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~ Author of Tales From Undersea

Wood the Writer

Tag Archives: relationships

All the Relationships in Fruits Basket Ranked

06 Tuesday Jul 2021

Posted by Jessica Wood in adaptation, anime, Blog, fandom, romance, shojo

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

anime relationships, fruits basket, fruits basket 2019, fruits basket anime, fruits basket manga, relationships

Now that the Fruits Basket anime has come to an end, I’d like to indulge in it a little longer by ranking all of the relationships in the series from my most to least favourite. Remember that this is all my personal opinion, so don’t complain if I rank your favourite ship low on the list, or your least favourite near the top.

Major spoilers for Fruits Basket, obviously.

  1. Yuki and Machi

Yes, I’m putting them even ahead of the main couple. Personally, I love this relationship dynamic just a little bit more and how it provides some of my favourite romantic moments. The two understand each other so well long before they officially get together, such as Machi breaking down a door to prevent Yuki from having a panic attack and Yuki later breaking a piece of chalk to prevent Machi from having an anxiety attack. It wasn’t so much that Yuki helped Machi gain a personality but more he let her realise parts of herself that she didn’t know were there. And Yuki was finally able to break free of the confines of the Sohma family thanks to Machi, who was practically the only girl at school who didn’t idolise him but saw him as he truly was.

2. Tohru and Kyo

Of course I couldn’t put them too low. Their love literally broke a generations-long curse! Watching Kyo change from an angry hot-head to a caring boyfriend all thanks to Tohru really shows how much he deserves such a special girl. It isn’t just Tohru; thanks to her influence he is gentler and more sociable with everyone. Even outside of romantic scenes, they interact so naturally and can’t get enough of each other’s company.

3. Hatsuharu and Isuzu

Not only do I adore their matching goth aesthetic (even their accessories match, now that is relationship goals) but I adore how Hatsuharu helped Rin through her trauma, and she in turn helped him transform from a punk kid to a responsible adult. Come to think of it, Rin seemed to pick up a few things from Tohru. Haru did realise that not all of his actions were right and he hurt Rin in some ways, yet he still vowed to do the right thing for her, while Rin realised it was ok to rely upon his support. It’s also kind of hilarious that after years of having a crush on her, Haru just came straight out and said ‘Wanna kiss?’ one day completely out of the blue.

4. Ayame and Mine

They’re both a little nuts, but that’s what makes them so perfect for each other. Even before the curse was broken, the two of them were completely overjoyed just being in each other’s presence and complement each other’s overwhelming confidence and sense of style. Mine probably knew about the curse for a long time and not only hid it from Akito but was perfectly happy being with Ayame, even if it meant she couldn’t hug him. Thank God the two can be all over each other now. Keeping with the theme of personal improvement, Mine also helped Ayame realise how cruelly he had treated Yuki in the past and was fully supportive when he tried to mend their relationship.

5. Ritsu and Mitsuru

It’s a shame we don’t see much of this couple, as they are another completely adorable pair. Not only do they fully relate to each other’s anxiety disorders but in a bonus manga, Mitsuru had no idea whether Ritsu was a man or a woman but didn’t care either way. I imagine she might not even find out until their wedding night! I’m glad we got to see a little more of their blossoming relationship in the anime and how they are a calming influence on each other.

6. Kisa and Hiro

Yes, they’re still too young and probably haven’t started a proper relationship yet, but it is easy to imagine they will eventually get together. Hiro recognised how he hurt Kisa, both intentionally and unintentionally, and realised he had to change for the better, even if it meant getting over his jealousy over Tohru. He became the knight who can protect Kisa.

7. Kakeru and Komaki

I’ll never forgive the anime for cutting out Komaki. She was such an integral part of Kakeru’s character arc. She helped him realise that ‘white knighting’ for her wasn’t right when it involved shooting other people down. That and it’s hilarious how he both plays pranks on her and finds even her smallest traits adorable. She truly is his ‘meat angel’.

8. Hatori and Mayuko

It’s not that I particularly dislike this couple, more it’s not one of my favourite side-plots. But it is a nice change of pace amidst so much high school drama to read a story about two mature adults who have already faced relationship issues and finally found peace with each other.

