Sorry for the heavy delays on my reviews about Fruits Basket (2019). I just started my first full time job so I’m trying to find the balance in juggling professional life, personal hobbies, slight anxiety, and sleep! LOL! So, to those of you who have been patiently waiting for my reviews for this season, I thank you for your patience and support ♥ With the announcement of the final season approaching this April, I am more than determined and motivated to complete the reviews for Season 2 before then!
Let’s have a conversation about these episodes, shall we? 🙂
Episode 3: In Time of Need
There’s a well-known saying that goes like this: your family will always be there for you. However, based on understanding Yuki’s life story so far, it seems that his case contradicts that phrase in its entirety. At a young age, his mother gave him up to be in Akito’s “care” in exchange for wealth while Ayame turned a blind eye to the abuse that Yuki was receiving from their mother and Akito. In my understanding of their situation, I believe Yuki’s family dynamic can be a reflection of some family relationships within Asian cultures, especially families who are Asian American and/or have experienced diaspora/immigration. Being a Vietnamese American myself, I have always had conversations with my other fellow Asian American friends who struggle to meet their parents’ expectations. Our successes aren’t allowed to be our own but are influenced by our parents and how they define what success is. The fact that some Asian parents use their child(ren)’s success as a basis to determine their parental success puts enormous pressure on the child. Consequently, a cycle of anxiety, trauma, and abuse comes as a result, with Yuki taking the abuse and expectations from his mother while Ayame witnesses it as a bystander. The toxicity defines their understanding of a normal family.
So a few questions arise: what really defines a familial bond? Is it by blood or by emotional bonds? Is there even such a thing as a happy family?
My answer, perhaps it is what you make of it. Now, I am not here to dismiss or gaslight those of you who are victims of psychological trauma/physical/verbal abuse from family members: you absolutely and definitely do not deserve that type of treatment ever. What I mean to say is that relationships, especially relationships with family members, are never always happy–there will be some dark sides and dark pasts to confront and to discuss before moving forward healthily. And this is what Ayame discovers in his position as a bystander to Yuki’s pain. He comes to realize that his indifference to Yuki in the past was unacceptable and decides to repair his relationship with Yuki in his own way. Despite the fact that their past was filled with harsh conditions, they both want to work towards a healthier future with each other. And, although it was difficult to initiate at first (S1, Ep. 13), this particular episode allows Yuki and Ayame’s progress as siblings to truly shine. Even if it is hard for them to understand each other’s life perspectives in each other’s shoes (well, I think Yuki and all of us may not quite understand Ayame’s unique perspective LOL), it was very endearing for both of them to try to empathize the pain that occurred in their past as a family. Their effort in trying to be there for each other–with Yuki trying to understand Ayame by visiting the clothing shop and Ayame offering to be Yuki’s guardian for the future career counseling–emphasizes the importance of small steps to make amends.
In repairing any relationship, both parties have to make the effort to understand each other. Without that effort, it proves that maybe the relationship was not meant to be. The people who deserve to be in our lives will return again someway, somehow, redeeming themselves worthy to return in their own way. And since healing is definitely a long process, taking it slow and steady ensures a brighter future. 🙂
And, besides, to answer my other question earlier, I believe that family is not only limited to blood but it can also be defined by emotional bonds as well. Your support group(s) of friends are your second family who also equally support and wish to always be there by your side. The ability for Yuki and Ayame to gain the courage to meet each other was definitely encouraged by the support of Tohru and Mine, respectively. Family is defined by people who will want to be there for you in your time of need–to remind you that you are never alone and that you will always have a shoulder to lean on.
Note: I guess one of the most iconic moments in the manga occurs in the picture below. Keep a bookmark on this scene because it marks a pivotal moment in Yuki’s relationship with Tohru.
My question to you is what bond do you think is being formed from this moment between Yuki and Tohru? Yes, I may have established earlier that Tohru has been there as a supportive friend, almost as his second family. However, look how intimately close they are! Can we say for sure that this is more than just being friends? Only time will tell 🙂
Episode 4: What Do You Truly Want?
