#❝ sohma kana ❞ ╱ interaction

[abasketofmuses]

@snakecursed hit the ❤

              “Oh Ayame!” Kana beamed as she stared up at the long haired male. She was happy, and it was shown on her features, as she soon enough bent over and gave a gracious bow. “I’m so glad I ran into you, I wanted to THANK YOU for attending my wedding.” He had been hard to miss - Ayame was always quite flamboyant.

[yukisohmasmokesweed]

as always hatori and shigure scenes are so layered and complex. upon first glance, shigure is referring to hiro, and his attitude towards hiro’s avoidance of kisa after akito’s beating of her very much reflects the sohma family’s attitude on mental health and legitimate trauma responses. this also relates to shigure’s inability to put himself in others’ shoes, especially the shoes of someone who fears akito and experiences heavy self-blame (which i also discussed in this post wrt to kyo, who hiro is a mirror of), as someone who does not fear akito and has radically accepted his own flaws to the point where he embraces and utilizes them.

with a little more scrutiny, though, shigure is very clearly taking a shot at kana. shigure was quiet about his feelings on kana’s choices in 1x15 and lets ayame do the talking, but he clearly shares ayame’s anger and resentment towards her and was the one who orchestrated the trip in the first place. shigure saying this to hatori weeks after kana’s wedding in a conversation about hiro is such a typical shigure/hatori interaction; they talk around things while being frank at the same time. it is a twisted way to show love, but shigure and hatori’s relationship is twisted.

[haleigh-sloth]

How do you interpret Shigure's love for Akito? Meta about it please? :3

Lol. It’s your lucky day. I was literally already in the middle of working on one discussing Shigure’s and Akito’s roles in the story before you sent this. So everything I had typed up for that post I’ll put here! I’ll talk about his love for her a little bit throughout!

So basically the entire story of Fruits Basket is a chess game, in which Shigure and Akito are the players—-oh and plot twist, there’s only enough pieces for one side. So both players are fighting over the pieces.

Both players are master manipulators who use everyone around them to get what they want (which is each other)—but they play the game using completely opposite methods. They both manipulate the same group of people in their own twisted ways. However, one of these method proves to be more effective than the other: Shigure’s.

Furuba is pretty much just Shigure and Akito at each other’s throats, and everyone else (including the main character) is caught in between this fucked up lover’s quarrel.

Akito is not by any means a likable character at first. She’s the antagonist, she’s cold and abusive. Her role in the story, what side she’s on, is not questioned in the slightest, unlike Shigure. Akito’s method of manipulation is utilizing her power to feed her need for control, since she had no control whatsoever over her own identity growing up. She’s the kind of player that tries to control every aspect of the game—every piece, every pawn—and make them act as she pleases in order to get what she wants. Not only does she focus so much on trying to control everything, she also focuses on everybody’s weaknesses and uses them to her advantage. If there was a budding romance within the zodiac, she punished them both by only truly punishing one of them. Hiro and Kisa, Hatori and Kana, Rin and Haru—she only chooses one out of the two to attack, but ultimately she ends up punishing both. Ultimately in the end her attempt to maintain control over all of her game pieces blows up in her face, and she loses the game. (That’s a spoiler for the end kind of...sorry)

Now Shigure, he’s a more complicated player. At first he seems like a nice, open, generous guy who opens his house to a stranger out of the goodness of his heart. Then you get a small glimpse into his interactions with Akito and you start to realize he has some master plan in the works. And you start to wonder whose side he’s really on. And at some points you wonder if he is even a protagonist, such as moments like this

At this point, even though readers and watchers don’t know--he is very very much talking about Akito. 

The reason Shigure seems like the anti-hero of Furuba is because he plays the game just as much as Akito, but uses much less cruel methods. Unlike Akito, Shigure does not try to control anybody at all. In fact, he does the opposite. He opens up pathways and opportunities for everyone and gives them the agency to make their own choices. In the end, this is what ends up working because he’s the one who gets what he wants. 

Now for Shigure’s and Akito’s relationship:

It’s messed up man. Lol. They both love each other and at the end of the day, they’re all they both want. But Akito is trying to make that happen by isolating every single zodiac member from each other while ALSO bringing them all close to her. And that doesn’t work because it’s not possible. She can’t be the center of everyone’s world while also keeping them all apart from each other. Akito wants to keep the curse to keep those bonds because she was deprived of that from her neglectful and psychologically abusive mother. Shigure wants to break the curse because he knows that while Akito wants those bonds, those bonds are also suffocating her. 

Shigure wants to break the curse because he loves Akito and wants to be with her. His twisted way of getting to her is isolating her from everyone that she keeps trying to force into her world--the zodiac. Shigure manages to be the mastermind behind breaking the curse by simply giving them freedom. He allows Hiro and Kisa to spend time together at his home. He allows Rin and Haru to stay together by keeping their secret. He allows Tohru to choose to stay with him at his home after being told she can go back to staying with family. He could have asked her to stay, and she definitely would have. But by giving her that choice he allowed her to realize just how much she loved the Sohmas on her own terms. And that choice is what started the rest of the journey to breaking the curse, because Tohru was able to accept how much she cared for the Sohmas and let her love for them spread throughout. Tohru influenced every zodiac member in the sense that her acceptance of them gave them all strength to make their own choices--which is what truly broke the curse in the end. Shigure used a completely opposite method from Akito to play this little manipulative game, and in the end it works in BOTH of their favors. 

Shigure and Akito are opposites but also very, very similar. And they’re perfect for each other. Shigure went through the utmost effort to get to Akito, which is something Akito needed in order to start healing from these long years of facing rejection from her mother. 

Anyway I love Shigure, he’s the worst. But also the best. 10/10 Shojo manga character lmao

[furubabes]

Okay. Somebody Asked. @shoujobell and @cryptidaicat, y’all encouraged this. I’m gonna tag this #long post if you wanna filter.

So here. I got the urge to write and so I ranked the Fruits Basket couples from my favorite to least favorite. These aren’t my complete thoughts because I could honestly do multiple full meta posts on each pairing, but I tried to justify and explain all my choices. Standard disclaimer, this is subjective and we can agree to disagree.

Part 1: Just the reasonably popular ones

1. Kyoru: Someone’s gonna call me unoriginal for this but it’s fine. Kyoru is the main romance of Fruits Basket! They bring out the best in each other and build each other up as characters. Kyoru is basically my gold standard take on Sunshine Girl x Grouchy Dude, and I’m not even usually into that trope otherwise. Their romance is one of the few that feels so genuinely necessary to the story. They love each other and like each other. Kyo understands Tohru in a way no one else in the narrative does, and vice versa. They’re in love like soulmates and also like awkward teenagers. Kyoru invented romance. If it’s boring to like healthy romances with realistic development, I’ll be boring.

2. Tohrin: If Tohru didn’t end up with Kyo I would only want her to be with Rin. I guess they have some of the same appeal as Kyoru for me - Rin reads Tohru in a way a lot of people don’t. I also like how honest and raw they are with each other. They yell! They fight! Rin is down to just straight up knock Tohru over to keep her from rushing off. Also, they’re both absolute fashion icons. Goth x Prep rights. I firmly believe Tohru Honda is bisexual.

3. Yukeru: This is my favorite Yuki pairing. I followed @yunsoh way back when the reboot first started and her blog has got me absolutely hooked on Yukeru. I think Yuki’s arc would have just made a ridiculous amount of sense if he was gay. It screams comphet. Kakeru is an excellent complement to Yuki, and their bond feels incredibly natural. Honestly I feel like it’s the most organic romantic development outside of Kyoru. I think realistically they wouldn’t have gotten together until post-canon and frankly Yuki shines in his friendships much more than romances, so I’m not absolutely dying for them to be together, but if Yuki’s going to date anyone Kakeru is my pick.

4. Arisaki: Man... I just like them. They strike me as less of an epic love and more of a comfortable partnership. I also read them both as lesbians anyway lol. Honestly I think they both had feelings for Tohru at one point and bonded over it. The way I picture them happening is honestly just Arisa at 25 frantically googling “is it gay to hold hands with my girl roommate who I spend all my time with and also we never date men“ because Saki bought them rings that look like wedding bands but they could just be super close friendship rings and oh god she’s in too deep. They’re dating for four years before they notice.

5. AyaMine: But Jessie! You literally never post about this pairing! Yeah, you’re right. I never think about them actively. But when ranking the canon ships I realized that I like the two of them together because they’re chill and understated. They’re huge loud personalities on their own but as a couple, they just feel like two people who are happy together and like spending time with one another. No drama, no mess, very understated. No plot contrivances driving their relationship. Good for them.

6. YukiKyo: Okay, so I can be convinced to put on my YukiKyo goggles more often than not. It feels iffy because there’s debate about how closely related all the Sohmas are and these two are called “cousins” a lot in school, but since half of the Sohmas are dating each other anyway, I err on the side of them being more of a clan than a proper blood family. Anyway, YukiKyo is my designated angst fuel. I think it would realistically be pretty one-sided from Yuki’s side, since we see him wanting Kyo’s approval from a very young age, but I like exploring the what-ifs of their lives if they’d been friends instead of rivals. In canon, I like to think that after high school they’re not best friends in the traditional sense, but either one could show up with a dead body and the other would help them bury it, no questions asked.

