Fruits Basket (Episode 2) - They're All Animals!

With the cat out of the bag… so to speak, Tohru Honda now knows what she’s got herself into, well, almost. Now, she will have to wait to see if the head of the Soma family will allow it.

What did you watch?

This was the second week of the Spring 2019 schedule and I managed to keep myself from jumping into all the other shows that caught my eye. Admittedly, I did have several shows from the Winter schedule that haven’t finished yet, so I had those to review as well. But then you’re not here for that, we’re talking about Fruits Basket episode two, so let’s dive in.

Fruits Basket Episode 2 Tohru Honda with Shigure Yuki and Kyo in animal form

What happened?

Tohru had just accidentally turned Yuki into a rat, Kyo into a cat, and Shigure into a dog and was struggling to comprehend what had just happened. Luckily, everyone returned to normal and Shigure explained the situation. Apparently, thirteen members of the Soma family are cursed in alignment with the Chinese zodiac.

As a result of Tohru discovering their secret, Shigure informs her that he will have to report it to the head of the family. Yuki’s not too happy about this and Kyo just isn’t happy about anything. Following another interesting day at school, Tohru finds out that Akito, the head of the Soma family is fine with the situation as long as Tohru promises not to tell anyone. On top of that Kyo will be living with them and going to the same school too…

Fruits Basket Episode 2 Tohru Honda with Shigure Yuki and Kyo transforming back nude

What did you think?

It was a slower episode this week. I think having the big reveal at the end of episode one was the right way to do it, but it made it harder for this one to keep up. If anything, it really focused on Kyo. It’s amusing that Kyo and Yuki are basically complete opposites. One is calm and well-spoken on the outside, but burning with angst and rage within, while the other is flustered and hot-headed which seems like a mask to protect himself from people finding out about him.

Fruits Basket Episode 2 Yuki slapping Kyo

What was your favourite moment?

I think that will be when Tohru was walking home after work and she noticed a shadowy figure following her. Obviously, it was Kyo, but she wasn’t to know that, so she spun around and hit him with her bag. Straight away he jumps on the offensive, accusing her of hitting him because she doesn’t like him. He was quite clearly caught off guard when she told him that wasn’t true and she thought he was a pervert.

Fruits Basket Episode 2 Tohru Honda hitting Yuki

What was your least favourite moment?

It was Kyo’s first day of school and the girls were making a bit of a fuss. He got frustrated at the attention and went to leave. One girl ran after him and almost grabbed him, but he spun her into an arm hold, pinning her to the floor, before leaping out of a window on what appeared to be the fourth floor. If you’re worried about drawing attention to yourself, that might not be the best way to go about it.

Fruits Basket Episode 2 Kyo leaping from fourth floor window

Who was your favourite character?

I liked Kyo in this episode. He’s far more interesting that Yuki in the sense that it’s never dull when he’s around. Maybe after a while, it will become annoying, but in this one it was fine. Obviously, Shigure didn’t feature much, so that opened up the competition.

Fruits Basket Episode 2 Kyo breaking a table

Who was your least favourite character?

I’ve still not forgiven any of Tohru’s family for the way they behaved in the first episode, so even though they weren’t even mentioned, they’re still my least favourite characters. After them, it’s Yuki. I appreciate he has his baggage having seen his friends have their memories altered when they discovered his secret, but he’s a little too broody.

Fruits Basket Episode 2 Yuki Soma and Tohru Honda

Would you like some more?

While this episode wasn’t as hot as the first one, it did enough to raise some questions that I’d like to find the answers to. The main one is still what happened to the Somas and why? I’d like to know more about the head of the family, Akito. And lastly, why are they letting Tohru do all the housework, especially given that they know what she’s been through. Come on, guys. Stop being a bunch of bums!