Fruits Basket (2019) S2 Episode 23

I think this episode was very much needed. Not only because the past few episodes have just been full of pain and suffering, but just so many sad things have been happening in other series. So I felt like this episode was a breath of fresh air. Not to mention I laughed out loud several times through out the episode. While it was a very hilarious episode, there looms some foreboding feelings.

There is certainly a lot to unpack this episode, especially what went on in the freaking play. Generally speaking, the play was just so hilarious and had me laughing out loud several times. And you know something is funny to me when I have to pause the episode to laugh. For one, Hanajima just killed it as Cinderella. The girl freaking wished for the palace to be burned down because it “stole” her beloved step sister and I just couldn’t help but laugh when Yuki (as the fairy godmother) asked for her to wish for something more pure. Sorry Yuki, but Hanajima is out for blood… and apparently food lol. And oh my gosh, I just died at how her mother excitedly clapped for her as soon as she came on stage in her black dress. It was both hilarious and heartwarming. Hanajima definitely has the best parents in this anime.  The narrator also gave me several chuckles as he seemed to not get the memo that the script changed (or maybe it was on purpose to make it that more hilarious) and the guy was a freaking trooper. He both kept everything on track despite what he was saying was going completely against what was happening and it was wonderful.

Also, fun fact: Hanajima was voted for the role of Cinderella because she’s secretly popular with the guys~

Speaking of which, watching Kyo get picked on through out the play just tickled me so much. Whether it be by Uotani, Hanajima, even the narrator, it was all fantastic. Especially with how uncooperative Kyo was most of the time during the play, it felt only right for the others to pick on him. And honestly, Kyo’s reactions to the absurdity that is this play was just so hilarious. Like when Uotani straight up called him a virgin and him just seeming to just want to cease to exist when Hanajima brought up “tingly waves” as small talk. And don’t even get me started with his relationship with the narrator. That was just pure gold especially when he has to keep telling him that the prince declined the stepsister’s invitation to dance. Though I have to admit that when he did the walking in place as the set moved made me chuckle harder than I should have. Probably because Kyo just never wants to listen to directions, so him abiding by the script was pretty funny to me. The whole play was just so delightfully dumb and I loved it.

However, things did get pretty real during the play as well. First being with Uotani getting frustrated with Kyo- er pardon me, the prince, over how he can see the one that he loves, unlike “other people.” It’s pretty clear that she is not over Kureno and desperately wants to see him.  Even the narrator picked up on how the urging was “tinged with personal feelings.” I just can’t with him. Momiji also catches on to what she meant from piecing together what Tohru told him from before about someone wanting to see Kureno and this boy deserves a freaking medal with how perceptive he is. Even going as far as to try and deliver a copy of the play to Kureno. We pray that he succeeds without getting into any trouble because we all know how much Akito tends to keep Kureno away from others, even the other Zodiac members.

We also hit a rather real moment when Hanajima scolds the prince for continuing to deceive himself about what he truly wants and wanting to stay locked up in his palace. Which hits rather close to home in Kyo’s case since he literally will be locked away for the rest of his life. And while he waves it off like no one would care if he’s locked away, Tohru breaks out of character for a moment and shouts that she wouldn’t want him to be locked away. I think two alarms basically went off in Kyo’s head after that outburst. One, Tohru is NOT supposed to know he’s going to be locked away in the cat’s room. And two, he realizes that she might just have feelings for him. But before he could stew on those thoughts, Fairy Godmother Yuki ascends from the floor in glorious fashion to grant Cinderella’s true wish. However, he states that he won’t ask for the prince’s wish because he needs to make it come true with his own hands. I feel like Yuki is trying his best to push Kyo in the right direction, trying to help him realize what he should be striving for in his own way. Now, we all know that it may be beyond Kyo’s power to stop his imprisonment, however, I don’t think he realizes how many people are willing to help him fight for his freedom. Like Kazuma!

