Fruits Basket, Se3, Finale~
Few shows dedicate an episode to send off their their main protagonist within the story, teaching us to let go~ & to accept change~ that it is okay to feel sad we won’t see them much but still feel happy with the journeys they took & the future they’ll have~ This ep didn’t have much to analyze, so I’ll just send it off with the few points in this ep that left an impact on me~
-It’s okay to not forgive~:
I love that Isuzu’s character was given small spotlight to express a valid emotion: Not forgiving your abuser is okay & questioning why akito’s victims forgave her easily. I won’t compare akito’s victims’ trauma’s cuz furuba taught us better than doing that. But to Isuzu, akito is a murder, twice. I’m so happy Isuzu was allowed to express that. The others have right to forgive & move on, & so is Isuzu having a right to not do so. None of the two groups is better than the other.
- treasuring the past, present & future ( You are precious, ugly or pretty): The genius writing of the beads!
Kyo ripping off his beads is one of my top 5 scenes of furba~ However, I never thought much of seeing them in a small bowl in the ED. I thought it’s just a symbolic gesture, Not really collected on tohru’s shelf. But not only I saw tohru collecting them herself, I got to hear an epic monologue as well!! Kyo very rarely gets monologues (you can count them on one hand) but they’re so precious each time; Here’s what tohru conveyed:
These beads are made by a person’s sacrificing their life for a stranger (they’re precious) a poetic take on helping others. Kyo hated them cuz receiving ppl’s sacrifices is suffocating & burdening him (they’re painful) a very realistic & fantastically psychological take on receiving unwanted help.
Tohru saw them as reminder of the kyo she loved & met (they’re precious). Kyo saw them as a reminder of the monster trapped inside him (they’re painful).
By collecting them & keeping them on shelf on their house, tohru is telling kyo: I love the past you who was awkward, sad & kind, I love present you who is confident, full of life & kind, I’ll love the future you who will be whatever you want him to be.
Kyo will walk by the shelf any day of his life with tohru & (a) if he’s currently sad, exhausted & troubled : he’ll see them & remember the young him overcame bigger issues & will persevered, That he was loved even in what he thought was his most ugly phase. (b) if he’s currently taken life for granted: he’ll remember that what I have now (tohru & the kids) is so precious & valuable, it’s a wonder I even got this far! & he’ll treasure them even more!
“ loving someone isn’t simple”, not just tohru’s love to kyo in all his stages, it goes both ways, Kyo’s love to tohru wasnt simple either, he saw what most couldn't see behind the happy mask, the human her, in her weakest, stupidest & most fragile & treasured them all along with her silly, optimistic & utterly kind self.
- Sending off the most loved (person):
I think I’m the only one who didn’t cry as yuki thanked tohru. Don’t get me wrong, the emotions were so well-written & the feels are endearing. Rather than crying, I felt so grateful, that the mother persona of tohru is now officially over & allowed to rest on canon for good!. Although, this shined even more spotlight on her role as the sohma’s “Mom/ fixer”. But yuki had to say to tohru & complete the last step of him being equal to her & calling her by her name. She was indeed their “mother”, this is intentional in the writing, I guess I hate it cuz it wasnt equally accompanied with much emphasis on tohru the teenage person thro out the series.
You see, I once handed an essay as part of a course I did on college & it was abt “ Reviewing woman’s role as a protagonist in literature (negative take)”. One of the points I discussed was abt woman’s role as “ men’s fixer: a continuation of a mother’s role”. You wont believe how many literature was dedicated to making the main (female) protagonist being the mere fixer while the main male protagonist is focused on his own growth thanks to her. I think Takaya-san is aware of such trope & tried to subvert it (uniquely & amazingly) with the following points:
Takaya-san didnt make yuki & tohru fall in love. The fixer/mother figure wasn't romantically attached to the fixed man (needing her help). On the contrary, yuki realizing he isn’t is a huge part of the story as it delves into the psychology of such trope without mocking it “ there are couples who want this type of relationship, but not me”.
Kyo: the love interest of the fixer female character, wasn't really “ fixed” by her at all. This is a huge part of the story as it delves into “love doesn’t magically heal, yall~”. On the contrary, kyo realizing he loves tohru sent him into a spiral of trauma & pain. Their first love confession is one of my top 5 love confessions of all time cuz it destroys tons of unrealistic expectations of men & women in love in literature! Tohru’s love helped kyo “ relax a little” & “ value the future” but it did NOT save or fix him at all. He needed an outside help & to decide internally if he’ll pursue life with tohru as part of his future or not, which he did in a well psychologically informed writing! epic!
The fixed: yuki & the others didnt solely depend on tohru to fix everything. Yes, tohru gave yuki the love he needed to be able to leave the nest & become a person after being left as a traumatized kid, but it IS yuki who decided to leave the nest & be a man. He chose to go outside of his comfort zone (joining the student council, befriending new ppl, expressing emotions) all are his own decisions & doing. He needed an outside help & to decide internally if he’ll pursue life without constantly needing her care, which he did in a well psychologically informed writing! epic!
Takaya-san made tohru a separate person outside of the (mother/fixer) image. She is NOT just a happy go lucky orphan teenage fixer with a heat of gold. Takaya-san gave her her own trauma, personal worries & ugly, self-deprecating thoughts. This is sth that is lacking focus in the anime, we dont see tohru much outside of fixing someone, & her own issues are quickly dealt with, All the focus is on the mother part & it IS the focus of this scene as well. However, I’m told tohru as a real teenage girl (a person) is heavily dealt with in the manga, so, I’ll be looking for that.
