#the way I thought it was gonna be KISA who got hurt this time

[couldbebetterforsure]

Me: Man, I’m so worried about Suzu’s ankle for the Univeil Performance😣😣😣 I don’t want a repeat of the Fall Performance! Hopefully everything will work out!

[bkfics]

III.

‘Thank you.. Sakusa-san.’ You reply while looking on the floor.

‘Hmm, no problem. Also, i’m really sorry for before.. are you okay?’ He asks while scratching the back of his head.

‘Y-You don’t need to apologize for that. It was my fault for getting distracted.’ You say still facing the floor.

‘No. I’m really sorry for that. Actually i want to—‘ He stops what he’s going to say ‘cuz you both make eye contact.

‘.. Nevermind. I gotta go. Also, your kids are beautiful, see you around.’ He says to Kise and you while turning and going on his way.

‘How about no?’ Kise thinks while picking up Kazuhiko.

‘...’ You’re confused. You want to know what he wanted to say.

While Sakusa leaves you and your family, he feels a little bit sad. He really wanted to catch up with you, tell you about those 4 years. He wanted his friend back again, the person he could lean on when times were rough, he wanted to make new memories with you.. but he can’t, now that you you have settled down and have a wonderful family. Before meeting you, he thought that he could find love again, but every time he tried to date someone, he always wants to find you in them. He went to the conclusion that you are the only girl for him, you have something that the others don’t have. Now that he saw you after a long time, regrets is raining on him for breaking up and hurting you.

He’s getting jealous and envious of Kise. His head is filling with questions like ‘What if i was in his shoes? What if i had kids with her rather than him? How would i feel about having the love of my life beside me? Would i be happy?...’

Now that he made those questions in his head, he’s pissed. He entered the locker room with an angry face and he answered the questions in his head, he was screaming those answers. ‘It’s obvious that i’d be happy!!! If I have kids with you, i’d do everything i could just to make them happy! I should’ve been the one beside you, not him! I want you to be the first person i see in the morning and the last at night before i go to sleep.’

‘If I only didn’t do that..’ he whispers

He throws his towel against the wall and yells ‘F*CK!!!’

His captain, Meian, hears him and comes in to check up on him.

‘Sakusa what’s wrong? You okay?’ He asks.

‘No, i’m not okay. I SHOULD’VE BEEN THE ONE BESIDE HER, NOT THAT F*CKING MAN!’ He answers angrily.

‘Who are you talki—‘

‘You know what? Whatever. I’m sorry Meian-san, i’m going first. I’m not in the mood to party anymore, congratulations to everyone for the win today.’ Sakusa tells his captain with an annoyed tone.

Meian-san left him be, because he knows that Sakusa is going through something. He knows that it’s better to leave him alone and give him some space. He left the locker room and let the others still in the court know that Sakusa left early.

‘Hello, I’m Kisara!’

‘And I’m Kazuhiko.’

‘Hello everyone, my name is Kise Ryota. Nice to meet you all! I’m an NBA player.’

The three present themselves to the ADLERS players.

‘I’m sorry for not telling you about my family. You guys were busy and i didn’t want you to lose your focus or get distracted while you were practicing. You actually never brought it up or asked about my private life, so i apologize for not telling you..’ You tell them with a little bow.

‘It’s okay, Y/N-chan. Thank you for telling us now.’ Heiwajima replies with a smile. Reassuring you that it’s alright.

‘I can’t believe that a goddess like Y/N-chan is already married with kids.’ Adds Hoshiumi while pouting.

You smile and tell the kids to go play, so that they couldn’t hear what you’re about to say, but Kise says it first.

‘Ahm, actually i’m not the real father of the twins.. that bast-‘

You glare at him.

‘*cough* i mean, he left her. So i’ve been acting as a father figure for the kids since they started to call me ‘otōsan’ a long time ago.’

‘Who would be so stupid to leave a girl like you while being pregnant?!’ Kageyama butts in with an annoyed tone.

‘It’s fine Kageyama-kun. I’ve already left it in the past, i’m happy now with the twins. Also, Ryota-kun helped me a lo—‘ before you finish your sentence, you suddenly feel dizzy and your head starts to hurt that you slowly start to lose balance. Fortunately, Kise catches you putting an arm around you and pulls you closer to him, now your face is leaning on his chest. You can hear his heartbeat a little and smell his perfume that it’s not too strong and relaxes you. 

‘Y/N-cchi, are you okay? You shouldn’t overwork your body like this. We’ll get straight to the doctor, alright? So, if you can walk just nod, if you can’t imma pick you up.’ 

You nod so he doesn’t picks you up, but he still supports you just in case.

‘Okāsan?’ Kisara calls you after seeing you almost fall. 

‘Kisa-chan, okāsan feels a little bit weak, but she’s fine, okay? Call your oniichan so we can take okāsan to a magician that will make her strong again.’ Kise tell her without worrying her. 

‘OTŌSAAAAAAAN! I WANT TO SEE A MAGICIAN!’ Kazuhiko screams while running towards you after hearing about the magician. 

‘ME TOO, ME TOO OTŌSAN. I WANT TO SEE!’ Kisara screams too, matching her twin’s energy.

‘Alright, alright. But you need to behave because okāsan is feeling tired, so no loud noises, okay? Grab a piece of my shirt and don’t let go until we arrive at the car, got it?’ 

‘Got it!’ The twins reply in sync. 

‘Sorry guys, but we better let her get check up by the doctor, i know you still have the post-game meeting-‘ Kise gets interrupted by the captain before he finishes his sentence.

‘It’s alright, Kise-san. We’re actually worried so you should hurry before it aggravates. Thank you for your hardwork, Y/N-san.’ The captain tells you and Kise.

‘I really didn’t do much, so thank you for your hard work.’ You say to all the players.

‘Take care of yourself and let’s do our best next time, alright?’ He says wearing a smile.

You all say bye to them and go.

‘Ryota. How are you gonna deal with the mess you did?’ You ask Kise while walking towards the exit.

‘What mess?’ 

‘The mess called Hyped Twins. How-‘ You trip and Kise manages to catch you again, but this time, he hugs you.

‘Don’t worry. I have a solution called Midorima.’ He whispers in your ear.

Midorima, huh? You’re forgetting that he’s still hugging you, because you feel comfortable around him.

Kise feels that you’re getting comfortable so he picks you up and walks to the car with you on his arms and the twins grabbing his shirt.

[Outside the doctor’s office, 01:20 p.m.]  

‘I didn’t agree to this.’ 

Midorima-kun is studying medicine and how to treat patients under the doctor of the neighborhood, also he has a hat on that ‘wizards’ would wear in movies or tv series. Kise put him on a difficult situation, he needs to entertain the twins, while Kise and you are going inside the office.

‘When did you have time to buy that hat?’ You ask Kise as he keeps laughing.

‘Well, it’s today’s lucky item.’ He answers as he’s filming a video with his phone to send it to his group chat, “Miracles”.

Before Midorima takes the twins to the other room, he comes to you and asks ‘Can i borrow one of thoso 3 three hairpins? Tomorrow’s lucky item is a hairpin.’

‘Sure.’ You take off the hairpin and give it to him, ‘here you go, also thanks for your help.’

‘No problem. At all.’ He says with a straight face.

‘L/N F/N.’

‘Y/N-cchi, it’s your turn, let’s go. Ah, Midorima-cchi, why don’t you show them the bunny inside your hat?’

‘DID YOU HEAR THAT KISARA? OTŌSAN SAID THAT MIDORIMA OJĪSAN HAS A BUNNY INSIDE HIS HAT!!’ Says Kazuhiko to Kisara with his eyes sparkling.

‘I’m gonna make you pay for this Kise.’ Midorima says with his eyes glaring angrily at Kise.

You enter to the dr.’s office to do the check up, he hands you out some papers to fill in the necessary personal information.

‘Ok, L/N-san. It’s nothing serious but your had been hit hard by the ball and you also fell and hit your head on the floor. You had a minor concussion, but thanks to the paramedics, they helped you out. I’ll ask you some questions to make sure there are no brain injuries that could affect you in the future.’

You just nod trying to recall what happened all day..

‘So, what did you do from this morning?’ He asks

‘I was preparing my and my kids breakfast, then went to my friend’s house to drop them. Then i went to the arena to meet the players and also the kids’ fath—‘

Right.. you met Sakusa there and you start to remember all those questions you made when both your eyes met. You almost have a panic attack, but Kise notices your shoulder shaking so he puts his hand on your back to make you feel safe. But.. he calmed your body, not your thoughts.

< Kise and the Dr. keep calling you, but you’re just lost in your thoughts, so he tells him that you’re probably too tired and the hit from the ball added some fatigue so he gave him some medicines for bruise and sleep pills, also, if there’s something wrong, Kise should call him.>

‘..cchi.’ Kise keeps calling you.

‘Huh?’

‘Let’s go grab something to eat, the kids are hungry, me and probably you too, so you can drink the medicine.’

‘Right..’

You go to a family restaurant where the food is delicious and all the kids love eating there, it’s also cheap. After that you go home.

[At home, 3:50 p.m.]

You all arrive at home, also most of the times Kise stays at your place since he rarely comes back to Japan, so he didn’t bother to buy a house or rent an apartment. Kise starts playing with the kids before their afternoon nap, you go to your bedroom and try to take a rest, but you can’t because you keep remembering what happened in the arena.

After 2-3 hours you finally nap. Then you wake up with a headache, you stand up and it’s already night time, around dinner. You go to the kitchen to have a glass of water, you see the kids sitting waiting for their dinner and Kise with his apron cooking.

‘Okāsan, how are you?’ Kisara asks after seeing you before anyone else.

‘I’m okay, honey. But i have a little headache.’

‘Do you need to go to the magician again?’ Asks Kazuhiko while hugging your leg and his eyes are shining.

‘No, baby. I just need to take some medicine.’ You answer him with a smile.

Kise smiles after hearing you all three talking, you go near him to take the medicine on the shelf and when you’re about to drink it, Kise stops you.

‘Hey, before you drink that, eat something first. I made you something light and some soup.’

‘Okay, i’ll try to eat it.’ You say and giggle teasing his cooking.

After dinner, you tell Kise that you should at least do the dishes.

‘Y/N-cchi, just take a rest on the couch. I’ll take the kids to have a bath too, so just relax for the rest of the night, alright?’ He insists.

‘But you just came back today, you haven’t rest.’

‘It’s okay, I have a lot of stamin, so i’m not tired at all, i’ll rest after i’m all done and put the kids to sleep.’ He says while smiling.

‘All right, you win.’ You go to the couch and lay down to rest, you fall asleep while Kise takes the kids to the bathroom and have a bath. They’re pretty tired with all the activities they did all day. After he puts them to sleep in their bedroom, he goes and has a shower, after he’s done he notices that you’re still in the living room.

‘Y/N-cchi, i’m sorry, the kids took a whi-‘ he sees you peacefully sleeping, he caresses your face and smiles, then he continues ‘You must be really tired, thank you for your hard work, manager-san.’

As Kise picks you up to take you to your room, you can’t help but hold him tight in your sleep. After entering your bedroom he lays you down on your bed, as he’s slowly pulling away, you grab his shirt.

‘Don’t leave.. Kiyoomi..’

Hearing his name, Kise freezes on his spot with his eyes widened and his heart shatters. Then he moves a hair strand away from your face, a tear falls on your cheek. After staring at your face for a while, he kisses your forehead and he sits on the floor and leans his back on the side of your bed.

