WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fruits Basket Season 2, Episode 6, "Are You Really This Stupid?" now streaming on FUNimation and Crunchyroll.
If there's an overriding ethos to this season of Fruits Basket so far, it's "keep Tohru happy." There's been a lot of pain and sadness just out of her sight, and she'll have to face it all eventually, but for now, she's being kept amused and occupied while the others deal with their own baggage. It's becoming something of a formula: Tohru gets dressed up nice while Yuki and Kyo work out their issues, Tohru goes to a haunted house while Kureno struggles are introducced elsewhere.
This week, Momiji invites Tohru to the Sohma beach house for summer vacation. Kyo, Yuki, Haru, Kisa and Hiro also take up Momiji's invitation. It's another chance for fun, humor and relaxation. However, Fruits Basket's darker side creeps in throughout the episode, both in the action outside of the vacation and in memories Yuki is keeping hidden from Tohru.
While Momiji's invites most of the Sohmas to his vacation plan, Shigure has business to attend to before he can join up with the rest. While Tohru is swimming and hunting rhinocerous beetles, the Dog has a lot going on. First, Rin comes to Shigure's house acting in desperation. While the exact context of their conversation isn't revealed yet, you know it's a big deal when Rin's running into the house without even taking off her shoes. Her seductive manner further hints at what she's seeking (how unexpected for the most fanservice-y shot in an anime beach episode to not take place at the beach).
While Rin wants to be close to Shigure, however, this episode offers the first real suggestion of who Shigure is truly closest to: it's Akito. Shigure meets with Akito, the two closely embracing each other. Shigure is able to speak to Akito in ways others would get in trouble for, while Akito continues to exert power and control over the other Sohmas and expresses the desire to "teach them a lesson." Shigure invites Akito to the beach house to teach that lesson. Clearly Shigure is even less trustworthy than he appears.
Memories of Akito's abuse are haunting Yuki, triggered by something unexpected: a hat. It's a hat that Tohru was given by a mysterious boy to cheer her up a long time ago. She's unaware that "mysterious boy" was in fact Yuki. As Yuki remembers this episode from his childhood, he also remembers his abuse at Akito's hands. Yuki thinks about telling Tohru about this, but decides against it for now. For now, the priority is keeping Tohru happy.
New episodes of Fruits Basket Season 2 premiere Mondays at 1:30 PM EDT, dubbed on FUNimation and subtitled on Crunchyroll.
KEEP READING: Fruits Basket: Tohru Honda Is the Worst Part of the Show