And while we’re on the topic of Kazuma, I REALLY do not like the weird Hanajima x Kazuma vibes, like at all. I can let Kureno x Uotani slide even if I still feel iffy, BUT THIS MAN IS LIKE THREE TIMES YOUR AGE HANAJIMA. That is TOO MUCH of an age gap if you ask me. Though it was hilarious when Kyo demanded that Kazuma never get married. Anyways, on a serious note, I absolutely loved the subtle moment when Kyo was man handling Haru, he talked about how it’s embarrassing to have your parents watch you on stage and Kazuma just GLOWS. Because this was probably the first time that Kyo referred to Kazuma as his parent to other people. A giant step in his development from season 1 where he refused to acknowledge to other people that Kazuma was his dad since he felt like he didn’t have the right. And it was just the sweetest thing.

I don’t know about the majority of people, but I really do appreciate and am enjoying Hiro’s development. While he still sucks at apologizing, he at least is trying to make an effort not to snap at every little thing that ticks him off. And even when Hiro snapped at Haru, he immediately realized he was wrong to have done that. Not only because he’s not even supposed to know about Rin and Haru’s relationship, but also because he’s trying not to take his anger and frustration out on other people. While he made a mistake, I found it rather mature of him to admit it to himself that he made a mistake and that he’s actively making an effort to get better. Of course he’s going to mess up at times (as he did), but he has a ways to go so I’m sure he’ll eventually get to a point where he isn’t a little punk. Gotta appreciate that character growth. Also I love how his face just turns into pure awe when Haru points out a Mogeta mascot. It was just flipping adorable.

Still, shame on him for causing needless drama unintentionally. Especially since his remark not only stirs the pot with Haru, but also seems to make Kisa slightly nervous at the thought that Hiro may have feelings for Rin. Do I detect some jealousy? :3c

And I am just on a roll with these transitions but SPEAKING OF JEALOUSY. Yuki stumbles upon a few girls from his fanclub cornering Machi over how she called him “un-princely.” Looks like the Yuki x Machi train is starting to move in a steady direction now. While I’m not a Yuki x Machi fan, I don’t dislike it and I can see when things are developing. With each passing episode, Yuki seems to become more and more aware of Machi as she constantly catches his interest with how she reacts and what she has to say. And I admit I died when she called him an airhead and just sent the poor boy into a near existential crisis. However, compared to all of the other girls at this school, Machi seems to be the only one to look past his good looks and notices the more personal things about him such as him being lonely. And that observation definitely touched this boy’s heart a bit with that little blush on his face. Yuki seems to appreciate it when someone sees the deeper parts of him rather than only looking at the surface. In contrast, let’s bring up his first interaction with Motoko where she told him that he was beautiful and he just gave a rather dry thanks. It’s pretty obvious he didn’t take to that compliment very much since it only noted his appearance and what was on the surface. Not to mention that he’s been pelted with negative comments on how he appears to be by others, especially Kyo for nearly his entire life. So this moment felt like a hook line and sinker for the Yuki x Machi ship.

Though I must say, I was a bit frustrated with Kakeru’s reasoning to not help Machi out at first and that ignoring someone in need is the “better” solution than to halfheartedly try and be nice to them. And Yuki was probably the worst person you could say that to, especially since his entire life was filled with people flat out ignoring him, essentially crushing him with loneliness as Yuki put it. If someone had helped Yuki at any time back then, he probably would have turned out very differently. But I am glad that after Yuki gave that remark, Kakeru didn’t argue with him and actually went to go help… even if it ended with Yuki having to take part in a photo op. Poor Yuki… XD;;

While this episode was fun and games, things are certainly being set up for more development for a lot of characters. Especially Kyo and Tohru, to which… shippers are probably just dying over what transpired. Both seem to be realizing Tohru’s feelings for Kyo but because of their circumstances are choosing to ignore it. Which may cause a rift between the two in the future. It’s sad really and this is coming from someone who doesn’t even ship them. And while this isn’t important, I noticed something mildly frustrating in this episode. It’s a nitpick but I noticed that they aren’t doing well in depicting character growth height-wise. My boy Hiro is supposed to be nearly a head taller than Kisa by now and Momiji is also supposed to be almost as tall as Tohru. Years have passed so they should have grown and it is also depicted that way in the manga. So, I’m a bit disappointed in that aspect, but whatever. I’LL LIVE. Overall, this episode was a delight and a well needed a good laugh after all the soul crushing drama this series is known for. Seems like we’re getting a Machi episode next week so guess we’ll be seeing that Yuki x Machi ship pick up some steam.