He starts talking to you, even though you’re sleeping.

‘Kiyoomi? Even when you’re sleeping, you still think about him? Do you still have feeling for him? I know he’s your first love and the father of the twins.. i thought you moved on. So why? He wasn’t here during your pregnancy. He wasn’t here when you were on labour and gave birth to those two beautiful kids. He wasn’t here on your sleepless night. He wasn’t here when the kids started talking and walking. He wasn’t here on their first birthday or their first day of school. He wasn’t here to comfort the kids when they were crying or when you cried because it was tough for you. He wasn’t here taking care of you when you were tired. He wasn’t here to see all that and guess who was here besides you.. ME. He was always you first priority, but were you his? he put his career first, right?...’

Then he leans his head on the bed looking at the ceiling and tears start to run down his cheeks.

‘He hasn’t been here for the last 4 years, but now that he showed himself up to you, you still want him? Remember who was there for you? Me. I’m still here and will always be here. Right by your side. Also by the kids’ side. So why? Why can’t you see that I’m right here? Does this mean that whenever I was here to make you three feel loved and protected, to be a father to Kisara and Kazuhiko because the real father is a jerk who cherished his career more than you.. You were still thinking of him? So please..’

Kise’s eyes are now red and puffy, he never cried like that again after the spring tournament on his first year of high school when he lost to Aomine.

‘You know how.. whenever I comeback to Japan and tell you that ‘I’m back home’.. It’s not because Japan is my home country, but for me, my home is.. you three. That’s when i feel the most safe and at peace.’ After saying everything what he was holding inside, he glances at you one more time and mutters ‘I really want you to know that.. I..’ and he falls asleep with his hand holding yours.

masterpost | II. | IV.

FACTS: 

Midorima and Aomine are from Kuroko no Basket too

They played basketball with Kise in Junior High School

Midorima Shintaro:

Aomine Daiki: 

@rrroadkill @samwise-though @lola2001 @velociraptorenthusiast @mjade1321 @farmertoshi @kurosiee @googiembul @hohoshiumi @floralkawa @miwtze @crapimahuman

[tohruhondaismydaughter]

Ok so here are my PERSONAL thoughts for this episode of Fruits Basket (WARNING: manga spoilers ahead).

I gotta be honest the beginning of the Yuchi scene was weird for me because of how much of thier development was sadly cut from the anime but after the curse breaking scene (which was unessarily beautiful btw like the others just got tears/rope snapping but our rat prince got all the budget LMFAO, also the rat spirit was so adorable in this scene for some reason) they luckily still got me to cheer for them somehow (though I think her gift was explained better in the manga as a way to sooth Tohru's rescent injuries + was a nice way of showing how Machi & her brother as alike, at least in the way they approach gift giving lol).

The kyoru stuff was amazing of course (especially assertive Tohru) but I do greatly miss thier zoo date & the school's reaction to them being a couple however they might put that in the last episode (well we can hope can't we).

The Kyoko monologue was heart breaking though I still think her attempted suicide being covered would have added more depth to the saddder side of her & Tohru's relationship (without having to nessaryily explore too much of her disturbing relationship with Katsuya & while we're on the subject, I'm not happy about her going back to her middle school self in the afterlife for VARIOUS reasons that I won't bother getting into but at least we still haven't had to see he's face yet).

I wish Rin hadn't been in the room with Akito during the apolgey (I frankly don't like her even being present when Tohru tells Kyo she wants to see Akito after he's hug with Kazuma because while I PERSONALLY like the friendship between Tohru & Akito & am able to forgive her once she's clearly changed her ways & I get why/how the friendship came to be I still don't think Rin should be present when Tohru's being really invested in Akito especially not so rescently after the amount of truma she put Rin through & btw the 'I can't forgive her/your not bad for not forgiving her' scene better be in the last episode) I swear Rin was sitting just outside the open door with her back turned away (Haru was the closest to her like he was almost shielding her from Akito & their hands/arms were holding on to eachother in the hallway) in the manga so that she could still hear what was being said without having to actually see Akito but maybe I'm misrembering. Also I know Kisa was also badly hurt by Akito but Kisa has a mum to look out for her & wasn't almost murdered or rescently held captive. I also would have wanted Akito to not sit so close to the group (especially Rin & Kisa because I would have thought she'd understand how VERY triggering that could be for them & would want to avoid that).

I loved the detail that Kyo dosn't know he's way around the inner easte because as the cat he's never been invited before.

Akito looked beautiful in her Kinmono.

I don't know when Hiro was supposed to have he's own seprete talk with Akito (sadly the Kyo/Akito/Hana scene is obviously not going to happen) but I do kind of hope we get some closure with him in the next episode (speaking of which I hope the 'cry because you loved her' scene gets to be in the next episode).

I'm not an Akigure shipper (for NUMRIOUS reasons) but Shigure's speech about why he gave Akito a "parting" gift actually sounded a lot kinder & over all more sincere/healthy to me then it did in the manga....but unfortunately he once again brought up the fact that he'd been waiting for her for such a long time, & they descided to again show little kid Akito & teenage Shigure & it's just like yeah I get it he "fell in love" with her before she even hit puberty (I promise I'm not trying to hate on Akigure fans as I get that it's fiction & your allowed to like stuff that's not wholesome/fluffy I just don't get why the mangka would go out of her way to make the origin of thier feelings for eachother so problimatic if she just wanted them to end up happy & stable in the end like all the other couples).

I would have liked Akito staying on as family head 'to change the clan's toxic way of doing things' to be more explained because, in the dub at least, she kinda just says 'there's still things to do so I'll continue being the family head' & while a change of heart is obviously implied I personally think it's important for the former zodiac to actually hear her say something like that out loud.

Then there's the weird monologue Akito has about Shigure which I guess is supposed to convey that she loves him now more then she did the old zodiac bond but it just sounded obsessive to me (litrually like how Ren spoke about Akira) but I wouldn't necessarily have such a problem with that if it was at least aknowleged anywhere in story that Akito realises it's unhealthy & something she'll need to work on changing if she ever wants to have any chanse at a healthy relationship with him but unfortunately we just get: 'wow I'm utterly dependent on this man (who's been playing mind games with me for half my life) to give me any kind of purpose/value as a person now that I'm no longer a god so we're gonna be a couple now' & I'm just left like.....or you could break up permanently like you did with Kureno & focus on dealing with your truma & becoming a good friend for other outcasts like Tohru did, instead.

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET S3 EPISODE 8 RECAP AKA THE KYORU CHRONICLES PART 2 (plus a quick recap of eps 3-7)

aaaaaaAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I gotta get it out of me otherwise I won't be able to concentrate on work and I will be scrolling through the tag till the day I die. Everything from episode 3 of Season 3 literally hit me like an avalanche - literally cos I marathoned 3-7 over the weekend which I wouldn't advise unless you want an accelerated heartbeat - and I'm starting to realise... maybe I just wasn't ready for season 3. Despite asking for it, haha. Not gonna put as many screencaps for this one cos tumblr editing bay be trippin and I just don't have time nor emotional energy to be fighting with the picture uploads, sorry lol

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Episodes 3 - 7

I spoke before about how (despite my feelings about the characters) the English dub VAs for Akito and Shigure pair up really well audibly. And I think I feel the same way about both Yuki and Machi's English VAs! They both have the same soft spoken yet scratchy element to their voices almost like they are holding slightly back. Although, I'd argue that Yuki has been losing the element of slightly holding back as the anime has gone on which I wonder if the same would be included for Machi's performance?

I really like the presentation of Machi's trauma through her family's expectations to be perfect and how physical it is? How Yuki kind of encourages her to let it out in a healthy way? (Btw the whole chalk breaking scene in the meeting was SO FUCKING SMOOTH. YUKI IS A NERD BUT HE IS SO EFFORTLESSLY COOL A LOT OF THE TIME)

The age gap between Isuzu and Haru for sure isn't the worst age gap in this anime/manga but it's still a bit... hmm...

Episode 4:

In all seriousness, I know Akito deserves some sympathy but it doesn't change the fact that I still see her as a villain. Hurt people hurt people but it doesn't mean they should get away with it, I was honestly pleased Haru got that big confrontation with Akito to tell her WHAT'S WHAT but it was also somewhat... merciful?

Hiro's growth has been so beautiful to see, him realising there are bigger things than him from the event with Rin to his relationship with Kisa to then the birth of his little sister.

Kureno choosing to get his hands a little dirtier and paying the ultimate price for it (as far as we know so far in the anime lol) was great, he is the moon side of Tohru's sunshine.

Shigure... I still don't really get him and Akito's relationship. It's clear he's waiting for Akito to grow the fuck up but at the same time he's not creating an environment for her to grow and develop. He's decided to go with the 'tough love' route which I'm still deciding whether I like it or not tbh. Sometimes it feels necessary, at other times it feels shitty. I respect that he knows he's a scumbag and I don't deny that there are people out there who take revelry in the fact that they are awful but at the same time, him remaining unchanging despite everything feels... unrealistic. But considering throughout this story he doesn't seem affected by trauma, it's understandable, I guess?

Also... that scene where Shigure ponders about whether he should've been with Tohru is THE creepiest creeper shit he's EVER done in this series. No. 🙅🏾‍♀️

Momiji is best bunny boi regardless of how tall and 'manly' he becomes. 🐰His scene with Akito was so authentically him and he really did that shit. We love him. <3

I love the way that the curse breaking should (on surface) be a happy event considering all the trauma the zodiac went through because of it but it's presented mostly as loss as well as happiness. It's the realness of getting out of a bad relationship

Shigure basically laying it out to Tohru how Kyo means nothing in a very taunting way was an excellently painful scene and I choose violence. It was heartbreaking seeing how worthless they all saw Kyo compared to how Tohru saw him but... by this point I was just living in the pain so 🤷🏾‍♀️

The story visually showing how Isuzu is more willing to be soft after her whole ordeal through her fashion choices (e.g. the pastels, the cardigans) was really nice. And Haru being happy about Isuzu making friends with Tohru was cute!

It was nice we saw that Kazuma was still wary about whether Tohru loved Kyo for the right reasons, you'd assume after everything Kazuma would love Tohru as a match for Kyo but he's so emotionally intelligent and also just a protective Dad! Yay, good parenting!

Tohru's confession to loving Kyo was amazing however I still adore Kyo's confession a little bit more. Just a bit. Lol. However, if you add the moment later in episode 8 it trumps it completely. Ethereal goddess.

Kyo and Tohru's grandfather having a scene together was great and nice

Now that I think about it, I wish there was more a visual link in the story between Tohru adapting her speech to imitate her Dad and Momiji adopting his Mum's German accent. Albeit for slightly different reasons, it just adds to the unique connection Tohru and Momiji have. In short, I'm seeing this ship with my third eye now. I get it lol

I don't wanna screencap the scene where Kyo is haunted by both his deceased mother and deceased Kyoko and potentially deceased Tohru because it's the stuff of nightmares. But, it was a wonderfully done scene. You definitely understand fully and clearly why Kyo buried all of that trauma under his hatred for Yuki (I CAN'T WAIT FOR EPISODE 9, YOU GUISE!)

