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Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 6 Review – Quick Summary
In Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 6, “It Was So Foolish,” it’s almost the anniversary of Kyouko Honda’s passing. Tohru Honda, of course, plans to visit her grave, and she asks her friends to go with her. Yuki Souma agrees readily, but Kyou Souma said he couldn’t make it. What’s more important than helping Tohru? Later, Shigure Souma drops an emotional bomb on Isuzu “Rin” Souma. The profound revelation shocked her — almost as much as it shocked Tohru, who had been standing within ear shot. Her presence took Shigure by surprise, but it didn’t stop him from compounding the surprise with a cruel observation. Why has he decided to treat Tohru so callously? And does the reappearance of Kagura Souma mean that a house or a person is about to get a beat down — or both?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 6
Kagura remains Kagura. I feel a lot of sympathy for her. She doesn’t know how to express herself non-destructively! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Look, I know that the hyper-violent tsundere trope is probably not the most stellar of positive examples. Okay, it’s not positive at all. But it hasn’t even dented how much I like Kagura. Since the first time we met her in episode 4 of season 1, there was just something about her that I found compelling and sympathetic. Maybe it was how much she obviously loved Kyou. Maybe it was the uninhibited way she expressed herself. Whatever it was, I wanted to know more about her.
In this episode, we got to see that she’s still struggling with her affection for Kyou. It’s obvious to her that Tohru is in love with him. But it’s not obvious why Tohru loves him. Kagura is trying to let go, but she’s still fiercely defensive. She has no intention of accepting a relationship between Tohru and Kyou if Tohru simply felt sorry for the Cat.
Tohru put Kagura’s doubts to rest when, pouring her heart out to Rin, Kagura overheard Tohru say (14:32), “Can this cruel, greedy feeling really be pity?” In that instant, Kagura knew two things: First, that Tohru really did love Kyou, and two, that Tohru should really be telling Kyou instead of Rin. So Kagura did what Kagura does: She smacked Tohru hard enough to knock her on her butt.
Defending herself later to Rin and Kazuma Souma, Kagura said (20:40), “I refuse to apologize. Tohru-kun and I communicated with our fists.”
Well, how else would I have expected Kagura to communicate?
Best in Show Moment for Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 6
This moment took a long time to arrive, but that just made it all the more emotionally satisfying. Yet, it’s already under threat… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: Tohru’s Decision, Made as a Child
Given Fruits Basket’s expertly crafted characters, I stubbornly clung to the idea that we would one day learn why Tohru drove herself so hard — so severely — to be nice. Through rapid flashbacks to her childhood, to a time just after her father died, this episode showed us what had happened.
That poor little girl…
In the wake of the death of Tohru’s father, Tohru’s mother withdrew and almost withered away. At the funeral, some cruel relatives said things that made Tohru believe she was at fault for her mother’s condition. The reason? Tohru did not look more like her father. So, faced with the possibility that she would also lose her mother, little Tohru analyzed the situation as best as she could. She came to the conclusion that if she adopted her father’s mannerisms, she might be able to comfort her mother and help her stay.
It was a childish decision, based on childish logic. It changed her life.
It’s tragic when adults find themselves in these situations. It’s even worse for children. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Perhaps coincidentally, Tohru’s mom began to heal. She even noticed the effort that Tohru had put into the act, and she did take some comfort from it. But it put Tohru on an unsustainable course that had begun to unravel over the last several episodes. In this episode, it came apart.
Kyou, having just come from a conversation with Tohru’s grandfather, visited Tohru on the balcony where she was taking the dry sheets down from the clothesline. He has a strong sense of Tohru’s moods, and he has a light touch when it comes to talking to her. He knows when to speak and when to be silent. Now, he asked her if she looked like her father.
Delivery: Tohru’s Admission, Made as a Young Woman
That simple question, asked in a quiet voice, unraveled her world. She tried to rally and appear cheerful, but this season has been rough on Tohru. The strain of maintaining her facade now too much to bear, she hid behind one of the sheets, and the words just tumbled out. She admitted she wasn’t anything like her father. Worse, she admitted that she hated him because, through his death, he threatened to take her mother away.
Hiding behind the sheet gave her the strength to say that she would have done anything to be safe. She said (18:50), “I’d let go of any promise out of my own selfishness, because I’m awful.”
Seeing the burden Tohru had taken on herself, it’s no wonder she had started to unravel. The colors, the shot composition, the music, and, most of all, Tohru’s voice actor Manaka Iwami came together in a moment of pure emotion. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Kyou listened silently. He reflected on how hard it must have been for her as a child. He’d seen how hard it was for her to keep up the act; as the Cat, he recognized the loneliness she had tried to hide. He gently pushed aside the sheet — not too much, still giving her space to hide. When she tried to apologize, he said (20:24), “It’s fine. Say whatever you need, it’s fine. I won’t be disappointed in you.”
She pushed herself into his arms.
I don’t know what the last few moments of this episode mean. But I know that whatever comes next, in that instant, Tohru knew it was okay to be Tohru, and that there was someone who treasured her as she was.
What did you think of how Shigure told Rin about the curse? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!
Fruits Basket – The Final Episode 6: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Fruits Basket: The Final – Episode 6 discussion
- The Otaku Author: Fruits Basket (Episode 56) – It Was So Foolish
- 100 Word Anime: Fruits Basket: The Final Season Episode 6 Impressions
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
I went two whole seasons and a few episodes without noticing, but: Kyou has the same haircolour as Tohru’s mum, and if you add a -ko to his name, you get Kyouko. Now it was Kyouko Honda who told Tohru the zodiac story, and Tohru instinctively sympathised with the cat because of her Fruitsbasket experience. This looks a lot less like a coincidence after this episode…
Also, interestingly this struck me this episode, but before we ever saw a picture with both Kyou and Kyouko in one shot. Is this a coincidence helped by the fact that this was going to be an episode focussing on both those characters, or is the show just really good at directing my attention.
My intuitions for Fruits Basket turn out to be correct or nearly correct far more than avarage. In fact, for many shows I’m wrong more often than not. Does this mean I simply connect, even on a subconscious level? Fact is, I really, really like the show.
“This looks a lot less like a coincidence after this episode…”
That stared me in the face and I didn’t see it. This could get a bit intense! Well, i should say a bit _more_ intense!
“or is the show just really good at directing my attention.”
I vote for the show being really good.
“Does this mean I simply connect, even on a subconscious level? Fact is, I really, really like the show.”
Seems like it’s on your wavelength!
Mine, too. I typically go for science fiction or military shows. This should not be a series I enjoy. But as a writer, I’m honestly in awe of what this show has been able to achieve from a plot, character, and animation perspective. Some of the shots in this episode were just so rich in subtle symbolism!
Character growth is really good of this anime. KyoXTohru love u both!!!
It’s like the writers are giving us a master class in character. It’s just amazing.