Fruits Basket Analyzed: Yuki Sohma pt 2
Interestingly enough, at first it isn’t Torhu that prompts the change but his nemesis, Kyo [1]. The first response Torhu has to Yuki as a person is to be surprised at his bitterness towards cats in conjunction with her admiration for the Zodiac cat. When Torhu gets hurt Yuki gets angry at Kyo [2], when Torhu is sad Yuki gets mad at Kyo [3], when Kyo speaks Yuki gets mad at Kyo [4], and if there isn’t a reason Yuki still gets mad at Kyo [5]. I understand why Torhu wants to stop the fighting [6], but it’s the most emotion we get Yuki to show for a while. Anger is the fight side of the “fight or flight” so it’s natural that Yuki would still have it intact and a good thing that Yuki responds to someone.
As time goes on, we get to see why the two can’t get along. Yuki’s reason is jealousy. Yuki has suffered so much from being the special member of the Zodiac, and now he is confronted every day by the one member who is willfully excluded and fighting to be in Yuki’s place [7]. How often does this happen in real life? It seems to me there have been a few times when people I admired expressed desire to be more like me. Yuki and Kyo are merely opposite sides of the same coin.
Yuki does get attention from at least one other family member-Ayame [8] (and Ha’ru [9] and Ha’ri [10] but that’s a different story.) Ayame is devoted to his younger brother and has a loud way of showing it [11]. Yuki has a very hard time speaking and Ayame has a hard time listening [12]-it would be a perfect match if it weren’t for the resentment built on a single incident. Yuki reached out for help as a child and for the trouble he not only got ignored (how disempowering is that?) but he got in more trouble with Akito [13]. It may seem a little harsh of Yuki to still be holding a grudge, but I can’t blame Yuki for not trusting Ayame. Maybe if he felt safe with his brother, he wouldn’t be so intimidated by the louder man, but the fact remains that he is intimidated.
I guess that’s part of the reason why I’m less close to the side of my family my uncle is on (I have many uncles, but only one that hurt me.) For years they turned a blind eye to what he was doing. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t intentional, but I clearly remember my cries for help going unheeded. I don’t exactly bear malice or bitterness towards them, but I don’t trust them with my problems either. I would be stupid to trust them when you think about it. I also am much quieter than that side of the family and frequently go off by myself at gatherings. I’m not sure if it’s because I had to go through that in the midst of their noise or if I was “chosen” because I was more quiet than my cousins, but I still need space from my family at times.
When we first meet Ayame his attempts to win Yuki over fail spectacularly [14]. The second time we meet him Yuki still wants nothing to do with the guy, but the reader gets to see there’s more to Ayame than meets the eye [15]. In subsequent conversations it becomes clear that though Aya is kind of an idiot, he is sincere in his love for his brother and desire to have a good relationship with him [16]. I think if anything, it’s his tenacity that wins Yuki over.
I’ve had the same within my own family. We’re taught that trust is earned, not bestowed, but the only way to know if someone can be trusted is to take the risk of trusting them. I had never intended to take that risk again, but my cousin Jessica [17] convinced me otherwise. Okay, she did something stupid and hurtful, but she did it for the same reasons Ayame did-she was a scared teenager. She apologized afterward (what happened isn’t important) but in my mind the damage was done. Over time I began to see that she would never give up on me, and that was amazing. The hard feelings didn’t go away overnight, but that has become one of my most secure relationships. We know how to love each other at the worst and so we have even greater joy in celebrating our bests.
[Better just to read it]
About halfway through the series, Yuki meets one of my favorite characters-Kakeru [18]. At first he is unimpressed by the vice principal he seems to have inherited because the man is too similar to Ayame for comfort, but Kakeru soon proves he can see and love Yuki exactly as he is. Though he is loud and flamboyant Kakeru is often seen quietly talking with and covering for his younger half sister, Machi [19]. My favorite Kakeru scene is when Yuki and Machi are standing in her apartment talking, and Kakeru waits outside the door for the “opportune moment” to reenter the conversation [20]. In talking with his girlfriend, Yuki learns that Kakeru was once as reserved as he is, but overcame those fears and family biases to make a life for himself. Kakeru’s unconditional friendship and success with his own life give Yuki hope and courage [21].
