#I really love the anime & se03 is the best content among the other seasons

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket Manga Review , ch 111

sigh~~~ I feel that my recent posts are a bit negative towards the anime, but thats cuz the chapters I’ve read so far are either unbelievably important character depth content cut for no valid reason or content in the anime but packed with million other things that it lost its purpose or importance. Basically tohu’s ep 6 which consists of 4 chapters & now ep 5 which is a momiji ep & yup, packed with 4 chapters as well... so, I apologize for any negativity, my intention is just analyzing artistic & story-telling aspects, I love se03, but yeah it screwed up lots of important characters due to its not so thorough plot decisions & harmful character insight choices.

today.. we explore Momiji... but only before his curse breaks.

Furuba anime struggling to know how to design an episode based on various plot-heavy chapters?

so, they decided 13 eps, & decided one ep for momiji cuz motoko’s graduation & the fanclub is the core of the furuba & have already cut tons of tohru, cuz who cares? she’s kind. be like her. end of lesson. No. really, jokes aside, how to do this?

How to combine several chapters in one ep? collect small snippets from chosen chapters/content like a bee does flowers? you gotta skip some content, you gotta highlight others. The ep is only 20 min after all & you got an op & Ed that you cant always skip.... so.. furuba team decide that momoji’s ep should be true to his zodiac animal, this is the rabbits last appearance in spirit. so, they went with quick hopping from one chapter to the other like a rabbit?

No really, ep 5 is really like a rabbit in its flow, you can’t savior a moment enough before jumping to the other: we learned momiji grew up!! loves toheu romantically, challenged kyo, really meant it, wanted a fair love game, got freed, lost tohru romantically & faced momiji! but that’s not all? we still have space!! quick add akito’s moodiness & love triangle with her dog & her submissive bed partner, add a happy comedy for no reason whatever & make shigue kiss tohru & wish shes 'was his lover instead!!!!!!!!! Mind you all this happened in the anime before shigure hurt tohru with his “the truth of the zodiacs talk & them accepting & feeling consolance that kyo is doomed”talk. 

-Gets whats my biggest surprise after reading this chapter ?????????

Shigure is consistent!! He isnt a rabbit hopping here & there. The dog is loyal & is tired for good reason! Him being depressed & his weird talk with thoru makes so much sense given the manga’s order.

Kyo is consistent!! In the anime, momiji surprise him with confession he loves tohru & challenge him, then kyo la~la~la~joins them downstairs for curry. Not a single expression on his face, where is the expression? it will appear when the plot is forced to address it: by the end of the ep when momiji face hin again. Then we get kyo’s reaction.

I need someone to tell the anime that actions require a reaction. You can refrain from showing a certain reaction if you can’t address it now, but you can’t erase it, negate it, then make it appear when have to!!!! couldn’t they make kyo refuse to join them & eat together? the     other characters wont be surprised they think he’s needlessly moody. The audience will know that kyo is troubled with momiji’s challenged & it will excite them!!! having kyo just go eat & watch the momiji/hiro/haru/yuki comedy skit is weird.

The manga’s author wanted kyo to join the dinner, like the anime did. but huge difference. the author actually cares for logic reaction & understands that the audience aren’t dumb little kids that will sit & wait for kyo’s turn to...react! nope! she did this: (a) & (b) below.

-Lost Small Bits/ Panels from the chapter.. But Sadly Big Huge Chunks for Characters buildup & Growth:

(a) addressed the fact the hiro noticed kyoru is in love & dressed that shigure was right!! the cat being in love is a weird concept to the zodiacs! hiro reacted naturally & the author used hiro to flesh yuki’s (the rat), momiji’s (the rabbit) & haru’s (the cow) decision to silently watch the kyo (the cat) makes his own decisions to live!!! They won’t interfere or tell akito or remind him of his state as the doomed caged cat. So sad this moment is cut from yuki. Why must yuki only interact with kyo to beat him (all seasons)? why must yuki only think of kyo to envy him (all seasons) ? Here, yuki’s growth towards kyo as a person & his relationship with tohru is 1000 times better than all tohru is my mom’s sh!t & I envy kyo’s Sh!t we saw in the anime over & over till we memorized it.