If Akito is a villain, Ren is the final boss. Although, with her type of villainy... I feel like I can kind of enjoy a bit more. She reminds me of a Greek God in the ways she master manipulates people and her desperation for control and power (I just read 'Mythos' by Stephen Fry, it's a great read lol)

It lowkey feels like every female character who's comfortable in expressing their sexuality in this story is punished in some way for it... this is an incomplete thought

Shigure as a child feeling like they should all be pitied is so... mature... I feel like I need more of an explanation for why Shigure is the way he is

Akito's ego death with Kureno? Amazing. I loved that she was at least aware enough to realise how Kureno had been coddling her all this time but again... doesn't excuse her crimes

But anyways...

EPISODE 8

Honestly? I really don't have much to say about this episode besides 3-5 points I wanna get out of my head. It's not a bad thing at all, it's just that there's still a lot left to play out from this 'arc' and this season in general that I wanna complete my thoughts on.

But I'll start with this:

Lol, isn't it funny?! Isn't it heart-wrenchingly funny how the relationship between Kyo and Tohru has kinda reverted back to how they were at the start of the series? The coldness of Kyo at the beginning of this episode (and throughout) was a bit of a gut punch considering all the light and fluffy moments that we've gotten between the two since the True Form arc.

Talking about the True Form arc, I feel like this episode is somewhat a repeat of the same emotions, same trials of the True Form arc. Kyo still 'runs away like he always has' but this time we get him being the most honest and confrontational with his own emotions and trauma than he ever has been during the course of this whole story. While trusting someone (Tohru specifically) for the first time with the whole truth of his story! He always seems to move one step forward and then three steps backwards and while it's a tad bit frustrating, it feels very... real. I'll probably complete my feelings how this arc reflects the True Form arc when we finish this section of the story in future episode(s).

Considering the fact that 80% of this episode is Jerry Jewell monologuing as Kyo and I never got bored really just sells his performance. Kyo was being incredibly cold this episode and yet the range of emotions through his performance made it feel understandable enough for you to empathise with it.

BrattyKid!Kyo to lighten the mood 😹I still wish he and Hiro had more of a relationship, I feel like they could have taught each other a lot. Well... mostly Kyo teaching Hiro tbh

Kyo rejecting Kyoka for her honesty and kindness and then later rejecting Tohru? Oh... kid...

Wow, I felt so good about that whole episode of Kid!Yuki helping Kid!Tohru get home and then it's slightly soured knowing KID!KYO was running about the streets alllll night into the morning?!?! I really did feel Kyo's frustration at not getting that win to actually do something right. And the irony of that being linked to him being unable to save Kyoka from the oncoming car?

Honestly, I don't know what my feelings are on Kyo being unable to save Kyoka. I don't even know what my feelings are on Tohru pretty much pushing that aside in favour of her feelings for Kyo. It's... complicated and I've been mulling it over in my head for the last 10+ years hahah However, if I was in Tohru's position I think I'd eventually come to a point where it feels like it's too late to really do anything about how bad I'd feel about it. Kyo's intentions weren't horrid, if anything he was just being a scared kid and he's allowed to be that. I just wish Tohru had a bit more time to evaluate it but considering she knew her mother well and assumes that wouldn't have been the full scope of what she had said, I don't have much of a problem with it in general

Lol, I love when Tohru gets a 'FUCK YOU, I LOVE YOU' moment with Kyo. 😂Another reflected scene from the True Form arc... only thing is that this time... it doesn't quite work. 😕

(Again, I love how all of these reflections are resolved in later occurences in response to the duality but I'll get to it next week when it shows hopefully)

Laura Bailey only had a few sentences in this episode but she killed it as always. Comparing her performance in 2001 to now is just... growth!

Ok, so Yuki automatically gets Best Boi in this episode for meddling and chasing after KYO of all people. Showing how he's personally done with hating Kyo. Realising Kyo is pretty much the only person who'll make his mother happy. I think he also lowkey wants to understand Kyo? But, we'll get to that next week.

....Oh yeah, Akito is there.

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In total, I liked this episode even though it has me anxious for the next one. We finally get the full picture of why Kyo is the way he is! Ahhhh - a weight off all our chests, I'm sure. I kinda don't like that they put the ending theme at the end of these episodes - the joyfulness doesn't really match up with the intense theme? But, that's just a minor gripe. And hey, maybe they just want the audience to know... it's all gonna be okay :)

See you next week!!!

[tardytothepardy]

Fruits Basket - Vol. 18

The first part of this book was honestly pretty sweet, I was living for it. The second part of this book reminded me that Haru can kick ass if he wanted to, but for the most part he doesn't. The third part of this book reminded the characters that Tohru wants to help these people in their predicament, but she also wants to help one person in particular out of their predicament.

By the end of it, I kinda want Kureno to carry around a spray bottle and spritz water or vinegar at Akito every time he does something bad. Probably vinegar. It wouldn't do anything bad, but he'd be smelly.

So, the first part. It's mostly just with the Student Council, continuing the graduation ceremony stuff from the previous book (and no, Tohru and Co. are not graduating. I don't know why I thought they were), with some focus on Machi, Yuki, and Kakeru. How fun.

It starts with the one strict guy (I've never had to talk about him at all so I wasn't sure what his name was for a while, honestly. It turns out his name is Sakuragi Naohito. The more you know, I guess) lamenting about how graduation is near, which the rest of the group finds odd, because no one in the group is graduating this year. Then a couple girls show up at the door, saying that Machi knocked down some boxes of chalk, and generally made a mess. They also brought up some random (but very personal) rumor about Machi trying to kill her baby brother a while back, and surely that's why Machi is the way she is. Kakeru tells Yuki about it, from what he was told. It was said that Machi became jealous of her younger brother (who, according to Kakeru, had been decided to be the heir to the family's fortune) and tried to kill him. Afterwards, her parents decided that it would be best if she was removed from the house entirely, and ever since she had lived alone. Kakeru offered to take Yuki to Machi's place, to ask her herself, which Yuki didn't really agree to. Kakeru also mentioned, offhandedly (because he was just jumping from one topic to the next) that he once saw Machi, out in the snow, making footprints all over it. He had no idea why, but he said she seemed pretty intent on it.

So they arrived unannounced to Machi's place, which she did not appreciate whatsoever. She might have been fine with Kakeru showing up, but she was more flustered once she saw that Yuki was also there. (I wonder why,,, hmmm) While they were there, Kakeru was just being weird and put one of Machi's bras, all rolled up, in Yuki's hand. Why did he do that. Don't manhandle bras, dude. They're expensive. Anyway, once he got kicked out for that (they kinda started cleaning up Machi's room, and he was taking out the trash), Machi asked Yuki about the rumor, and if that was why they were here. Yuki didn't answer that, and instead asked Machi if she hated perfection. The answer is yes, she does, because of shit that her mom said and did to her.

Basically (and I feel like this was touched on a bit earlier), after Kakeru acted out and got tired of the family's bs, more pressure was put on Machi to behave, to do the best that she could, get the highest marks in school, have the perfect behavior, etc. She couldn't step out of line, otherwise she would be punished severely. Despite this, her mother would often talk about how boring she was, in front of Machi. This was especially the case after her younger brother was born, and her mother would talk about how glad she was for another heir to the family, because Machi was just so average, so dull. After one of these times, Machi actually confronted her mother, asking, "Why do you say that? I thought this was what you wanted me to be like?", to which her mom was like, "You say that like it's my fault. Well, maybe it is. Oh well."

That sense of "Oh well, onto the next one" was not the thing that Machi needed. She needed reassurance, that she wasn't just some blank, dull, empty person, who brings nothing new or interesting to anything or anyone. I think it's kinda here when she started tearing things apart: anything that was too neat or orderly just reminded her of that suffocating feeling, and she couldn't stand it.

It was then that Yuki praised her, basically, for all the hard work that she did, all that work, just to try and keep ahead. Clearly, this was not something she had ever experienced, because it caused her to break down, and she told him about what actually happened with her and her younger brother: she was just putting a blanket over him. She thought he was cold, and he could get sick. But when her parents saw her holding a blanket over him, they already had a bias against Machi, and were convinced that she was jealous, that she had ill intent. They wouldn't listen to what she said, they didn't care. She had shown a "sign" of something bad that easily fit into their narrative, and took that as a reason to take her away from her younger brother.

Yuki then offers that, if the snow gets thick enough, they can go outside and make footprints all over it, and, honestly? That's some cute ass shit. I love that kinda thing, really. That's romance: stomping around in the fresh snow. Who needs physical contact when you can stomp around on fall leaves? That's the real stuff, right there.

But Kakeru interrupts the scene (he was kinda lingering behind a wall, listening to most of this. I think he was there for the story about their younger brother), but I liked it. It was nice. That wasn't entirely where this section ended, however. There's still a little bit more, with Sakuragi, and why he was so bummed out about graduation.

The short answer is that a girl he likes is graduating. But she (I looked it up and her name is Motoko Minagawa) likes Yuki, who doesn't like her. And Sakuragi is kinda taking out his anger on Yuki, who is mostly just bummed out that so many girls are coming up to him and confessing their feelings, and he just has to turn them down. In the end, Yuki and Minagawa had a chat, things are fine. She told him how she felt about him but she wasn't expecting anything in return, and she said she wished for the best for him, which he was unnecessary. Later, Sakuragi kinda?? told Minagawa how he felt about her, but he mostly just gave her well wishes, and now he is less angry and uppity. How nice.

Moving onwards to the second chunk, Hiro's mom had a baby! Her name is Hinata, and she's not a Juunishi. It's great. Hiro's gonna do his damnedest to make sure that Hinata gets everything she needs, and probably try to protect her from the burning dumpster that is being a Sohma. (Really, it just doesn't seem to be that great.)

While that's going on, there's discussion of Izusu, where is she? People say that she's in the hospital, but they won't say which one, or where. She's not at Kagura's house, where she lives, and she hasn't shown up at school for ages. Kagura had to actually attend Izusu's graduation in her place. It's all very weird. People are started to ask around, but no one has the answers. Kagura's worried, Tohru's worried, Hiro's mom is worried, and at one point Yuki even went up to Haru and asked him if he'd heard anything about where Izusu was. Haru hadn't, but afterwards, he got on the search. On the way to the search, he ran into Hiro and Kisa. They all kinda knew what Haru was doing there, and that's when Hiro told Haru that the last time Izusu got really hurt, it was because Akito had pushed her off a second-story ledge. He then apologizes to Kisa, saying that it was his fault that Akito lashed out at her, and he wasn't allowed to anything about either incident. He then reveals that Izusu is trying to break the curse, and she did something, Akito found out, and that's why she was punished (along with Akito forcing her to break up with Haru).

Anyway, now Haru's pissed. He makes a beeline straight to Akito's room, and he's looking for some answers. He cuts to the point, asking, "Why'd you push Izusu out the window?" Akito denies it, of course, who'd own up to that? He says that Haru must have made that up, or heard wrong from someone, but Haru is not swayed. He's gonna get answers one way or another.

While all of this has been happening, Kureno had noticed that there was a person carrying a tray of food and wandering off to where people don't typically go. He followed her, and tracked her down to a dilapidated building, and he asked her what she was doing. She wouldn't say, but she give him the key to the building, saying that Izusu hadn't eaten in days, she was withering away. So Kureno found Izusu, her hair was hacked off (and Akito did it, it's not even speculation, there's a page where you see him doing it. Well, he's coming out of the room, scissors in hand, with these long clumps of hair trailing on the floor. He totally did it.), and took her to the hospital. So when Haru is questioning Akito, Kureno comes in and tells Haru that she's in the hospital, which is probably a good thing for Akito's sake. Haru is pissed. I haven't forgotten about the "black" Haru thing. The last time that came up, it also had to do with Izusu.