7. Yuchi: Really? Yuki’s wife is my third favorite pairing for him? Look, I adore Machi, and I still like Yuchi. But as I’ve been watching the reboot and reading others’ metas, I think I agree that their relationship could have been very powerful as a platonic one, sort of running parallel to Yuki and Tohru. I like them together but I think there wasn’t quite time for a complete character arc for Machi and her growth sort of begins and ends with Yuki. I don’t object to them being a couple in canon and I think they’re genuinely very sweet, but once again, I think Yuki stands out in his friendships more than anything. I would have liked to see Machi strike out on her own a little more.

8. Haru x Yuki: I don’t have any particular feelings towards them but I love their dynamic already and I think as a couple they’d both be really easygoing and comfortable with each other. I think a childhood crush turned close friendship is honestly the narrative that works best for them so I have no need for the two to date canonically, but every time they interact in the anime it gets a laugh out of me. They’re cool. They’d make a very pretty pair.

9. Mayutori: I’m Mayutori-neutral. I think they suffer from Fruits Basket’s pair the spare syndrome, but out of the side pairings that don’t have too much impact, they’re one I enjoy. Mayu’s fun as a character, and painfully relatable, and I like that Hatori’s eventual romance isn’t with someone who reminds him of Kana or something like that. I also want good things for Hatori. Mayutori has serious heterosexual energy though. I’m not saying this as a pro or con, they’re just very straight.

10. Hatsuzu: Okay, Haru and Rin aren’t this far down because I hate them. I’m perfectly fine with them being together in canon. But I think their romance almost... functions better as individual motivation for their character arcs than it does as an actual relationship, if that makes sense? Rin’s backstory episode is heartbreaking and her motivation to protect Haru is compelling and sympathetic, but their actual scenes together just don’t move me that much. Their romance is the least interesting part of either character for me.

11. Hiro x Kisa: Yeah I never got into it that much. It’s cute, it’s a sweet depiction of childhood crushes, but I’m not a fan of the idea of them ending up together. Kisa’s a cutie and Hiro is entertaining but the two of them together don’t actually do much for me. The dynamic between them is almost like if someone did Kyoru with none of the nuance. Ultimately though, they’re kids. I don’t expect them to have a deep and complex romance.

12. Yukiru: I think it would be a disservice to their characters if they were a couple. People far more eloquent than me have already written plenty of meta on why Yuki and Tohru aren’t what the other needs romantically, so I won’t get into it, but basically I just think their canon friendship is so beautiful and meaningful that I wouldn’t want to change it. Yuki and Tohru support my thesis that not all soulmates are romantic.

13. Tohru x Momiji: Welcome to the subjective dislike corner! This pairing is reasonably popular among people theorizing who Tohru would be with if not Kyo, but for some reason it just sits poorly with me. I can’t rank it any lower because there’s nothing evil or morally wrong about it! I just really don’t like it. I’ve quit a few fics because this pairing came up and I just can’t enjoy it.

14. Kakeru x Komaki: Idk, I just think Kakeru latching onto the one girl who was nice to him and put up with his bullshit and then being with her forever isn’t compelling. Komaki’s also probably his beard. She’s likable as an individual though.

15. Akigure: There’s plenty to say about the age gap, Shigure being in love with Akito since she was a fetus because of The Dream, the implications of a 15-18 year old knowing he’d one day want to be with a then-10-year-old... yeah, you get it. But even if I was able to put all that aside because Soulmate Destiny Logic, I still don’t think I’d like Akigure. I think they’re interesting as bitter, codependent exes, but I don’t like the idea of Akito ending up with anyone who she abused or who abused her. I think she has so much growing to do as a character and staying in a relationship within the Sohma family to do it can’t be healthy for her. I can’t see them living happily ever after, nor do I really want to.

16. Kurisa: I think what frustrates me the most here is that I want to like Kureno and everything about this romance is written to dull his most interesting traits. First of all, the age gap. Yeah, it’s gross, I don’t like it. But even past that, the love at first sight, instant fixation with each other, and lack of actual chemistry just kills me. Arisa’s stated reason to like Kureno is that he reminds her of Tohru, basically piggybacking off the chemistry she and Tohru already have, and his total lack of agency means the plot just sort of carries him along. It frustrates me that Takaya could have done something pretty cool by making them simply friends who have a chance encounter and then build a friendship from there that parallels Kureno’s abusive dynamic with Akito. It would be neat if a stranger’s kindness was the push Kureno needed to get himself out of the Sohmas’ grasp, without all the nonsensical drama about them being in love. It would also be less of a disservice to Arisa, who basically just spends the whole series pining for Kureno after they meet and I hate it. I could write a whole post about this. Maybe I will sometime.

17. Kyoko x Katsuya: I don’t think their story is romantic. I think it’s tragic for Kyoko, and if it were framed that way within the narrative, I wouldn’t object so much to its existence. But... Takaya just really likes age gaps with a younger woman and an older man, so the narrative romanticizes this man marrying his student. Katsuya can be depicted as well-meaning as you want, but he’s still got a ridiculous amount of power over Kyoko. She was also still pretty young when she had Tohru, which doesn’t make things any better because it’s clear that the relationship turned physical when Kyoko was a teen, thus dashing the idea of Katsuya legally marrying her to save her but not actually doing anything creepy. I wish Fruits Basket framed this as a story of Kyoko escaping one dangerous situation by entering a relationship with a huge power imbalance, because that happens to girls all the time and it’s tragic and compelling. The events of the story could stay the exact same and if the framing changed I would be fine with it. But this is not that. This is just a really romanticized teacher/student age gap. I’m not into it.

Part 2: Rarepairs, weird shit, and others (oh my!)

1. Yuki x Kakeru x Kimi: OT3. I’m enamored with the idea of this hot mess polycule.

2. Momiji x Kimi: Chaos meets chaos. This couple would say uwu without any irony and also steal your car keys. They’re both perceptive and smart hidden under a layer of cute and I’d wanna watch them play 4D chess with each other.

3. Kazuma x Kunimitsu: Idk how old Kunimitsu is so if he’s like 20, strike this one from the record. But I saw one post once that was like Kyo slowly realizing Kazuma and Kunimitsu were gay and had been dating for years and it was funny as hell.

4. AyaTori: It’s cute. Opposites attract, black and white hair, and Aya only listens to Hatori anyway. It’s just fun to think about.

5. Megumi x Hiro: They don’t interact in canon I just think Goth x Punk-Ass Bitch is a great concept.

6. Motoko x Nao: They’re both loud as hell and Nao having a gf that towers over him is funny. Maybe Yuki would finally get some peace.

7. Machi x Kimi: I don’t see them actually being compatible in canon but I think they could have a really homoerotic college friendship.

8. Hajime x Mutsuki: This is just YukiKyo, the non angst version.

9. Akito x Hanajima: I’m so wary of shipping Akito with anyone but this is kind of fun. The two are friends in canon and Hana isn’t remotely afraid of Akito. Plus Akito never abused Hana. I can sort of see it.

10. Hiroshi x Yusuke: Makes no sense, wouldn’t be relevant, but if those two just never spent any time apart and continued being a pair for life it would be a really good bit.

11. Akitohru: I don’t think it’s healthy to date anyone who’s previously stabbed you.

12. Kazuma x Hanajima: Stop. Go to jail. Hana’s one-sided crush is funny though.

[akitohru]

The Sohma clan and its cult-like characteristics or: why and how they get away with everything they do. Why everyone stays. Why the current system held in place operates so well. I wrote this back when episode 10 came out, but I didn’t post it over here. However, with the release of Rin’s episode, I’m seeing this topic being brought up again a lot, so I wanted to post it over here too. This post will include no manga spoilers, so don’t feel the need to watch out for them.

Warning: Abuse will be heavily discussed in this post.

With the reveal that Akito is God, we find out why the zodiac are so loyal to Akito. However, the curse itself is largely a metaphorical device rather than an actual fantasy device. Even without the curse, their loyalty to Akito is still.. very realistic considering the environment they grew up in. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Sohma clan (at least, the “inside” part of the clan.) is a cult. This post will be explaining why that is and how being in a cult affects people. I will be using this handout (uucnrv.org/uucwp/wp-content/uploads/Cults-handouts.pdf) in the post as a reference.The handout defines a cult as:

A religion or sect, generally considered to be extremist or false, under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader for whom members exhibit fixed, even religious, veneration.

The zodiac worship Akito as their God. Even if they have problems with how Akito operates things, they still hold great reverence for him and don’t go against him no matter what kind of heinous things he does Ex: Not doing anything about Yuki being locked and tormented in a dark room by Akito for a majority of his young life, Akito partially blinding Hatori + ruining him and Kana’s relationship, Akito harming Tohru, and Akito pushing Rin off from what looked to be the third floor of a building.

Now, onto what the handout describes as common characteristics of cults:

One charismatic leader is the group’s sole authority on truth; only this leader decides, or has the right to approve, all policies and practices. Members are zealous, protective, and unquestioningly committed to the leader.Members regard the leader’s beliefs and practices as truth and law; the leader affirms and enforces this idea. Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or punished.