I myself have learned to never undervalue a good friend. One that can sit beside you when you’re upset, tease you out of your worst moods, see the best in you even when you can’t see it in yourself, and basically give you permission to just be yourself. Torhu does this for the whole Sohma family, but there’s something to be said for having friends of the same gender. Like most people I still struggle with the idea that I’m impossible to love. If people admire me, it’s only because they don’t really know me. Fortunately I do have friends that know me and still love me, so I know it’s not impossible. Sometimes I really can’t understand why they put up with me, but they do and I can take their word that I have redeeming value if I need to.
For the record, I like Yuki and Machi [22]. I thought either Yuki or Kyo could have ended up with Torhu and been happy about it, and Kyo was a valid choice. I like the ways Machi is similar to Yuki-withdrawn and a bad temper in certain situations [23]. I also like the way Yuki responds to her-with gratitude and amusement [24]. When Yuki says he isn’t attracted to Torhu [25], I’m convinced he’s lying to himself. Otherwise, why would he be so upset about her attraction to Kyo? The thing is, you can be attracted to more than one person, and in that case you need to choose between them. Yuki decided he was sick of reacting to the world around him and chose the relationship that allowed him to act-in other words, he got to choose Machi instead of simply falling into a relationship with Torhu. Again, I think either girl was a valid choice, and I respect Machi and Yuki for recognizing how great she is.
Ending
I liked the end Yuki got. His fear that without the curse he would lose the relationship he has with his family is not farfetched. Though Hatsuharu’s declarations of love make Yuki uncomfortable, I think they went a long way towards reassuring Yuki nothing had changed [26].
I love that Yuki decided to move away from home [27]. For someone with codependent tendencies (wanting someone else to think for you) moving away is a brave choice. My other favorite part was watching Yuki tease Machi about it. Think about the Yuki we met in chapter one, his polite reserve to everyone he knew. For him to be able to tease someone he loves in an affectionate way (his barbed comments to Shigure don’t really seem affectionate) is a huge change for him. Beyond that, the once bitter insults between himself and Kyo have somehow become terms of endearment.
On the final pages before the epilogue, Yuki has his last great victory. After living with Torhu for 3 years, he drops the Honda-san for the first time. He doesn’t need the emotional distance he’s given himself for the first time in his life-he’s interacting with her as a friend. In thanking Torhu for making him human, Yuki is acknowledging that he was a stranger to the world around him and to himself until she taught him t laugh, cry, and care about other people. All Yuki ever wanted was to be himself, and thanks to Torhu’s gentle coaching and encouragement, he finally has it.
P.S. I can’t find the reference, but in the epilogue it seems implied that Yuki’s son marries Kyo’s daughter. How’s that for cool!?
[1] Volume 1, Chapter 1
[2] Volume 1, Chapter 1
[3] Volume 1, Chapter 2
[4] Volume 1, Chapter 3
[5] Volume 1, Chapter 4
[6] Volume 2, Chapter 11
[7] Volume 1, Chapter 4
[8] Volume 4 Chapter 22
[9] Volume 3, Chapter 14
[10] Volume 2, Chapter 8
[11] Volume 5, Chapter 26
[12] Volume 4, Chapter 22
[13] Volume 6, Chapter 31
[14] Volume 4, Chapter 21
[15] Volume 5, Chapter 26
[16] Volume 13, Chapter 72
[17] Name changed
[18] Volume 9, Chapter 49
[19] Volume 14, Chapter 81
[20] Volume 18, Chapter 102
[21] Volume 19, Chapter 113
[22] Volume 21, Chapter 125
[23] Volume 14, Chapter 81
[24] Volume 21, Chapter 125
[25] Volume 15, Chapter 85
[26] Volume 23, Chapter 132
[27] Volume 23, Chapter 136