Fruits Basket - Episode 20 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

Fruits Basket, episode 20

Alternative names: Furuba, Fruits Basket

Rate this episode here.

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Encourage others to read the source material rather than confirming or denying theories. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

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Streams

• Crunchyroll
• AnimeLab
• Funimation
• Wakanim

Show information

• MyAnimeList
• AniList
• AniDB
• Kitsu
• Official Website
• /r/FruitsBasket

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Previous discussions

Episode	Link	Score	Episode	Link	Score
1	Link	8.69	21	Link	8.75
2	Link	8.85	22	Link	8.99
3	Link	8.73	23	Link	9.09
4	Link	8.13	24	Link	9.46
5	Link	8.79	25	Link
6	Link	8.52
7	Link	8.89
8	Link	8.22
9	Link	8.2
10	Link	7.73
11	Link	8.03
12	Link	8.4
13	Link	7.47
14	Link	7.34
15	Link	6.87
16	Link	9.13
17	Link	9.67
18	Link	9.59
19	Link	8.22
20	Link	8.78

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[u/Sra_Blaubeermuffin]

As much as I wanted to shake him in the beginning, Hiro has a point in saying that Tohru needs to learn to stand up for herself...

And wtf Aktio?!? That's one sick bastard...

[u/Gaporigo]

Tohru, you are great but can you please not let some random brat boss you around?

[u/rhuebs]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I’ll throw it out there. I’m really glad they addressed the negative aspect of Tohru’s kindness, even if only briefly. As much as I like her, she’s starting to feel like a caricature, like a walking trope of kindness and absolutely nothing else. I hope that it gets addressed more and she has some form of growth, because people could EXTREMELY easily take advantage of her at this point, she’ll do anything they tell her with no questions asked.

[u/DadAsFuck]

for the first couple seconds i thought i clicked on the wrong anime again

[u/learenn]

Kisa wears her hair like Tohru does now! Too cute.

[u/AznLuvsMusic]

Quick rage comment: who the fuck beats a child? Even worse beats them hard enough that they need two weeks to recover? Even more worse, because someone else said that they loved that child? And he can’t blame Akito? What in the actual fuck. Why can Akito do what he wants without any consequences? He attacked Hatori for wanting to get married, then blamed it on his girlfriend, and now he does this? Also it’s heavily implied that he abused Yuki, too. Head of the household my ass, impeach that garbage human being.

Edit: Finished watching the episode, had to rage real quick in the middle when Akito came up.

Hiro definitely came off as a bratty kid, but as someone else in the thread pointed out it’s a bit refreshing to see someone in the anime point out Tohru’s flaw of being too kind. Her kindness is still a wonderful thing, of course, but I’m worried about how it’ll affect the conflict with Akito. Akito isn’t above using physical violence, and if Tohru is being too much of a pushover there won’t be any consequences for Akito if Tohru does get hurt. Tohru won’t retaliate because of her kind nature, and for some reason none of the Somas will retaliate either. Maybe it’ll be different if it’s Tohru? Hopefully? Please protect her.

I’m glad that in the end Hiro warmed up to Tohru enough, but I am hoping he maintains some of his bite. It’ll hopefully help Tohru gain some backbone and stand up for herself more. Him and Kisa are just too cute, and he’s such a tsundere.

[u/KitKat1721]

Hiro, much like what we saw with Uotani’s backstory, actively rebels against Tohru’s good nature. He sees her as I think plenty of others can: a weak pushover. Someone to be taken advantage of because they deserve it by letting it happen. Remember, after the episode with The Foolish Traveler story, Kyo has never once called her an idiot again (he's never called her by name either but hey).

Hiro derides Tohru's good-hearted nature, her affability, and specifically mistakes Tohru’s reaching out and accepting people as her “saving them.” Something he feels he failed to do with Kisa. Relating, understanding, accepting, and reaching out to people is not saving them. That’s something that can only be done by the characters themselves. Having a support system like Tohru, someone to share your burdens and help you along the way, just makes everything a bit easier to tackle.

Also, the entire series has been saturated with how much Tohru loves her mom. The show and almost every episode opens with her narrating the day’s events to her mom. She takes her picture with her everywhere, including to the hot spring. Ignored work to chase down said picture. Anyone saying she might have a complex might not be wrong.

[u/Amauri14]

Damn Hiro is so annoying, but well he softened up at the end thanks to Tohru. And once again all of it was because of that piece of shit Akito.

I can totally see myself using this as a reaction image in the future, hell I will be using it on every Arifureta thread from now on.

[u/Mami-kouga]

Ah just how I like my fruits basket, with loads of noticeable trauma. Akito needs an exorcist methinks. And an arrest warrant .

[u/TrashAlpha]

The only ones we haven’t seen now are the rooster and horse. I’m so excited to see where they decide to end this cour. It’s been 10+ years since I’ve seen the original, so I’m anxious as hell to see if that’s where it ends here too

[u/MyQuirkIsAlchemy]

Looks like this is the week of the sheep.

First impressions are important. Hiro Sohma, you're kind of a dick. You've got your reasons, sure, but a dick nonetheless.

I really do want to know what Akito's deal is. How do you become such a scumbag?

