Fruits Basket (Season Three)
How would Tohru react to the information that Kureno had given her? Would she be able to continue on her quest to break the zodiac curse? Of course, she would. There’s no way Tohru is going to give up on anyone. No matter the cost!
What did you watch?
So, this was the third and final season of Fruits Basket! That’s right, it is over. I’ve been covering this show for sixty-three weeks and now find myself with a fairly substantial hole in my schedule. It’s not just that it’s been going on for so long, but it’s going to be a very difficult series to replace. The funny thing is, it’s not even in my top five favourite genres… And yet, here we are. So, how about we just get into the review before I use up all my thoughts here. As always, there will be spoilers.
What happened?
Kureno revealed to Tohru that he was free of the curse and had been for some time. He also told her that Akito was a girl and that he could not abandon her, even for Arisa. Tohru didn’t know how to process this information and simply sat there in the rain. Luckily for her, Saki felt a disturbance and came looking for her. This was some weighty information and she had no one to talk to. How would she progress with her plan?
Unbeknown to Tohru, things were already starting to unravel. Akito had pushed too hard and it wasn’t long before another zodiac spirit left its host. Could this be the beginning of the end? Not if Akito has anything to do with it. However, Akito isn’t really pulling the strings and she never was. How will this end? Can the curse be broken or will Kyo face the rest of his life behind bars? Tohru is not about to let that happen, at least not without a fight!
What did you think?
This series is incredible. It makes you care about the most insignificant characters by forcing you to experience their pain, their suffering, their heartbreak. So many times, you find yourself sat unable to look away or breathe. On top of that, it delivered on the promise of the beginning of the story. Tohru would break the curse. At one point, it looked like she was going to be superfluous to the story as it might break on its own, but thankfully, they made sure that Tohru had a major hand in things. I never planned on watching this series, but I am so glad that I did. This is truly a masterpiece.
What was your favourite moment?
This season was only thirteen episodes long so you’d think it should be easier to pick a favourite moment from a smaller sample. However, there was absolutely no filler in this season whatsoever. Every moment seemed to be packed full of intent and emotion. That said, there should probably only really be one moment that matters.
I am, of course, talking about the moment that Kyo and Tohru hugged. It was the time that he didn’t instantly disappear into a puff of orange smoke. You know it was coming, but seeing it actually happen was far superior to any ideas you might have had about it. For a while, the story toyed with the idea of Yuki and Kyo being love rivals for Tohru, but by the second season, maybe even the end of the first, I think it was pretty clear which way this was going to end.
I also enjoyed the way that Yuki’s relationship with Machi developed. It seemed like a completely believable path for him to follow and the fact that he helped Machi with her issues thanks to the way that Tohru had treated him. Seriously, though this series really is a bit special.
What was your least favourite moment?
Before Tohru and Kyo finally got together, they argued in the rain. It was a hard moment, however, it’s what happened next that was my least favourite moment. A rain-drenched Akito appeared after Yuki ran after Kyo. She was holding the blade that she had stabbed Kureno with and was now turning her attention to Tohru – the one that took everything from her. Akito is a problem for me. In one breath she claims that there’s no way that she should know what common sense is given how she’s been sheltered, but that statement alone makes that hard to swallow. So, the fact that Akito was crazy and had shown up to kill Tohru made the next moment even less believable.
After slashing at Tohru with her blade, Akito ran off when Tohru tried to apologise and offered to be her friend. Tohru ran after her and managed to convince her that she was being sincere. So, of course, Akito flipped a switch in her head and became a changed person in that instant. Now, Tohru fell off the cliff seconds later, but it would have probably been more believable if Akito had pushed her.
Who was your favourite character?
It’s really hard to pick out a favourite from this season. I enjoyed Kakeru, but he wasn’t in it nearly enough. I also don’t think Saki and Arisa really were given that much time to shine. This season was much more closely focused on Akito and how others reacted to her. Haru’s reaction was probably my favourite, but then Momiji looking down on her after his curse had broken was also pretty spectacular. And then, there’s Ayame, Hatori, and Shigure. Of course, I haven’t mentioned Tohru, Kyo, or Yuki. This series really has a fantastic cast and everyone seemed to pull their weight when given the chance.
Who was your least favourite character?
It has to be Akito. I don’t feel like she’s done anything to atone for her behaviours. It’s going to take a long time to make up for what she did to the others, but I feel like she’s not stepping up and admitting that. She needed to apologise and make a point of how she hopes to regain their respect, acknowledging that it may not even be possible. There’s just no way that someone can turn themselves around that quickly.