(b) kyo didnt just go la~la~eat with momiji after knowing he loves tohru. Nope, there’s small bits missing: called logical emotional reaction. He was surprised he’s caught pining over tohru! cuz yuki, the audience representative, has told us in the previous chapter that ppl in love dont notice anything around them. Kyo thinks him being cold hid his feelings. the dummy’s feelings are as bright as the sun in the Sahara, tohru too. a child read her! such small thing that wont take much space from the ep but was cut cuz kyo only needs to be responsive at the ep’s end. & this scene of kyo & tohru looking awkwardly at each other is minor in space but so important cuz kyo is determined to let go but his decision is challenged by not only momiji, but his natural attraction to tohru. Here he knows he’s caught & exposed... here he knows momiji is a better choice for tohru cuz he wont didn’t hurt her mom... here he knows that even yuki is better cuz never had to pretend to be cold to her... here he knows the world is better than him... & here he just cant help by smile & walks towards her... T_T ... another lesson in writing slow burns by Takaya-san.

-Why would the anime team pass on this?? drawing kyoru closer after the epic tear in Cinderella ep, cuz they want empty suspense~! The anime team thinks that if kyo & tohru stand next to each other, then it means all their issues are solved & the audience are so stupid as to forget tohru’s mom, kyo’s imprisonment, kyo not confessing his sins to tohru & tohru’s need to make a choice wether to fogive hom or not.. nope! you see, they think, ppl who read mangas are smart, so the author can give this epic symbolism & pp would still be not sure kyoru is end game & tohru will forgive him or kyo even fogive himself, but ppl who watch, oh no, gotta cut all the plot worthy content, produce a graduation song for a minor character, cut all kyo/tohru interaction cuz it only means romance & not at all character depth & oh if we show yuki actually formulating deep thoughts that aren’t centered around him, the audience might forget his se02 struggles! or that might ruin yuki’s upcoming growth moment in the finale where he .. you guessed it hits kyo.. as he always do & sulk &  think abt himself cuz yuki can only do monologues when he’s directly involved.... man~it is so sad how the anime is dumped down.. Who is the target audience again? not kids as young as hiro cuz even hiro is smart!

-just look:

 Momiji talks abt kyo shouldn't give up loving tohru & the authr shows this this ghost!!! his mom! The author reminds us that kyo isnt da~~~~ forgetting anything. He’s a deeply troubled soul & hos mom wants him locked cuz she too was locked in a cage & thinks that’s safer...why oh why you dump ur own story! sh!t~

Side Notes:

I like the closeups on Kisa’s face as she interacted with kyo. It’s very rare for kisa to have a world beside the endearing parental/big protective bro/big doting sister love she has with tohru & haru & off course the romantic love with hiro which was perhaps since their birth or sth. lol.  Kisa & kyo arent much on the brotherly side as they rarely interact, but its one of those  refreshing  interactions she has that helps cast a new light on her as tiny as it is,  but its sth out of the norm around her. She sees him  around tohru & gets to perceive his true unprovoked character. “He is  nice guy”.

I really wanted to punch kureno this chapter.. like Shigure is a jerk shitty dog for sleeping with akito’s mom but kureno... dude.. you submissively sleep with the guy’s eternal love interest & still walks in on him talking to her!!! lol. you’re mentally, emotionally & physically weaker than him & yet, she puts you on her bed, not him & you, tho not wanting her at all, dont walk away. No wonder shigure is defeated & wishing for someone like tohru, lol! Even if shigure met an older tohru-like person, it wont work. shigure deserve someone like him mean, schemer & loves playing power games. Tohru is someone who values honesty & commutation, not saying she’s an angel on earth, but tohru knows who suits her.. except fate is saying: NO. .... currently. lol.

