Fruits Basket (2019) Episode 12 – the Boogeyman Appears

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this week’s episode since Fruits Basket (2019) first began! Why? Because during this week’s episode Tohru finally got to meet the head of the Sohma clan (and my absolute favourite Furuba character), Akito. The reason why this is so exciting is because, for all this time, it’s almost as if the show has done everything in its power to hide him from us. Up until now, we’ve only ever caught glimpses of him, with his back to us or half obscured by shadow. Not to mention that everything we know about him is second-hand knowledge passed down to us in the form of horror stories told by other characters. He’s like some urban legend – think the boogeyman or the chupacabra, only much scarier! But now, finally, he reveals himself. Below I go on to dissect this very exciting moment…

Fruits Basket (2019) Episode 10 – a New Villain Emerges…?

This week Kyo gets up on the wrong side of the bed. At Shigure’s suggestion that he take the opportunity to get to know Yuki a bit better on their date (a double date between Kyo and Kagura, Yuki and Tohru, not the two boys! That’d be quite the development, huh?) he completely flips his lid. Tohru must intervene for him to regain his composure. Meanwhile, while the quartet are out and about on their date, Shigure pays the Sohma compound another visit. During a conversation that takes place between him and Hatori, Shigure reflects on a dream that he once had. He says that he doesn’t care who he has to hurt to make this dream a reality. Firstly, why would Kyo get quite so upset at the suggestion that he try to get along with Yuki? And, secondly, what is the exact nature of Shigure’s dream? And what would it mean for the other characters were it to be realised? Since this episode never explicitly answers these questions, now’s as good a time as any to churn out some wacky fan theories!

Fruits Basket (2019) Episode Nine – a Bullheaded Addition to the Sohma Clan

During this week’s episode of Fruits Basket (2019) Tohru’s class is made to run a marathon around town. While en route, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo encounter Hatsuharu (Haru) Sohma who, as it turns out, has been looking for them for three whole days (you couldn’t have called them, or something?). During their encounter, after Haru and Kyo briefly exchange fists, Yuki collapses. Haru, in ox form, carries Yuki home and, while he’s resting, tells Tohru what he means to him. When I sit down to write about each episode of Furuba I usually pick two or three things to unpack in detail. But this episode (which was probably my favourite so far) was full of so many interesting details that I don’t think I can approach my analysis of it like I usually do! As such, this post is going to be a little less focused than usual, I hope that you’ll bear with me!

Fruits Basket (2019) Episode Six – Kyo vs. Yuki. Place Your Bets!

Compared to last week’s dramatic episode, this week’s episode was much more uneventful. Sure, we got to meet two more of the Sohmas: Hatori and Momiji, but, at this point in the show, we still don’t know much about either of them. And, yes, we also got to see Yuki in a dress, which is cool, if you’re into that kind of thing… Aside from that, not a great deal happened. The main event was when Tohru’s two friends, Hana and Uo, invited themselves over to the Sohmas’ for the night. It may sound as though I’m complaining, but I actually like more relaxed episodes like this – you can’t run at 11 all of the time! Too much drama and it begins to feel forced, you know? And I enjoy seeing characters in all sorts of different scenarios, and that includes as they go about their day-to-day lives! Besides, given that this week’s episode was much more uneventful, and I don’t have a great deal to discuss and dissect, now may be a good opportunity to address the following burning question: Kyo vs. Yuki – who is currently in a better position to win Tohru’s heart?

Let’s review the evidence…

Fruits Basket (2019) Episode Two – Fire and Ice

Two weeks in and my excitement for Fruits Basket (2019) has yet to subside! So far the anime has followed the manga to a T. Even minor details, like Takaya-sensei’s captions and what characters are doing in the background of a scene, have managed to make the cut. Whilst this may change further down the line, it gives me hope that this adaptation will remain faithful to its source material in terms of both its tone and story. Not to mention that, should it continue to adapt two chapters per episode (as this episode did), it won’t be long before we get to meet more of the Sohmas! But let’s set the future of the series aside for now to discuss this week’s episode…