Fruits Basket Episode 13 Review: How Have You Been, My Brother?

Fruits Basket is closing the first cour this week with episode 13. Next week there should be a new opening and ending as the Summer season starts. Get ready for another 12 episodes with Tohru! I can’t hide my excitement, because as far as I am concerned this series has been perfect so far. Yes, it is different to the last one and yes, the Momiji onsen song was missing. Everything else however is perfect. Let’s take a look what I fangirl about this week and if there was something I didn’t like as much in the review!

Japanese Title: 元気でいたかな？我が弟よっ (Genki de ita ka na? Waga otouto yo)

Episode 13 – How Have You Been, My Brother?

After hanging out with Yuki at his secret base Tohru is on the way back to the house to cook some food. On the way she sees some clothes randomly lying on the floor and wonders if one of the thirteen zodiacs might have passed and transformed here… And then a snake slides up her dress. Next thing we know the snake has returned to its human form and turns out to be Yuki’s older brother Ayame. Yuki does not seem amused and Tohru soon has to realize that they might look similar but are totally different characters. He kindly kidnaps Tohru to eat out with him, where he tells her that the regrets that his relationship with Yuki did grow bad and he didn’t stop it sooner. She cheers him on to improve, as it’s never too late to try but his efforts are always destroyed by his over the top behaviour.

Highlights

Yuki and Kyo enraged

I like it when both of them start to get angry with anybody and everybody that might threaten Tohru and use her or her pure heart. For example by slipping under her skirt. I laughed so hard when Yuki stared at the snake and the next thing we know he want to skin it, grill it and eat it.

Ayame is chaos

I love how the whole episode consists of Ayame showing his coolest side and being pretty and sparkly and when we think that he was able to close the gap betweem himself and Yuki, he drowns what he raised with a single effort. All of his stories are over the top and strange and show what kind of character he is. I really, really like him – but then again, there are hardly any characters I don’t like in this series, which might explain why I love Fruits Basket in general so much…

Long hair

Can I just say that this story impressed and amused me most so I want to give it a special shout-out. He just talked the principal away. Kept talking crazy stuff so that he would go away and bother any longer with his hair. I guess that’s a way to do it!

Ayame, Hatori and Shigure

There was waaaay too little of it in here, but the trio is so, so cute! The picture of them in school. How Hatori came to pic Ayame up. How all of them have different (nick)names for each other. Their dynamic is perfect to watch and I would go crazy over a spin-off of their young days. Ayame and Shigure flirting all the time. Hatori coming to clean up after them and telling Ayame what to do. I need it.

We can at least meet halfway

The most important thing in this episode. Tohru’s mom must have been such an amazing person… I love the things she says. My favorit part was of course how Yuki at the end saw something good in his brother. Instead of fighting who he admires, he became his best friend and tries to become like him. He makes the effort. Yuki and Kyo on the other hand can only bicker. It was so nice to see that they somehow have gotten closer within the last 13 episodes, without us realizing.

Comments

There isn’t much to say this episode. To be honest, if I wouldn’t like Ayame as much as I do it might have been a tiny bit boring. Luckily for me, I love him so this was a hilarious episode. I hope everybody else had as much fun as I had with it. At least we’ve met another zodiac! Yay!

Dokidoki Barometer

This episode it’s really hard. I do like Ayame but he doesn’t quite make my heart skip a beat… He is more laughing and craziness. I guess I would still give him the point this week, because he did slip under Tohru’s dress. Twice. And he did sparkle so much, I couldn’t stop grinning. The moments he shared with Shigure and Hatori also were the most exciting scenes in this episode (together with Yuki saying that he kind of admires his brother and thanking Hatsuharu). So yes, the point goes to Ayame!

COMING NEXT: That’s a Secret