(Warning: Spoilers for Fruits Basket episode 13)

While Yuki is tending the garden, Tooru comes across– or pouced on by?– the snake of the Zodiac, Ayame Souma. Supposedly, he was too cold as a snake and needed body warmth to survive, lol. He really just wanted to slither under Tooru’s clothes. What a rascal. Yuki proposes skinning the snake, and seems quite serious, except that it turns out Ayame is Yuki’s older brother and one of Shigure’s closest friends.

Ayame, who looks fabulous in human form, takes Tooru out for lunch. During lunch, Ayame tells Tooru how he wants to reconnect with his distant little brother. Tooru thinks of her mother’s advice and says the two of them should try to meet halfway. After the Ayame stays the night– in Kyo’s futon– Yuki and Kyo feel like they can’t put up with much more of the snake’s perverseness. Hatsuharu noticed Yuki glum at school, and solved the “crisis” by contacting Hatori.

Shigure has fun listening to the lengthy and scandalous stories Ayame tells from when he was student council president in highschool. Kyo and Yuki, however, can’t stand it. Luckily, Hatori arrives and takes Ayame away. The only person the snake really ever listens to is Hatori, because he likes and admires him. Much to Tooru’s satisfaction, Yuki admits that it’s great the way his brother can like and obey Hatori when he has what Ayame doesn’t. (I’m not exactly clear on what that would be– self-restraint or maturity, perhaps? 😛 )

Visually, Fruits Basket continues to be alluring, colorful, and captivating. I don’t know what it is about the artwork, character designs, and animation, but something makes them stand out from everything else in the spring season. I have slight qualms with old and/or overused comedic sound effects, but nothing that spoils my appreciation of the music and seiyuu. I expected a new OP or ED, but we didn’t get those yet. Come to think of it, I like the ending song so much that I won’t be disappointed if they never change it out.

This episode, the characters were all true to themselves and the personalities I’ve come to enjoy so much. Tooru is oblivious, too “kind” to take credit for any little thing, and too timid to resist being swept along with the flow of conversation. She is sweet and insightful. Yuki was more irritable than usual, having to deal with his brother staying over; but in general, he’s princely, polite, a bit quiet, and pensive. Shigure, like any dog, just loves to fool around and have fun. Ayame is similar, but more of a deviant? Let’s just say a snake.

My favorite parts of this episode were all the fujoshi teases and call outs. Shiugre and Ayame pretend to be a gay couple for a few lines. Hatsuharu seriously does love Yuki, and clings to him once at school. In the flashback of his highschool years, young Ayame declared that he will accept all the teenage lust of his peers onto himself. He adds loudly that he is an uke rather than a seme. xD

This Anime Rants. I wish you well and thank you for reading. Ja ne!