Haru asked Kureno where she was, and it's revealed that she was in the Cat's dungeon, essentially. (I think of it as a dungeon, personally) This totally sets off Haru, who asks if this was another attempt to kill Izusu, and Akito was basically like "So what if it was?" which was not the correct answer. There was no correct answer, at that point, but that one was the most wrong answer. All sorts of feelings were welling up in Haru, at this point, and all kinda gathered into one really nasty feeling: helplessness. He felt like, despite how much he loved Izusu, and how much he cared about her, it wasn't enough. He wasn't able to protect her from the shit that had happened. Fortunately for Akito, he only punched a hole in the wall, rather than Akito's face, but he then left the room. Kureno followed him, and said that he should try to get to the hospital, because he thought that Izusu wanted to see Haru, specifically because she had been saying Haru's name when Kureno had found her.

Later on, we are in the hazy mind of Izusu, who woke up in the hospital and is pretty disoriented. Last she was aware, she was in the Cat Room of Doom, not a hospital bed. She could remember that Kureno was there, that he carried her out. She was looking for him, especially after she saw him talking to Tohru, and when he left, Tohru was crying. She wanted to know what Kureno said to Tohru, and tried to track him down. Turns out that he's pretty elusive. But she did run into another person: Ren. She asked Ren if she knew of a way to break the curse, and Ren said that there was something of hers in Akito's room, a box, and that if she got that box back, she would,,, have it back. She didn't actually say that she would tell Izusu anything, but Izusu's desperate to break the curse. Unfortunately for that desperation, Akito found her, right in his room, holding the box. Akito threatened to hurt Haru, if Izusu tried to get out, but Izusu saw this as payment for her failure, she made absolutely no attempt to escape.

There's a little blip back to Ren and an old lady who reprimanded Kureno for even finding Izusu at all, and it turns out that Ren probably didn't know how to break the curse anyway. She didn't particularly like Izusu, so it wasn't a huge loss on her end. She just wanted to get that box back, for some reason, and was using Izusu to try to get it.

In this hazy dream-state, Izusu's just confused. She can't remember what actually happened, but she's kinda bummed out that she dreamt all of that, and Haru wasn't there. Then he popped up, conveniently. She apologizes to him, saying that she failed, her attempts to save him and break the curse were worthless (and she also thinks that she's worthless). "Dream" Haru says that she can't go off anymore, because he missed her, a lot, and if she went away again, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. She says that this is such a nice dream, but it's not a dream (as I'm sure you could tell with the quotation marks). Turns out, she's lying on the pavement, outside somewhere, and Haru found her. It's reminiscent to the other time that Haru found her lying barely conscious on the pavement, but this time he can pick her up and carry her home. He reassures her that she's not a burden, that she should take help when it's handed to her. In this case, she should let herself be carried when she can't walk.

It seems that Izusu is now staying at Kazuma's house, probably because Kazuma is so chill with that kind of stuff. Tohru was really glad to see Izusu again, which gave Izusu some conflicting feelings (mostly "agh stop don't care about me" but also "hey it's actually kinda nice to know that people care about me"). Tohru wasn't told why Izusu's hair got chopped off, or much about the situation. They ("they" being Yuki, Haru, and Kazuma. I suppose Izusu as well) didn't want Tohru worrying too much, she already was very concerned.

Later, Shigure came by Kazuma's house, to talk to Izusu about what happened, and basically confirmed that Ren was using her, and that she wouldn't know how to break the curse. He also said that he think Izusu should give the curse-breaking thing a rest, because the curse is starting to break itself without anyone doing anything (as we've seen with Kureno). Izusu doesn't believe him, but he doesn't say anything more about it. He just says that, probably in a couple years, it'll be broken, and no one will have to do anything. Then Tohru arrives (who was coming over to see Izusu, and even had a gift for her), and says that that's not good enough, that the curse has to be broken before next spring, before their graduation. This shit has an ever-increasing importance to Tohru. She hates the way that Kyo talks about it, like he's already come to terms with what will happen. Tohru will not stand for it for a single second, and she'll probably do her damnedest (hey look i used that word again) to break the curse before then.

(Also this is kinda, I think, when Izusu and Shigure are kinda like, "Whoa, she really cares about Kyo, huh? Hm, surely there isn't any deeper relationship there, right? Hmmmmm"

[sobdasha]

some (very long) Hiro metas and a Kisa-n-Tohru tangent

seeing the "Hiro is a brat!" "Hiro just has trauma!" debate has made me ponder…

Like, not to compare trauma and argue who had what worse and invalidate suffering, but my immediate reaction was kind of, "Wait, what? I mean, okay, I guess Hiro did just have some trauma re: Kisa, but like, overall…???"

So it's time for some scrutiny!

I’mma talk myself through this in a post.

Here we have Hiro. He's a Souma, which is pretty damn traumatic in its own right, and possessed by a Zodiac spirit, which is even worse. He's part of an elite inner circle, privileged with status and wealth; but on the flip side, there's still people in the family who look down on the Zodiac, and Hiro's looking at a future of isolation (afraid of looking like a monster, afraid to betray the family secret, not properly free to pick his own job, may or may not be able to live outside the estate, love life is gonna be a disaster when puberty hits). And Akito, whom the possessed part of him loves deeply and desperately, tends to weaponize his own love and withhold it when someone displeases him, or turn hurtful when someone needs punishment.

Okay, so that's bad. But Hiro shares that with all of the Zodiac members, that's just the baseline trauma, and there's some compounding issues at play that Hiro lacks:

- Hiro, as the Sheep, isn't especially hated. Kyou, for instance, has a bad attitude that's partly due to the entire clan ragging on him for being a horrible abomination of a monster, comparing him unfavorably to Idealized Yuki, and telling him he's gonna be locked up in a one-room house on the estate to suffer out his life--and that's not even counting how being the Cat affected how his immediate family treated him. Haru, as the Ox, got ~harmlessly teased~ about being a big dumb slow stupid ox by the family so much that he started flipping over to a Black personality to violently vent his feelings.

- Hiro's family life is, as far as I can tell, actually ideal. His parents didn't reject him (Momiji, Kyou re: his sperm donor, Rin), split up over him (I suspect this is what happened for Kagura, because her parents argued a lot when she was young, and I wonder about the fact that Ritsu's dad isn't at the onsen? And there's no mention of Kisa's dad? But then again, we're told repeatedly that Yuki and Ayame have a father and he lives in the same house as their mother and I've never seen proof of this man's existence), be coolly indifferent to him (Ayame after Yuki was born and he got off the hook but honestly I think that was a blessing to him, Yuki, Hatori), or get extremely overprotective (Kyou re: his mom, I'd argue this is partly why Ritsu's mom is so stressed out, and also I'd argue this may be why Kisa's mom hits her limit). In fact, Hiro's the only one who we can definitely say has two parents, who live together, and have a good relationship, and actively enjoy nurturing their child. Also Satsuki's completely adorkable. (This puts strain on Hiro in other ways, lol, but at least he shares that feeling with his dad.)

- Hiro, as the Sheep, probably doesn't particularly stand out. I'm guessing his hair color isn't particularly notable? So he probably hasn't been singled out for teasing from people who don't even know about the curse, like Kyou and Haru and Kisa. (No one's not-thirsty enough to have teased Ayame or Yuki for their looks, I'm pretty sure, and Momiji can pull the biracial card, even if that wouldn't stop people, and went to international school, where people probably found other ways to pick on you.)

So where, for Hiro, does his particular extremely combative, condescending, scathing, sarcastic attitude come from?

That's not to say none of those things above could be factors. It's extremely possible that the family found dumb things to say to him because, y'know, clearly it's impossible to hurt a kid's feelings if you're arrogant enough about it. And like Kyouko says, you can't really judge someone's family situation based on their behavior, and vice versa. I'd expect Hiro to be super well-adjusted, coming from a loving nuclear family, but kids are people and they will turn out how they turn out both because of and in spite of how they're raised. And maybe Hiro's experienced some bullying about whatever, and his instant sharp-tongued retorts became the default in response to that. Hiro didn't tell us any of this, but who knows!

Or maybe Hiro's difficult phase is just a phase. Maybe that's how all his classmates talk to each other?? I can easily see that being a thing, especially with boys, both friendly with friends or aggressive with people you want to treat badly, and maybe Hiro's so much in the habit of it that he doesn't think first (and doesn't care enough about Tohru and her feelings to exercise a little self-control). Like this post that points out how it's a Definite Thing that part of Hiro's lording-little-brat arrogance is because he's in his final year of elementary school and he's everyone's senpai and that sort of thing is indulged because adults know he'll get cruelly humbled next year when he's a baby kouhai.

But I think maybe, what's most relevant with Hiro, is that because of his lack of obvious outside factors to fight against for personal growth, his growing pains as a character are internal. He's fighting against himself. AKA, it's only logical that he's a tiny little shit and his character arc is about growing into someone who isn't a jerkface. Which can be just as difficult and traumatic as standing up to your parents, or Akito, or society, or your classmates. Hiro has to assert himself against himself, and himself won't punch him in the face or lock him in his room but it's so easy to just put the blame elsewhere and let himself get away with it and give him a pass and stop trying to improve.

Now I wanna analyze the timeline!

Aside from a few select Zodiac members, Akito hasn't really done anything super terrible that we've heard about until Hiro's in 3rd grade. That's when Hatori and Kana ask to get married, and Hatori gets injured. Akito has been a jerk before, and Akito is very clearly in favor of a hierarchy that puts God at the top getting all the love. But Shigure and Ayame have talked about their sexcapades with no issue, and Kagura's always going on about her undying love for and future marriage with Kyou, and this is the first incident that says those things aren't allowed.

Sometime not terribly long after that, Shigure gets kicked out of the Main House. This ramps up Akito's hatred of women, though Hiro wouldn't know the betrayal behind it and might not have a clue about Akito's vendetta.

Right about the time Hiro starts 6th grade, he feels compelled to tell Akito that he has feelings for Kisa. (I'm pulling this from the Collector's Edition timeline. In the actual story I keep seeing the English being like "I always thought Hiro hated me / I thought Hiro hated me for a long time" with Kisa then immediately turning around and saying "We were bffs all through my elementary school years / Hiro always played with me until this year", so I heavily suspect the translators keep getting a modifier in the wrong place or something because wtf.) Akito kicks Kisa's ass and Kisa takes two weeks to heal. (This isn't Akito's fault. It's also not Kisa's fault, obviously, because Hiro didn't even tell her yet that he liked her. So that means it's all Hiro's fault.) Hiro's horrified, because he could have had an idea this would be bad but he probably didn't expect it to all be taken out on Kisa. After all, Hatori got hurt, not Kana, and Rin hasn't been pushed out a window yet.

Hiro abruptly cuts off his interaction with Kisa, to protect her from getting punished by Akito again. Kisa goes back to 7th grade, where she's just transitioned from Top Of The Heap Senpai and Just A Child So We Can Let Things Slide to Lowly Kouhai Who Needs To Learn Proper Social Behaviors, and she's being bullied, and her bff won't talk to her, and her Talking Things Out skills are having zero effect, so she just stops talking, and now her mom is upset, and then she starts skipping school, and now her mom is really upset. And Hiro was probably unaware of a lot of this, until it got really bad several months in, since he stopped seeing his bff.

