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Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 13 Review – Quick Summary
In Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 13, “See You Again Soon,” Kyou went on what might well be his most dangerous quest: He took Tohru to the zoo — with Arisa and Saki as chaperones! Does he have any hope at all of coming out of that experience in one piece? Meanwhile, Shigure made a surprise announcement about his career, and his editor Mitsuru seems ecstatic! Finally, Yuki had some parting words for Tohru, and he even asked Kyou for permission to talk to her privately. Does Kyou have anything to worry about? Or will we get a happy ending to this series?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 13
I mean, just look at Arisa’s smile. How could Kyou be mad at her? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I am so going to miss this show! In particular, I’m going to miss how Arisa and Saki interacted with Tohru. Or just Arisa and Saki by themselves! The show never gave us too much of their banter. Instead, it measured it out, giving just enough to be delightful without becoming a bore.
Though I’m not sure it would ever really become boring!
This episode gave us another one of those scenes with Arisa and Saki. My favorite quote is from them messing with Kyou. Tohru excused herself for a moment and left an exhausted Kyou with her two friends. They’d been riding Kyou pretty hard all day, and he had born it well. He wouldn’t say anything for fear of hurting Tohru. Plus, I suspect that deep down, he really does like her friends. Even if they torment him.
Arisa gave him the kind of back-handed compliment only Arisa could get away with. She said (04:37), “We do like you, believe it or not. You’re dumb, but you’re a good guy, and hard to hate.”
“But dumb,” Saki emphasized before Tohru got back to them.
You know, if I were Kyou, I’d at least appreciate their honesty! And I’d be (secretly) relieved they didn’t hate me. Saki could do some real and lasting damage!
Best in Show Moment for Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 13
Akito’s cruelty left some serious damage. But Rin wouldn’t need to try to heal herself, all alone. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: So Many Happy Endings
This show has encouraged me to expand not only my emotional vocabulary. It has also encouraged me to expand my emotional grammar. It forced me to consider not only the words I used, but how I framed those words and what I choose to describe. I tend to look at fiction as if I’m inspecting the plumbing in the basement. I see the hot water pipe leading from the hot water heater in the direction of the kitchen. Also, I see electrical wires leading from the breaker box to the living room, where I know that the TV is plugged in. That perspective tends to pervade my reviews. I’m afraid that sometimes, I disappoint readers with a perspective that’s hard to relate to.
Unless you’re a plumber or electrician. Then you probably wonder what the heck I’m doing reviewing anime!
In this episode, I really wanted to say something about the very last scene. As I thought about to frame it, though, my thoughts fell apart. There’s something about that scene that felt painful, though it was obviously supposed to be a quietly happy scene. Maybe it was how we could only see Tohru in the distance, when the show had been so much about how her unassuming love healed a curse. Or maybe it’s because that kind of late-life joy seems so impossibly distant as to stretch credibility.
There sure was a lot of happy in this episode! But not too much… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Whatever the reason, as someone who sees wires and pipes, the subtleties of that scene were too far beyond me. So, I’ll setting for another moment that was still beautiful, even if melancholy had shaded it ever so slightly.
Delivery: Happiness Even in Pain
Momiji, Haru, and Rin sat around talking. Momiji went on at great length about how he was going to find an amazing significant other, then visit Kyou and Tohru just to show off. The kid may have grown physically, and to be honest, he’s always been a kind soul. But he had fallen hard for Tohru, and he struggled with Tohru falling in love with Kyou.
Rin sat silently, listening to them talk. Rin keeps her expression neutral most of the time, but there was something about it this time that got my attention. It’s like if she had been a real person being filmed, I would have thought something bothered her. Plus, she couldn’t figure out how to talk about it.
As Momiji talked about how he’d better find Tohru smiling when he visited, Rin recalled the moment when she collapsed sobbing into Tohru’s arms. It was back in season 2, episode 19, and that moment remains one of the high points in the entire series. The moment meant a lot to Rin, too, and it helped her find the courage to speak.
“How can you act like nothing’s happened?” she asked. She remembered everything Akito had done to them, including just about murdering Rin herself. Rin lamented that Akito has likely scarred even Tohru for life. She just could not figure out how Momiji and Haru had apparently just forgiven Akito! Rin felt like a terrible person, saying (12:19), “No matter what I do, the mess in my heart doesn’t go away.”
