Fruits Basket Vol 21
*sigh*
What has happened to my simultaneously angsty and funny Fruits Basket? Why must it all be an angstfest now?
I have to say, though, that this volume has some of the most moving artwork yet, and some excellent use of silent and near-silent storytelling.
Reading this volume, did anyone else just spend most of the time wanting to tell Kyo to stop being a stupidhead? Yuki, Uo and Hana tearing into him over his being an idiot were probably the best parts of the volume for me. (My low tolerance for wallowing in melodrama and angst, let me show it to you.) Though they were much more eloquent in calling him a stupidhead than I am.
This is, I think, actually the first time I’ve ever really been able to sympathize with Yuki on the Kyo front. Then again, it wasn’t until the more recent volumes that I’ve really started to like him. Early in the series, he annoyed me with what seemed to be a superior attitude (even after I realized it was more shyness and discomfort) and how everyone seemed to think he was oh-so-great. I still find it hard to sympathize with him, but I’m glad he’s finally come into his own. And I like the Black Kyo that’s emerging.
Even though I doubt I’ll ever like Akito, her scenes with Tohru here, and where she was running to get help (especially her panic contrasted with Shigure’s calmness), are possibly the most moving scenes yet in the series.
The near-silence surrounding many of Akito’s scenes and Tohru’s fall and aftermath, though, are, I think, far more effective than most of the dialogue in the volume. I especially like how Takaya was able to convey a near-soundless world for the characters even when there was dialogue.
What has happened to my simultaneously angsty and funny Fruits Basket? Why must it all be an angstfest now?
I have to say, though, that this volume has some of the most moving artwork yet, and some excellent use of silent and near-silent storytelling.
Reading this volume, did anyone else just spend most of the time wanting to tell Kyo to stop being a stupidhead? Yuki, Uo and Hana tearing into him over his being an idiot were probably the best parts of the volume for me. (My low tolerance for wallowing in melodrama and angst, let me show it to you.) Though they were much more eloquent in calling him a stupidhead than I am.
This is, I think, actually the first time I’ve ever really been able to sympathize with Yuki on the Kyo front. Then again, it wasn’t until the more recent volumes that I’ve really started to like him. Early in the series, he annoyed me with what seemed to be a superior attitude (even after I realized it was more shyness and discomfort) and how everyone seemed to think he was oh-so-great. I still find it hard to sympathize with him, but I’m glad he’s finally come into his own. And I like the Black Kyo that’s emerging.
Even though I doubt I’ll ever like Akito, her scenes with Tohru here, and where she was running to get help (especially her panic contrasted with Shigure’s calmness), are possibly the most moving scenes yet in the series.
The near-silence surrounding many of Akito’s scenes and Tohru’s fall and aftermath, though, are, I think, far more effective than most of the dialogue in the volume. I especially like how Takaya was able to convey a near-soundless world for the characters even when there was dialogue.