The main theme that I got out from this episode is that every single character wants something. Whether it was observing Uo and Hana simply planning what to eat and visit for their group’s field trip in the fall to understanding all the boys’ emotional needs, this episode certainly stands as a significant turning point in their character growth as they decide how to pursue their future moving forward. I shall break this episode analysis into three parts:
- What does Yuki want from Tohru?
- What does Kyo want from Tohru?
- What does Haru want from Rin (and vice versa)?
Part 1: Yuki
In the last episode, I brought up how Yuki’s bond with Tohru is flourishing in some way. However, when it comes to this episode, a great distance has been made between him and her. For example, towards the beginning of the episode, he is outside of the classroom looking in as Tohru is sharing a laugh with Uo, Hana, Momiji, and, last but not least, Kyo. When Haru almost puts Tohru in harm’s way, Kyo is the one that saves her with Yuki, again, watching from a far distance. And, with the cover photo I chose for this episode above, you see Tohru walking ahead of Yuki and not side by side on their way home from school. Furthermore, there is also a distance with his social interaction with Tohru, as he cannot easily call her “Tohru” in comparison to Kyo. The juxtaposition of his closeness to Tohru in the last episode compared to the farness between these two characters in this episode presents an internal conflict within Yuki: he craves to be close yet he feels that he can’t be. As a result, I find the analogy in my selected cover photo for this episode to be absolutely meaningful: with Tohru “standing by” the sun, Tohru represents a warm ray of light that has provided much comfort and meaning to Yuki’s life; however, that same ray of light is untouchable, like the sun that stays up in the sky radiating warmth to earth millions of miles away.
A common factor that stands between his distance from getting to Tohru is Kyo–it seems as if Kyo is always beating him to get to her. Although it has been established that Kyo and Yuki have been envious of each other’s statuses and upbringings (Season 1, Episode 3), Yuki’s internal conflict definitely complicates the love triangle between them and Tohru. Yuki still has to decide what Tohru means to him and the conclusion to his internal dilemma will definitely arrive soon.
Part 2: Kyo
For Kyo, he has trouble expressing himself with words. In some moments, he has difficulty admitting that he wants to hang out with Tohru. For example, he becomes flustered when answering if he would choose to hang with Tohru in front of Uo and Hana and is evidently embarrassed when Momiji blurts out for Kyo that the anger towards Tohru was out of caring concern. Kyo’s biggest worry is understanding if anyone is willing to stay with him, someone who has always been labeled as dangerous and an outcast to his own family. His belief at this moment is that if no one is accepting him for who he is right now, then it’s possible that no one will be willing to accept him in the future (he’s a glass half empty type of guy who has always been struggling to interact with people since Season 1, Episode 2)
However, his internal thoughts are interrupted as he thinks back to the time when Tohru willingly ran after him after his true form was exposed. Despite getting hurt and scared during the process, she still chose and wanted to spend her days at Shigure’s house with him.
This new reality is starting to set in for him: as he looks at the bracelet, a marker of him not belonging anywhere, Tohru still chooses to stay by his side. At this moment, Kyo must understand the feelings that he has for Tohru…which will also be revealed in the future 🙂
Part 3: Haru and Rin–what do they want from each other?
Watching Haru’s gently intimate side is truly a rare feat to experience through this anime: who would’ve thought a tough guy like him would have a soft side? :’) (Kudos to Funimation’s English Dubbed voice actor Justin Cook for his versatility in being both a tough and soft boi LOL)
For Haru, he will do whatever it takes to get her back in his life. She definitely means something to him if he can turn into Black Haru and willingly face the consequence of destroying his classroom! As viewers are offered a glimpse of their preciously pure relationship in his point of view, there is no way for him to gracefully accept it ending in any way!
But why is Rin ending it so abruptly?