And Hiro's agonizing and worrying about it, when suddenly Tohru swoops in and magically saves the day, bringing hope where there was none and erasing suffering, right when Hiro was probably nerving himself up to try to help somehow without bringing Akito's wrath back down on Kisa.

Oh I wanna have a tangent about Kisa!

Timeline again, but from Kisa's point of view:

Kisa and Hiro are only a year apart, so they've always been super close. Hiro is her bff.

Now Kisa is starting 7th grade.

Kisa does something Bad. It's not clear what, but it's Bad Enough to make Akito hate her and also seriously beat her up, so that's Pretty Bad.

Actually it's Really Very Bad, because after that Hiro hates her too.

Anyway Kisa's starting 7th grade! Yay! New school, new girls, new pressures. In my personal experience, middle school is when girls are at their nastiest (after they hit high school, they start to chill out. Obviously you still get jerks, because people, but there was a little more "live and let live" attitude), so I always assume this is part of the problem. Kisa's classmates start to bully her. Kisa tries out her conflict resolution skills, like the adult she's expected to be becoming, and it only causes the situation to escalate. Her self-esteem has already had the crap kicked out of it, and hasn't healed in 2+ weeks. Her bff hates her and won't talk to her.

And then Kisa just gives up without telling anyone why.

Tohru's got a very valid point, that it's hard to talk about the things that actually bother you. It's hard to ask for help. I can complain all day long about little things, but I can't put big issues into words without spontaneously bawling? Which is really fricken embarrassing???

But I think the reason Tohru strikes such a chord with Kisa, and is able to instantly win her over, is because she talks with such quiet feeling about being scared her mom wouldn't love her anymore. Because that feeling was very, very real for Tohru--grounded in the fact that Kyouko actually did abandon her once.

And Kisa recognized that, and realized that Tohru--unlike everyone else--actually got it, because that's exactly what Kisa's feeling. Because Kisa's gotten along with her mother very well all her life, if what we see of her with Hiro is any indication. Except that suddenly Akito hates her. Suddenly Hiro hates her. It's a very real fear, once Kisa's mom starts getting stressed about the not-talking, that Kisa's mom is going to stop loving her just like everyone else is suddenly doing. Because that's literally what's happening to Kisa.

Tohru's not just a warm, loving, accepting, motherly presence. Tohru's someone who can very viscerally relate to Kisa's terror. Of course Kisa clings to her.

Back to Hiro though!

I think we could also stand to apply to Hiro the tried-and-true, "The things you hate most in other people are the things you hate most about yourself," because it is both true in general and a definite thing Fruits Basket does (for a quick example, see Yuki saying he hates dependent people [while Kyou's like "that's you tho"] and Rin hating Yuki [because he's dependent on Haru the way she is guiltly dependent on Haru]).

I went to rewatch the episode to look at all the specific things Hiro says about Tohru and other people, only to realize the obvious flaw that like everything he says is an insult and there's too much there for me to unpack here, so I chose just a few statements that were really specifically phrased (I can't stand people who X).

I can't stand people who let themselves be pushed around so easily

Hiro also talks a couple times about Tohru having no sense of identity or agency, or not having thoughts of her own. So this reveals Hiro's inner struggle with his own complacency. He's got that bond with Akito, he's got a life that's at least partly set in stone already for him, and he's not doing anything to fight it. He didn't hide his feelings for Kisa from Akito, and then when Kisa got hurt Hiro never told her why ("It's my fault because I told Akito I like you and that made him mad, it's nothing you did") and never called Akito out on it (he can't blame Akito but when he talks about it you can tell he also knows he should blame Akito because Hiro can figure out that that was wrong. Maybe because, unlike so many others of the Zodiac, he was raised in a sensible and loving family and he knows that Akito's behavior isn't normal, isn't right, isn't acceptable).

This is probably why, even while using "I'm just a kid" to get away with his behavior, he's so frustrated with not being an adult. Because, to him, an adult wouldn't just let these things happen. He's wrong, on one hand, but on the other hand the maturity that will come with his personal growth will let him be the kind of adult he envisions.

I can't stand inconsiderate people

Hiro knows he's a jerk. He knows his snappy retorts piss people off--he enjoys that. He's super jealous about Tohru and doesn't care about her feelings, and him taking his anger out on Tohru has been hurting Kisa's feelings and that hasn't caused Hiro to check himself yet either.

He knows this, he hates this, he's not ready to deal with it yet and exercise self-control, so he's the niceness police about other people being rude.

(I think it's interesting that, when Hiro starts maturing, even though he still has that tendency to rudeness, there's also a hint that it will one day turn into a frankness that isn't just "a blunt insult is the same as honesty right?" That time when Hiro realizes that Kyou and Tohru have Feelings and he's like "Um, wait, is that okay? Are we just not going to talk about the fact that Kyou is going to be locked up alone in a room for the rest of his life???" He asks the tough questions lol. I won't give him credit for bringing up Tohru's dad issues because he was just doing that to be a dick, there was zero maturity there. In another world, though, he would've been the only other person besides Kyou [who already knew the details] to think to question Tohru about it.)

People who whine about their situation while accepting no responsibility are so irritating

Again...Hiro hates the whole situation that happened with Kisa, and hates his part in it, and didn't do anything to fix it before Tohru came along. And even then, he still hasn't fessed up to Kisa about the real circumstances. He knows he owes Kisa that, and he hasn't taken responsibility yet.

This ties into the complacency issue, but with the added fact that Hiro's said it's shitty and unfair but still is going along with it without trying to stop it. So he's an extra jerk, but he still hasn't stepped up yet.

I think maybe this is why Tohru's speech touches him, even after he just called her out on magical Mary Sue emotional healing powers. He's been nothing but his worst self around Tohru--bad enough that it's not only just Tohru but Kisa he's been upsetting as well--he's been bratty and insulting and pushed Tohru around and stolen her property and treated her like shit and--

And instead of rolling her eyes, or getting fed up and firing back, or any other response that show her low expectations for Hiro…

Tohru just stands there and says it's brave, to admit you have flaws, and that she has faith that he can and will make good on his responsibilities. Even though nothing at all that Hiro's done--and he's very well aware of this--gives any indication that he would even try. Let alone succeed.

The way that Hiro, when people call him a brat, tends to then embrace it and get even brattier--this makes me think he's the kind of kid who lives down to people's expectations, rather than trying to prove them wrong. So when Tohru without hesitation sets the bar high like that, and it pisses Hiro off--

He's gonna show you, stupid woman. You think he's a prince? You're gonna be floored at the kind of prince he'll be.

(Eventually. Much later.)

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Astra 4 - 6 | Demon Slayer 17 - 19 | Cop Craft 4 - 6 | Dr Stone 3 - 6 | Fruits Basket 15 - 19 | Given 3 - 5

Astra 4

How does anyone wash their hands with a spacesuit on?

Those exaggerated faces (reaction to candy plants) weren’t in the manga. Good thing too – they improve on the source.

Hey, man (Ulgar)! “Big girl” is offensive. (I’m probably saying that because I’m not too big myself.)

The *ding ding ding!* was pretty hilarious…LOL.

I remember this was pretty harsh to read for me the first time…because y’know what they say about representation mattering in feminist studies/articles? Yeah, that. (Exactly how I’m represented? That I’ll leave to your imagination…)

Aw, the Gruppie sounds adorable!

I think I’ve said this already, but Kanata uses the word “zetsubou” – despair, not necessarily “hopeless” – to say what he says.

Demon Slayer 17

I was a bit confused as to why Inosuke was majorly angry all the time, but then I realised that he’s not necessarily angry, per se - he is just majorly competitive.

*head on spider legs appears* ARGHHHHHHHHHHH! That reminds me of that head on spider legs from Toy Story…I seem to remember that freaked me out to some degree. I’m actually not afraid of spiders, but show me an image for “trypophobia” (fear of tiny holes) or stick me somewhere high up without secure footing…and I’m gone.

This episode is…great! I’m cursing as I watch, but it’s great! The CGI is adding to the creepiness! Also, I so didn’t expect Zenitsu to have black hair.

I agree with Zenitsu’s master, he is a moron…

…but truth be told, I think I see myself in him. That’s probably why I find him so annoying. Lately, I’ve found there are periods where I resent myself more than anyone else…and that’s the scariest part about living life. But I can’t complain, because I put my name down to help others in the same situation.

Z-Zenitsu! I-I’m sorry I ever doubted you! I’m so sorry…! I promise I’ll stop thinking you’re annoying, because you remind me of meeeeeeeeeee…! *sob, snivel, sob…*

Ukogiiiiiiiiii! Wahhhhhhhhh!

Hmm…you can smell rain. I’ve smelt it before. But thunderclouds…? Not so much.

Demon Slayer 18

“Rookie Mizunoto join the battle!” – The Smash Bros intro is a fun way to introduce people, no?

I thought Shinobu Kocho was Naruto running, but instead she has her jacket on her shoulders…so it only looks like Naruto running.

CG models are back to being awkward again…

“If you can’t slash something with one sword, you just gotta pound it with another sword!” – Basically, the philosophy of the entire shonen genre when dealing with swords.

“I’m gonna die.” – Well, there’s some words I thought I’d never hear from Inosuke…

Oh yeah…I forgot Inosuke’s never met Giyu.

Hmm…I’ve been suspecting Rui is the member of the 12 Kizuki as a demon with lower possibility of being so (but being raised by Ply’s hint during our collab and Tanjiro’s fight), but I’m more certain of the father being the 12 Kizuki based on what the series has shown us already. Hmm…so who is it???

*starts watching Taisho Secret* Wait, where did Giyu come from??? *watches again* Oh, he appears from above…! Interesting…

Hmm…I like salmon onigiri myself. I also like tuna…most flavours, really.

Cop Craft 4

The man (?) with the purplish hair who called Kei over is meant to be a gay stereotype or at least close to one. Aside from his (?) appearance, you can tell by him (?) nding his sentences with “wa”.

Marth’s post for ep. 4 said “And Suddenly, Vampires”, so…I’m thinking about how Cop Craft actually does the horror vibe really well as I watch.

Aw, these cliffhangers suck! I’m starting to thank myself that I ran behind on every show but Demon Slayer.

Cop Craft 5

O-Oh, the CG is getting worse…

Who was the 2nd person dead? The 1st was Chapman…

Astra 5

As I’m laughing at the reactions from the makeover (because I knew this was coming), I’m simultaneously wondering…holding those scissors in the way you’re doing is dangerous, Luca!!!

Oh great…midseason animation slump. This is only the 2nd show to suffer from that this season…and I’ve only caught up on 3 shows so far.

“Mine is bigger!” “No, mine is!” – Ah, anime boys and their ability to make things vaguely Freudian when out of context…*slight sweatdrop*

*slow pan, with a final shot on Aries’s boobs* - Oh, really…? *grumpy*

*…then proceeds to do boob shots of all the girls* Oh, really?!? You wanna go, show?! You were doing so well, up until this episode!!! I didn’t read past volume 2 of the manga, so this beach stuff is all new to me!!! Plus, it sucks because boob shots are everywhere!!!

“…approach him like that…”

People have been pointing this out, but McPa = Camp, Shummoor = Mushroom, Vilavurs = Survival…so Arispade = Paradise.

Ulgar really reminds me of Tooi, even though he came first…

Dr Stone 3

Taiju’s ugly tears make me go “d’aww” now that this scene is animated…it was nice in manga format, but even better when it was moving and with colour.

