OP2 Sequence

OP2: 「Chime」 by 大塚愛
Watch the 2nd OP!: Streaming ▼

「ヒミツだよ」 (Himitsudayo)
“It’s a Secret”

Things are ramping up quickly and I love it.

General Impressions

With its second-cour officially kicking off with a new opening sequence, I loved how things week’s episode of Fruits Basket leaned completely into the things it does well and then added a bit of extra spice to really kick things up a notch. Starting with the obvious, I totally forgot just how stupidly sad Momiji’s back story is/was. As one of the happiest characters in the show, it’s a bit jarring to see just how sad of a childhood he had. As if growing up without a mom wasn’t hard enough, I can’t imagine the mental anguish one would go through to not only understand that they nearly caused their own mother to commit suicide and to have to live life knowing that their own mother consciously chose to remove the memory of their first child from their own memories. Honestly, it’s something that when I put it into words starts to give me a small headache because of how ridiculous it sounds. But here we are, with Momiji doing the best he can do to live life while he also keeps the memories, both good and bad, as close to his heart as possible.

Don’t misunderstand me here though — I can also picture how insane it might be for a new mother to hug their child only to be hit with a puff of smoke and a small baby animal instead. For the mom in question, I can’t imagine just how big of a shock that would cause. Like, after going through months of pregnancy and then labor only to be hit with the reality that you’ll never be able to embrace them without them turning into an animal? It’s no wonder why parents of cursed Soma kids aren’t brought up often — it’s probably a traumatic memory that they all try to play down in order to keep their own sanity.

Sad realities about being a Soma aside, I also loved how the story is starting to kick into full gear with the hat that Tohru has in her room finally playing a role in the story. Belonging to someone dear to her, it doesn’t feel too crazy to think that the previous owner of that hat might be Kyo or Yuki. However, what was a little strange was Kyo’s behavior throughout the episode. Moodier than usual, it really makes you wonder just what he was apologizing about when he quietly whispered his apology into Tohru’s ear at the end of the episode.

In any case, I can’t wait to see where things go from here next week! There’s definitely a sense of dread in the air and I don’t think it’s going to go away until it’s addressed. Hopefully we get to see some huge character building moments from Yuki and Kyo. I’ll catch you guys then — see you next week!

 

ED2 Sequence

ED2: 「One Step Closer」 by INTERSECTION
Watch the 2nd ED!: Streaming ▼

Preview

13 Comments

  1. Comparing this more emotionally charged source-faithful remake to the more comedy-leaning 1st anime, I think I can understand why Takaya Natsuki was so dissatisfied with the 1st.

    Especially if she felt the drama to be the core focus of her manga’s story.

    zztop
    1. When the anime aired it was more comedy than drama, the manga wasn’t finished, and the anime ended when Akito and Tooru meet, which is a turning point into a way more dramatic story than before.

      It was a fine adaptation, light hearted comedy like the manga in the beginning. Is just the author wanted the producers to read her mind into the future or something.

      cvb
  2. This episode was amazing, but I didnt like the new op or the song for the second. But the video is AMAZING! I love Momiji so much and his story is so heartbreaking.

    nekoinblue
  3. Incredible. Momiji’s story just makes you want to hug him and adopt him, and we get more hints about the innerworkings of the Soma family with Kyo being guilty about something.

    starss
  4. Nice to see a new OP! Momiji is a high school student so I suppose it’s natural that he’s not as immature as he looks, but… I think his life experiences have contributed a lot to that.

    Player
  5. Another good episode getting to see more about other characters is wonderful and I must say it always hurt to hear a parent wishing they never had you, no matter how cliche it is.

    If I did have a complaint it will be why did Souma wait so long to show that he is hiding something from Tooru?

    RenaSayers
  6. To put the adult’s needs over the child’s needs is something that is usually commonly done as a quick fix I suppose. But it’s a dilemma where one will be hurt either way.
    https://randomc.net/image/Fruits%20Basket/Fruits%20Basket%20-%2014%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
    I have that FB poster where they are hold umbrellas in it.
    https://randomc.net/image/Fruits%20Basket/Fruits%20Basket%20-%20OP2%20-%20Large%2002.jpg
    The songs are not as impactful as before but the animation I really like too.
    https://randomc.net/image/Fruits%20Basket/Fruits%20Basket%20-%20ED2%20-%20Large%2003.jpg
    Show Spoiler ▼

    random viewer
  7. I like to think of FBv1 and FBv2 as two sides of the same coin. While i like FBv2 (2019) for showing us details that were left out earlier, I also appreciated FBv1 for its lighthearted take and its music – esp. the themes that the studio provided for each character. The themes, OP, & ED were iconic and will forever be etched in mind (FBv1 was the first series that I was able to watch from the first to last eps.). I can’t believe they left out Momiji’s song (Teru Teru Momiji ;P).

    I consider the soundtrack for FBv2 tolerable (at best) but ultimately forgettable

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