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Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 4: We Finally Get To See Rin In The Anime!

Fruits basket fans are in a frenzy after one of their favourite characters finally made an appearance in Season 2 of the anime. 

Episode 4 of Fruits Basket Season 2 titled “I got dumped” deals with Hatsuharu’s heartbreak, after he got dumped by his girlfriend (wait, he was dating someone?) The preview of Episode 4 already had fans guessing what would happen. Piecing it together with the scenes from the trailer for season 2, many were able to guess that Hatsuharu was dumped by none other than Rin.

Rin is a fan favourite, especially in the minds of manga readers. She was outright omitted from the original anime series which aired in 2001. Her introduction was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the latest episode of Fruits Basket.

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 4: “I got Dumped”, Review & Spoilers!

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 4 begins with a scene which was there in the trailer of the second season, where a sickly Rin (her face is not revealed here) pushes away a flower vase that Hatsuharu places near her in the hospital. 

After the opening credits, we see that Hatsuharu, depressed at being dumped, snaps and goes on a rampage in his classroom. Being the Ox of the Chinese Zodiac, Hatsuharu has a Yin and Yang personality. Usually he is calm and laid back, but becomes violent and foul mouthed in his dark (or black) state. 

Kyo and Yuki try to confront him, which makes him even more violent and he hurls verbal insults at them, mocking Yuki’s girly personality and Kyo’s stupidity. At one point, the spat becomes so bad that he grabs Tohru, in order to reveal the secret of the Sohmas ( they’re affected by the curse of the Chinese Zodiac). Though in agony due to his heartbreak, trying to reveal such a big secret is kind of going overboard, even if we factor in his dark mood. Also, using Tohru, who is one of the sweetest persons (ahem) we have seen in the universe of Fruits Basket, to do so seemed like a pretty underhanded move. 

Hatsuharu and Tohru from Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 4

Hatsuharu’s plans are, however, thwarted by Kyo who steps in and protects Tohru. This moment would undoubtedly be cherished by shippers of Kyo and Tohru. Finally, the fight between the Sohmas to rest by Kyo’s homeroom teacher, who pours a bucket of water over their heads to calm them down. It was far too simple for her maybe. 

Hatsuharu is later suspended for creating the ruckus. 

Kyo's homeroom sensei stops the fight between him and Hatsuharu with a bucket of water
Sensei stopping the fight with a bucket of water!

Yuki is able to understand what Hatsuharu is going through after coming to know that the latter was dumped by Rin. Yuki’s concern is pretty visible as he even takes the trouble of visiting the Sohma Estate, just to check on Hatsuharu. Yuki dreads the Sohma estate due to his past experience with Akito Sohma. Overcoming his fears due to a genuine concern for his friend shows how much his character has matured since we started seeing him in season 1 of Fruits Basket. 

This change in behaviour is also noted by Hatsuharu, who points out that Yuki is not the selfish person he once was.

Dealing with the theme of heartbreak, Fruits Basket Season 2’s latest episode manages to highlight beautifully the emotions a person would go through when dumped by someone. Having the Yin and Yang characteristics, Hatsuharu alone displays two distinct behaviours which are usually exhibited by people who get dumped. One is the angry, sad and depressed part (shown by the dark Hatsuharu) and the other one is where he tries to get over the heartbreak by playing games and eating snacks ( seen when Yuki pays him a visit).

It also shows the importance of having people around you who would look out for you, in this case Yuki. 

Hatsuharu and Yuki take a selfie at the Sohma estate in Fruits Basket season 2 episode 4
Hatsuharu is surprised that Yuki visited him at the Sohma estate

As the episode draws to an end, we get a face reveal for Rin. The image was shown in the preview of the episode, which gave fans hope that they would get to see even more of Rin in Fruits Basket Season 2 Episode 4. However, it was not the case, as the episode primarily focused on Hatsuharu and Yuki. 

Why Are Fans So Excited to See Rin?

Now, let’s try to understand why everyone is so excited about seeing Rin. Isuzu Sohma, known commonly by her nickname Rin, is a recurring character in the Fruits Basket series. She was completely omitted from the original anime adaptation which came out in 2001. 

Fans have been waiting since then to see one of their favourite characters get animated and it finally happened after almost two decades. 

Rin is described by many as a bold and badass character. She is the horse of the Chinese Zodiac and has been in a relationship with Hatsuharu secretly for an unspecified time. Unlike other members of the Sohma family, it is rumoured that Rin despises the authority that Akito Sohma has over the family and is actively looking for a way to end the curse.

With her introduction, the anime is finally diving deeper into the plot. In this episode, Rin is spotted by Yuki entering the Sohma estate. It could be that she just fled the hospital and came back home where she stays. However, if you try to read in between the lines, it could also mean that the whole scenario of Rin dumping Hatsuharu has something to do with Akito Sohma. 

We are excited to see how things would progress from here on, especially because Hatsuharu said that he won’t be giving up on Rin anytime soon. This means we will have another interesting side arc lined up in the anime along with the major love triangle involving Tohru, Kyo and Yuki.

While Fruits Basket is handling its characters and their arcs very well, we just can’t wait any longer to see more of Kakeru Manabe and Machi Kuragi. Here’s to hoping that we get to see them in Episode 5 of Fruits Basket Season 2 (also hoping that it does not get delayed!)

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