As Season 2 approaches, many aspects of the first season will be revisited by fans, and Gugu and Rean will likely be among the fan favorites. The anime seems to intentionally leave this aspect unclear. It’s heavily implied through careful wording and directing choices that Rean suspects more than she shows, but just how much does she actually know? Here’s what we think: Warning: Season 1 spoilers ahead!
Does Rean Know About Fushi?
Throughout their friendship of several years, there’s no indication that Rean knows Fushi is immortal. When Fushi moves in with Pioran, her life partner, “Booze Man”, and young Gugu, he gives up on changing forms for years and leads a normal life uninterrupted by Nokkers. Due to that, Fushi ages like a normal boy, so it’s entirely possible that Rean never realized he is actually immortal until the Nokkers attack during her birthday party, and things become a little more complicated. During that time, Fushi must once again start transforming in a desperate attempt to save his friends. While Rean likely missed that amidst the chaos, she likely noticed that Gugu got crushed trying to save her. Later, when she visits the house, Fushi, who has now regressed to his teenage boy default form, meets her in Gugu’s form. Knowing that he must leave soon, and unable to bring himself to tell her the truth, he keeps pretending to be Gugu and tells her instead that Fushi died. But does Rean actually believe that?
Does Rean Know Gugu Died?
It’s almost impossible to discuss whether Rean knows about Fushi without considering whether she knows about Gugu’s death. But it’s heavily implied that she does indeed know. First of all, Fushi doesn’t do that great a job in pretending to be Gugu. Not only is he rather awkward, but he leaves soon, telling Rean he has to go “shopping” right after showing her “Fushi’s” grave. Moreover, he returns to her the ring that Rean once gifted to Gugu, almost telling her that she should keep it to remember Gugu, stopping short when he realizes but still having uttered part of the name, before changing the phrase to “remember me.” By then, it’s very likely that Rean has understood something was wrong, but she still asks him to go flower picking with her later that evening. Fushi, still pretending to be Gugu, accepts the invitation but never shows up. Rean is last seen lying in the flower spot alone. There, she’s found by her father, who had been looking for her everywhere. Rean, who is betrothed to a man of her family’s choosing, tells her father that she won’t get married after all because she’s in love with another, but when her father asks who the boy is, Rean tearfully says that he is “no longer here.” Her words are accompanied by an image of young Fushi, as Rean says: “I’m sure he is with him.” This, of course, could have two meanings: either Rean believed all that Fushi told her, or she has figured out the truth for herself. For the former to be true, of course, Rean would have to be in love with Fushi and think that Gugu left, taking something of Fushi with him. There’s some minor evidence for that, as Rean seemed to fancy Fushi early on, but, given all her build-up with Gugu, this isn’t very likely. It’s far more heavily implied that Fushi, Pioran, and Booze Man’s strange behavior alerted her to the fact that Gugu is actually dead. After all, Gugu was crushed to death while protecting her, and, even if she fell unconscious, she likely had time to become aware of the fact. Her last interaction with Gugu indicates that she loved him back, or that, at least, she was willing to explore the possibility of a romantic relationship with him. In Gugu’s last moments, she kissed him, removes his mask, and suggests that they go pick flowers together soon just before he dies saving her. Her extreme cheerfulness when she visits the house is likely denial. Most likely, Rean had, by that point, understood that she reciprocated Gugu’s feelings, or at least appreciated her confusion on the matter. In any case, her words to her father suggest that she was grieving for someone she lost, and wanted time to mourn him before moving on to another man. While the dead person in question could either be Fushi or Gugu, evidence leads towards the latter – though of course, the uncertainty makes for a more moving and interesting end of the arc.