Since I’ve pretty much already covered how all of these characteristics relate to Akito and the zodiac under the definition, I’ll refrain from repeating myself on certain things. You may have noticed in episode 9 that Yuki says, “He needs to know his place. Him and me both. That’s how it’s supposed to be.“ He and the others have had instilled in them ever since they were old enough to comprehend things that the way things operate in the Sohma Clan are simply just the way things are supposed  to be. That they can not defy that. That is is fate. Like Akito says to Kyo, "It’s what’s been carved into the wheel of fate for those born with a spirit.”

“The group’s leadership dictates how members should think, act, and feel. Members require the leader’s permission to change jobs, date, marry, or have children. The leader tells members where they can live and how to teach and discipline their children.”

Ex: Hatori having to get permission to marry Kana. While this is a characteristic of a cult, this also has to do with the Sohma clan’s family/household system. You can read more about that in this informative and intriguing post made by Furuba Canon here! (It warns in the post but watch out for spoilers.)

“The group uses public humiliation or punishment, debilitating work, sleep deprivation, or other practices to create group-think and to suppress individualism and doubt.”

I’ve already mentioned some examples of the type of punishment Akito exacts against the zodiac for insubordination under the definition, but another example of this would be when Akito visits the school and threatens Yuki with the “special room” he used to isolate him before because he skipped out of the New Year celebration

“The group is elitist, claiming special status for itself, its leaders, and its members.”

The zodiac are most definitely seen as special in the Sohma clan, only the “insiders” knowing of the curse. Akito, of course, is seen as the most special.

“Criticism or jokes about the leader or group are taken very seriously and likely punished.”

We see this when Kyo is fighting back against Akito in the annex, Akito responding with, “Don’t give me orders,” and becoming more aggressive after Kyo tells him not to touch him. We also see this when Tohru protects Momiji from Akito. 

Thought Reform

In the article (people.howstuffworks.com/cult.htm), “How Cults Work”, the author describes how cults manage to have so much control over people:

A destructive cult uses countless techniques to get its members to stay, commit themselves and take part in what may be harmful activities. The sum of these techniques constitutes what some people call “mind control.” It’s also known as “thought reform,” “brainwashing” and “coercive persuasion,” and it involves the systematic breakdown of a person’s sense of self… Thought reform is an umbrella term for any number of manipulative techniques used to get people to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do…most psychologists believe that cult brainwashing techniques, which are similar to techniques used in prisoner interrogation, do change a person’s thought processes

Techniques (I will only be mentioning the ones that apply to the Sohma Clan.):

1. “Isolation- Cults cut off members from the outside world (and even each other) to produce intense introspection, confusion, loss of perspective and a distorted sense of reality. The members of the cult become the person’s only social contact and feedback mechanism…

Cults may not allow unsupervised contact with the “outside world.” In this way, there is no chance for a “reality check” or validation of a new member’s concerns regarding the group.

Cults typically instill the belief that “outsiders” (non-cult members) are dangerous and wrong.”

As we first see in the “Spring Comes” episode, the Sohmas mostly all live in the big Sohma estate with no outsiders being allowed in without special permission. Even if they are allowed to attend school and go out for other reasons, they’re still pretty isolated and surrounded by people who don’t find the way things operate inside the estate odd at all, some even encouraging of it. Someone living in that type of environment all of their life will more likely than not be influenced by the people around them, twisted as those people may be.  

In a more extreme sense, we see this with how Akito isolated young Yuki and still isolates Kureno. Akito rarely allows anyone to see Kureno, keeping him by his side as much as possible, not giving him a chance to break free from his chains. The same went for Yuki. Again, Akito instilled in him that the outside world was pitch black and that no one would accept him out there, that it was dangerous to interact with people outside because they’d find him strange and weird.

2. “Induced Dependency- Cults demand absolute, unquestioning devotion, loyalty and submission. A cult member’s sense of self is systematically destroyed. Ultimately, feelings of worthlessness and “evil” become associated with independence and critical thinking, and feelings of warmth and love become associated with unquestioning submission…

Any doubts, assertiveness or remaining ties to the outside world are punished by the group through criticism, guilt and alienation. Questions and doubts are systematically “turned around” so that the doubter feels wrong, worthless, “evil” for questioning. The member is loved again when he renounces those doubts and submits to the will of the leader.”

We see this when Kyo questions why Akito allowed Tohru to live with them if he hates her so much, if he’s using her for something. In response to Kyo questioning, Akito retorts, “You’re always quick to make me the villain, huh?…You even killed your own mom! Do you think you have the right to fall in love with someone?! Do you think that’s allowed?! Kyo. Hey, Kyo. Think about it. Who’s the real villain here? Who’s the one who involved her the most?” When Kyo gives in, Akito becomes more “loving” towards him, saying, “It’s okay, I’ll go visit you in confinement. I’ll be by your side, so you won’t be alone. I love you. I actually love you so much, Kyo. Be a good boy from now on.“

Akito loves using people’s trauma against them, knows how to use it in such an awfully cruel way. In Kyo’s case, he has been told that he’s a monster his whole life even by his dad. His mother took her life and everyone blames it on him. It’s not simple to erase that guilt he feels from even though he has positive influences around him. (Ex: Kazuma, Tohru.) That’s how Akito breaks him down. Even if he knows Akito is a cruel person, it doesn’t erase the idea from his mind that he is a monster and that, despite Akito being the way he is, that he is right. Akito knows this. He manipulative and knows how to make people bend to his will.

“The leader may randomly alternate praise and love with scorn and punishment to keep the member off-balance and confused and instill immense self-doubt. The leader may offer occasional gifts and special privileges to encourage continued submission.”

We see this with how Akito tells everyone he “loves” them, but, at the same time, emotionally and physically abuses them to keep them in check. The situation with Kyo in the annex applies here too.

3. “Dread- Once complete dependence is established, the member must retain the leader’s good favor or else his life falls apart.

The leader may punish doubt or insubordination with physical or emotional trauma.”

I believed I’ve already used up all the examples I can use that won’t be spoilers, so I’ll copy the examples I used under the definition. Ex: Not doing anything about Yuki being locked and tormented in a dark room by Akito for a majority of his young life, Akito partially blinding Hatori + ruining him and Kana’s relationship, Akito harming Tohru, and Akito pushing Rin off from what looked to be the third floor of a building.

“Once all ties to the outside world have been cut, the member feels like his only family is the group, and he has nowhere else to go.

A specific example of this would be how Yuki felt when his mom gave him up to Akito. To quote him, “I thought that if she abandoned me, if she deserted me, everything would turn dark, and it would be the end to everything.”

“Access to necessities depends on the leader’s favor. The member must "behave” or he may not get food, water, social interaction or protection from the outside world.”

Again, Akito’s isolation of Kureno and Yuki applies here. There are some spoilery things I won’t mention that are very applicable here too.

To end off,

Indoctrination, or thought reform, is a long process that never really ends. Members are continually subjected to these techniques – it’s part of daily life in a cult. Some adjust well to it after a period of time, embracing their new role as “group member” and casting aside their old sense of independence. For others, it’s a perpetually stressful existence.

The zodiac were born into an extremely twisted environment. It’s pretty much all they’ve ever known. They think the way they are living is the way it is supposed to be and something that can not be changed. Akito is the head of the family and has the support of many Sohma elders/adults including most of the zodiacs’ very own parents. It is also worth noting that the Sohmas are a very rich and powerful clan (Notice how they even have a hospital under their name as shown in episode 5 of s2. That’s how Akito/the parents can get away with abusing the zodiac kids and putting them in the hospital without anyone reporting them.); if they really wanted to prevent someone from acting out against them they very easily could and could easily pay off authorities if anyone managed to report them. Another reason why real life cults are so successful is because of corrupt law enforcement who are willing to turn the other cheek if they are paid enough and deep political ties. 

So, with all that being said, you can see why it would be natural for them to feel trapped, to feel that they have no choice. Adults around them that were supposed to take care of them and protect them instead used them for their own benefit/let them be a part of such a twisted system. Abuse, childhood abuse especially, is something that can irrevocably damage a person’s mind. The effects of abuse and trauma are nothing to scoff at. Even healthy adults who’ve never been in that kind of environment can be brainwashed by a cult if they’re unlucky enough to get caught up in one.

[machikuragii]

Rank the Sohmas and explain your ranking?

Anon, this got really long, so I’ve put everything under the cut. Also I don’t have solid rankings beyond my top 2 so I went into ‘tiers’ that aren’t necessarily ordered by how much I like a character. TLDR; I love all the zodiacs for different reasons, see readmore for more in-depth thoughts.

1. Yuki Sohma

Yuki as a character is really, really important to me. I think about him so much, and how he goes from a neglected, unwanted child with no support network to a confident young adult who is so comfortable with himself and free to be happy and at ease and surrounded by those who love him. I think about how important it is that Takaya displays this journey as incremental, and not necessarily linear. I think about how Yuki’s strength comes not only from himself and his desire to improve step by step, but from the support he gradually starts to receive from the people around him. I think about just how important it is when Takaya says that it’s ok to be weak, to reach out for help, and that for some people, it is only when they DO receive the needed support from others that they are able to get better. I think about just how much it means for a boy with so little self-worth to gradually find himself in the company of people who enjoy his presence and like him for who he is, and I think about how he is able to reach out and help others after receiving the warm and foundation he himself needs, when he is emotionally ready. I think about then, how SIGNIFICANT it is to show a character who had absolutely NOTHING in his childhood go on to make sure that his own child has everything he longed for in a home in his childhood. 

