The final volume of Fruits Basket was released earlier this month. I know I'm not alone in feeling like this story has an amazing ability to reach into our hearts and help us want to live our own lives a little better. Am I getting a little deep for a manga? I don't think so. Not with this one.So, brush off your chapters (if it's been ages since you've read the final chapters like me - maybe I'm due for a reread of the entire series come to think of it) or open your new volume from the bookstore (just ordered my final volume last night, sigh), and discuss what about this series that you loved.
6 comments:
Think it goes without saying that if you haven't completed the series, don't venture into the comments.
So, without further ado -
To me, one of the strengths of Fruits Basket is its character development. With so many characters to introduce (and Takaya doesn't leave it at the zodiac, but includes Tohru's parents' backstory, Yuki's student council friends, etc), we become so acquainted with each one (with few exceptions...poor Ritsu; even Hatori could have used more time to shine). Sometimes the character introductions don't make sense at first. When the student council chapters started, I thought they were such a drag to the main story until I realized how central they were to the main story. Not only central to Yuki's character development, but in turn, the students on the student council also become more than one-dimensional as we learn about Machi, Kakeru, and even Nao and Kimi (who I personally could have done without...ha) and their roles in the furuba universe. I loved how intricate and intertwined the characters lives were with each other (such as Tohru's link to Kakeru).
I agree with you completely, the characters were so strong because we learned so much about them. I dunno if this holds true for everyone, but I tend to fall in love with book or film characters even more the more we learn about them and why they do the things they do. I was astounded by Kyo's past links with Tohru's mom, of all things, and it made me just want to cry for this little boy who lived with so much hardship. I was also appreciative of how real (I say this a lot, don't I?) the characters felt. None of them is perfect, none of them is completely good or evil, not even Akito, after what she's been through with her own mother and all her insecurities, and they have doubts and fears and insecurities and curiosities and idiosyncrasies and you name it. I also loved watching them grow and develop. The younger ones in particular started out looking so childlike, and acting like it too, and they grew and matured and we got to see it. Momiji in particular was incredibly good looking once he grew out of his little boy phase, and as Kyo and Yuki grew up I was amazed at how much more handsome they appeared. Maybe it's because girls mature faster and don't change quite so much in their older adolescence, but it didn't seem that the girls changed as much. With the older ones, just learning more about who they were and what they grew up thinking, mainly the Mabudach trio, was so intriguing. Shigure in particular started out almost as a clown, and then after a while you sensed his hidden agenda. I can't say I felt much fondness for Ayame, but maybe that's because, like Yuki, his personality was so strong and exuberant that it kind of put me off. Hatori was a bittersweet story for me, seeing his pain and how he tried so hard to prevent it in the younger ones, almost like the distant father-figure. As for Ritsu, I'm so glad he found someone he could be happy with who wouldn't freak out about his explosive apologies. Rin and Haru...they still have so much to work through, especially Rin, since (again with the real) there's not a magic happy-ending fix for everything.
You reminded me of what I had also wanted to say in my earlier comment (but I got distracted by some crazy little monkeys midthought). When furuba starts out, it seems to be a story about a girl who comes in and accepts everyone and heals everyone. Which, to some extent, is true. Tohru instantly accepts each one, even Kyo, who was never accepted into the zodiac. But, what about Tohru's need to be healed? It's not until much later that we start to understand her heart a little bit more, about why she obsesses over not wanting to forget about her mother, how she felt anger towards her father and was ashamed of those feelings...she becomes so very real. She's no longer this perfect little healer, but is also one in need of healing and acceptance.
Momiji's story always makes me cry, too. As much as Hatori had it rough, you can find love again. But in Momiji's case, his mother rejected him completely, and it's not like you can find another mother. I suppose many of the zodiac were rejected (Kagura and Hiro seem to be among the few who had healthy relationships with their parents). So, what is worse? To be rejected and forgotten, like Momiji, or to be rejected and used like Yuki was?
