Fruits Basket (Episode 37) – You Cried for Me

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Tohru’s teacher, Mayuko has a chance encounter with an old friend and stirs up some long-forgotten memories. If only it had been a chance encounter. Some people are always meddling!

What happened?

Mayuko was watching her parent’s bookstore when she happened across an old photo of her with Hatori and Kana. She remembered how she had instantly fallen for Hatori but suppressed her emotions for her best friend. As if that wasn’t enough, Shigure entered the store and continued to stir up the past. It turned out that Shigure had dated Mayuko, although it appeared to just be a way for her to have some company. They never even kissed or hugged. Then, we got to see Kana’s memory loss from another point of view, which was just as sad.

Shigure left the bookstore after discovering that the book he ordered wouldn’t be available until tomorrow. Soon after, Hatori came into the store and asked about the book Shigure had ordered him. Mayuko was shocked and when he came back the next day, she couldn’t hold back anymore. When Hatori told her that happiness wasn’t for him, she broke down and then got mad at him for making her cry for him. She told him to make his girlfriend do it next time, to which he replied he didn’t have a girlfriend… Shigure!!!

Fruits Basket Episode 37 Shigure and Mayuko

What did you think?

So, an episode without Tohru, Yuki, or Kyo! I didn’t see that coming, but shouldn’t be surprised. Nor should I be surprised that it was excellent. After Shigure’s dark meddling in the previous episodes, he finally seemed to put his powers of manipulation to good use and engineered a way for Hatori and Mayuko to meet up again. Shigure has always held Hatori’s feelings close as we saw in the episode where he and Ayame took him to the cabin on the day of Kana’s wedding. He knew of Mayuko’s feelings toward Hatori and finally saw his chance to play matchmaker. It’s amazing that a character that’s barely been used to this point can command an episode in such a manner.

Fruits Basket Episode 37 Mayuko and Hatori

What have you learnt?

This series is the benchmark for character development. Every single one is brilliantly crafted and meticulously put together. The fact that so many characters are able to feel alive is a true testament to that. It doesn’t seem to matter who the episode is about, it just feels easy. Part of this must go down to the foreshadowing, most of which we won’t even be aware of until it’s too late. Even then, it doesn’t matter because deep down in our subconscious we’ve stored away this information and while we may still get surprised, it’s never too outrageous that it pulls us from the story. I can’t help but admire the amount of planning that obviously went into writing this series.

Fruits Basket Episode 37 Hatori and Mayuko

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What did you think?