There’s a little bit of Yuki in everyone. Every bit of his internal monologue hits like a truck for anyone who struggles with insecurity and low self-esteem, and his drive and aspiration to find his own purpose and happiness, can be a source of inspiration to so many. Yuki Sohma is one of the best, if not THE definitely best written Fruits Basket characters, and I really wish more people recognised this. As sensei once said herself, I know that Yuki will always have his fans, but I wished that more people realised and appreciated his importance in the story and carrying the themes of Fruits Basket.

2. Hatori Sohma

This is more a remnant of a past phase, but Hatori is here because he was my first anime crush ksksksasoksks . Jokes aside though, I love Hatori because of his kindness and selfless nature that is masked by a cold exterior. As an adult I realise that Hatori’s actions are not always perfect or enough, but I still really think that he is someone who truly cares. There are so many instances that improve his character in my eyes. Can you imagine going through what he goes through with Kana, and learning of her marriage, and not feeling bitterness, but relief that she is happy? And yet he values his own happiness so little that it really breaks my heart. Or the way that he doesn’t avoid Momiji after the ordeal with his mother, but checks up on him and in a way helps raise him? Dude is more of a father figure to Momiji than his own dad. Narratively, Hatori’s backstory is such an effective introduction to the darker, more mature themes of Fruits Basket, and yeah you can bet it worked on kid me. 

TIER: “These are great characters, I love their complexity but I’m also just fond of them as well” (no particular order)

Isuzu Sohma

Someone who definitely grew on me this time round. When I was a child I found it hard to understand what she was going through and didn’t really relate to her either. But oh my god, this girl goes through so much. She’s such a kindhearted character at heart, but struggles with connecting with others and receiving their kindness because of what she went through as a child. It’s so hard to watch her struggle, because we know she deserves the world. 

Akito Sohma

Controversial to say I love Akito just after I said I love Rin, lol. I’ve never had an overly negative impression of Akito throughout Fruits Basket (this is partially because my friends used to call me Akito when we were little.....because I was an Asian girl... and Akito is also an Asian girl????? idk now that I’m thinking back over it...gee thanks guys), so it was relatively easier for me to accept her redemption when it came. Akito’s actions are not defensible, but I find it much more interesting to explore where she is coming from, rather than just mindlessly spew hate and wish violent things for her like some people prefer to do. Akito’s character is a tragedy, and I feel like people are way less willing to emphasise when the victim is not “perfect”, per se. Akito went through the same “broken home” parental abuse that a lot of the characters in Fruits Basket went through, but somehow people are unwilling even to extend the tiniest amount of baseline empathy towards her just because he trauma manifested in a way that hurts others. Guys, she’s a tragic character!!! A tragic character isn’t always “a perfect person who has bad things happen to them”, it can also mean “a character who becomes antagonistic because of circumstances.” Her actions are inexcusable, but there is a lot to learn when we explore WHY she became this way.

Shigure Sohma

Gonna try make this short. Shigure is a controversial character but I like him because I like characters that demonstrate moral ambiguity. The point of Shigure is NOT to be a good person, and he doesn’t have to be one to justify liking him. Once again, you can like Shigure and still know that he’s a piece of shit. The whole idea of “he genuinely cares for Tohru but will hurt her if it means achieving his own goals” is a fascinating one to me, because it shows that the idea of “good people” and “bad people” is vast oversimplification of how actual people think and behave. Still though, I’m really not fond of how Akigure was executed in canon. I think the two could have potentially had a fascinating relationship but it ended up being more disturbing and swept under the rug&uncomfortable than interesting.

Momiji Sohma

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have Momiji who is just genuinely such a good person. I like the dichotomy between his outwardly ‘childish’ and ‘immature’ appearance and behaviors, versus what we gradually learn about him: that he has had to be mature and selfless at a very young age, and that he is also very emotionally intelligent and empathetic. Watching him gradually grow up before our eyes (we were ROBBED of it in the anime) but at the same time feeling more and more lost broke my freaking heart. When his curse breaks and he realises that even though he is now ‘free’, that nothing has changed and the damage was already done -  absolutely heartwrenching. He’s someone I would have loved explore more of what happened post-canon, because I just want good things for him and Momo, screw whatever the hell their asshole dad thinks. 

TIER: “I love these characters but don’t focus on them as much as I think the fandom does”

Kyo Sohma

I’m a self-professed “probably don’t think about Kyo that much” person haha. I know I know, sue me. I think its because out of the main 3, I love Yuki and Tohru so much that I don’t tend to focus on Kyo. I still like him a whole lot though!! I’m a big fan of the way he matures and changes throughout the series, and much like how Yuki does too, becomes a much happier person. When I compare early-series Kyo with later-series Kyo, one thing that always sticks out to me is how much more he smiles. The way he smiles at Tohru is so full of genuine warmth and happiness that it makes my heart melt, especially when I think about how this is a boy who has so much baggage, and has to gradually accept the fact that he deserves happiness before he allows himself finally to accept it. 

Hatsuharu Sohma

Most of my love for Haru comes from the relationship he has with Yuki. It takes so much maturity to accept that your prejudices may be unfair, and Haru did so at such a young age. Sometimes I just think about how much Haru did and continues to do for Yuki without the need for reciprocation or even recognition and it just hits me how much of a good person Haru is. He was Yuki’s ONLY friend at a time he had NO ONE, and is the reason Yuki was able to move out of the estate and become the person we know and love. Haha sorry for making this about Yuki again, but I think their relationship also says a lot about Haru as a person.

TIER: “I like Kureno and am tired of making a thousand disclaimers every time I want to say I like him, Takaya-sensei whyyyy”

Kureno Sohma

I really like Kureno. This is again pretty controversial, but let me try to explain. I like Kureno because he’s an example of someone who wants to do the right thing that causes the least amount of harm to everyone, but inevitably ends up making the decision that causes much more damage. It’s a classic “good intentions, bad outcome” scenario and I freaking love it. I love that it’s absolutely not what he wants, but Kureno ends up doing a lot of wrong things and destroying not only Akito, but also his own life in the process. I just find the idea of an adult of his age who is so isolated from all of society that even a shopping trip is something foreign and out-of-the-ordinary, really, really sad. 

On the romance side though,  I hate that Takaya-sensei decided that Arisa would be his romantic interest, but I do like the idea of romance being a part of his arc. (I actually think their interactions are somewhat cute but that the overarching age gap ruins everything - i keep thinking about if Arisa was older or Kureno was younger, but touching their ages at all would affect the plot so I would rather it wasn’t Arisa at all). Just the idea of Kureno by Akito’s side, playing the part of what he thinks is her “lover” (god sensei why are u liek dis), when he meets someone on one of his rare trips outside the Sohma estate that causes him to realise that what he and Akito have is not at all what a healthy relationship should feel like - and it causes him to reevaluate the harm he is doing to them both, and take steps to leave her. That is...not exactly what Sensei did, but I always remember how much I felt for Kureno when he said in the upcoming anime chapter how it was the first time he had felt like he loved someone out of his own choice...I just felt like that one “choice” could have lead him to the realisation that he can start to make more of his own, healthier choices in life. But yeah. Wish it wasn’t Arisa because it didn’t do anything good to her character arc, and it’s creepy. 

TIER: “I really like these characters but don’t go out of my way to think about them”

Kagura Sohma

Ok I lied, I do go out of my way to think about Kagura. I love her too, despite common opinion. I think her reflection of her relationship with Kyo was so wonderful. Her confession that she started to like him out of pity, but that over time they became genuine feelings. But that Kyo can’t reciprocate her feelings so she’s accepting of that, and thankful that he gave her time to express herself, although she will still go on loving Kyo. Kagura is one of those characters where Takaya-sensei once again demonstrates her ability to take a “trope” of a character and actually delve into their psyche and explains why they feel this way. 

Ayame Sohma

I love Ayame because he’s genuinely so much fun! I appreciate the arc of him rejecting Yuki, but how he is now reaching out to help him, and I feel like we don’t get a good insight into just how significant this rejection was until we see it from Yuki’s perspective. I also admire how he is able to recognise his own shortcomings, and respects Hatori because of his sensitivity to other people’s feelings. He’s a character who could definitely have been explored more if desired, but isn’t underexplored or incomplete as is.

Ritsu Sohma

My poor Ritsu. In contrast to Ayame, Ritsu was definitely underexplored. Such a great potential to explore confidence, identity, and assertiveness. Ritsu as it stands though, is largely a minor character who wasn’t given the time they needed to be fully fleshed out. I would have loved to see them gradually gain more confidence over the series!!

Kisa Sohma

Love love love Kisa, she’s such a cutie pie. But I feel like there wasn’t much more to say about her that wasn’t said in her arc. Kisa is more a character who is used to show the messed-up state of the Sohma house/Akito more than she herself is a complex character, I think. I love her arc and her parallels to Yuki though, it gave us such a great quote about needing to be loved by others before learning to love yourself. 

