Fruits Basket (Episode 50) – I’m Different Now

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Kurome watched the DVD of Tohru’s play and saw Arisa’s emotional outburst. It brought him briefly to tears, however, when he slipped out to see Tohru it was to give her the DVD back, but then he revealed something else!

What happened?

Shigure revealed to Hatori that when he had gone to see Akito, the door had been slammed in his face as he had not come sooner. He then made some references to Kurome and at that point, it was unclear what he was talking about. Luckily, Kurome phoned Shigure’s house looking to speak with Tohru. As you might expect, Shigure put the screws on him and made a point of saying that the chance of Tohru picking up the phone was slim so he obviously had more to say or wanted to be noticed.

When Tohru came home from school, Shigure asked her to buy some envelopes for him. She was all too happy to help. On her way, she noticed a group of sparrows and crouched down to talk to them. However, Kurome, who had been sitting in wait for her, approached and scared the birds away. But he’s the rooster, shouldn’t birds be drawn to him. He started to talk to Tohru, but a lot of it didn’t make sense to her at first. Partially because she was processing what just happened. Then, he hugged her… and didn’t turn into a rooster. He told her that the curse broke for him when he was younger and has since stayed by Akito’s side out of choice.

Kurome believed that he had only met Arisa a couple of times and in time they would fade from his memory. He couldn’t love someone when the connection could disappear so easily… but he did love her and struggled to come to terms with what he should do. Akito depended on him, but he was free, there was nothing binding him to her. That was when he revealed to Tohru that Akito is a girl!

Fruits Basket Episode 50 Kurome and Tohru

What did you think?

So, how much time should I dedicate to saying “I told you so”? Back in episode 7 when Akito first appeared on the screen, I referred to Akito as her. I did it because I thought it was obvious and it never occurred to me that she might be pretending to be a boy. Only when I saw other posts about it did I realise that everyone was referring Akito as him. Well, it felt like I’d just stumbled upon something big. I kept my belief and mentioned it occasionally, although I was careful not to use genders when referring to Akito as I didn’t want to potentially spoil it for others. Now, after waiting for forty-three episodes, I can con confirm that I was right and it feels good!

In other news, I still feel absolutely no sympathy for Akito. Were her tears real or fake? She certainly seemed to understand the situation when Kurome’s curse was broken. The threat to her maids was clear. Then she forced Kurome into her room and turned on the waterworks. Without the forced bond, she needed to find a way to make him stay. Was this the moment that Yuki remembers as to when Akito changed? It’s quite likely. The fear of losing more and more of her connections is real and if they all broke, she would be nothing. And she certainly enjoys playing the roll of god!

Fruits Basket Episode 50 Shigure

What have you learnt?

I loved the look that Shigure gave Akito when she tried to tell him off for not visiting sooner. It was the look of someone that had finally figured something out and had more power than her. This series has evolved spectacularly from what I assumed was just a romance with a bit of mystery. There’s something for everyone, and on top of that, it is just an absolute joy to watch regardless of what you’re here for. The quality of every aspect of the production is incredible and I am certain that I will learn and have learnt a lot from this series. All we have now is to wait for the third and final season. It should be exciting.

Fruits Basket Episode 50 Akito

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3 Comments

  1. I’m a witness! I remember you called Akito’s gender.

    I’m still taking notes over how this series develops characters and evokes feelings. I feel like I’m watching an emotional symphony!

    I think I have a license to mix metaphors around here somewhere…

    • For sure. I feel like I’m going to need to rewatch it and make a load of notes. There’s no reason that characters can’t connect with the audience like this in any story. We just need to work out how they did it.

      Even the side characters that are only in it work an episode here are able to stir such emotion. It’s absolutely mind blowing.

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