As for Ayame...I really really liked him. At first, I thought he was so strange, but I came to love that side of him. I thought at the end when the curse broke and he finally could hug Mime (is that her name? too lazy to look it up), I thought that was so sweet. He may be a loud personality, but I think some of it was compensation for the hurt he felt, too. Anyway, when he was around, I relaxed when reading. Nothing too terrible could happen with Ayame around.
As for Shigure. I'm glad that his manipulation wasn't as bad as it could be. He was simply jealous (and Kureno really should have realized he wasn't doing Akito any favors sticking around). Because of him, things were set in motion that eventually broke the curse, so I suppose you could say he was successful in his manipulation.
I'm glad you brought up Tohru's need for healing, I hadn't thought so much of her in that light, more as just the healer. Not only did she need the healing, she needed the confidence and security. She had a difficult time in terms of upheaval...she lost her father as a small child and saw what that did to her mother, and then her mother was gone too, and given the situation with her parents and their respective families, I don't think her aunts and uncles and so forth were at all interested in taking her in. It shows when she moves back to her grandfather's house and her family treats her the way they do because of how her mother was. Being rejected by them, though she knew her grandfather loved her, was another burden. She learned from Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure, that her opinions, her feelings, and her thoughts were important and had value.
I can't imagine the feeling of rejection that Momiji must've felt with his mother, and even to an extent with his father, who basically chose her over him. What I admire is how he handled it, not being bitter and taking his hurt out on others like Akito, but looking to the good things and enjoying his life. If I could choose though, I'd rather have Momiji's life than Yuki's. Even now I despise his mother for what she did to him.
I'm also glad that Ayame could finally hug Mine. Honestly, for a while I wondered if he was gay, mostly because of his flamboyant clothing, but I finally realized that he was mostly just guarded, as all of them were, about the curse. I almost heard that sigh of relief from him when the curse broke. I don't think he was hurt in the same way or to the same extent as many of the zodiac, but maybe the hurt was a collective consciousness shared by them all, whether they personally felt the same pain as someone else or not.
Shigure, to me was in many ways still an adolescent. He could function as an adult, but he spent his life playing all these childish emotional games with people. I hate to say it, but he reminds me of a lot of the girls I disliked most in high school, who were nice to your face but were so cruel behind your back, hurting you emotionally. I'm also glad that he finally got past that and even got what he wanted: the woman he loved, free from a forced bond, and able to connect freely for the first time.
I think the youngest children, Hiro and Kisa, probably had it the best, still able to adapt and live their lives as normal people. I feel so bad still though, for Rin. She has so much damage to try to repair, but at least she's got Haru, who loves her unconditionally.
On another note, I love the story of Tohru's parents, how they met and fell in love and had their little girl. Katsuya sounds like the kind of man I wouldn't mind marrying myself, and it breaks my heart to know that he didn't get to see his baby grow up. Shishou would be Kyo and Tohru's children's only grandparent, and while he'd be a good one (unless he actually got together with Saki, which I hope he didn't, because that just struck me as weird) it would still be sad that they didn't get to know others, like Kyoko.
Despite everything he did, I always liked Shigure. He was kind of like the rebel post. He got Yuki on his side (but don't tell Yuki that) and Kyo. Tohru was the secret weapon. And it worked.
Rin is a sad case. Even with the curse broken, she's not going to be whole again any time soon. I imagine many of them have such deep hurts that it will take a lifetime to heal completely, if ever. Haru's proven that he is there for Rin through everything, though, so I think she'll be okay, just damaged (and understandably so).
I thought the way the feast story came full circle was so beautiful. The chapter where the curse was broken and each zodiac animal was given a good bye (with Yuki being last, I think?), gave me goose bumps. Even though the curse became such a bondage, it seemed to start out as a way to keep them all together. Kind of gave us a new perspective on it all.
I'll agree with you that the one redeeming factor about the curse is that these people, who shared that bond for so long and suffered together will probably be close in a way that no one else except perhaps Tohru will understand.
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