Hiro Sohma

Hiro is known to be an unlikeable brat but I love him as well!!! I think it’s really important to have characters who aren’t just lovely and receptive to Tohru’s kindness, and his character served to show an important flaw in Tohru’s character, and the way that her kindness could be taken advantage of. For Hiro himself though, I think his brattiness is alright because he’s very young, and I really appreciate his efforts to become a more mature person when he recognises his own flaws! 

[ffamranxii]

Bro. My shipper heart is bleeding. These are my current fandoms (Persona, Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, and Haikyuu!!) and I have some FEELINGS (under the cut).

1. I don’t ship Ryuuji/Protag/Goro. I very specifically headcanon Joker as two different people, with slightly different personalities. Joker-as-Ren I ship with Ryuuji, Joker-as-Akira I ship with Goro.

2. Makoto/Hifumi is a chance interaction that takes place when Joker and Makoto go to Jinbocho. I decided that very second that I ship them so hard, since Makoto abandoned Joker to go shop with Hifumi.

3. I do have specific headcanons for the other thieves, but none are romantic. Ann and Ryuuji have an epic bromance; Yusuke is asexual but best friends with Futaba and Joker; Futaba and Sumire are best friends and neither of them need a relationship while they are healing from their respective traumas; I hardcore ship Haru/happiness but have yet to find a specific person to ship her with. Same with Mishima - I love my boy but haven’t found the right person for him. Also honorable mention to Iwai/Takemi. 

4. Yu/Yosuke was my first P4 ship. Never looked back. I also shipped Yukiko/Chie way before I shipped Ann/Shiho, despite playing P5 first.

5. My take on Naoto is conflicted (I understand their story from both the Japanese and Western point of view and can’t decide which I like better). I very specifically ship Kanji/boy!Naoto.

6. Teddie/Marie was a crackship I came up with during Golden and decided I really liked for some reason. I was thinking of what to write for a fic and Yosuke mentioning “oh hey my brother [Teddie]’s getting married” “oh yeah? to who?” “that weathergirl, Mariko Kusumi” just popped into my head. I’m on board now. 

7. I really like Rise but I can’t for the life of my find a person to ship her with. I do not like Rise/Yu. 

8. Honorable mention to the ball bois Kou/Daisuke.

9. I don’t know why I ship Minato/Yukari. I just really like them together and surprisingly I can hardly find any fics or art of them. I also ship the Minato/Aigis bromance and I love Elizabeth-loves-Minato.

10. You can pry ShinjiHam from my cold dead fingers. VIVA LA SHINJIHAM!

11. These two are similar to Minato/Yukari in that I don’t know why I ship them, I just do. There’s also not much art/fic of them. :(

12. Ngl, Junpei’s inability to leave Chidori alone because he can’t fathom a girl just sitting on a bench drawing really rubs me the wrong way. However, they develop an actual relationship (in as much as a secondary character can in Persona) and by the time she sacrificed herself for him I was hooked. I think Chidori really didn’t give a fuck about Junpei until she was in the hospital and saw how much he cared about a person he didn’t really even know. 

13. I’m not totally sold on the other SEES peeps. I LOVE Fuuka but I can’t find anyone I truly love her WITH. Ken is a child among near adults so I don’t really have anything for him, and Koro-chan’s a doggo. I love Rio and Saori, but not together, and also Mamoru... 

14. Maya/Katsuya are just stupid cute. I take no criticism.

15. TATSUJUN FO LYFE. DON’T EVEN @ ME.

16. Eikichi and Miyabi are honestly super sweet, I can’t even.

17. Maki and Naoya are the only two people from P1 I really connected with in any meaningful way, so of course I ship them together. I also loved Yukino in P1 (but not P2, really), and Yuka, but have no one to ship them with. Yuka married rich so maybe she married Kei! XD

18. Sailor Moon is the ONLY series where I ship people differently based on adaption. I ship Usagi/Mamoru in both, of course (and I think Mamoru was done better in the live action than the anime and especially the manga); but in the live action I hardcore ship Rei/Minako (who seemed to be the replacement Haruka/Michiru, since they weren’t in the live action), and really, really enjoyed the developing relationship with Ami/Nephrite during the Dark Mercury arc as well as the surprisingly stable and sweet Makoto/Motoki relationship.

19. However in the anime/manga I tend to ship what I’m “supposed to” (within reason, lol). Chibiusa was the first person I ever shipped with two different people. I like the idea of her and Hotaru in young love, and Mistress 9 and Wicked Lady getting together, and I love the idea of older princess chibiusa with her first love Helios.

20. Ah, the Kakeru love triangle. Kakeru just RADIATES bisexual energy - he hits on literally all the Sohma men and he LOVES Yuki. I actually did not like Yuki with anyone but Kakeru until the 2019 anime came out and I saw a lot of discourse about how well Yuki/Machi went together. I’m also a sucker for Kakeru’s girlfriend Komaki and I hope they put her in the anime. The idea of chaotic bisexual Kakeru actually having been in a longterm relationship all through high school and marrying her is just super sweet.

21. I will never let go of Hatori/Kana. They should’ve had it all.

22. Kagura/Kunimitsu and Momiji/Kimi are two crackships I found as fanart (I’ve reblogged them at some point), that every so often I stumble upon a fic or art for. I originally didn’t like them, but ended up ADORING them. Kunimitsu is exactly the calm yet gently mischievous presence Kagura needs and Kimi and Momiji would create SO MUCH CHAOS.

23. I do not like Uo/Kureno within the context of the show. I understand that Uo is probably the first non-related girl Kureno’s interacted with since his essential imprisonment and he is probably suffering from “new is always better” syndrome when he meets her. Kureno hardcore needs a few years on his own, away from the Sohmas, to figure out who he is, and what he likes to do, and live as a normal person; and Uo is NOT the person to help him do that. She’s got enough on her plate with the death of her mentor/mother figure and rehabbing her father. Uo is in a good place right now and Kureno is not, and she shouldn’t need to “save” him. I DO like Uo/Kureno as an “after the series” pairing, where Uo’s in her twenties and out of college (if she went) and got a career, and Kureno’s finally gotten his shit together, and they meet again by chance and they’re both in a good place. That’s adorable. Uo/Kureno while Uo’s in school isn’t.

24. I actually think Kagehina was the first ship I shipped in Haikyuu!! I remember watching the first episode and going “...are.... are they gonna make out?” Then Noya and his dramatic “ASAHI!!!!!” and “I’M NEVER GOING TO PLAY UNLESS ASAHI PLAYS TOO!!!” swooped in and I forgot about them. Asanoya is just so precious and pure. Daisuga smacked me in the face like, “Oh. OH. This is... this is fucking GREAT.” I think it was because I saw someone say “Daisuga are basically volleyball mom and dad” and I was hooked. I DO, however, enjoy a Kuroo/Daichi bang it out rivalry though. Tsukki and Tadashi was a no brainer; Tadashi yelling at Tsukki at the camp was just *chef’s kiss*

25. Yachi is the cutest little lesbian, and she’s even gayer in the manga. I actually can’t decide who I like more, Kiyoko/Yachi or Kiyoko/Tanaka. 

26. Iwaoi and Kuroken came to me during my first forays into AO3 for fics. I can’t imagine shipping them with anyone else. They’re just... MADE for each other. 

[karura]

Hatori Sohma!

do I like them: YES I LOVE HIM

5 good qualities: he’s kind, caring, polite, handsome and smart

3 bad qualities: omg none he’s perfect t^t

favourite episode/etc: when he tells his backstory and also mayu’s episode, love when they interact

otp: hatori x happines :’) (i like mayuko/hatori and kana/hatori too)

brotp: ayame/hatori

ot3: - 

notp: - (i never thought abt lmao)

best quote: “If it's possible for one person to be hurt by another, then it's possible for that person to be healed by another”  also “to me, she was “spring.” If I was snow that had been frozen over the years, caged up in the darkness of this house, she was the fresh, vivacious spring.”

head canon: i like to imagine how he would realize he fell for mayuko, but like don’’t tell her, and show her with little actions instead. and also how he raised his daughter. 

thank u sm daisy!! 

gimme a character and ill tell u

[marimopeace]

This week's episode reminded me, why do you think Shigure even dated Mayu in the first place if he was already in love with Akito? It's said in the manga he was cold to her too and that's why she broke up with him, do you think that's an indication he'd be a cold boyfriend to Akito too in their relationship?

ahh damn sorry anon! wow this was prob sent ages ago but i took a break from tumblr so i’m only seeing this now u.u

mmhm i admit i remember more about mayu’s feelings towards hatori when her character was explored in the manga but shigure was probably cold to mayu because she wasn’t akito. he may be conniving in his own way but he’s not a cold person in general and i think he was polite enough to mayu during their (short) relationship just not affectionate / overly eager (again prob bc she wasn’t his one true love yada yada).

it’s kind of like the classic trope situation where there are ppl who are hurt and sad and pining over unrequited loves and they end up getting together for a camaraderie/fwb situation (there’s also a shoujo stereotype where they end up falling in love with each other while their unrequited loves get with each other as well but in this case that doesn’t happen and each person gets a happy endgame). shigure pinned down that mayu liked hatori. hatori was with kana. shigure wasn’t with akito. shigure was like hey mayu do you want to wallow in sympathy for each other lol mayu why don’t we date since neither of us is in a good situation right now. (and maybe he wanted to just distract himself from akito or try to help mayu out if kana and hatori didn’t pan out--without akito’s interference.)