Would you like some more?
This feels like a trick question. The story is over and everything is neatly tied up with a bow. I don’t think there’s anywhere to take the story further other than to look into the past of the characters that didn’t get the time to shine. I loved Kyoko and would absolutely want to see more of her life even knowing how it will end. Of course, there’s always the chance that it will not live up to this series as so many spin-offs often fail to do. In reality, if you want more, I’d say watch it again or better yet, try something new. Expand your horizons and watch something that you wouldn’t normally watch. You never know what might happen.
What have you learnt?
I don’t think you can go wrong with strong characters. They can save a meandering plot and elevate a wonderful one. So, the trick is how to make strong characters. Do we give them muscles and swords? Not necessarily, although it can help. The way Fruits Basket works is that it makes connections with the audience. It’s very unlikely that we can identify with a character in its entirety, but there will be elements that we can sympathise with. Every time that happens we bond a little bit more. Eventually, we find ourselves in a situation where we just want to be with these characters.
Obviously, that’s not enough. To make us bond with these characters we need to share experiences with them. It’s often said that tragedy brings people together. When we can empathise with someone else, we feel like we can understand them. We know what they’re going through and how we might help. So, when we are shown the events in these characters lives they become more real to us. We experienced it too. For me, this is the reason that show and don’t tell is one of the most important aspects of storytelling.
Other posts in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – See You After School
- Episode 2 – They’re All Animals!
- Episode 3 – Let’s Play Rich Man, Poor Man!
- Episode 4 – What Year Is She?
- Episode 5 – I’ve Been Fooling Myself
- Episode 6 – Perhaps We Should Invite Ourselves Over
- Episode 7 – Spring Comes
- Episode 8 – See You When You Get Back
- Episode 9 – Yuki Was My First Love
- Episode 10 – It’s Valentine’s, After All
- Episode 11 – This is a Wonderful Inn
- Episode 12 – You Look Like You’re Having Fun
- Episode 13 – How Have You Been, My Brother?
- Episode 14 – That’s a Secret
- Episode 15 – I Wouldn’t Say That
- Episode 16 – She Said Don’t Step on Them!
- Episode 17 – This Is for Uo-chan!
- Episode 18 – What’s Important Is…
- Episode 19 – I’m So Sorry!
- Episode 20 – I Can’t Believe You Picked It Up
- Episode 21 – I Never Back Down from a Wave Fight
- Episode 22 – Because I Was Happy
- Episode 23 – You Look Well…
- Episode 24 – Let’s Go Home
- Episode 25 – Summer Will Be Here Soon
- Season Two
- Episode 26 – Hello Again
- Episode 27 – Eat Somen with Your Friends
- Episode 28 – Shall We Go and Get You Changed?
- Episode 29 – I Got Dumped…
- Episode 30 – Wait for me, tororo soba!
- Episode 31 – Are you really this stupid?
- Episode 32 – Let’s Start the Watermelon Splitting Contest!
- Episode 33 – Well, It’s True
- Episode 34 – My Precious…
- Episode 35 – Who Are You?
- Episode 36 – All Mine
- Episode 37 – You Cried for Me
- Episode 38 – Sure Thing
- Episode 39 – I Should Just Die…
- Episode 40 – See You Later
- Episode 41 – Ask Him For Me
- Episode 42 – You Will, I’m Sure of It
- Episode 43 – Do You Wanna Kiss?
- Episode 44 – There’s Just No Way!
- Episode 45 – Are You Okay?
- Episode 46 – There Was, Definitely
- Episode 47 – That Isn’t What I Want
- Episode 48 – It’s Cinderella-ish
- Episode 49 – Here You Are
- Episode 50 – I’m Different Now
- Season Three
- Episode 51 – I’ll Hold Another Banquet
- Episode 52 – That’s an Unwavering Truth
- Episode 53 – I Hope It Snows Soon
- Episode 54 – I’m… Home.
- Episode 55 – I Mean… You Know, Right?
- Episode 56 – It Was So Foolish
- Episode 57 – That’s Right, It’s Empty
- Episode 58 – I’m Disappointed in You
- Episode 59 – What’s Your Name?
- Episode 60 – I Just Love Her
- Episode 61 – Goodbye
- Episode 62 – You Fought Well
- Episode 63 – See You Again Soon
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I agree about Akito. It bothers me, too.
Yeah, she’s just going to get away with blinding Hatori in one eye and pushing Rin off a balcony. She should be in jail.