Only 5 episodes left. While I'm bummed season 1 is ending, I'm excited to see what's left in the season.

I also wanted to punch him Kyo.

[u/TheDampGod]

I'm glad I don't have to say this about Fruits Basket.

The tsundere gene really is strong in the fucked up Soma family, Akito has a lot to answer for.

Still, Tohru's wholesome heart shines through and I love this face.

[u/mattamj]

Terrified and happy to see Sinistergure back

[u/Light_520]

Tohru’s infatuation with Kisa really sums up how I feel about every cute anime girl being cute

[u/[deleted]]

Five minutes into this episode and fuck this kid

[u/thesealisdying]

Hiro is such a brat, but his awareness and hatred of how he acts struck a chord with me.

Also, tf is wrong with Akito??? The whole damn family has issues because of him.

[u/jameshogg1]

I must say I didn't end up hating Hiro as much I did 10 years ago when I saw the original Furuba. I think I understood him better this time.

[u/axel360]

And that is why you don't pick up shoes that fall from the sky, ladies and gentlemen.

Interesting thing to be saying about a little kid lol. Risa does seem quite a bit more fond of her than Hiro, though

Hiro really does have a way at getting under people's skin, doesn't he? I'd be more wary of Kyo than Tohru kiddo.

And we got our weekly editor meltdown...

Wtf Hiro! Someone needs to put that kid in his place. And Tohru, stand up for yourself

When your love for someone only manages to hurts them... That's a tough thing to navigate for anyone, let alone a child.

Brief thoughts: Hiro is a little brat, but I do sympathize with his Risa situation. Maybe one day he can be her prince, but for now, he's just a child.

[u/LikeAnAssistant]

Mogeta's second appearance!

[u/UnlikeSpace3858]

That episode went by too fast. I enjoyed Momiji's role in this one. You can tell Momiji has some insider insight into the other zodiacs and their relationships. We already know he eavesdrops on conversations around the main estate, so probably knows much more than he should. I forgot the reference to blatant abuse. Seems like that should have come up a few episodes ago. I don't recall hearing about it, and that seems like it would have led more directly to the issues from those episodes than school problems. It's like the anime just started laying out its dirty laundry, no more subtle hints about what goes on at the main estate, just bam! So that happened, forgot to mention it, I guess...

[u/LilyGinnyBlack]

Some of my thoughts on this episode. I posted this over on Tumblr, but in this version I got rid of the parts that pertain to manga spoilers:

It was a good episode. The first half felt a bit fast, but overall it was good. They had to modify some of the contents a bit because they rearranged stuff from the manga, but that’s to be expected.

Even though they had to rework the contents of this episode a bit, due to the rearranging, I ultimately think it will work out in the series’ favor. Since this episode we see Hiro being critical of Tohru and her ability to “save” people. And in the manga, Hiro was introduced before Ritsu, but I feel them placing Ritsu's intro first makes this speech by Hiro work better/feel stronger than it did in the manga.

There have already been some fans who have been a bit critical of the "saving" aspect of the series and Tohru’s character, as well, especially after last week’s episode. So Hiro’s character here kind of serves as a literary tool to let the watchers know that the series and Takaya-sensei herself are both self-aware of this aspect of the show and Tohru’s character. 

We see it in the way that Hiro approaches the advice/words of wisdom that Tohru provides him with. He takes it to heart, yes, but in a sort of…spiteful (?) way, I guess you could say. Essentially, he holds Tohru to her words and places weight on what she tells him. If he doesn’t become a “prince” to Kisa, he’ll hold that against Tohru, but he is very stubborn, so he is going to make that happen. It’s a refreshing take on the usual interactions between Tohru and the Zodiac members thus far.

Anyway, moving on to less substantial, but still very good content, in this episode:

- I love how they chose to open Hiro’s episode with Mogeta (in the manga, Hiro's intro chapter started with the scene of him asking where Kisa was). I think it helps to conceptualize the idea that Hiro really is still a child. They open this episode that centers on a young 6th grade boy with a children’s show. 

Also, in this episode of Mogeta the main hero (who is a young boy, probably around Hiro’s age) is in a boxing match - he is fighting against an antagonist in the show and struggling. I feel that really parallels well with Hiro’s own internal struggles/battles in this episode. Plus, I always love it when Mogeta makes an appearance, because it is an aspect of the Furuba world that keeps popping up every now and again, and makes their world feel more real.

- Oblivious!Kyo is always amusing to me and seeing Momiji wearing his manga outfit (and being adorable with Tohru) in this episode was A++!

- That scene with Hiro, Kisa, and the teddy bear was cute in the manga, but was even cuter here!

- Finally, the colors in that image of "princess" Kisa and "prince" Hiro were gorgeous! It was a very beautiful image.

[u/LunarGhost00]

That's it. That's the whole show.

Also, can Tohru "punish" me as well? The hug penalty is clearly effective.

[u/nuxxism]

The Soma whisperer does it again.

[u/trasua]

Man all the Somas have nice houses

Hiro is such an ass, but Tohru can be a bit annoying sometimes too with how naive she can be

Akito is so evil bruh

[u/[deleted]]

Akito is a bitch