I know kureno’s weakness is part of his character & I love that such characters exits. There are ppl ike that in real life. It’s just this chapter, I felt shigure’s frustration. XD

Yuki in this ep is the best yuki. no exaggeration here, I love when yuki is calmly thoughtful of others & here its kyo of all ppl !!!! cutting this scene is sad.. without it, kyo & yuki remain a cat & rat in the anime. Only ever thinking abt each other thro envious binoculars or hateful words or yuki giving kyo comedic hitting or life’s problem-solving hitting. Why can’t anime yuki be interactive outside his self-centered issues is beyond me.

Momiji & kyo’s interactions are always the best! whether comedy or drama.

I hated the curry cooking scene in the anime... so weirdly out of the ep’s flow.. very forced comedy... in the manga it had a purpose! not just quick add comedy cuz next shot momiji curse breaks & drama & we’ll close the ep with tears & sadness & glimpses of hope...

I love haru’s answer to hiro... so him.. “a guy can’t fall in love?”so chill.. so..simple.

[papers4me]

S3 E6 is when I knew the anime creators didn't understand Tohru or what Fruits Basket is really about. They just wanted it to be a "perfect girl saves cursed family" story. It ruined the anime for me and I will never watch it again. Tragically I think lots of manga fans don't care or notice how the changes damage Tohru's character. They just want to see the plot and cute scenes animated, but the details and subtlety of the main female character's arc are not considered as important. It's sad!

If we think of the following: why do ppl watch sth they know its story already? Among the reasons are:

To see it come to life! To feel the emotions they once felt reading but this time with the powerful tools of voice, colors, & music to maximize the experience. Books are good & everything & they provide depth & time that moving pictures can't, but visual imagery wins if it's coupled with epic screenplay/perfect adapted plot.

Ppl have different perspective, what one likes isnt necessary what others like. So, some fans might just want to see their novel come to life to see their own fave cute scenes & that's it. In their mind, the books are superior, so they accept beforehand, that they wont see the " story/plot" at its best, so they're excited for certain cute scenes that are related to certain feelings they experienced reading the books. Nothing is wrong with that.

Some are individual fans, so they're here for certain characters, if this character gets their "story" told properly, they're not bothered with how butchered the rest are. Again, nothing is wrong with that.

Some care for the story itself & while they accept that things are bound to change, reduced or cut, they're intelligent in picking up on what harms the overall plot & what doesn't. These fans get called " haters" if they criticize cuz they aren't " grateful". Granted some of them might be disrespectful in their criticism. but those who are respectful get drowned under the "ungrateful/ you dont understand it is tv/anime adaptation not faithful" accusation. Altho, furuba kinda dug its own grave with their " we are faithful to the original work" advertisement. Reading the manga now, nope. They aren't faithful at all in the third act/final arc, except for the ending. Tohru got axed. Akito, too.

I get your frustration with the final arc. You understood what was cut & felt disappointed, I'm discovering what was cut & feeling confused! XD. For all the reasons to cut content, furuba is one of those rare instances where they cut the real good & best part! They cut depth!. The thing is they are blatantly biased. Only certain characters get depth & others meet the ax. But I've never seen a show that cuts its own protagonist! But it's all comes to the anime's understanding of its protagonist: "perfect girl saves cursed family". Notice how the only tohru-cut content is when it is NOT abt "perfect girl saves cursed family". Once the story is abt tohru's own personal struggle & she's no longer saving anybody, it is CUT & the things they cant cut cuz they're part of the ending, the anime water it down: " tohru's se03, ep6" or alter it for cheap drama " tohru's se03, ep6". That is tohru's only focused ep in 3 seasons... she had focused ep in se01, ep5 but that ep only scratched tohru's surface.

-The argument that" C'mon, just be happy we got a reboot! we never thought such day would ever come" & " hey~ the manga isnt going anywhere" is true & wrong. The argument is true cuz:

Yes, be happy the reboot exists. Other anime wish for that.

Be happy 60% of the story (two thirds) is faithful. Other anime with great manga, get butchered anime endings or no endings.