9. Kureno and Arisa

Even ignoring the age difference, there are a lot of red flags in this relationship. Kureno only seemed to fall for Arisa because she was one of the first people he met outside the Sohma family, they have little in common (not exactly Kureno’s fault since the confines of the Sohmas haven’t left him much room to develop a personality), and they are completely head-over-heels in love after interacting twice. I suppose the implication was supposed to be that their relationship was over before it even began thanks to the curse, but they still essentially decide to live happily-ever-after as soon as it’s broken rather than get to know each other naturally.

10. Ren and Akira

They are a perfect example of how some relationships can bring out the worst in a person. Akira certainly loved Ren, but only because his isolation left him with few options other than arranged brides. Ren was so jealous and possessive over Akira that she projected it onto their child, and Akira did little to stop this behaviour. Plus for all her talk of loving Akira, she was quick to jump into bed with Shigure just to spite Akito.

11. Kyoko and Katsuya

Yes, they did create the miracle that is Tohru Honda, but that doesn’t make their relationship much better if you really think about it. First of all, when they met Katsuya was an adult and Kyoko was only around fourteen. Secondly, they have little in common apart from both being lonely. Thirdly, Kyoko only married Katsuya because she had just been kicked out of her parent’s house and was dependant on him. The Honda family were a little right to be wary of her because she had a recent history of gang violence, and anger issues don’t go away just because you get married. Thankfully Kyoko matured and became a responsible mother after Katsuya died and realised she didn’t need to depend upon him her entire life.

12. Shigure and Akito

These two and their relationship dynamic are actually one of the most fascinating parts of the series for me. But that’s not the same as being healthy. Akito is a victim of abuse carrying on the cycle of abuse and is severely mentally ill. Shigure is cruel, manipulative, and willing to throw anyone under the bus to get what he wants, and justifies it by claiming it’s all for Akito’s sake. If some of the relationships above weren’t questionable enough, Shigure fell for Akito the night she was conceived and has retained that toxic hold over her ever since. He even slept with Akito’s mother just to make her jealous. And they still got married and had a son. The sequel manga did go some way to rectify this unhealthy relationship, but I still don’t see a bright future for the two of them.

 

What are your favourite and least favourite relationships in Fruits Basket? Let me know in the comments!

Manga review – Strawberry Panic volume 2.

27 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by Jessica Wood in anime, art, manga review, musings, series review, shojo, story, writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

anime, backstory, bad writing, bifauxnen, character, character development, japan, love story, manga, mary sue, plot, relationships, romance, story, strawberry panic, yuri

The other week I wrote a review of the first volume of the Strawberry Panic manga. In summary, the characters were vapid Mary Sues, the book didn’t realise it had a plot until half way through and Catholic nuns are surprisingly ok with schoolgirl lesbians. I also found the second and final volume in the local library so of course I want to review that too and find out just how many more ways this manga could be terrible.

The last book ended on a cliffhanger on who Amane’s partner in the Etoile competition was, and we finally see that it is….Some character that has never been seen or mentioned before. What was the point of the cliffhanger?

By the way, it’s worth noting that Kaname is the only dark skinned character in the series and her appearance was completely changed in the anime. It seems that even Japan is whitewashing its characters…

sp 2.1 001

This scene also leaves me a little confused about what relation the Etoile candidates are supposed to have with each other. The position is supposed to be held by two girls, usually one older and one younger, who work together and share the Etoile’s duties. I watched the anime and assumed the position was supposed to be held by two girls with a strong, sister like bond between them, which is why Nagisa and Tamao entered together in the anime. Maybe it’s a mistranslation, but the dialogue in the manga suggests that the Etoile must be a pair of lovers. Not just any lovers, but those who have sworn to be together for all eternity.

It gets even more confusing when Amane says she doesn’t want to enter the contest with Kaname because they both sort of look like boys (although the miniskirts kind of give it away). That’s a problem…how exactly? I thought she was opposed to it because she has a crush on Hikari and Kaname is kind of a bitch. (In the anime she tried to rape Hikari several times.)

Flirting during class is fine but this is scandalous!

Flirting during class is fine but this is scandalous!

Meanwhile, Hikiari and Yaya are in the locker room and…you can guess where this is going, can’t you? Yaya ‘accidently’ unhooks Hikari’s bra then tells her she needs to wear sexy lingerie to impress Amane. Did I mention that these two are in middle school?

She also says ‘Is it the same one you wore at the library the other day?’ implying that they really did do it in that scene in the library! Wow, this manga actually referenced something that happened before! Too bad it doesn’t really contribute anything to the overall story arc.

