The latest episode of Fruits Basket has fans questioning about the kind of relationship Akito has with the members of the Sohma family. While viewers were happy at the beginning of the episode to see that Uotani possibly found a love interest, by the end they probably ended up being dejected, all thanks to Akito.

In Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 5, Arisa Uotani encounters Kureno and needless to say they are both drawn to each other. There is an air of loneliness surrounding Kureno, but he seems totally happy when he is with Arisa. The chemistry between them is so good that they almost end up sharing a kiss. 

However towards the end of the episode, it is revealed that Kureno is a member of the Sohma family (even first time watches could have guessed this). To add to that, he seems to be in some kind of a close relationship with none other than Akito Sohma. As Kureno returns to the Sohma estate, Akito almost lovingly cups his face (a sinister love) as he closes the door behind him.

This has led to the fans questioning the kind of relationship Akito shares with the members of the Zodiac, especially the male members. Akito seems pretty close with Shigure Sohma too.

Kureno Sohma and Arisa Uotani:

Arisa and Kureno first meet at the convenience store where the former is working part time. While Kureno’s clumsiness reminds Arisa of Tohru, Kureno instantly takes a liking to Arisa’s joyous smile. 

Later in the episode they meet again when Arisa spots Kureno walking around on a hot summer afternoon. Surprised and happy that she got to meet her mysterious customer again, she runs and gets a hold of him. Kureno too is happy to meet Arisa and they both agree to grab lunch together. 

While Arisa gets angry at Kureno for not trying to be really happy and runs outside, he comes after her and they share a very emotional/romantic moment ( you should not miss his smile here, that’s a smile worth dying for) and they almost end up kissing. However, Kureno seems to stop himself at the last moment.

Is it due to his relationship with Akito, or is it some sort of promise he made to Akito. It could also be out of fear that Akito would try to harm Arisa, knowing what Akito did to break Hatori Sohma and Kana’s relationship (which was shown in Fruits Basket Season 1).

It is also worth seeing how vulnerable and soft Arisa is when she is around Kureno. One moment she is flustered, then is sad and suddenly she is angry and then she is sulking with a pout. At one point she even questions if it was legal for her (who is 17 years old) to have a relationship with someone much older than her (Kureno is 26 years old). Just so that you know, it is totally legal, as the age of consent is 16 in Japan, even for marriage.

Arisa and Kureno are totally adorable in this episode, full credits to the new animation and art style, which has made the Fruits Basket anime even more enjoyable.

What kind of a person is Kureno Sohma?

During the scene where Arisa and Kureno have lunch, some details about Kureno are revealed. 

Kureno is 26 years old. He is someone who rarely ventures out and avoids doing “unnecessary” things. Going to the convenience store was one such unnecessary thing for him and hence his clumsiness. He is perfectly content to follow orders in his work and has been doing so his whole life apparently. Due to this dependency on others,  he does not know what to do when he is left alone without any order. That’s why he was walking around on a hot summer afternoon, without knowing what to do until he encountered Arisa.

At this point, fans want the Arisa-Kureno ship to sail far and they are desperately hoping that Akito does not play spoilsport. 

So what kind of a relationship does Akito share with Kureno. The way it was depicted in the episode, we can’t fault you for thinking that they seem sexually or physically involved. However, that seems a bit far fetched too. Akito is known to dominate and harass the other members of the Sohma family ( as seen from Yuki’s POV).

It seems like Akito loves being in a position of power and would do anything to exert his authority over others. It could also be that he has this twisted sense of selfishness due to which he does not want to lose the people who are close to him, especially the members of the family with the zodiac curse. 

Well, Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 5 has managed to raise a lot of questions in our minds about the curse and the relationships in the Sohma family itself. Hopefully we get a clear idea of what is going on as the season progresses. Till then let’s continue shipping Arisa and Kureno!!

Let us know what you think in the comments section below, or discuss the latest episode of Fruits basket in the forums section!