Takaya Natsuki - Fruits Basket, vol. 03 (Eng. trans.) (reread)
And the Great Manga Reread Project: Fruits Basket edition continues, albeit somewhat late on my end.
Spoilers for this volume under the cut; spoilers for later volumes further hidden using spoiler code. Please use spoiler code for later volumes in the comments! Also, I've only read up to around ch. 126.
Spoilers for vol. 3
I was a little bored in the beginning of this volume. It's got the marathon, which completely bores me and gives me flashbacks to the enforced torture that was PE, and it's got the obligatory Valentine's Day chocolate giving, which has never been one of the standard shoujo plots that has interested me.
I did like that Tohru gives chocolates not only to all the guys, but also to Uotani and Hanajima as well.
I was also totally amused by punk!Haru with his dye job and his pimp jacket and his goggles proceeding to hop onto a bicyle and pedal off. I cannot for the life of me wank out a reason for Black Haru vs. White Haru, except that it's funny and it echoes his cow spots. I plead brain on vacation? Haru also brings in the HoYay with his assertions of loving Yuki; fanservice galore!
On a more serious note, we get another look at the Kyo-Yuki relationship; Haru mentions that they're actually getting along better. It frightens me (and Tohru) to think of what they must have been like before. We also see Yuki doing yet another thing he doesn't particularly enjoy; he notes that he never really liked martial arts. I wonder how he got started. Again, Yuki has something that he doesn't particularly want (status with Akito, admiration of his classmates, martial arts skills) that Kyo desperately does, it's one more thing between them. I keep thinking of Yuki and the Rat as the dividing figure in the Sohma clan; on the one hand, he symbolizes so much of what the outsiders and outcasts of the Sohmas hate, and on the other, he hates it himself.
rilina has also noted Kyo's near-obligation to hate the Rat for various reasons.
And for just Yuki, we get to see him unwinding a little. His classmates mention that it's the first time they've seen him smile, and later, we see him laughing. He's so unused to this or embarrassed by it that he has to go outside and do it, and he can only let Tohru see.
Then we hit the other major note of the chapter, which is Momiji's "The Stupid Traveller" story. Another one of my favorite bits of Fruits Basket! I love that he tells it after Kyo goes off on a "Why did Tohru spend all her money on us how stupid!" rampages. Ahhh Kyo, you spazz. And on a side note: I swear, Shigure completely manipulated the situation by bringing up the class trip, just so Yuki and Kyo would learn that she spent her class trip money on their chocolates.
Anyway. I love Momiji's story, and while I sort of do think the traveller was stupid, I get his point. And Momiji notes: "Loss... suffering... it's pointless to think about them. The traveller didn't think about them. That... might be stupid to some people... but it's not stupid to me." And that's how Tohru thinks; she remembers not that her mother died, but the good times they had. On the other hand, this possibly isn't the best of attitudes when it comes to overlooking child abuse.
But still! It is incredibly touching, and I love how Tohru's "thank you" for Kyo going to the onsen echoes the stupid traveller's thank you to the one person who left him something, even if it was the label "fool."
(spoilers through ch. 126) And I love how the story is reiterated through the series; while Tohru is paralleled with the Stupid Traveller here, Momiji will be as well when his backstory is revealed. His mother clearly chooses not to remember loss and suffering, but Momiji takes the other path and finds value in them. But more on that next volume. I also love how it works with Momiji finally being released of the curse as well.
Random notes:
Foreshadowing notes (vague spoilers through ch. 126 for all except when noted):
Possible thematic notes:
Sample spoiler code:
Spoilers here.
Links:
- Thread collecting all vol. 3 GMRP posts.
Spoilers for this volume under the cut; spoilers for later volumes further hidden using spoiler code. Please use spoiler code for later volumes in the comments! Also, I've only read up to around ch. 126.
Spoilers for vol. 3
I was a little bored in the beginning of this volume. It's got the marathon, which completely bores me and gives me flashbacks to the enforced torture that was PE, and it's got the obligatory Valentine's Day chocolate giving, which has never been one of the standard shoujo plots that has interested me.
I did like that Tohru gives chocolates not only to all the guys, but also to Uotani and Hanajima as well.
I was also totally amused by punk!Haru with his dye job and his pimp jacket and his goggles proceeding to hop onto a bicyle and pedal off. I cannot for the life of me wank out a reason for Black Haru vs. White Haru, except that it's funny and it echoes his cow spots. I plead brain on vacation? Haru also brings in the HoYay with his assertions of loving Yuki; fanservice galore!
On a more serious note, we get another look at the Kyo-Yuki relationship; Haru mentions that they're actually getting along better. It frightens me (and Tohru) to think of what they must have been like before. We also see Yuki doing yet another thing he doesn't particularly enjoy; he notes that he never really liked martial arts. I wonder how he got started. Again, Yuki has something that he doesn't particularly want (status with Akito, admiration of his classmates, martial arts skills) that Kyo desperately does, it's one more thing between them. I keep thinking of Yuki and the Rat as the dividing figure in the Sohma clan; on the one hand, he symbolizes so much of what the outsiders and outcasts of the Sohmas hate, and on the other, he hates it himself.
rilina has also noted Kyo's near-obligation to hate the Rat for various reasons.
And for just Yuki, we get to see him unwinding a little. His classmates mention that it's the first time they've seen him smile, and later, we see him laughing. He's so unused to this or embarrassed by it that he has to go outside and do it, and he can only let Tohru see.
Then we hit the other major note of the chapter, which is Momiji's "The Stupid Traveller" story. Another one of my favorite bits of Fruits Basket! I love that he tells it after Kyo goes off on a "Why did Tohru spend all her money on us how stupid!" rampages. Ahhh Kyo, you spazz. And on a side note: I swear, Shigure completely manipulated the situation by bringing up the class trip, just so Yuki and Kyo would learn that she spent her class trip money on their chocolates.
