Fruits Basket Analyzed: Ritsu Sohma

[vmuzic]

Note: If it's in the anime it's not considered a spoiler

Going in no particular order, I’ve decided to start with Ritsu Sohma, a universal un-favorite.  He’s the cross dressing monkey of the family, pretty much an embarrassment [1].  He’s very sorry about that, but it’s a little hard to feel sympathy for someone who apologizes as often and as

Comments

[ljlee]

I've finished watching the anime, which was fine as long as it followed the manga. Unfortunately the final episodes and ending, which I heard came out before the manga finished, were crap. I'm looking forward to reading the manga, which I hope ends better than the anime did and which seems to have a lot more details on the ins and outs of the Sohma family. (There was no mention in the anime, for instance, that Akito couldn't stand Ritsu--and for that reason alone I'd say his is a nifty defense mechanism.) Since Ritsu is not a major character I figured I couldn't get too spoiled by reading about him.

At first the portrayal of Ritsu seemed somewhat transphobic to me, in keeping with the generally heteronormative gender-binary setup of the series. Before his episode was over, though, I realized that in fact Ritsu is the opposite of being transgendered. The point of "crossdressing" for a transgendered person is expressing his or her real self; for Ritsu the point is to get away from himself, just as you said. It doesn't mean the portrayal can't still be transphobic, but at least there's some nuance.

It also seemed to me there was a distinct class aspect to the way Ritsu's mother constantly apologized for him, and the way he felt compelled to apologize in turn. From what I can see the twelve zodiacs are the elite of the Sohma family, something that grants them the "privilege" of Akito's attention. I also had the distinct impression that Ritsu comes from a lesser branch of the family, from the way his mother was basically an employee at the spa where Tohru and the others traveled to (in contrast to Momiji's father, who is mentioned as owning the building where Tohru works and presumably other properties), and the way she referred to Yuki and the others in honorifics. It seems possible that Ritsu isn't considered well-born enough to be a zodiac, a situation that could send anyone into convulsions of apologies in a rigid and closed society like the Sohma clan.

I sympathize with Ritsu because I've also felt apologetic at times just for existing, as though being alive and being me were a crime. I used to feel so unworthy of love and support--and that feeling of unworthiness is, as you have so insightfully remarked in the first essay, the essence of abuse. Maybe Ritsu is so unpopular because the consequence of abuse as shown in him isn't conventional or cool as with the more popular characters like Yuki and Kyo. Ritsu, in a way, shows the naked face of what it means to be abused or to fear abuse, in his feeling of unworthiness and the way he makes himself annoying in order to protect himself. It's a pretty discomfiting picture, and it should be.

[vmuzic]

Yeah, the last couple episodes were a bit of a non-sequiter. I promise Akito's real story has possibly the most beautiful resolution of all. I remember the page when Akito says that, but I can't find it when I go looking (grrrr)

I'll be interested to see what you think about the transphobic angle when you're done. I think Ayame crossdresses to show his true self. Long after the dust has settled, he will still be wearing dresses for men.

Now that you mention the class aspect, it seems obvious to me. The whole less-than idea is tacitly supported by the rest of the family, and would explain a lot of the anxiety issues both mother and son seem to face.

I think many people can sympathize with Ritsu and that makes them a bit uncomfortable, I know it does me. I love your comment about Ritsu's reaction being less cool than Yuki or Kyo, because I think you're right. Ritsus make people uncomfortable, but that does not make them any less valid. Thanks for responding!