Fruits Basket

Episode 45

This episode of Fruits Basket creates a stark divide between anime-only viewers and those who have read the manga. It appears to end on a cliffhanger, leaving the viewer to read between the lines in order to figure out just what Tohru is to Yuki. These instances of hesitation feel almost like Yuki isn't one hundred percent sure himself how the episode's final sentence ends. Like episode 38, this is an episode all about Yun-Yun and his student council pals. But any of the levity of student life is tempered with Yuki's ever-present eternal conflict, made more intense by his discovery of a confidant. As Kakeru and Yuki open up to one another with an honesty that Tohru and Kyo could only dream of, Fruits Basket makes an unexpectedly strong case for a boys' love romantic subplot. Kakeru may have his (many, many) irritating points, but this episode shows he's the friend Yuki needs right now to help him sort through his feelings about Tohru.

It's time for the culture festival, and Tohru's class is putting on a play. With the exception of mean girl Minami as the wicked stepmother, Cinderella is primed to be hilariously miscast. (“I'll be more evil than the devil himself,” Tohru promises. We'll see about that!) But while popular Yuki would normally be a shoo-in for the Prince, he's too busy with the Student Council to take on a major role. As President, it's up to him to keep the entire festival running smoothly—but first, it seems, he needs to get his own house in order. When he finds an enraged Machi trashing the classroom, he is at a loss at first. But extraverted, unserious Kakeru shows a surprisingly mature side and promises to resolve the situation himself. It turns out that Kakeru (and Machi, for that matter) have problems at home that rival the Sohmas' in intensity. Their previously concealed step-sibling relationship is casually revealed with the feeling of a hastily-concocted subplot, a melodramatic story element designed to make Yuki open up.

One of the most apparent demonstrations of how Yuki has changed since his introduction to the Student Council is that he now responds to the cutesy nickname “Yun-Yun” without batting an eye. I previously found all the members of the council far more irritating than I do today, and I now realize that was a clever, intentional gesture on author Natsuki Takaya's part—since Yuki thought they were aggravating, I did too. Now that Yuki doesn't bristle at their every joke, these interactions aren't painful, they're positive. And Kakeru, who I once saw as a second-rate Kyo, might just be the most important friend in Yuki's life. Right now, Yuki is holding Tohru at a distance as he figures out just who she is to him. Meanwhile, he's growing closer to Kakeru and his sister Machi as he learns more about their situation. Both Yuki and Kakeru use the metaphor of a shirt buttoned up wrong to describe their dysfunctional families. But while Yuki sees the shirt as a problem to fix, Kakeru sees it as a shirt that you can still wear and accept just as it is—something he illustrates comically and affectionately with his own badly-buttoned cardigan. Kakeru and Yuki began as foils, but have slowly picked up attributes of one another; Yuki draws out Kakeru's serious side and Kakeru helps Yuki lighten up. After Yuki thinks about simply accepting his awful mom, he can even laugh about her belated attempt to be motherly.

The climax of the episode occurs when Yuki accidentally locks himself in a dark closet. Despite the cartoonish effect of his eyes blinking in the dark, this is actually a traumatic moment that brings up Yuki's worst memories. You'd expect the “Are You Okay?” of the title to be directed from Yuki toward Machi, who begins the episode in a bad spot, but it's actually what Machi says to Yuki when she smashes open the door with a chair, symbolically leading him into the light. While Kakeru can serve as Yuki's sounding board, it's Machi who understands his trauma; she's the only person who can guess how anxious he must be each second he's alone in the dark. If only the cliffhanger at the episode's end didn't leave us alone in the dark for longer.

Rating:

Fruits Basket is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist and model kits at Gunpla 101.