So, rather than being grateful for tohru for fixing my truly-beloved furuba characters, I heard yuki’s words with this thought in my mind “ my child is loved”. Thank you all for loving tohru. She deserve it! Just like her mom wanted. Thank you for helping yuki become who is, but above all, tohru, thank you for being YOU. I want to believe that It is not the journey that made them love tohru or cuz she really changed their lives, it is cuz she is who she is. Tohru. The kindhearted GIRL. <3
Side Notes:
The zoo date is cute!! Hana & Arisa teasing kyo is gold!
Tohru choosing a “ zoo date” is so tohru! also, my girl is making decisions on her first date & vocalizing her needs & preferences!!! YESSS. My girl is growing<3.
Hana & arisa trusting kyo is love! Confident kyo is hot!
I loved kakeru’s interference with yuki/machi. He’s their (hana/Arisa)! XD.
Machi hitting kakeru means their sibling relationship is getting better! lol.
The machi/yuki key scene is cute!! I always forget that machi is one year younger than him. This means that for a whole year, yuki will be a way in a far away college while machi taking third year high school. they’ll see each other regularly off course, but I love this he is leaving & she’ll catch up!! it adds realism to the relationship. they need a normal dating experience! & this is IT.
Why did ristu copy yuki’s hair of all hair styles!!! T__T! I hate yuki’s akito inspired haircut & now there’s two of it? at leas akito changed her style a bit. lol.
I duno much of ritus’s psyche to comment on his decisions of hair cut & giving away kiomons (cuz he was never on screen! lol) His character was focused on “ anxiety”, so I guess he’s less anxious now? Also, kagura’s long hari does NOT suit her.
judging by the longer hair, there is a time skip! The trio wore summer high school uniforms & summer t-shirts when the curse broke, I see a picture of kyo & tohru wearing winter school uniforms, snow is falling, & they both warped with one scarf ( tohru’s white pom pom scarf!!). so, I assume they spent nearly a whole year before graduation??? OMG!! I’m greedy~~~ show me the cast dating!! PLZ!
Also kyo in a tie?!! Go kyo~ XD
All the budget is on yuki’s face! my son is pretty till the last minute!
Isuzu’s talk abt not forgiving akito felt weird in the subbed version. Her not naming akito is so in character for her since she hates akito! but i was confused since they were just talking abt tohru?? I thought, huh, why not forgive tohru! The dub did this part clearer.
I love furuba’s Japanese VA a little bit more than the Americans! altho I do love the Americans, but some voices were not doing for me, so I favored the Japanese VA. However, this is the episode were the English dub was the most fluid & so on character! kyo’ “ wheels 3 & 4″ to hana/ Arisa was hilarious! Kakeru’s voice as he imitated his sister was so funny! Tohru’s embarrassment over her hungry stomach is cute! Also, I’ll defend tohru, cuz i too hate it when my stomach growl in front of ppl! XD.
Akito in a dress, hat, long hair & cute voice? ohhh~
I love mayko sensie! ugh! she is allowed to look cool & silly! thank you!
PLZ someone tell me Hana isnt planning on really dating kazume !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EWWWWWW!!
Really NO one hit shigure? I’m disappointed in you yuki & kyo! lol.
I never asked for an extra scene of old kyoru, cuz I never expected more than we got. It came as a shock. The most welcoming kind of shock! I was in tears~ Hey kyoko~~ look, your daughter is happy, loved & living long life! T_T.
“have lots of happy times & sad times & grow old like that~ “ The hat represented this: (a) it saw a happy time being bought by a kind man to a motherless child. (b) sad time as an abandoned child’s friendship request was denied. (c) happy time as this abandoned child used it to save a lost girl. (d) sad time as it reminded the motherless child of his past trauma, deaths & crippling guilt. (e) happy time as the lost girl cherished it for them all, keeping all the memories happy & sad treasured. kyoru got older same the hat getting older. loved & treasured!
tohru’s grand daughter is her splitting image!!!!
Kyo’s son is his splitting image!!!! Same hair & same aura! OMG! this is fantastic!!! tohru had a complex of wanting to look like her dad to protect her mom’s honor! now, her son is his dad’s clone!!! I mean no one is doubting tohru’s honor ever! but it is very reassuring for tohru! <3
dad kyo!!!! T__T. I bet he’s nothing like his jerk biological dad & he’s everything like his real dad “ kazuma”!
Not once kyo said “ dad” to kazuma? he promised in se01 finale to do it... so i thought i’ll hear it in se03 finale~~~ bummer~
Kyo & tohru having a Japanese style wedding is epic & so on character! kyo’s a dojo student! & both him ^ tohru lived on Japanese style life with sleeping on futons.
Extra Notes!!!
OMG!!! kyoru got 3 kids???? I see kyo in a kazuma-like-kimono, a daughter with high/ junior high school uniform next to him, She has her mom’s hair! A boy with mixed of tohru/kyo hair so, “ light brownish hair” & the oldest son? kyo’s clone at the far with his dad’s hair & mannerism!! tohru is between her boys! T_T. same bangs, same clothing style, very well-made hair<3 Was there ever a couple with this much kids on a series? T_T. I kinda expected a kazuma picture as well.
Finally~ thank you for whoever read my posts! I appreciate the friendship I made on furuba land! If I ever hut your feelings with a review post, know t was not intentional at all~ I’m just writing my personal thoughts on fiction, i have a critical attachment to story-telling! Furuba is very well-written with some issues cuz they’re the product of human & was made into an anime by humans & watched by this human (me). hence, we’re all imperfect cuz we’re human<3
I’ll do one last anime related post to look over the whole anime & the characters. I’ll read the manga & post random thoughts abt the difference in vision between Takaya-san & the anime director, character depth & what the medium change enhance or lack! I wont start from the beginning, but i’ll start from ch 90 as advised by my friends, I’ll be honored if you guys happen to visit & comment <3