When we observe her interactions with Haru towards the beginning of the episode, we never see her making eye contact with Haru nor are we able to see her facial expression to confirm her true emotions. This method of animation, or just observing any character in any story/film in general, is meant to obscure a character’s true feelings–body language doesn’t lie! We have yet to understand her true intentions: why is she choosing to end this relationship so abruptly? The ending of the episode is truly ominous as she appears at the Sohma house as Yuki leaves his visit from Haru. If she truly wanted nothing to do with Haru, then why is she near his home? Natsuki Takaya-sensei definitely knows how to build suspense 🙂
Episode 5: A Breath of Fresh Air
Whenever I would reread the manga, I would never expect that, in the future, that two of my favorite moments of the story would be combined in one episode! I had an absolute blast with it! 🙂
The first half was probably intentionally made for the viewers to take a break from the heavy content covered in the first few episodes. After all, our characters are high school students so they deserve to live a little and create memories with each other, right? My favorite moment during the haunted house escapade was probably Haru’s story! I remember the first time I read it in the manga, I laughed until my belly ached–seeing it animated was definitely a trip down memory lane! The animators definitely deserve a pat on the back for drawing this moment featured below that had me dying of laughter!!!!
HE STILL HAS THE ARROW IN HIS HEAD DURING HIS CHILDHOOD!!! LOLOLOL
The side story being paired with the most dramatic OST soundtrack made this moment even more hilarious for me! I loved it. ❤ Thank you animators for your hard work!
But now onto the romance that I’ve been waiting to watch for so long ♥
Now this is the moment where I try to separate fantasy from reality: does love really happen in first sight? Is it by fate and destiny that your eyes will cross with your fated lover with the magic happening immediately after? Or is it all just being there at the right place, at the right time, in pure coincidence?
As I watch their love bloom, I can only hope that maybe something like this might happen to me too LOL (disclaimer: I’m a hopeless romantic, don’t judge me! :’) ). But what I find endearing from their interaction with each other is that there is this feeling of wanting from the both of them, a silent magnetism created by their hearts that yearn to see each other again. And although the start of their first date did not run as smoothly at first, they were able to end the date in a way where they felt a bit closer in understanding each other. They know that they truly want to make this relationship work.
But that is easier said than done, especially on Kureno’s end.
In contrast to the bright life and memories he shared with Uo earlier, he must return back to the darker world that he has chosen to live in (Images from @Kitsunes97 from fruitsbasket.fandom.com).
At the beginning of the episode, Kureno mentions how Uo’s laugh sounded like freedom. But, by the end of the episode, we see him travel in a house with its wall panels that are prison-like. This imagery sets a visual construction of the words he shared with Uo earlier that he lives in a structured lifestyle. The idea is further cemented as the ending scene pans down to his feet, which are placed to walk along the lines of the floor panels, the walls seemingly closing in on him, and is later “encaged” in the door frame, which is Akito’s room. His lifestyle is ultimately shown as an opposite lifestyle to Uo’s (who appears at the end standing outside basking in the moonlight), and possibly even a lot darker and enshrouded as Akito embraces him, symbolizing his deep bondage to the Zodiac.
And I think what makes the ending scene much more bitter and painful to witness is that Uo points out earlier that the life that Kureno proudly feels content in isn’t really what he wants.
For an outsider like her to catch the smaller subtleties is pretty amazing. She knows something is up and knows that he deserves a better life than what he is living in now. But only time will tell on how their relationship will develop later on 🙂
There are so many developments to look forward to! Again, thank you for reading this article and please look forward to my next review of the next part of the season: the highly anticipated Beach Arc! 🙂 🐱🍙🐭 🌊 🐚
Disclaimer: All content that is posted on this blog is only meant for discussion and entertainment purposes. Every image, video, GIF, and other created content that I post belongs to their rightful owners unless specified that the image belongs to me. Please support the official releases and content. I do not represent any entity so any words said within this blog website are from me and me alone.
Christine's Cinema Corner 
7 thoughts on “Fruits Basket (2019) S2, Ep. 3-5 Review”