This final episode is everything I could of asked for and more. We’ve reached the end of season 1, it was a very emotional ride and i’m already struggling with putting it into words.
Let’s first focus on episode 25. We pick up after the events of the previous episode, with some continued flashback for Kazuma and Kyo’s relationship. “It’s time for a change, from now on, you’ll be breathing the air of a higher place.” the image of young Kyo being lifted off the ground by Kazuma, comforting him as the people around them spit words of abuse has always nearly brought me to tears. At first, Kazuma adopted Kyo as a way to repent for the way he’d treated his grandfather, the previous cat. However, soon, he came to see Kyo as a son.
The scene with Kazuma’s grandfather also struck me in an odd way, it was a scene that was in the original. However, it was the build up I think that made this seem different. You see Kazuma’s brush with his grandfather before, but what isn’t shown in Kazuma actively going into the house before he sees his grandfather and says the cruel words that he came to regret later in life. The house, the house is so important in ways that I can’t express without getting into some extreme spoilers. I think knowing the weight behind that though, is what made the scene stick out to me.
Kyo tracks Kazuma and Tohru down, they’d left before he woke up but not enough for him not to be able to catch up. He tells Kazuma, that one day, he’ll stop causing trouble for him and that one day. He’ll be the kind of person that Kazuma can be proud to call his son. He is proud, he’s already proud. They’ve passed each other by for years, but now, because of Tohru. They are truly seeing the relationship they have and what they mean to one another.
With that mostly wrapped up, a majority of the rest of the episode focuses on Yuki in the wake of everything that happened. He has a lot he needs to face, not only connected to what happened with Kyo but in general. He’s trying to move forward, but it’s hard. He wants to be able to face all of the dark things and dark thoughts but is still struggling with them, but he’s getting better. A talk with Haru and an apology to Tohru for making her worry, is a majority of what happens with him.
“I rather people have fun, then spend their time suffering” is something Haru says and, it’s honestly a theme to this series. You can suffer, you might not be perfect and that’s okay. There is someone there who will accept you, flaws and all. Also Tohru’s “I always worry.” is way too relatable and I love it.
As Yuki and Tohru finish their talk on the stairs, we catch a glimpse of two new characters and AAAAAHHH I couldn’t be more excited to talk about them. Unfortunately, we don’t even get a full view of them. Just as we didn’t get a full view of them in the manga when they were first introduced. I won’t drop their names or say what their role is, but these two characters are going to be vital to Yuki’s character arc going forward and I’m so thrilled to see them animated at last.
Speaking of character’s i’m thrilled to see animated and voiced for the first time, as everyone gathers at Shigure’s house for dinner. Hiro is set to arrive a little late, because he’s visiting someone in the hospital. For the first time, we see Rin Sohma animated.
She says that Shigure is her only hope now to break the curse. Hnnngg, i’m so happy. This means we only need the mysterious man from the car with Akito earlier in the series to round out the Zodiac. I won’t say who is who though, that’s gotta be a surprise. Summer is coming, a big change is on the horizon and everyone can feel it coming. With that looming, season one ends and we get out slide saying that season two will be coming in 2020.
Final Impressions
I’ve struggled all day to figure out what to say here, to express how much Fruits Basket (2019) means to me. To do that, I have to talk a bit about myself though. I was an anime fan before Fruits Basket, sort of anyway, i’d watch whatever was on TV. Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, Pokemon, Digimon. You know, the things that most kids saw on television back then. Fruits Basket came into my life because a promotional video that came with some Dragon Ball Z merchandise. It was the first two episodes and the English voice actors for Yuki, Kyo and Tohru hanging out in a house and talking about the show.
It shaped the next few years of my life. My interest in anime, my interest in voice acting and it was the first manga I bought outside of paying for a magazine subscription to read manga.
In 2006 at Otakon, I folded a paper crane for Funimation in hopes for a second season of this anime that meant so much to me. Thirteen years later, i’d given up hope. I never thought that it would get another season, or a reboot or anything. So when I woke up to find out that we’d be getting a reboot, of the full story this time.
I could not of been more happy. I wasn’t the only one either, so many people were thrilled to hear about this. It floors me, to this day what this anime and manga mean to people.
I saw the first two episodes in theaters and I couldn’t help but cry from happiness. Not only was it really here, at long last, but a majority of the original English cast had returned to work on it. It also looked, so beautiful. The character designs were everything I could of asked them to be. The proper coloring of Yuki’s hair. The detail was perfect, down to dust particles animated in the air of the school.
Even taking away the English dub, I was glad to hear a new Japanese dub. Because, if I have to be honest, I was never really a fan of a female voice for Yuki. I didn’t think it really fit his character. That aside.
As every episode went by, I couldn’t help but appreciate what the show did to improve on the original version of things. Episodes like the return to Tohru’s place, an episode that I previously hated was greatly improved. Ritsu’s entire episode, was perfect, while it does not adapt the manga faithfully. It captures Ritsu’s character arc better, and expands on his relationship with Shigure’s editor and I really appreciate that.
The backstory episodes for Arisa and Hanajima were very nice touches, I know they come up later in the manga but I thought it was appropriate to move them forward and they were given such care and emotion. Especially Hanajima’s backstory.
While I will admit, the soundtrack is truly the thing I miss most about the original anime. It had a lot of amazing music, and not a lot of the 2019 background music stands out to me. Still, what we got this time around was a more subdue sound to fit with the more subdue tone of the anime. While there are still some comedic moments, it’s not as prominent as it was in the original.
Then, here in the final episode. At last, characters that weren’t included in the original anime but all have large impacts on the manga. I could not of been more thrilled to see them, I can’t wait until the second season airs. I can’t wait to see these characters grow and continue to meet the rest of the cast.
I can’t wait to see how the anime continues to show us just how beautiful this show can be.
Season one is over, but the show will go on and this time. We get it all, and that’s all I’ve ever really wanted.