Now that I think about it, Tsukasa’s “benefit of the new world” talk reminds me of Death Note.

Senku trying to steal Kamakura Buddha bronze looks like Bart Simpson…

Boueibu should’ve taught you that Hakone is home to hot springs.

Dr Stone 4

You don’t fire a smoke signal…

Oh wow, Mecha Senku! Wouldya lookit that! *points at him* He answers questions in the manga, so I didn’t think he’d get adapted!

Are those…CGI trees? Oh great, why does all shonen these days need CGI trees???

Fighting over established interests means a Thucydides trap (a mini version of which seems to be playing out here with Tsukasa)…that’s basically the only thing I remember from my old politics classes.

I just noticed Yuzuriha refers to all the boys with –kun. She wants to stay friends with all of them…I guess even Tsukasa’s on that list, huh?

Hmm…Senku’s eyes are a reddish colour, but otherwise he’s normally representd with blue to Taiju’s red…

I just realised Senku has a red pen and a black pen in one of his breast pockets.

Aww…it’s nice to have rivals who aren’t 100% evil for once. Sure, pure evil rivals are easy to write but hard to justify. Good guys with one morally wrong aspect to them are harder to write, but easier to get behind. (Plus, at least they’re not Sasuke-style angsty.)

Dr Stone 5

So…I went searching…and I was wondering why I wanted to claim Tsukasa as husbando (but man, he’s a bit more stereotypical for a gal to fall in love with – all girls like bad guys, amirite???), but as it turns out, Senku and his buds from our era (Tsukasa included) are 18 and so are ripe for the husbando/waifu picking (not to mention they’re technically over 3700 years old, which more than makes them legal for things like drinking alcohol, as Senku himself pointed out a few eps back).

D’aww…this was in the manga, but now I find Tsukasa inserting himself into Senku’s flashback cute.

Notably, Gen Asagiri appears on the front of the book this student is asking the question from. Who’s Gen Asagiri, you ask, my dear anime-only random nonexistent entity I type these notes for? You’ll find out…soon.

Hmm…Yuzuriha is more observant than we give her credit for. Also, Senku pulled a Gen Asagiri right there…LOL.

LOL…those ‘shrooms seem massively symbolic. They were also in the manga, IIRC.

Why does Yuzuriha wear a neck scarf, anyway?

Hey, they even managed to get the game-like text box right! Awesome! (It reminds me of Little Alchemy, to be honest.)

“Himo” translates to rope…or a cord. Just FYI.

Astra 6

Eyyy…this show is calling me out.

Eyyyyy…Toi vibes from Ulgar!!!

Eyyyyy…wut? I can’t believe Anime Feminist was on the money here??? (Context: The reviewer for Astra said Luca was “one ambiguously-gendered character”.)

Hey…I once read a book with a 50% similarity to this plot. (There was a gay character – not intersex - and all the characters are adopted.)

I think Xenodude said this, but…in space, nobody can hear you scream.

I’m laughing so hard…why are Kanata’s abs the thing that hurt the most? (It’s because he’s got the harness in that region…forget I asked. It’s still funny though.)

“MILD THING” – Yep, Ulgar’s gonna be mild after what happened this episode…

Ohhhhh, I didn’t understand the “hairpiece” thing until it was revealed it was a toupee through context.

Ooh, 50% chance of lying here. Who to trust, who to trust? Charce or Aries? (I trust Aries, by the way.)

Dr Stone 6

The alien explanation etc. was in the manga, but…why do all the attackers look like Senku???

Senku does his best Thinker impression.

Eyyy! Fighter vs. fighter. I love this scene, even if only because Tsukasa (and his muscles) have the upper hand in both the visual angle and the power balance, although [BLEEP <- no spoilers!] has the surprise factor.

I remember learning once blonde hair is recessive…so does that mean most of the community is blonde? (I know the answer to that, but you, my non-existent anime-discussing entity, don’t.)

I’m tempted to hear Senku scream, “This. Is. SCIENCE!!!”

Fruits Basket 15

For some reason, videos run much faster on my phone than my laptop…

Hmm…this is the first time I’m properly listening to the 2nd ED…It’s kinda like how you’d expect an ED to be: quieter than an ED, but still serving up cuteness.

Fruits Basket 16

This episode’s visually very dark…

Middle School!Tohru reminds me of Hitori Bocchi.

Smol Uo looks like Kyo.

Fruits Basket 17

(nothing this time, sorry!)

Fruits Basket 18

Oh! I remember the matching scene in the manga (where Kisa bites Tohru for the first time).

I also remember the manga Hatsuharu is reading is called “Mogeta and the Ant” (Ari).

Now you see why Tohru is Kyoko’s daughter…

“…what her hair and eye colour were.”

Fruits Basket 19

The ep is called “I’m So Sorry!”…I think I know who’s going to star in this episode, alright…

For some reason, when I see Ritsu and Mitchan apologising to each other, I think of me and Astral…(LOL…?)

…Or maybe it reminds me of Zenitsu…?

Eyyyyyyyy, A-ya is A-ya…

This overly-apologetic character of Ritsu…this is why Martin was my favourite character back in the original Ro.Te.O days…*sighs while basking in nostalgia*

Demon Slayer 19

This episode’s been hyped since last week. Let’s get on with it!

Ooh, no pattern on this title card…

Wow (sarcastic), talk about infighting…but amazingly, I found Inosuke’s art shift to be funny for once in my life! (Amazing!...and yes, the exclamation of “Amazing!” is sincere)

Using terror is…well, Machiavellian. Hard power. You get my drift, right?

So basically, Rui breaks down the nuclear family for us.

Wait a flippin’ second…Hinokami (god of fire)? Charcoal selling? Water Breathing??? One of these is not like the others, for sure.

I get the feeling the father’s dance was recorded as video then converted to animation by ufotable staff…that’s what they did for YoI, no?

“The cold won’t bother you, either.” - Well, due to his fire theming, the cold never bothered Tanjiro anyway…*echoes of “Let It Go” suddenly play in the background*

Go for it, Nezuko! Be the Bakugo of the Demon Slayer world!

According to the credits, Tanjiro’s dad’s name is Tanjuro…that’s confusing, to say the least…

(Sorry Astral, the background noise while I was watching meant I did’t watch it with sound on…Also, is it wrong that I think the dad is hot??? Another thing: why do Tanjuro and Tanjiro have matching scars on their temples…?)

One of Tanjiro’s bros looks like Zenitsu??? Wuh???

Ooh, insert song “Kamado Tanjiro’s Song” by Go Shiina ft Nami Nakagawa. I’ll have to listen to it when I can. (Ever since SGRS, I’ve loved Go Shiina’s work…guess I didn’t expect it here, though.) Update: Misattributed the work. Go Shiina does videogame work, Sheens Ringo did SGRS stuf.

Given 3

I never knew that asking someone into a band was like asking someone out…(probably because I’ve never been in a band).

Given’s a frickin’ riot – that’s one reason I stuck with it.

I forgot Mafuyu was underage…!

Cop Craft 6

That car chase was basically Need for Speed…with worse graphics…

“Prayboy”…hmm…

I followed Kei’s advice to Google Jeffrey Dahmer…and I regret it.

The text says “Someone from the Semanian gang of thieves made contact.”

I didn’t make sense of “I hate being McCloud” until I rewound a bit and found that’s a disguise or alter ego of Tony’s.

“Shift the transmission into ‘Reverse’. The car will begin to roll backward sharply…” - The driving instructions are real, at least.

Given 4

Ehhhhh…still shots…

Kaji sure looks tough for a violinist…but a music major? Never thought he’d be one…(I saw some spoilers saying Kaji was a violinist before I watched the episode, hence my lack of surprise in that department.)

Not everyone’s in a band, y’know…

$120…? Nasty…

$70…

Ah, a layby? I don’t actually know what other countries call it, but where I am they’re called laybys, not layaways. (At the charity store I volunteer at, they call ‘em “holds”, though…which makes things even more confusing.)

Watching th first ep at the anime club made me realise that one had a piano version of Marutsuke, while this one is standard Marutsuke.

Given 5

Ooh, I see English-translated lyrics! Nice one, subbers! By the way, the title of the OP “Kizuato” sounds like it should translate to “Traces of Scars/Wounds” in English, but it’s in katakana, so I can’t confirm that…

It seems joining a band is a metaphor for love in this show…(see ep. 3 notes for more on that)

Holy moly! I’m still fairly new to BL/yaoi in general, so two-timing the boyfriend is not a trope ‘ve seen before, let alone dealt with in my head…

Ooh, more translated lyrics! That (ED singer) does sound like Mafuyu, come to think of it…

[kisayrichard]

Heyy! So I was rewatching fdtd last night, specifically 2x09 and when Malvado and Richie are talking about Richie getting the business etc Richie says "except I've gotta pay too." Then Malvado, "Santanico belongs to me." And then a couple of words later he says "You've witnessed the rage inside of her - what she truly wants is so much deeper." And then Richie stays silent. So my question is, after everything Malvado said and offered to Richie do you think that he could leave Kisa behind?

(Cont) Say Kisa couldn’t kill Malvado and they ended up going to el Rey or wherever and Richie did end up taking over the business. Do you think he’d let Malvado take her or if he did do you think he would rescue Kisa and kill Malvado? I’m eager to hear your thoughts!😊

Omg, I had never thought about that! I don’t know why, it’s such an interesting AU/what if scenario, and yet it had never crossed my mind. So, first of all, thank you for sending this and wanting to know my opinion on the subject! Beware, this got extremely long and I’m not even sure if it makes any sense.

I’m gonna rewind things a bit and start at 2.08 when Richie and Malvado meet. Or better yet, when Richie escaped torture and ran to help Kisa, only to find Malvado there, playing tricks with his mind. He was completely distressed while running through the halls after her, and then very much pissed at the stunt Malvado pulled out. 

Anyway, despite that, Malvado did get into his head and convinced Richard that what he truly wanted was his empire, and that the only way to get it was by making a deal with the devil (literally). The reason Malvado was so successful in his manipulation is that he is able to use Richard’s own fears and wishes against him, all he said were things Richie had thought about before, even if in his right mind he would not have acted upon them. So, Richie just accepts that Malvado is right and agrees with the deal. 

Then, we come to the scene you mentioned, where we see them working out the details of their agreement: 

Richard: El Rey, huh? How much is that gonna cost you?Malvado: Oh, some sweat and tears, mostly blood. (…)Richard: Except I gotta pay too.Malvado: Santanico belongs to me. Always has. 

I love that little crack in Richie’s voice when he says “except”and his face, he is so serious. He KNOWS this is it. There’s no turning back. There are other moments before where you can go, “this is the beginning of the end for them”, but here is where he actually acknowledges that if he goes through with this deal, there’s no future for him and Kisa. And he is balancing what he could potentially have with her against what Malvado is promising him. 

But, what does he do next? He just takes it, right, because he wants it so much? Noooo, first he tries to contact her!

Malvado: She can’t reach you. I made sure of that. You witnessed the rage inside of her. She thinks that, by killing me, she can be free of all of this. She can’t. She won’t. What she truly wants, is so much deeper. It’s something you could never give her. 

It must’ve hurt to hear that. Because I think Richie truly believes in what Malvado is saying here. He was already insecure in their relationship, he had never had another one in the first place, and theirs’ seems doomed from the start. So, all that Malvado is saying doesn’t sound like a lie to him. Plus, he has seen how she gets over Malvado and, talking about it, instead of brining the closer, brought them further apart. I think it’s understandable, then, why he chooses to betray her, to put his own ambitions before her. Not only they were never gonna last, but he thinks he would never be able to give her what she wants.  And as he later told Kate, “there’s always a price to pay to get what you want” and in his case, that price was Kisa.

