Anime Best in Show

Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 5 Review – An Instant of Clarity

Quick SummaryBest MomentSetupDeliveryOther Posts

Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 5 Review – Quick Summary

In Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 5, “I Mean… You Know, Right?,” Yuki Souma must be getting serious about Machi Kuragi because he started looking for opportunities to tell her about the Souma family secret. Unfortunately, Kimi Toudou’s hairbrush got in the way. Will he find another chance to tell her? Or will she be too embarrassed? Also, Momiji Souma went through a sudden growth spurt. The girls around him took enthusiastic notice. That’s not the only change that came over Momiji. Hatsuharu Souma noticed it first. What will it mean for his friendship with Tohru Honda? What will Kyou Souma think? And how amazing was it to see Mine Kuramae again? Hint: It starts with “v” and ends in “ery!”

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 5

Fruits Basket - The Final Episode 5: Momiji's mom started talking to him

Seeing Momiji so happy actually warmed my heart. The bunny ears almost look like angel’s wings! Except pink and a little bent. And without feathers. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Do you remember all the way back in the first season’s episode 14 when Tohru learned about Momiji’s mother? In a series filled with heart-breaking moments, that one ranks right up there. But like so many moments within Fruits Basket, one powerful emotional beat serves as the foundation for another. In this episode, we get a clue that Momiji’s painful relationship with his mom might change for the better.

If you remember, the curse that Momiji carried had been just too much for his mother to bear. Hatori Souma eventually had to seal her memories of Momiji. Encountering his mother from time to time, Momiji had to watch her happily interacting with his father and their new child. But always from the outside.

You read my spoiler note above, right? Because I’m about to drop a spoiler.

The ongoing joke in this episode was how fast Momiji had grown. Not only that, but he had somehow freed himself from the Souma curse. Maybe in somber celebration, Momiji decided to walk past his mom’s house. He saw her outside gardening. They exchanged pleasantries — more than they had before. The exchange left Momiji feeling bittersweet.

Then she said (20:08), “You’ve grown so tall, Momiji. I hardly recognize you!”

He realized with without the curse, his mother had begun to see him differently. That made Momiji feel elated! I don’t think I’ve ever seen Momiji look so happy. Talk about well-earned!

Best in Show Moment for Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 5

Fruits Basket - The Final Episode 5: Momiji's joke about taking Tohru did not amuse Kyou

Hmmmm. I wonder how Kyou really feels about Tohru… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Narrowing the Focus a Bit

The almost eschatological nature of my favorite moment in the previous episode left me with a taste for something smaller this week. I really like the big moments, but they seem even more powerful if they’re supported by less grand but no less poignant moments. So I appreciated the change in scale this week.

This was an important episode for Momiji, both in terms of what happened to him and what he did. For example, the little dude isn’t so little anymore. He went through a growth spurt (is that a Souma thing?), and he started dressing more like a typical high school boy. How did his classmates respond? Well, two young woman took one look and amid sustained gasps, managed to say (04:35), “He grew up! Like, all the way up!” They looked pretty happy about it.

Several of Momiji's female classmates enjoyed seeing his growth spurt

The memories of youth can be so carefree! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

With that physical growth spurt came a corresponding psychological growth spurt. He saw the world differently. He still held Tohru’s hand, and Tohru being Tohru, she didn’t catch the extra feelings there. It was a subtle thing that only came to light during my favorite moment.

To complete the setup for that moment, there’s another character involved: Kyou. He still lacked the confidence to admit to himself just how he feels about Tohru, though I gotta believe that Tohru knows — and that she’s open to his feelings. But between the darkness that he thinks he can’t escape and his lack of confidence, he can’t bring himself to speak.

Delivery: Momiji, an Unlikely Rival

Even if he can’t open up to Tohru, Kyou has still come a long way in terms of how he interacts with pretty much everyone. Even his ages-old rivalry with Yuki seems to be losing energy. So when Momiji came into his room to tell him he, Hiro, and Kisa would be having dinner with them, Kyou didn’t fly off the handle or ignore him. In fact, and this bordered on astonishing, Kyou put down the weights he’d been using and struck up a conversation with Momiji.

Remarking casually that Momiji had certainly grown, Momiji joked that soon, he might be taller and better looking than Kyou. Kyou kind of rolled his eyes in the spirit of their camaraderie. Then the conversation took a turn that neither Kyou nor I expected. Momiji said that when he was that good looking, maybe Tohru would accept his proposal.

Momiji learned that freedom can be melancholy

I’m not sure he was kidding. No, scratch that. I’m sure he wasn’t! And did you notice the way the artists colored his pupils? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

That got Kyou’s attention. And by that, I mean he got this seriously dangerous glint in his eyes (11:41). Kyou might be able to hide his feeling from himself under normal conditions, but even a partly joking threat to try to take Tohru away from him commanded his attention.

That moment of honestly appealed to me. Seeing Kyou’s raw emotions snap to the surface even before Momiji could fully articulate the thought was a treat to watch. The way the animation captured and projected Kyou’s expression made me worry for Momiji’s safety! I’ve rarely seen a series say so much with a single shot. But then, this is Fruits Basket. It’s showcasing what can be done with character.

What did you think of Momiji being freed of the curse? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 5: Other Posts

Other Anime Sites

This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)

tcrow
Copyright 2022 Terrance A. Crow. All rights reserved.
https://www.crowsworldofanime.com

2 thoughts on “Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 5 Review – An Instant of Clarity

    1. Me, too. He’s always been one of the more gentle Soumas, and he’s always supported Tohru. Dude needs some more happy in his life.

Please let me know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.