// also sidebar but idk if mayu broke up w shigure just because they didn’t have good chemistry--otherwise she would have probably dropped him sooner since even kana could notice that they weren’t meshing well romantically (and bc she’s the type of person who would cut the bullshit early on). i think mayu broke up with shigure around kana’s incident? it could have been around hatori’s injury or when kana had her memories wiped but either way her friend was feeling messed up in all sorts of ways and it wouldn’t be surprising for mayu to do whatever she can to help her friend get back up on her feet. breaking up with shigure helped her stop being part of a facade with him and also removed any more lingering connections with the sohmas from kana’s life. //

and as for your last question omg i don’t think so at all! one’s dating history can be reflective of a pattern but it could also have no impact on someone’s current relationship. shigure and mayu weren’t that deep (they both knew that going in and coming out), so that wasn’t representative of shigure’s tendencies as a partner nor his personality. mayu also was/is not akito so naturally the man would act different around another woman and his first love.

shigure is probably--and i think it’s been canonically proven--the type to smother his partner (aka akito) with affection and dotes on them whenever possible, to the point where it’s probably annoying for that person and ppl around them lol.

i didn’t read the sequel series another but it explores all the children of the main characters from fruits basket and i’m going to guess it shows snippets of their interactions with their families. i wouldn’t be surprised if it showed scenes of shigure being overbearing/snarky with his kids and adoring-to-a-point-of-comedic-grossness with akito!

idk if you kept up with the fruits basket reboot while it was airing but if you did i hope you enjoyed it! i was keeping up to date to a point but then i had to drop off since school was getting to be a lot and i used my winter break to catch up on it and all the other shows i had put on-hold aha

happy furuba reading/watching!

[somepinkthing]

The Sohma Family Curse

SPOILERS FOR THE FB MANGA

So on my last post, the topic of the sohma curse came up with @beauyega and @furubaish and I thought I'd put out my two cents because sometimes I really wonder sometimes wth the sohma curse even is. Like.... what is it? Everyone seems to have an opinion on it but none of them seem very concrete. More than that, it seems like almost everything we hear about the curse is disproved one way or another. The only thing that stays constant is that they transform and that they are connected in some weird way. That the zodiacs have some kind of a connection to god and tha god has some level of mystical control over the others seems to be true. Past that? It's kind of free reign isn't it?

The zodiacs cannot betray or hurt god. Well, we know that's not true. Shigure certainly didn't care. Yuki left. Rin tried to steal from akito. Hatsuharu certainly didn't seem to care when rin was in the hospital.

The zodiacs can't leave god. I'm gonna be honest, I cannot recall ayame or ritsu having a single conversation with akito ever. And the rest of them went for as long as they could avoiding having one

The zodiacs have to obey god. Mmmmmmmm didn't really work out that way, did it?

The zodiacs must love god above all else. Except idk if loving is exactly how I'd describe most of akito's relationships

The cat is destined to be the zodiac scapegoat, destined to never connect with the zodiac members, destined to bring bad luck. Honestly? Kyo seemed closer to half the zodiac members than akito did most days. And as far as that "destined to be looked down on" thing.... I have my doubts. First of all, because it came from shigure's liar mouth. Second of all, yuki? Hatsuharu? Momiji? Hatori? None of them seemed to give a rat's ass. If they thought it, it was probably a flyaway thought that made little impact in their interactions with kyo. In fact, yuki's whole complex depended on him looking up to kyo, not down. Also, to note, when kagura used kyo as a scapegoat it didn't bring her heart any ease. In fact, she spent a good chunk of her life chasing after a way to make up for it. So obviously its not all that "natural" for them to hate the cat!! Yuki's the rat and he lived with kyo. They didn't get along but that was because they were traumatized teenagers, not because of some curse. And the longer they spent together the more they liked and helped each other, not the other way around

Pretty much any misfortune surrounding kyo could always be attributed to people being shitty rather than him being some cosmic bad luck charm

Children of the rat are destined to be exceptional and fortunate. They are the closest to god. Fortunate? Close??? I have very different definitions of those words if that's the case. And while yuki exceled at school, he had a debilitating illness growing up and struggled in a lot of other aspects of life. His accomplishments at school were more out of family pressure and fear of ostracization than anything else

Children of the ox are dumb. Bitch. Hatsuharu has one of the only brain cells in this family.

Parents of the zodiac children react either one of two ways. Really? Because all the families seem very different in their reactions

Normal people cannot accept the zodiac for who they are. Really? Tohru had no problem. Kazuma didn't either. Mine probably knew and she still got with ayame. Kana didn't mind the curse itself, it was akito that got to her. Yuki was about to tell machi and I'll bet she'd have accepted it. Ngl saki probably knew and really did not care

Kureno. The sticking point for me is kureno. Kureno, unlike the others, ought to be freed. But honestly? Does he feel more free to anyone? To me, he seems just as stuck. More so, in some ways!

I just... can't help but wonder. Was the empty box akito had a metaphor for the curse? Was it all just.... in their heads all along? I mean, yeah, they turned into animals. But the rest of it? Was any of it even real? Or was it just tradition and superstition and fear-mongering? Was it magic or was it systematic abuse, guilt tactics, and toxic environments? Is the answer simply that they were all once young and impressionable and born into a family all to willing to prey on that for the sake of tradition?

[abasketofmuses]

@eevee-sohma hit the ❤ for Kana/Hatori 

Kana couldn’t believe this surprise situation. When she had returned to see her family before her wedding she had thought that she would perhaps run into Hatori and be able to invite him properly - but it hadn’t occurred. She had seen Ayame there when she had exchanged vows, but alas, the good doctor wasn’t there. So, to see him when she was returning to see her parents at the Sohma Compound, she was surprised to see Hatori doing his rounds near her parents home. “Excuse me? Hatori,” she gave a polite bow, “it’s been a while,” she lifted herself up and smiled, her hair (recently cut to be similar length as it was when she had been his assistant) shifting in the wind. “It’s good to see you. How have you been?”

[letsgreenforest]

As for the twenty-first episode ... Actually, I was waiting for this. A bit strange, but true. When I first read it in the manga, I thought it was a kind of filler. When it came to the point of jealousy, I thought it was more about a Hanajima character. Then, thinking again, I considered this as a "Hana and Tohru thing."

But in fact, this is an important idea that resonates with the main storyline. What Saki and Megumi are talking about is so obvious about the situation with Akito and the Zodiac. Because it literally matches. Saki talks about how she sees the interaction of Tohru and Sohma. “They appropriated my dear Tohru” (that is, “took her from me”)

Just think it over.

When Hiro and Hatori talk to Akito about their love for Kisa and Kana, they don't want anything bad for Akito. At all. You could even say that they trust her. “I wanted him (the headman) to know about this,” Hiro argues.

But Akito perceives it this way ... The love that the Zodiacs show to someone else in her understanding is stolen personally from her. They are stolen from her, and she literally seeks to destroy those who are “to blame” for this. "You won't get him!". And we already know that the things shown in this episode with Prince Yuki's club in a semi-comic manner (“take your hands off of him, bitch” and the fantasy of “defeating the witch”) can be really scary and disgusting.

I will not go into spoilers about the reasons for this and the problems of Akito, this is just a rather vivid example.

And, of course, "You must respect the feelings of those who are dear to you."

This is how the right relationship is built.

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET EPISODE 14

Oh man, the screen cap for this episode is Tohru crying. I’m so in for it, aren’t I?

- SHIGURE WATCH: Why didn’t he go to Kyoko’s grave with the rest of them? Isn’t that lowkey impolite? What came up? Did he feel that if he were to go his frosty heart would truly melt completely? Hmmm... 🧐

OOO! New opening! It’s energetic and fun! I like the metaphor of the sunshine after rain and how that relates to the zodiac and Tohru. I like the character themed umbrellas. It’s all cute and fun. (Although, I am still dreadfully in love with ‘Again’, sorry)

- I love how much Tohru’s friends look up to Kyoko! It’s really just nice and I like how throughout this episode they kind of are there to keep things light and positive for Tohru knowing that this must be crushing her inside. Good friends! Everyone deserves good friends :)

- I too would love to see present day Kyo meet Kyoko! Any period of time interaction actually... (a boiling pot is bubbling within my heart in anticipation...)

*computer voice* Heart Stability has dropped down to 80%

- I love (love in the way of appreciating the work put into the anime) that Momiji’s accent drops when he’s around his mother and it just further highlights that he puts the accent on and the german phrases as a way of acknowledging and feeling closer to his mother. Even though she doesn’t remember him, he always will! Ok. Heart stability has dropped down to 50%

- Although it’s kind of nice how his mother still seems to care about him. Even if it is in the most general way.... Trying to find the positives, guys

So... this has kind of been a thought for a while, but the whole thing about using memory erasure to ‘cure’ people of their sadness is kind of... hmmm...

I get it. This is an extremely peculiar situation but this situation and also Kana’s situation both read to me as depression (in Momiji’s mother’s situation ‘post partum depression). And both depression and suicidal thoughts can be stemmed from one root but also a lot of the time that root tends to have many branches. So, would their depression really be ‘fixed’ by memory erasure? Life can be full of traumatic incidents, they can’t just erase someone’s memory every time a situation comes up. It feels a bit... irresponsible. But tbh, we’re talking about the Sohma family who aren’t the most emotionally healthy nor emotionally conscious group of people so...