The reason I went through the trouble of talking about all of this (besides the fact I seem to never be able to go directly to the point) is to explain that Richie betraying Kisa was not as simple as some people try to make it to be. It wasn’t something he did carelessly and that it didn’t pain him to do it. To think like that, is to willfully ignore not only Richard’s struggle throughout season 2 but all the times he showed how much he cares about her.

Now, talking about the scenario you proposed, let’s say Richie defeated/killed Carlos, got the blood, came back to the bar, the new boss and everything, only to find out Malvado was about to leave to El Rey with Kisa.

What’s his initial reaction? I imagine the news would be like a cold shower. Kisa is going to a place he presumably cannot follow (Malvado just told him it would take all the souls freed on the well to take them to El Rey) and it’s all because of  something him, Richard, did. It’s the love of his life and he let her go, just like that, but, at the same time, it’s a deal he made, no one can say he wasn’t aware of the consequences. 

Would he try to interfere and stop them from leaving? If Richie found out Kisa was paralyzed, fully conscious but unable to move, totally terrified, you betcha your ass he would be going after them, I have no doubt about it.

And, yes, I understand that he already knows Kisa doesn’t want to be with Malvado, he knows he abused her. This should be enough, but it’s not for Richie, and you can see he was betting on the fact Malvado wanted her so much that he would never hurt her. But if he knew that it wasn’t true, if it actually saw her, he would do something. All the times Richie actually saw or knew that Kisa was in danger, he acted to protect her. He was prepared to “kill everyone in this room” in 2.05, he got her away from that demon in 3.02, he stopped that guy from killing her in 3.08. So, it’s canon. To hell with the stupid deal (which I don’t think he would loose any sleep over breaking). He wouldn’t be able to stop himself, he would act to help her. 

Now, second scenario, what if they had already gone to El Rey, and he only found out later? Would he act to help her?

In that case, I don’t think Richie wouldn’t immediately decide to go to El Rey, kill Malvado and get Kisa back. Again, not unless he somehow knew the state she was in. 

Remember, Malvado broke their connection. They can’t sense each other, they can’t talk to each other, he doesn’t know what she is feeling or how she is. Even if she contacted him, would he be sure it was actually her and not Malvado again?

I think that, no matter how much upset/hurt he would be over her being gone, missing her even, Richie would force himself to stay put. It’s just who he is, you know? He is not gonna go running around playing the hero, no matter how much I want him to. Richie would first try and convince himself he did the right thing, that it all worked for the best. In 2.10, he tells Kisa, “I had you all set up in El Rey. You could be walking in the sun right now.” and I’m sure this is something he would also be trying to convince himself of after he found out she left with Malvado. Only when all of that didn’t work is that Richie would allow himself to regret his choice and do something about it. 

That’s not so say Richie would take weeks to do something. It could take only half an hour brooding. Or maybe he would receive a push from Seth or Ximena (“you really let him take her, Gecko? didn’t know you had it in you to be so cold”) and it would spur him into action. I just meant he would try to convince himself he shouldn’t act before doing something. 

Having said all that, I’m positive he would do end up something about it. This is the guy who kept tabs on her whereabouts in 3.02, not to know what she was doing or who she was with, but simply to know she was safe. That’s how much he cares about her. He would want to know how she was doing in El Rey, figure out some way to know if she really was safe. And when he figured out she wasn’t, he would totally try to save her and kill Malvado.  

Because, at the end of the day, that’s who Richie is. He would never be able to witness Kisa being in danger and not do something, and that still holds true despite whatever Malvado said and tried to convince Richie of.

In short, I think everything should go very Ever After (that movie where Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella), you know? Richie being stupid for a while, then finally acting and going to rescue her, only to find Kisa finishing off killing Malvado herself and setting herself free. And she would be totally surprised, “what are you doing here?” Richie would get all flushed and then say, “I came for you. To set you free.” Kisa would give him a sad smile, “I didn’t think you cared.” Richie would be silent and then admit, “I do. I thought I could just let him take you, but I couldn’t.” And, you know, both of them looking stupidly at each other, then Kisa remembering she is still mad at him and she shouldn’t let him off the rook easily. 

That’s it. I’m so sorry I rambled a lot! I hope half of this at least makes sense! And again, thank you so much for sending this question!

[sexysilverstrider]

Alright Faf. Time to commence the Takumi headcanons for that headcanon game. If somebody has done it already then how about N? I'm sure you've got plenty for both pretty boys.

petal damn you i feel like both will have A LOT of information on its own so imma gonna do one character per ask fkjsdbfkj SO TAKUMI IT IS

A: what I think realistically

takumi moved into valla as King of Valla. the choice was hard for him at first because he had never thought of leaving hoshido let alone govern an entirely new kingdom.

but after witnessing hanas coronation and hearing her vow to unite the kingdoms and just……realizing just How Much he loves her….takumi moves to valla and helps hana and guides her to be a wonderful queen :’)

hes also SUPER protective of sakura and hes close to sakura c:

B: what I think is fucking hilarious

takumis is. baffled to know that his future children are all dragons. his wifes a dragon. his future sons are dragons. his unborn sons will be dragons. hes the only wingless creature in the family. sometimes takumi is lowkey jealous coz he wants to go on flights with his family too

so ofc hana brings up during their stroll. kisaragi once did but his stupid excited flip made takumi fall to his death and since tht day takumi is just NEVER AGAIN

C: what is heart-crushing and awful but fun to inflict on friends

OH GOODY GOODY listen. Faint Memories AU where rev takumi has disturbingly vivid images of his conq self killing hana. these visions were worse than any nightmares hes faced. these visions haunt his wake. he could actually hear hanas bones crunching in his grasp and feel HER blood dripping between his fingers. takumi is breathless and afraid and crying and HE DOESNT WANT TO HURT AND LOSE HER

ALT CONQ TAKUMI HAS THESE VISIONS OF HIS HAPPY REV SELF. HES PISSED. HES CONFUSED. HE HATES HIS ‘SISTER’ OF HIS. HE THINKS HIMSELF AS FUCKING SICK FOR EVEN THINKING THT WAY. SHES NOT HIS FAMILY AND SHES A FUCKING TRAITOR BUT THESE SUDDEN FEELINGS ARE GETTING IN THE WAY AND HES FURIOUSLY CRYING EVERYTIME HE SEES HER N TRIES TO SHOOT HER

D: what would never work with canon but the canon is shit so I believe it anyway

literally fates is meant for this part of hcanon coz kisaragi and kanna are future kids from a failed future. kanna came first n since the truth wasnt out yet he was…sorta clingy to hana. takumi was jealous as hell lmao

but a part of him feels…connected to the strange fluffy kid. besides kanna is clingy to him too. if takumi didnt knw any better he thought he was looking at a younger version of himself

kisa then entered and the news of valla were still in the dark. kisa deadass almost burst the news. hes clingy to hana. hes clingy to takumi. TAKUMI IS STILL JEALOUS N LOWKEY STRESSED N ALSO SO FLATTERED N PROUD N SHY ABOUT KISA SHOWERING HIM WITH PRAISES BUT WHO ARE THESE WEIRD MESSY CLINGY BOYS??????

when the truth came out takumi couldnt look at hanas face for almost an hour. hes embarrassed as fuck holy shit i was jealous at my own sons HOLY SHIT THESE ARE MY CHILDREN HOLY FUCK

theres also him having to face his future corrupted self :3c

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET ‘19 EPISODE 23 VS FRUITS BASKET ‘01 EPISODE 19

Ok! We’re finally here! We’re at the beginning of the storm! I’m so nervous... I didn’t know how to do these comparisons especially the storyline in the 2001 version not syncing up completely with the 2019 version. But I’m just gonna try and puzzle piece my way through it, ‘kay? :)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Also, just some notes that I wanna state about the 2001 version so I don’t keep repeating myself for the next 2-3 weeks:

- I love love love the opening. It breaks my heart and heals it every time I hear it and the images of the characters by doorways/windows/alleyways looking outward and always to the side of the frame is a great artistic choice and metaphor. Also, the lyrics are just simply... everything. ‘Let’s stay together always...’

- Some of the colour choices in clothing (or even the hair) that the characters have are... interesting. I definitely find myself appreciating the newer version as you can tell they put more thought into it, even if I do think the power ranger assigned colours are kinda silly. But really? Kyo wearing pastels?! No way. ...But I kinda love it anyway. Outfit Appreciation: 2.5 stars.

- I adore the music box sounding background music. It really adds a lot of whimsy to the show and kinda reminds me that Fruits Basket in a lot of its elements takes inspiration from fairy tales. 

- The English dub voices obviously sound different and in comparison to the 2019 version, you can really tell how much they’ve all matured as VAs. ESPECIALLY Laura Bailey and Jerry Jewell.

- I also adore how ridiculous and mostly comedic the 2001 version is. Which makes the later turn in the anime so much more heartbreaking and tough to watch as it comes as such a shock compared to the tone of the rest of the anime. Unbalanced? Maybe so. But on a shallow kind of level without thinking too hard, I can enjoy it.

- I love 2001!Shigure. Again, it’s a shallow choice and I don’t deny he’s a lot more interesting and fleshed out in the manga/2019!anime. I just like 20-something year old, new-father-to-two-teens-but-he’s-not-like-a-FATHER-he’s-a-’cool-older-brother’ who likes to laze around the house in his kimono and ISN’T MENTALLY TRAUMATISING THEM. Well, without meaning to anyway... AND LOOK HOW CUTE HE IS.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Right! Let’s get into it! 

This is me knowing the future trauma I’m going to have to go through with this anime.

But in all seriousness, the 2019 version really captured Tohru’s depression a lot better. Especially with the later scene where she breaks down in front of Kyo in the bedroom. A+ crying from Laura Bailey, I really felt it this time. As I said, the 2001 version seemed like it didn’t wanna deep dive too much so I’m glad we get a deeper in look to the complexities of Tohru this time.

It might be a translation ‘nothing’, but I find it interesting that Kyo felt like he jinxed her. Especially linked with his comments to Kagura later about how he feels ‘no one should want to hang around him’. I mean we’ll get into the reasoning for this most likely in the next two episodes but you can probably guess why... Poor kitty.

(Also side note: Do you think that’s why - out of everyone that has been bullied in this anime - Kyo seemed the least affected by school bullies? Is it cos of his experience within the Sohma family and his curse, that he almost expects that everyone he meets would treat him like that? It’s interesting because Hana had the same thought process towards her own bullying but she never fought back... But Kyo did. I might just conclude this thought as it just being in his nature to fight back, but we’ll see...)

Also, 2001 giving us Kyo freaking out in cat form about Tohru’s fever was pretty funny. Man, they really did do an overkill with the transformations back then...

2001 really was not good at showing the gradual progress of Kyo controlling his anger around Tohru as much as the 2019 version. Yes, in the 2019 ep, Kyo was still annoyed that Tohru wouldn’t just relax and concentrate on getting better but my God, Kyo is sooooo shout-y and yell-y in this version! And I don’t wike it lol.