Shizuma pushing decisions onto Nagisa has finally had some consequences as the other girls who are jealous of Nagisa and Shizuma’s new ‘relationship’ have forced clean up duty onto her and Tamao to punish her. And yet Nagisa is the one who apologises for it and says it’s her fault! Did she forget that Shizuma forced her into it without her consent? Did saying no ever occur to her? Worst of all, Shizuma only did all of this to show off Nagisa as her latest girlfriend! And Nagisa is such a ditz that she just says ‘that’s ok then!’ and starts angsting over a girl she spent maybe an hour of time with. This manga is not only stupid and poorly written, it’s starting to make me angry.

Next we learn that Shizuma previously entered the Etoile contest with her former lover who died of a terminal illness or something. I know that it’s getting repetitive for me to keep comparing the manga and the anime, but in the anime Shizuma’s backstory was hinted at several times before devoting an entire episode to revealed it in a dramatic and heart breaking way. In the manga it’s brought up with virtually no foreshadowing and rushed out as a pitiful explination for Shizuma’s actions, plus an excuse to show girls in swimsuits.

It doesn’t even contribute that much to the story since the very next scene is of Shizuma getting cosy with Nagisa (and I swear they were having a garden party in their pyjamas). Since she’s seemingly already gotten over her past and moved on with Nagisa, it doesn’t form any kind of road block to the two of them getting together.

Oh yeah, she’s in torment. You can just see how torn up she is.

Oh yeah, she’s in torment. You can just see how torn up she is.

The Etoile contest finally begins with a sort of opening ceremony in which the various candidates are forced to essentially vow to be in love for all eternity. No pressure girls, you’re only making a promise to be with the same person forever in front of your Catholic Gods. It’s not like your lover could break up with your or die or something. Oh wait…

Awkward...

Awkward…

And it is only after making this vow of eternal love that Nagisa actually asks someone about Shizuma. How is it that this manga took so long to start the story and still develops their relationship too rapidly? What do the two of them even know about each other?

Next we have the first round of the contest – A horse race where the ‘older sisters’ need to race their horses to a tower where the ‘little sisters’ are being held. The little sisters have to jump from the tower, be caught by the horse rider and race together to the finish line. I’m starting to wonder how much these girls parents are paying to send them to this school and how much they are actually told about their education because THIS CONTEST IS INCREDIBLY STUPID AND DANGEROUS!! This manga is so awful it’s making me type all in caps and overuse the exclamation mark!!

The whole thing is so reliant on split second timing and expert level horse riding skills that it would be very likely for one of the girls to crack her head open or be trampled by a horse. In fact, the tower is so overcrowded that Nagisa gets knocked out and almost falls to her death. She’s only lucky that Shizuma somehow caught her in time.

sp 2.6 001

‘I wish I was doing a spelling test right now.’

 

This contest feels like something out of Ouran High School Host Club, put together just for the romantic visuals of girls being rescued from a tower and carried by their ‘princes’. In fact, I think even Ouran would consider this too over the top.

What does this have to do with being an Etoile? What does an Etoile even do anyway? The manga never explains what the Etoile’s duties are other than look pretty and have the rest of the student body swoon over her. In the anime it mostly involves growing flowers. Does the position often involve rescuing princesses from towers? Maybe the next round will be slaying a dragon while serving tea.

The horse race between Shizuma and Amane is probably the only exciting part of the whole manga, as idiotic as it is, but it’s over in about two pages and we don’t even get to see the end, just a cut to the prize giving scene to reveal that Amane won. But of course she would because she’s in the equestrian club and this round gave her a huge unfair advantage.

sp 2.7 001

In the final scene, Nagisa and Shizuma confess their feelings for each other and kiss, ending with ‘Continued in volume 3!’ You’ll be waiting a long time for that because this manga was unsurprisingly cancelled after only two volumes.

sp 2.8 001

This book was at least somewhat better than the first one. There are far fewer stupid moments, the scenes fit together most of the time and there’s an actual plot. The art is nice and the girls all look adorable, despite one panel where Nagisa looks stoned instead of aroused. But the plot that we do get is awful, the main romance is developed poorly and there are many parts that just made me angry. Nagisa has so little personality and Shizuma is so unsympathetic that it’s hard to feel any support for the two of them getting together.

If you want a cute yuri love story that actually develops characters, relationships and backstories then watch the anime or track down the light novels. You won’t be missing much by skipping this manga.

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