Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19: Rin tried to force Tohru away.
Anime Best in Show

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19 Review – Best In Show

tcrowComments(7)

Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19 – Quick Summary

In Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19, “There’s Just No Way!,” Isuzu “Rin” Sohma awakened to find her mother tending her. But it wasn’t really her mother; it was actually Tohru Honda. Determined not to let herself get close to Tohru, Rin tried to make a getaway, but the sound of Tohru’s honest concern for Rin’s well being made her reconsider. Why does Rin so detest the idea of getting close to Tohru? Why is Rin so adamantly against Tohru trying to break the curse? Worst of all, what chill advanced in Tohru’s heart — a chill that Rin dimly perceives in Tohru as a fear of being alone? Just how deep does that fear go?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Best in Show Moment for Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19: Rin expected Tohru to back down. Tohru had other ideas.

Rin seems to be used to people backing down when she gets forceful. Tohru, though, had no trouble speaking her mind. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Tohru’s Kindness Is Not Weakness

There’s a part of my brain that’s responsible for projecting foreshadowing into the future. I try to keep it quiet so I can be surprised, but there are times it freaks out because it sees something terrible coming. Mear the end, when Rin said of Tohru, “You hide what lies beyond the door from all others, where you feel like you’re silently edging towards… a breaking point” (21:23), that part of my brain went ballistic. Do you know that the original Star Trek series made such an impact that it’s still my imagination’s go to for red alert sound effects? I tried to convince myself that I’m wrong. It didn’t work. So I’m going to ignore that scene for now.

Instead, I’m going to focus on powerful Tohru, who’s not only in control, but is so in control that is surprised everyone in the house.

We’ve seen how much Rin wanted to stay away from Tohru. It had looked like she hated Tohru for some reason, but that wasn’t it at all. We didn’t know that before this scene, though. We knew that Rin was shocked that Tohru was caring for her, and we knew that there was something about Tohru that calmed her. Remember when Rin tried to escape out of the window as Shigure and Hatori tried to convince her to go to the hospital?

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19: Tohru's genuine concern pierced Rin's panic.

Tohru’s concern was so genuine that it pierced Rin’s panic. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Rin was screaming, nearly hysterical, straining against Hatori as he fought to keep her in the room. Tohru came in, saw what was happening, and cried out in concern. “P-please don’t, Isuzu-san! That’s dangerous!” she said (02:38). The concern in her voice was so powerful and so sincere that Rin instantly quieted. But that didn’t mean she was ready to accept Tohru’s kindness.

Delivery: Tohru’s Kindness is a Strength

On one level, Rin didn’t want Tohru’s kindness because she felt like she’d be taking advantage of her. In an attempt to push Tohru away, Rin demanded that she mind her own business and stop trying to break the curse. “Do you look down on us?” she asked Tohru. The question is ridiculous on its face, but Rin didn’t want an answer. She wanted to push Tohru away.

The argument escalated because Tohru doesn’t respond as Rin anticipated. Tohru, in her bright, inquisitive way, asked Rin if she were trying to break the curse, too. Rin edged closer to losing her temper, going so far as to grabb Tohru’s shirt, pull her close, and yell in her face that she shouldn’t meddle.

This is my favorite moment from the episode.

“No! I will meddle!” Tohru said (07:14). She didn’t shrink from Rin’s angry face. She didn’t hesitate to give voice to her resolve.

Rin recoiled, completely taken aback. Tohru proceeded to pour her heart out, telling Rin that there were things she wasn’t going to give up, all while Rin tried to tell her to shut up. Their “discussion” was so loud that Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki came out of their rooms, shocked both at Rin’s vigor and Tohru’s volume.

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19: Rin didn't know what to do when Tohru gave better than she got!

Rin didn’t know how to react to a forceful yet kind Tohru! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

That’s how I want to think of Tohru. A wonderful, kind, and strong young woman. Because if the plot projection part of my brain’s right, she’s going to need all of that. And more.

What did you think of Kimi Toudou’s PA announcement to tweak the Yuki fan club? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19: Other Posts

Other Anime Sites

This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)

tcrow
Copyright 2022 Terrance A. Crow. All rights reserved.
https://www.crowsworldofanime.com

Related Articles
Anime List

Spring 2016 Anime Slate: Funimation Edition

tcrow

Hard to believe the Winter 2016’s season already done, and the Spring 2016 season’s underway! Though the number of series I’m watching this season on Funimation is lower, there are some gems here: Note: Ordinarily, I review one series from Crunchyroll and one from Funimation every season. This time, though, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, streaming […]
Anime Best in Show

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 4: Favorites

tcrow

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 4 – Quick Summary In NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a Episode 4, “a mountain too [H]igh,” 2B and 9S survived their initial encounter with the machine lifeforms Adam and Eve. But they still had no idea just what Adam and Eve were, or what they meant for the future of the conflict. Now, they […]
Anime Best in Show

Call of the Night Episode 13 Review – Best In Show

tcrow

Call of the Night Episode 13 – Quick Summary In Call of the Night episode 13, “Call of the Night,” Kou Yamori was on the run from the police because Anko Uguisu’s false report. While hiding in a playground, Hatsuka Suzushiro found him and took him home. Are Hatsuka’s intentions honorable? Meanwhile, Nazuna Nanakusa visited […]

7 thoughts on “Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 19 Review – Best In Show”

  1. Ah, well, Tohru may be determined to meddle, but when Rin enquires deeper into her motives, she’s not quite ready to face them yet, is she? She’ll need to learn to take care of herself, or all that energy’s going to propel her into a chasm.

    Someone once asked me, why is it that everyone always asks for stuff, and the people you really want to help never accept the help? I didn’t say it, but I thought there might be a systematic relationship here. Fruitsbasket reminds me of that a lot. You can only really help people who are ready to accept help. Fruits Basket is full of people who aren’t, and Tohru isn’t an exception.

    Reply

    1. “She’ll need to learn to take care of herself, or all that energy’s going to propel her into a chasm.”

      I got a sense that she’s grown or changed since encountering the Sohmas, and she has unresolved issues in her past that she hasn’t integrated yet. “Into a chasm” indeed!

      “You can only really help people who are ready to accept help.”

      That’s one of those bedrock facts that I think they should teach us in elementary school. It’d save a lot of heart-ache later…

      Reply

  2. So after reading this post i came back to rewatch some scenes from the episode and well… I just have to appreciate the performance of tohru’s va during the scene you picked. So much power and emotion in it. And then the song they picked for the scene instantly makes everything even more affecting. It’s a song with a huge meaning for me, not only is it used in so many of the emotional fruits basket scenes, it’s also a song that brings sad memories to me because… Basically i rewatched fruits basket season 1 in april and afterwards this song was in my head often, and i listened to it often. In late april my older dog suddenly died and having that song play around that same time also now makes me associate it with that sad event to a degree. So basically whenever they play it, it’s kinda impossible for me not to feel emotional or start crying. Not that they’d struggle to achieve that with other songs too though

    Reply

    1. i’m really sorry to hear about your loss! And sorry if I drew your attention to a scene that evoked sad memories!

      Are you raising other dogs? I grew up on a farm, and we had dogs. I can’t really have them where I live now. I adore our cat (I ironically call her “Vicious Beast”), but dogs are just so danged open with their feelings! I miss a dog’s unabashed affection.

      Reply

      1. Dont be sorry for bringing up the scene

        Yes, the one remaining is the younger one, basically his son. I never had a cat but the farm thing is what we share cause i semi grew up on it. And in 2019 i moved more permanently to that place with a farm so yeah

        Reply

Please let me know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.