- Also, I just clocked that this is a big reason as to why Momiji and Hatori seem to have such a close relationship! Although, it must be tough on Momiji knowing that Hatori was the one to take away his mother’s memories. And I also guess Hatori is trying to atone for it by being an additional parental figure in Momiji’s life... (a little bit of a reflection of a character that will be introduced probably at the end of this season... ahem.)

- But Momiji’s outlook on loss and his situation with his mother is so healthy! (Maybe too healthy) And emotionally mature! And he’s just trying so hard! I’m crying through my typing. Also...

Heart stability has dropped down to 40%

- Yuki has been clocking that Kyo has feelings for Tohru since the spa episode and I love it

- I was considering not doing an outfit appreciation this week cos it just felt so emotionally heavy but OUTFIT APPRECIATION: To both Uo and Hana. Hana as usual is coming through with the gothic queen realness, also love the dramatic flair of the veil and how it’s used later... And Uo! With Kyoko’s jacket! Just super badass and I love it. I love both of them in this episode. They definitely got together before this and agreed to just make sure that Tohru is happy and ok and keep the energy positive and I love it! (It’s a tragedy that they’re not romantically involved with each other)

- Although I do worry that Tohru has clocked this energy and is putting on a happy face to comfort everyone else and not let anyone worry about it. This was the first anniversary and she didn’t get a chance to cry. As someone who’s been there, it’s a bit... worrying

oh SHIT. (Btw, cinematic realness. We only expect the best from Uotani scenes) I am not ready for... newly adapted scenes. I quit. I don’t wanna play anymore. Heart stability has dropped to 10%

- I also love Uo just constantly reading the Sohma boys from head to toe and getting it 100% accurate.

Heart stability has risen to 40%

Waiit...

(I TOTALLY THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA KISS HER. BUT THIS IS MY NEW LAPTOP BACKGROUND ANYWAY.)

Heart stability has dropped to 0%

I can’t. I’m not ready. I’M NOT READY. FUCKIn- CLOWNING OVER HERE. 

Well... clearly I need to recharge. And I have no idea what next week is gonna bring but I’m sure I’ll find out either through the tag or my memories of the anime/manga dripping through the bag of soil they’re in right now. Phew. Anyway... how about that new Spider-Man film, huh? (It was aite)

[onceandfuturekitty]

Meditation on Hatori, Snow, and Dark Backgrounds in Fruits Basket: Part 1

Part 1 < Previous Part | Next Part >

Like last time, Fruits Basket angst ahoy below the cut. Spoilers only if you really want to read chapters 10 and 12 of the manga but still haven’t.

When we think of ‘winter’ or ‘snow’ in Fruits Basket, we naturally think of Hatori. However, there’s a certain type of snow that is very specifically linked to him and to his tragic past: snow set against a dark background.

Above is, I think, the first appearance of this ominous kind of snow in the manga (Vol. 2, Ch. 10). It is used with an explicitly negative connotation—the family head didn’t like Hatori and Kana wanting to get married. That + black background = uh-oh.

Here’s another example of the snow on black background, where we see Hatori brooding over what he perceives to be his past failures. 

(“I...wasn’t able to [choose Kana over Akito].”)

We get the sense that he does this a lot, or at the very least that he gets lost in thought/stuck in his head a lot (when Tohru wishes him a happy New Year in chapter 12, he’s dazed from being jolted out of his reverie brooding).

That’s one reason I think it’s actually really nice and important that he has friends like Shigure and Ayame, who are more outgoing and energetic than he is and who can thereby force him to get out of his head and interact with the world more/do other nice things for him, like make him tea and get him a special relaxing vacation. (Can you see why I like season 1 episode 15 of the 2019 anime reboot? It just makes me really soft lol.)

Here’s another addition to our program of snow with dark backgrounds. We’re starting to see a pattern here—if there’s a bunch of irregularly-shaped snow set against a black background, you can BET it has to do with another dose of Hatori/Kana pain and angst.

That’s not all the above scene highlights, however. It also emphasizes how selfless Hatori is—to, as he puts it in chapter 12, erase the most precious memories from the mind most precious to him with his own hands? Hatori embodies this aspect/part of the Jedi from Star Wars’ philosophy of letting go extremely well: doing so for the sake of someone else, so that they will be bettered and happier/undergo less suffering because of it. Even if you suffer instead.

Another interesting thing about the above scene is that, while the snow starts with a black background and is shaped more irregularly, the snow then MORPHS INTO HATORI, with a dark grayish, more circular fairy light-like quality instead. It’s a very neat and direct way of showing that Hatori has (re-)frozen into snow now that Kana’s gone. But it still makes me sad :(

That won’t be the last time that kind of snow appears in the manga.

In fact...

I would argue that the above scene is where a similar type of fairy light snow appears. We don’t just see the more fairy light type of circle shapes, we also see some of the smaller more irregular ellipse-like shapes that have previously signaled snow against a black background.

That’s Natsuki Takaya-sensei’s warning to us readers: it looks beautiful now, but it already has the telltale signs of tragedy and a snowy death written all over it.

And indeed, this is where their story leads. To Kana wrongly blaming herself for all that’s happened (thanks, Akito and the curse)...to Akito’s further manipulation of Hatori...to the break-up and disintegration of their happiness, and of their relationship. 

It’s another clear instance of the dark background kind of snow. And, man, I know Kana wanted Hatori not to have been hurt, but the words she says in this scene must have wounded him deeply, coming not only from the woman he loved and the first person who helped him feel forgiven/saved, but also from the woman who had (only a short time before the above scene) told him she was glad to have met him: 

It’s as if all of that is being thrown back at his face. And it can lead one into interesting philosophical questions and discussion—is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all? I’d say yes. In this case, Kana is saying no.

Like, oUcH?? Who said this was okay?? That is a painful juxtaposition.

Alright, one more sad picture and then I’m gonna end on a happier note.

After he’s erased her memory, and after the Sohma maids(?) have taken Kana away, Hatori remains. He’s alone and isolated once more, and he’s frozen into snow yet again. 

But still, he doesn’t spare a selfish thought for himself—he’s willing to do whatever it takes for Kana to still be happy.

To which I say: SOMEONE HELP THIS MAN, PLEASE. (Can’t wait til season 2, please let it happen in season 2....)

And what does Tohru say in response?

Someone will.

[lyonsdenprojects]

The Psychology of Fruits Basket: Hatori

(This article will contain spoilers for the new anime, approximately in episodes 7, 8, and 9 depending on pacing. However, it is character history spoilers and not meta-plot spoilers.)

By popular request the next character up for review is Hatori Sohma, the doctor of the family and the Dragon of the Zodiac. Interesting information from the translator’s notes in the collector’s edition of the manga: The original Japanese term for “sea horse” is tatsu no otoshiko, which also translates to “illegitimate son of the dragon”.

Hatori’s character contains many sad ironies. He is a healer, but also involuntarily harms in the same action. He is a protector for the Sohmas but also for protects others from the Sohmas. Of everyone in the cast of Fruits Basket, I believe Hatori displays the best depiction of clinical depression. This is an important characteristic to factor in as we continue our exploration of how Kyoko impacted all the major players in the story because Tohru appears to be one of the first people in a very long time to break through Hatori’s cold countenance.

Due to his Zodiac spirit, Hatori is very much like a bodyguard of sorts. He has skill in erasing people’s memories associated with the Sohma’s that is said to be passed through the family line (this is not necessarily related to the Dragon spirit). Thus, with this skill he is able to protect the Zodiac Curse/Promise. However we also see that having this skill causes others to distrust him, specifically Yuki as a result of his childhood incident where a whole group of would-be friends had their memories erased.

We also see Hatori attempt to protect those outside the Sohma family. This led to one of the saddest moments in Hatori’s life, the erasure of his fiance, Kana’s, memories. Additionally, when Hatori is informed of a new outsider (Tohru) who is allowed to both know the Curse as well as live with the Sohmas, he goes into protection mode again. Just as much, if not more so, for her own sake in remembering the outcome of his lost love.

This very subtly matches up with the character of his Zodiac spirit: In one variation of the Great Race myth, the Dragon did not come in first because he saw a village that caught on fire and he paused to help put out the fire and then to assist the Rabbit across the river. (I have found a handful of sites with this variation of the story, but I felt this blog had the best write up.)

Hatori is such a tragic character in his own right. He has a strong personality that is very clearly backed by a lot of quiet care and emotion. Yet his trauma is unique to any of the characters we’ve covered so far in that he was forced to execute the memory erasures himself. Though it was definitely for the protection of others, and ultimately the right choices to make, it was not a heroic feeling deed. He received Yuki’s distrust. He personally eradicated all traces of his love from Kana. He displays one of the most altruistic loves in this, just wanting to end her pain and suffering even if that meant her life no longer included him.

