Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25: Arisa would like to see Kureno again
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Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25 Review – Best In Show

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Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25 – Quick Summary

In Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25, “I’m Different Now,” Momiji Souma excitedly asked Tohru for praise. Why? Because Momiji had delivered the DVD of Cinderella-ish to Kureno Souma expressly to watch the performance of Arisa Uotani. Especially the part where she cries out that she wants to see him. Her words collide with the emotional hold that Akito had on him. In an attempt to resolve the conflict, Kureno called Shigure’s house, hoping to talk to Tohru. Instead, he talked to Shigure himself, with subtly devastating results. Kureno, still determined to resolve the conflict, colluded with Shigure to meet Tohru in a park, where the full power of Akito’s influence came into conflict with Tohru’s irresistible force. Will Kureno agree to see Arisa? Will Akito’s hold on him win out? And what will Tohru do when one of the Souma’s secrets comes to life?

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

Favorite Quote from Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25

In a conversation with Isuzu “Rin” Souma, Tohru accidentally let slip that she knew Hatsuharu “Haru” Souma and Rin were an item. Rin was furious. That was supposed to be a highly guarded secret! Tohru knew she couldn’t tell Rin how she had found out back in episode 23. She didn’t want to get Hiro Souma in trouble! So Tohru tried to claim it was her woman’s intuition.

“I doubt that’s a gift you’ve been endowed with,” Rin said drily (04:27). Rin might have come to grips with her need for Tohru’s warmth, but she hasn’t lost her essential Rin-ness!

Best in Show Moment for Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25: Tohru's greatest power might be empathy

Seeing Kureno’s torment, Tohru unleashed her most powerful weapon: empathy. It was super effective. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Momiji’s Carefully Planted Bomb

Momiji’s mission had been a success. He had delivered the DVD of Cinderella-ish to Kureno. Waiting until Akito was asleep, Kureno stole away, put the DVD into the slot, and watched.

At first, he seemed to find it mildly amusing. Seeing Tohru, Kyou Souma, and especially Yuki Souma as the fairy godmother had to be entertaining, at the very least. But then he saw Arisa, and his mood changed. Completely.

As she started yelling at Kyou on screen, Kureno began to reach for the screen. She began to say “I want to see him!” it was not only clear who “him” was. It was clear that Kureno knew it was him. By the time she cried out, “Come see me, dammit!”, his fingers rested on the screen beside her face. You could feel his longing. It seemed even more intense than Arisa’s. There were tears in his eyes when he remembered Tohru telling him how much he meant to Arisa back in episode 16. He seemed poised to leave the Souma compound right then and there to find Arisa and confess his feelings to her.

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25: Yeah, Kureno really wants to be with Arisa

Kureno not only sees Arisa for the first time in months. He hears how much she misses him. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Then the memory of a frantically weeping Akito flashed before his eyes. Which of these two powers would dominate his heart?

Was there anything Tohru could do?

Kureno and Shigure conspired for Tohru to meet Kureno in a nearby park. He returned the DVD to her and said that he needed to stay by Akito’s side. “Sorry,” head said, looking away. “Your present was for nothing” (15:45).

Delivery: Tohru’s Unleashes Her Ultimate Weapon

The mood was already unsettled because Kureno had disclosed to Tohru that he wasn’t really the Rooster anymore. He had broken the curse; or it had broken spontaneously. So it wasn’t the Zodiac curse that bound Kureno to Akito.

Tohru might not be able to solve quadratic equations on the fly, but she has the whole emotional intelligence thing down to a science (so to speak). She could see that no, he wasn’t cool with this decision. So she unleashed the most powerful weapon in her arsenal. She unleashed empathy. Her brown eyes wide and accepting, she reached up and gently touched his face.

Her empathy broke his resolve. “I want to see her! I want to see her! I want to see her, but… I only saw her twice… but she was the first person I fell in love with as my own person after becoming truly human. I can embrace her all I want. There’s no longer a spirit inside me,” he said, unable to contain his tears (17:07).

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25: Kureno could open up to Tohru

Kureno wanted to see Arisa so much he could barely breath. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

He recanted moments later, saying that he was determined to stay with Akito. However, in that moment before, Tohru’s touch had given him the permission he needed to be honest with himself. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to hold Arisa. Akito is right to fear Tohru. Her power frees people. Akito’s power can only bind them, apparently in darkness. You can tell who I’m rooting for in the end!

What did you think of the two reveals in this episode? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

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2 thoughts on “Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 25 Review – Best In Show

  1. First, I did not expect that Akito was girl, but to be honest this changes very little. (It does make a difference, if, say, there’s a latent sexism involved in who can be head of the house, but being the “God” of the curse locks her in. So she’s forced into masculine looks and behaviour to accomodate the “house”.)

    The real kicker, though, was that Kureno’s bond was already broken: I didn’t expect that either, and it’s very interesting. So you can actually feel the bond tear, both of them, Kureno and Akito, felt it inside. Then what about death? How does this work for, say, Shigure? Is there a supernatural sense that the old “God” and the new “God” are the same, yet obviously different people?

    Two things affected me especially this episode:

    First, Akito, after feeling the bond sever, was terrified of being abandoned. She has this intense self-loathing, and feels like the others are caught in this situation with her. Akito never really goes anywhere or talks to anyone. We saw her once in school and once at the seaside; all the other times we saw her was on the estate, with heavy emphasis on that one room. That’s an incredibly impoverished environment. She has an awareness of how she treats others, and knows that if it weren’t for the magical bond, they’d just go away. She actually apologises to Kureno this episode, but she still treats him as if he needed her permission to leave… I see little readiness to change, only damage control when in panic. Abusive personality, but also self-abusive. It’s terrifying how clearly this show portrays the mindset.

    Second, Kureno seeing Arisa, then remembering Akito, and just visually slumping into that head-palm position. It’s a horrible position to be in. The relationship he has with Akito is deeply unhealthy, but at the same time he can’t just abandon her (psychologically I mean). Shigure has a point, when he says that it would actually be better for Akito if Kureno went his own way (while not completely abandoning her, either). But Akito is so socially incompetent that it’s always all or nothing with her, and it might be a sink-or-swim situation. And Akito might well sink. It’s very, very difficult to take care of needy people, especially when it’s something you choose to do, and to some degree want to do.

    That was one kicker of a season finale.

Please let me know what you think!

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