Be happy, we have a finished manga with satisfying ending, other manga are unfinished for good, others are on hiatus, others have disappointing weird endings.

but still, The argument is wrong cuz:

you are allowed to express your own valid dissatisfaction & disappointment with respect. Actually, thats healthy!

Criticism is form of love. You only care cuz the cut/ruined part is 100 times better than uncut part & the comic fillery content in all 3 seasons! They cut the best part not the worst which is.. disappointing.

All forms of art are subject to personal taste & subjective perspective. Those who love everything abt it can gush & enjoy & those who don't can express that. If seeing one side bothers the other, simply block~ one button is all it takes~

Also, unfortunately, female protagonist are mostly way less complex & shallower than male protagonists.. so it is a shame seeing potential female depth cut in favor for the "perfect woman" imagery. That alone warrant valid criticism.

I love furuba se03. its the best part of the entire anime, but yeah~ i could see its " plot" issues from far away even before seeing a single manga panel. Reading the manga now makes me feel mixed feelings & i'm gonna express them, the good & the bad alike. It wont change how precious furuba is to me as a story, but it will be a good healthy outlet to express valid appointment.

As always love your addition<3

[papers4me]

I bet you don't know that Fruits Basket season 3 has won the first place beating FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood. I think it is well deserved!

wow! you're serious? well.. good for them, I guess.

I watched both Furuba & Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (FMAB) & while Furuba's themes, content & core elements are my kind of story-telling & is way closer to my heart than FMAB, I'll never ever place furuba the anime above FMAB in terms of anime-writing & presentation.

I know FMAB differ from its manga & I know manga fans were not satisfied with some issues that really make a difference, but not once during watching the anime did I feel it was contradicting itself or its own plot, or minimizing any character or the eps are rushed in favor for silly over exaggerated drama. FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood the anime was balanced is such satisfying way that left me in awe so much that I recommend it without needing to read the manga to properly understand the characters.

Above all, FMAB portray of women & female characters is one of the best presentation in anime! no need to glorify these women or make them robotic or strip them from their femininity or dumb them down or cut from their screen time & story in favor for the male characters! They were written the same way as the male characters with balanced doses of scene exposure (personal spotlight), intelligence, logic, endearing unique characteristics & moderate dose of silly stupid antics & dark sins that humanize them.

-Furuba se03 is the best among the 3 furuba seasons, but furuba is not balanced at all. never was since its beginning till its end. It's a show/anime centered around the angelic motherly care of an orphan girl healing a whole clan & this girl herself was rarely treated as an independent character & I say this while loving tohru deeply. She's the weakest written character due to the tiniest space she's allowed to be..well.. a character with issues like the others. Overall.... Furuba's male characters are way better written then the female... Even akito was reduced to a shallow antagonist with weird villain animation for so long, had one ep to humanize her, then quickly given 3 doses of tohru's wisdom before she atoned. ( it was 2 doses actually, but I'll include the hug).

I love furuba. it is a good anime & the core story is great which is why I'm trying to read the manga, cuz I refuse to believe someone who constructed such good story fails miserably in writing its main female character. I admit that tohru might still be behind the two boys in the manga as well in terms of depth & core issues, but I'm counting on her being 10 times better than the anime tohru. I'm looking for a tohru that is allowed time to dwell in her issues & battle her trauma internally before the climax, cuz i'm so tired of her being the fixer mother of men! Se03 has tiny scenes of tohru being an independent character starting ep 6 onward, but very tiny & with not much depth before her "growth" kicks out at ep, 9.

Also, aren't these ranking & awards created for marketing reasons & are mostly voted by fans or marketing teams? For example, Game of Thrones, se7, ep 6 ,where John snow & co. go to hunt a white & defy all logic only to set yhe plot so the white king get a dragon for aesthetics, won 3 awards as I heard!!!

I'm happy you are satisfied with furuba winning 1st place, anon. I'm really happy for you<3. kindly, dont let my criticism steal your happiness. Your opinion matters to you shouldn't be affected by ppl's opinion online. <3