Rin couldn’t let go of the misery Akito had visited on her. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
When she said she worried Haru would hate her for her inability to forgive, he did exactly what he should have: He hugged her and reassured her. Yes, the curse breaking was a great thing. And yes, it was great seeing so many people be able to move on. But not everyone could, at least not yet. That’s the way the world works, and though it hurt to see Rin in such pain, I had to admire Fruits Basket’s honesty.
What did you think of Saki petting the black cat? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!
Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 13: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Fruits Basket: The Final – Episode 13 discussion – FINAL
- The Otaku Author: Fruits Basket (Episode 63) – See You Again Soon
- 100 Word Anime: Fruits Basket: The Final Season Episode 13 Impressions – The Long Epilogue of a Narrative Continued
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 1: I’ll Hold Another Banquet
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 2: That’s an Unwavering Truth
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 3: I Hope It Snows Soon
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 4: I’m… Home.
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 5: I Mean… You Know, Right?
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 6: It was So Foolish
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 7: That’s Right, It’s Empty
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 8: I’m Disappointed in You
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 9: What’s Your Name?
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 10: I Just Love Her
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 11: Goodbye
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 12: You Fought Well
- Fruits Basket – The Final – Episode 13: See You Again Soon
Ok guys, now I am gonna watch this series no matter what, even if I need to watch it illegally!! I cannot be left out….!!!!
i really hope you can find a legal route! But I won’t judge you either way!
The show’s special. But I don’t want to sound hyperbolic when I say how special. I could say something like of all the 460+ series I’ve watched, this one stands out. But that might set unrealistic expectations, you know? But it’s a true statement. I can’t think of a series that presented its character in a more accessible and emotionally resonate way.
Well, I hope you can find it and I hope you enjoy it!
If I were the type to take screenshots, I’d definitely have taken of Saki and the black cat. It might even make a great desktop pic. As it is, I like to keep my surroundings as neutral as possible, so it isn’t mood dependent. But that was one great picture. I liked the cat café a lot; how everyone got “their” cat. Kyou, of course, got the tsundere cat. If the cure hadn’t been broken, he’d have gotten them all, so there’s that meta-aspect, too. Fun scene.
It was a really nice wind-down episode. I admit I rewound a few times near the end, until I’d paid proper attention to ALL the family photos.
The show had really good closure, so rather than missing it, I’m more likely to remember it fondly whenever it comes up. One last time: it’s so hard to imagine that I was worried the adaption would get the story wrong after the initial previews of season 1. For me, it was very nearly perfect (I haven’t read the manga). I will admit that the show overdid the melodrama on occasion for me, but not often. Not quite a 10/10 anime, but pretty close. I doubt they could have done a much better job with the adaption.
Also, Ritsu got a haircut.
“If the cure hadn’t been broken, he’d have gotten them all, so there’s that meta-aspect, too. Fun scene.”
I really liked Kyou’s low-key reaction to it. the meta portion was my favorite part of that scene, though. Such a great, subtle moment of closure for him!
“I admit I rewound a few times near the end, until I’d paid proper attention to ALL the family photos.”
That scene had already put me into a deep melancholy, so I only dimly saw them. I just looked at them more closely now. Wow. Tohru’s wedding dress was beautiful.
” so rather than missing it, I’m more likely to remember it fondly whenever it comes up. ”
I hope I can get to that point. I’m in the unusual situation of not knowing exactly what I’m feeling about the show ending. Well, the better the fiction, the deeper the impact, so I’ll take that as a good sign. I’ll work it out eventually.
“Not quite a 10/10 anime, but pretty close. I doubt they could have done a much better job with the adaption.”
As a writer, I’m in awe of their characters. I’m not kidding. I can only dream of creating characters like that. The sheer number of moving parts needed to evoke the level of sentiment… It’s just impressive.
I’m surprised you didn’t go with Saki and Arisa teasing Kyo. That was a great moment.
Of course, I’m with Rin and I don’t see how everyone can just forgive Akito and move on. I’d be plotting my revenge… That’s the sequel we all need! Well, I need!
It really was a great moment! It was honestly a tough choice! I compromised by choosing my favorite quote as a Saki and Arisa duet. I couldn’t not acknowledge Rin’s struggle!
I think the Light of Tohru probably washed away most of the revenge motivations. Still, I wouldn’t mind another season: Akito’s Atonement. The head maid would make an appearance, too. Accomplices need their comeuppance, too!
Maybe a Fruits Basket – Fire Force crossover where Akito becomes an infernal and Shinra kicks her ass…
Okay, that has real possibilities!