon pointed out, insisting that it's somehow more ~moral~ and ~healthy~ on some level to prefer one character or ship over another. Fuck that. This is entertainment with imaginary characters, for fuck's sake.

SnK, too, used to be more fun. Now both fandoms annoy me.