Anime Best in Show

Review: Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 3 Best in Show

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Quick Summary

In Fruits Basket Season 2 episode 3, “Shall We Go and Get You Changed,” Yuki Souma awakens from a bad dream about his mom calling him a tool to a waking nightmare of his brother Ayame’s visit — and promising never to leave Yuki alone again. When Ayame accidentally ripped Yuki’s shirt, he promised to mend it as they sat down to enjoy fresh peaches with Tohru Honda and Shigure Shouma. Ayame must have made an impression on Yuki, though, because Yuki, in a moment of weakness, admitted that he’d like to see his brother’s clothing shop. Ayame was overjoyed! But Yuki began to get second thoughts when Tohru said she wanted to see what kind of store sold both maid and nurses’ uniforms. What awaited Yuki at the store, though, was beyond his wildest imaginings.

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

Best Moment in the Show: Mine Saves Ayame

A single image, a window into a novel’s worth of struggles and drama… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Episodes like this make me regret choosing the Best in Show format for Fruits Basket Season 2. I mean, seriously. How the heck am I supposed to chose one moment in an episode that detonates several emotional bombs — each more powerful than the last?

Jeesh.

My Best in Show moment for this episode, by a narrow margin, had to do with Ayame and evidence that Tohru wasn’t the first ray of salvation to shine on the Shoumas. That honor, at least in this generation, seems to belong to a new, delightful character we get to meet in this episode: Mine Kuramae.

Yuki was trying desperately to break free of what he perceived as the shackles of his past — and there is growing evidence that he survived many very, very terrible experiences with his mom. Up to and including selling Yuki for money, though we don’t yet know the details. In one of those moments, a younger Ayame was about to leave the house as he passed his mother berating young Yuki — again. Ayame glanced over, then continued to walk out of the house. Yuki broke free of his mother’s grip and ran after Ayame. With a trembling hand, Yuki gripped his brother’s sleeve.

Ayame just shook him off and left.

The effects of a single instant’s worth of careless indifference rippled across the years. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

And Ayame never forgave himself. Not to this day, as it turns out, because even now, he’s trying to make amends. In his inner monologue, Ayame even said (12:42), “In exchange for living freely, I as good as sold you, too.”

The memory of that incident ate at him, until he reached a point that was apparently dire. In circumstances we don’t yet understand, Mine did something to restore his hope, and the shot of Ayame partly collapsed on the floor, his face burned in Mine’s lap, as she gently smiled down at him, was just beautiful. It was an entire novel presented in a single moment.

I think it’s important to observe that even though Ayame judged himself as harshly as their parents because he also betrayed Yuki, there’s one huge, critical difference.

Ayame’s there now. He’s trying to be a positive part of Yuki’s life. And that makes all the difference in the world.

What did you think of the revelations about Yuki’s past? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

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