It is not much of a surprise, then, that Hatori displays subtle symptoms that could be indicative of clinical depression:

Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness

Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame

Often wanting to stay at home, rather than going out to socialize or doing new things (It is commented that Hatori is rarely seen outside the Sohma compound)

Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports

A flattened affect

In my discussion of Yuki, I made mention of his ‘affect’, or the way in which he expresses emotion. Where Yuki appeared to have a blunted affect, Hatori appears to have a flattened affect. This is different in that he displays almost no emotive responses at all. His voice is almost always monotone regardless of the type of information he is relaying. Even when Shigure starts to tell Tohru what Hatori’s Zodiac form is, Hatori’s threat does not come with an outrageous outburst. It is only a very solid promise.

With this in mind, it makes Tohru’s impact on Hatori that much more notable.

As we have discussed many times as this point, Kyoko made it a point to raise Tohru to be a caring optimist who sees the true hearts of others. After Tohru’s meeting with Hatori at Sohma House, Shigure comments to her that Hatori’s was trying to give her the “heebie jeebies”. Tohru’s immediate response back is “He was very kind to me”. She recognized that despite his icy exterior, Hatori truly was looking out for her well-being and safety.

In these first few interactions with Hatori, we see a deep maturity that is beyond her years. Tohru understands protecting those you love. She learned from Kyoko how life can be hard but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth living. And so she is one of the few people who can truly see Hatori on his own level. As she takes her leave from her first meeting with Hatori at Sohma House, Hatori says “I apologize for today. All I did was make you cry.” Her only response to him is to smile knowingly, as if to silently say I understand.

That moment when Tohru displays the same optimism and brightness that Kana did despite already knowing about the horrors of the Curse is what cements Hatori as a Tohru supporter.

“When the snow melts, what does it become?”

“It becomes spring! No matter how cold it is now, spring will always come.”

I can’t help but wonder if Hatori may have had some hope that Kana could be the one to break the Curse. Or if he and Kana had discussed the Curse at length at that point. During the flashback where Hatori is attacked, Akito shouts:

“YOU?! AS IF I WOULD GIVE HIM TO YOU!? I HAVE NO USE FOR YOU! WHAT USE WOULD I HAVE OF YOU WHEN YOU CAN’T EVEN BREAK THE CURSE?!”

And that was sadly true. Kana was unable to cope with the trauma of Hatori’s injury and blamed herself (even though the real person to blame is Akito). She can’t really be blamed for that either. The raw violence of the scene is a lot to take in and then to boot Hatori can’t even blame Akito for disabling him. The true tragedy of the scene is the destruction of hope for Hatori and Kana, and the fact that Hatori must face the reality of continuing to be trapped in “the darkness  of this [Sohma] house”.

Tohru, knowing that there are very real dangers and knowing that she is possibly being used, still faces Hatori with brightness and caring. She still sees that there is a future spring beyond the snow. Though Kyoko’s influence here is much slighter than with the other characters, the beautiful daughter she raised is gives Hatori a similar hope for the future that Kana did so long ago, though it is of a different tenor.

Follow me on my social media channels (Facebook, Twitter) or become a patron on my Patreon page to be notified of new analyses! Next character in the Psychology of Fruits Basket line up: Momiji!

[lgbtfurubanet]

The Fruits Basket Shipping Game!!

Hey everybody, Mod Anna here. We’ve come up with a shipping game that we hope will be fun and help generate some much needed Fruits Basket content. We can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!  1. Choose the list that best suits your needs: Fruits Basket Another, Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Minors), Fruits Basket (Adults), or Whole Cast. 2. Plug the list into Random.org - https://www.random.org/lists/ 3. The first two names are your pairing! For example, if the first two names on the list are Arisa Uotani and Rin Sohma, your pairing is Arisa Uotani x Rin Sohma. If you’d prefer to write about a poly relationship, feel free to take as many names off the top as you want.  4. Create something! Anything from a 100 word drabble or a doodle to a multi-chapter fic or a comic is welcome. Icons, fan mixes, anything goes - see where your inspiration takes you.  5. Submit your creation to lgbtfurubanet.tumblr.com, and tag it with fruits basket shipping game. Notes & Lists below the cut! 

Note #1: If you hate the pairing that was randomly selected for you, you can re-roll. This is supposed to encourage people to have fun and try new things, not force them to create something that makes them uncomfortable. Note #2: When submitting your work, please tag appropriately for common triggers, and put potentially upsetting content under a cut. Note #3: Our focus is LGBTQ+ content. While you’re free to use these lists for your own purposes, anything submitted to us should fall under that category. F/M pairings are fine, but characters should not be depicted as straight, cis people. Note #4: If you just want to write about a character interaction with no romantic overtones, that's totally fine too! Just make sure to label accordingly when you post your creative work.

Fruits Basket Another

Sawa Mitoma

Sawa’s Mom

Mutsuki Sohma

Hajime Sohma

Kinu Sohma

Shiki Sohma

Chizuru Sohma

Rio Mosca

Hibika Sohma

Mina Sohma

Michi Manabe

Mito

Riku Sohma

Sora Sohma

Ruriko Kageyama

Fruits Basket

Tohru Honda

Arisa Uotani

Saki Hanajima

Katsuya Honda

Kyoko Honda

Megumi Hanajima

Akito Sohma

Shigure Sohma

Yuki Sohma

Kyo Sohma

Hatori Sohma

Ayame Sohma

Kisa Sohma

Hiro Sohma

Ritsu Sohma

Rin Sohma

Kagura Sohma

Haru Sohma

Momiji Sohma

Kureno Sohma

Kakeru Manabe

Machi Kuragi

Mitsuru

Mayuko Shiraki

Mine Kuramae

Motoko Minagawa

Takei Makoto

Kimi Todo

Naohito Sakuragi

Ren Sohma

Akira Sohma

Kana Sohma

Kazuma Sohma

Tohru's Grandfather

Tohru's Female Cousin

Tohru's Male Cousin

Tohru's Aunt

Kunimitsu Tomoda

Komaki Nakao

Okami Sohma

Akimbo

Momiji’s Mom

Momiji’s Dad

Saki’s Mom

Saki’s Dad

Saki’s Grandmother

Arisa’s Dad

Kyo’s Dad

Kyo’s Mom

Yuki’s Mom

Sohma Maid

Satsuki Sohma

Hinata Sohma

Momo Sohma

Minami Kinoshita

Mio Yamagishi

Mai Gotou

Mai Iwata

Rika Aida

Fruits Basket (Minors)

Tohru Honda

Arisa Uotani

Saki Hanajima

Kakeru Manabe

Megumi Hanajima

Machi Kuragi

Motoko Minagawa

Takei Makoto

Kimi Todo

Naohito Sakuragi

Hinata Sohma

Momo Sohma

Minami Kinoshita

Mio Yamagishi

Mai Gotou

Mai Iwata

Rika Aida

Komaki Nakao

Haru Sohma

Momiji Sohma

Yuki Sohma

Kyo Sohma

Kisa Sohma

Hiro Sohma

Fruits Basket (Adults)

Momiji’s Mom

Momiji’s Dad

Okami Sohma

Akimoto

Saki’s Mom

Saki’s Dad

Mine Kuramae

Saki’s Grandmother

Arisa’s Dad

Kyo’s Dad

Kyo’s Mom

Yuki’s Mom

Sohma Maid

Satsuki Sohma

Ren Sohma

Akira Sohma

Kana Sohma

Kazuma Sohma

Tohru's Grandfather

Tohru's Female Cousin

Tohru's Male Cousin

Tohru's Aunt

Kunimitsu Tomoda

Mitsuru

Mayuko Shiraki

Ritsu Sohma

Katsuya Honda

Kyoko Honda

Akito Sohma

Shigure Sohma

Hatori Sohma

Ayame Sohma

Whole Cast

Sawa Mitoma

Sawa’s Mom

Mutsuki Sohma

Hajime Sohma

Kinu Sohma

Shiki Sohma

Chizuru Sohma

Rio Mosca

Hibika Sohma

Mina Sohma

Michi Manabe

Mito

Riku Sohma

Sora Sohma

Ruriko Kageyama

Tohru Honda

Arisa Uotani

Saki Hanajima

Katsuya Honda

Kyoko Honda

Megumi Hanajima

Akito Sohma

Shigure Sohma

Yuki Sohma

Kyo Sohma

Hatori Sohma

Ayame Sohma

Kisa Sohma

Hiro Sohma

Ritsu Sohma

Rin Sohma

Kagura Sohma

Haru Sohma

Momiji Sohma

Kureno Sohma

Kakeru Manabe

Machi Kuragi

Mitsuru

Mayuko Shiraki

Mine Kuramae

Motoko Minagawa

Takei Makoto

Kimi Todo

Naohito Sakuragi

Ren Sohma

Akira Sohma

Kana Sohma

Kazuma Sohma

Tohru's Grandfather

Tohru's Female Cousin

Tohru's Male Cousin

Tohru's Aunt

Kunimitsu Tomoda

Komaki Nakao

Okami Sohma

Akimoto

Momiji’s Mom

Momiji’s Dad

Saki’s Mom

Saki’s Dad

Saki’s Grandmother

Arisa’s Dad

Kyo’s Dad

Kyo’s Mom

Yuki’s Mom

Sohma Maid

Satsuki Sohma

Hinata Sohma

Momo Sohma

Minami Kinoshita

Mio Yamagishi

Mai Gotou

Mai Iwata

Rika Aida