Anyway. I love Momiji's story, and while I sort of do think the traveller was stupid, I get his point. And Momiji notes: "Loss... suffering... it's pointless to think about them. The traveller didn't think about them. That... might be stupid to some people... but it's not stupid to me." And that's how Tohru thinks; she remembers not that her mother died, but the good times they had. On the other hand, this possibly isn't the best of attitudes when it comes to overlooking child abuse.
But still! It is incredibly touching, and I love how Tohru's "thank you" for Kyo going to the onsen echoes the stupid traveller's thank you to the one person who left him something, even if it was the label "fool."
(spoilers through ch. 126) And I love how the story is reiterated through the series; while Tohru is paralleled with the Stupid Traveller here, Momiji will be as well when his backstory is revealed. His mother clearly chooses not to remember loss and suffering, but Momiji takes the other path and finds value in them. But more on that next volume. I also love how it works with Momiji finally being released of the curse as well.
Random notes:
- For the omake: I snorfle. Of course all apocalypses happen in 1999.
- Hi shoujo fever trope! At least this time it's the guy, and there's no touching "I will discern if you have a fever by touching your forehead with mine!" scene.
- I love that the little symbol for Uotani in the speech bubbles is a teeny fish ("Uo" is fish in Japanese, "Uotani" is Fish Valley).
- I am still wondering how they managed to get Haru-as-cow up the stairs. Unless Yuki is downstairs. Still. Through the door!
- First appearance of Mayu!
- Hanajima totally cracked me up in this volume. Her not running at all in the marathon and plopping down with a book could have been taken out of my days in PE, and I love that she rummages through the trash for all chocolates for Yuki, tossed out by jealous rivals. And: "A sixth sense cannot make up for a total lack of common sense." HEE!
- I continue to dislike Kagura on one hand for her insane antics, but I also feel horribly sorry for her as well. (spoilers through v. 6/7/end of anime) I particularly feel bad for her when she realizes that even she can't quite get past the stigma of the Cat; I get a feeling that she overcompensates for that by glomming on to poor Kyo.
- I kept giggling at Momiji mistaking "concierge" for "concubine." Also, Ritsu's mom is much less annoying than in the anime, as the noise is turned off. She still irritates me though.
- Yuki attempting to romance Tohru still creeps me out.
- Also, hee! I know where Shigure got that maid outfit from!
Foreshadowing notes (vague spoilers through ch. 126 for all except when noted):
- The Yuki-Akito links continue in this volume; I think Yuki's an interesting liminal figure for the jyuunishi. He's dressed in kimono and a wrap in Haru's flashback, draped against a window, and he looks just like Akito. And, of course, we get the narrative that Haru too disliked Yuki from the beginning because he was the rat (much like Kyo), although Haru's clearly gotten over that. Yuki's weak lungs come into play again, and I completely snorfled to myself because pet rats are horrifically suscept to respiratory problems. I am quite certain that Takaya did not plan that one and that I am probably the only person on the planet who cares. Anyhow. Yuki's weakness seems to go with Akito's; it's another way they seem to be mirror images. (spoilers through ch. 126) Also, we have Rin and her weak body, and she seems to be closely linked to Akito as well, particularly in how much she looks like Akito's mom whose name I forgot. Speaking of weak bodies, Shigure re-mentions that the jyuunishi transform not only when hugged, but also when weak (and, apparently, also when embarrassed).
- (spoilers through ch. 126) This is so silly and yet... omake theater in which Yuki is revealed to be a girl! It's such a standard trope, and yet, with all the Yuki-Akito parallels, I boggle.
- (spoilers through vol. 6 or 7/end of anime) I love that one of the chapters begins with what I now know is the nape of Kyo's neck; he seems to be thinking about Tohru finding out about his true form. Foreshadowing! Man, I love Takaya. Also, we see more of Shigure's creepiness -- he seems to be irritated at Kyo, and ends up snapping at him in a way that makes Kyo recall the Cat's true form. Possibly this echoes how Shigure and Kyo's sensei work to yank off Kyo's bracelet later on, though my memory's a little too fuzzy to really say.
- (spoilers through ch. 126) Notes on Shigure: finally, people catching on to how creepy Shigure is! No one can really tell what he's thinking because he's smiling all the time, and in this volume, we get hints at his extra-special link to Akito. We see him dreaming the dream that foretells Akito's existence; unlike Hatori or Ayame, Shigure welcomes it. Also, we get even more hints at the sick power play going on between Shigure and Akito, only this time, Tohru's the pawn. At least, that's the implication, although I think she's more Shigure's pawn than Akito's. I'm guessing Shigure is using her to try and break the curse, which will clearly make Akito miserable? Shigure, you creep. He at least knows it; he refers to himself as "the filthiest one" and "the most cursed of [them] all," possibly because he's the only one who truly loves Akito?
Possible thematic notes:
- More on clothing: rilina commented previously (spoilers in the comment through ch. 126) on how Haru's clothes are a rejection of the wafuku-clad Akito and all he reperesents. We also see a flashback of Yuki in wafuku here; in Haru's mind, Yuki-of-the-flashback is associated with being mean and tricky. Also, the pose of Yuki in wafuku in the window, complete with a wrap, looks just like Akito.
- More on suffixes: Tohru moves from calling Yuki "Sohma-kun" to "Yuki-kun," per Haru's suggestion; he promptly turns into a rat out of embarrassment (so cute!).
Sample spoiler code:
Spoilers here.
Links:
- Thread collecting all vol. 3 GMRP posts.