However I shouldn’t shit on the moment too much. I do think 2001 wanted to show us that Kyo saw how receptive Tohru was to Shigure being calmer and nicer and it kind of influenced him to take more of a gentle approach to Tohru later. Kyo being influenced by Shigure is... questionable... but whatever, it’s got good intentions! (I still like the 2019 version better)

Momiji with the oversized work outfit! He’s so adorable I could cry.

- I’m kinda bummed that the 2019 version didn’t include the ‘Kyo stealing leeks from Yuki’s garden’ moment. It’s a hilarious moment (especially with Yuki’s reaction) and it is just PEAK ‘it’s not stealing if you’re taking it from family’ energy that I adoreeee and stand by lol

Really, 2001!Kyo... are you five years old?

‘ 🎵And at most... I’m sleeping all these demons away...’

‘ 🎵But your ghost... the ghost of you it keeps me awake’

Kyo seeing ghosts of Tohru is both unintentionally funny and dramatic in both versions to me, I’m sorry. I’m really just a child.

Where do I start? Kyo being ever so dramatic with the goggles and the face mask... Shigure with the all-knowing troll look. 2001 really gave us some gems and I think we all tend to forget that.

Plus...

I. LOVE. THIS. BROTHER. DYNAMIC. (I know it isn’t accurate don’t ruin the fanfic going on in my head)

- Tohru being depressed that she wasted Yuki’s time and didn’t fulfill her mother’s wishes makes me wish she was more so just concerned about herself and how she’s gonna pass for herself? But it is very much in her character to do so, so I guess I’ll let it slide. And I guess Kyo said what I said in well... his own unique way of giving advice.

- But when it came to the actual soup porridge scene, I lean more towards the 2019 version. There’s so much said in Kyo’s body language and Tohru’s own inner thoughts. She’s really falling in love with him and she doesn’t even know it!!! 

THAT PEEK FROM HIS ELBOW?! COME ON!!! STOP IT. MY HEART. these dumb fuckin kids...

I loveee the 2019 porridge moment so much more, but this moment right here just ELEVATED the whole moment. It says so muchhhh without saying much at alllll and ohhhh this poor boyyyy...!!!!! It really took a fluffy moment and just stabbed me in the heart and I guess I respect you for that? Thanks...?

I’m so glad the 2019 version is feeding us in stupid made up songs. *chef’s kiss* haha

- I’m really glad that Kisa calls Hatori ‘uncle’ in 2019 and not ‘grandpa’ like she did in 2001. Cos as someone in their mid-twenties that shit was straight up offensive lol

The Momiji and Kyo moments are always so heartwarming in this version. My faves. <3

- Also I dunno why but I really liked Hatori, The Doctor Who Smokes in the 2001 anime. It didn’t make sense but quite honestly if anyone in this anime chose to smoke to let off some steam, it should be him. (Not an advocate for smoking)

---- Right! No more 2001 comparisons cos the episode that is equivalent to this part of the episode is also riddled spoilers for the next 2019 episode so... just normal review from here. ---

Why is it that Yuki’s insults against Kyo always hurt so much more?! They are both terrible to each other but for some reason, I always feel it more when Yuki verbally backhands Kyo. Maybe it’s the way Eric Vale practically venomously spits out these words or maybe it’s cos Yuki kinda has more privilege than Kyo so it feels like he’s kicking a literal homeless cat.

- Also, my poor boy! Definitely felt myself sympathising a lot more this time around to how weak he was feeling.

Lol I felt that exasperated breath. At least this time, Kyo doesn’t call Tohru’s umbrella ‘a sissy girly pink umbrella’. A minor improvement? (So, I might of watched a bit of the 2001 version of episode 24...)

...Need I say anything? <3

- HEADLINE: Shigure ships Yuki/Tohru and Kyo/Kagura? What is he up to...

- Kyo shouting at Kagura in the middle of the supermarket was a shitty move but Kagura mooshing his head in response was great... what a terrible but very entertaining couple lol

- Kagura’s ‘If I told you, you’d cry...’ is giving me all the heart pain. How many times can I say that I’m not ready...

I’ve seen people in the tag compare this moment to his porridge moment with Tohru and while I agree, it does seem like Kyo just naturally wanted to help Tohru compared to Kyo feeling obligated to hold hands with Kagura. But errrrm.... I just think Kyo is a good kid haha. And while I do think he CLEARLY holds Tohru in a very treasured and locked away place in his heart, he just doesn’t like it when girls cry around him and will do anything to stop it. I also think he does care about Kagura, and that he’s more so annoyed that Kagura doesn’t seem to get that he won’t love her in the way she loves him (and well... her being a tsundere lol). But I could be wrong! I’m a walking manga amnesiac as always...

*HIGH PITCHED SCREAMING*

Talk about FINALLY. They really named the episode that and made us wait until the LAST SECOND OF THE EPISODE TO GIVE US THE WORDS: ‘You look well...’

What a tease.

And we’re not even gonna get into the preview for the next episode and how three words made me tear up minutes before I had to go to a party on Friday night.

Wow. This might be the longest review so far. I don’t doubt that next week’s will be longer lol. The reason why I wanted to do the 2001 comparisons will probably make more sense next week and I will also say my thoughts on the 2001 version of the events with the umbrella and Kagura and Kyo’s date next week before I go into the review.

Jeez, this took two hours to write. WHY DO I DO THIS?!

[sobdasha]

i want to take a moment to acknowledge

that as much as Yuki is a jerk, he has actually tried really, really hard in his life?

(looking at my notes, this post was partially sponsored by the martial arts flashback in ep 9 of the reboot, partially inspired by the Kisa ep, and partially because I realized that our girl Tohru done Yuki real dirty in ep 1)

Because this is a thing I tend to forget about Yuki--that he has tried so hard. It's partly because he doesn't see himself that way ("Why am I so weak, why do I give into peer pressure to be liked, why didn't I just run away from home and live in the woods as a child if I didn't like being abused???" Yuki no). Yuki, like Kisa, is actually pretty damn good about asserting himself and being proactive. The problem, same as for Kisa, is that it just literally doesn't work.

So. Bitty Yuki gets sold to Akito as a playmate. This starts to go south, and Yuki repeatedly tells mom to please get him out of there. It doesn't work, of course, mom won't hear anything that would inconvenience her, but Yuki uses what is available to him and tries his best. It isn't his fault he fails miserably.

Still bitty, Yuki realizes that he hasn't ever spoken to anyone but, like, his mom and Akito. He would like to change this, but Ayame seems (rightly so) like a very anxiety-inducing place to start. Yuki runs into Kyou, admires his orange hair, and decides this is a perfect place to start making the friends he would like to have. Kyou, projecting the shit his sperm donor has been giving him, tells Yuki to go die. And then his mom slaps him for wandering off, like what if Akito had been looking for you, huh. Rude.

So Akito keeps telling Yuki that everyone hates him and no one cares about him. Yuki has picked up from his mom that this might actually be a true thing, but he decides to be proactive anyway and reach out to Ayame. Well that did jack but you tried, son.

Yuki starts school. Yuki still wants friends very much but he is very tired and dislikes being hurt, so he tries not to interact much, which is not difficult because he has had so much practice. Friends find him anyway, but unfortunately Yuki blows the family secret. Yuki tries to appeal to Akito to keep his friends. Yuki cries on Hatori lots to appeal to him to keep his friends. But the rules are the rules. Now Yuki has no friends and he's tireder than ever.

Yuki decides to fuck this shit and run away from home with no end goal in mind, but idk this sure sounds like tent life to me. Luckily for him he meets Tohru though, and the sight of a mom that actually cares about her child is so inspiring, and being a necessary presence that helps Tohru is so gratifying, that Yuki is saved from tent life and goes back home filled with determination to do his best and live a good life.

Haru confronts Yuki with the "fuck you the Rat ruined my life" speech and Yuki, still buoyed up on Tohru-induced self-acceptance, is like "wait no I've got this maybe...just because people say you are a certain way...doesn't mean it's true? Maybe people are just mean? I bet you're not actually stupid really." Congrats Yuki, you did a good thing~

Timeline is a bit fuzzy now but here's what I think. I am very glad the reboot clarified the "didn't you enjoy martial arts" scene because I could always tell it was very Significant but could not really interpret the meaning from it. I kind of vaguely assumed "Akito is menacing because Akito" and "martial arts just kind of happens to Yuki because it was suggested it was good for his health" and "I guess that's Shishou being all mentoring with Haru??" Now we've got Kyou and Haru messing around with training together...I'm going to posit it's at the Main Estate, that this takes place before Yuki starts taking martial arts. I bet Yuki watched them, like he watched everyone walking to school together being friendly. This is a thing he desperately wants to have and doesn't know how to acquire. And he can't change where he goes to school (and school friends went poorly anyway), but he can press to have martial arts lessons. If Kyou and Haru both take martial arts and hang out together and are friends, then if Yuki also takes martial arts the same thing will happen to him, right??? So I think Yuki proactively pressed and pressed and pressed to take martial arts lessons, and people were like "well it might actually be good for his health so why not let him, Akito?", so Yuki won the battle but lost the war because it didn't make Kyou like him and it didn't get Yuki out of the grip of Akito's isolation.

Possibly it helped contribute further to Haru befriending him and being the only person who would sneak into Yuki's ~special isolated Cat Room Lite~ to see him. But Yuki has put a lot of effort into this and now he's getting tired again and at some point he starts getting mean towards Kyou because fuck you, Kyou, okay so everyone says they hate you and you suck and you're going to be locked up for the rest of your life but right now your amazing dad loves you and you live outside the estate with real people and you have friends who smile at you every day and your hair is so cool???? While everyone says they love me and I'm special and I'm going to be very successful at whatever career my mom picks out for me but right now literally no one but Haru gives a shit about me and I live in a dark isolated room with only Akito to visit me and I would die to have people smile at me on a regular basis and also friends and my hair is styled the same as Akito's for some reason that no one remembers??? Like Kyou if you're gonna throw all this away in order to get locked up in the Main Estate which is not that great trust me at least give me your damn life you shitface.

Still, Yuki manages to regroup in trying to be proactive about his life if not in trying to be friends with Kyou. Yuki's old enough now, he can definitely get away with applying all on his own to an unapproved normal-people-co-ed high school. So he does! And he's like "surprise, mom!" who does not take it well and is like "since when have you ever been unhappy or complained about your life, why would you let Ayame put you up to this" and also "yes duh you are literally just a tool for me to use is there? some kind of problem here??" and Yuki's all "well I have been dealt a mortal blow, not only am I not going to be allowed to get away with my scheme but even my mom doesn't believe I'm a real person and also my words and thoughts and feelings are literally powerless, guess I'll just never speak again." Except it feels a lot less melodramatic and more desperate from his end of things.

But all is not lost! Because even though Haru begged Shigure to get Yuki out of the Main House, and Shigure probably went along with it solely half for the lulz and half because it fit into his curse-weakening scheme and not at all because of Yuki as a person, it must be noted--we specifically see Yuki breaking his spiral just long enough to beg Shigure himself with his own words. Shigure has presented himself, and Yuki is trying to use what is available to him! Get him the fuck out of here.

So Yuki moves in with Shigure. Yuki goes to a normal people high school. Yuki decides to pretend to be a real normal person! It doesn't really work because people at Kaibara are weird about how gorgeous and high-class Yuki is and put him up on an isolating pedestal, and because of his life experience Yuki can only assume this is because they hate him and he sucks, not because they are all incapacitated with weird idolized love for him. Oh well!

Then one day one of Yuki's classmates just...shows up outside his house one morning? Like okay then what the fuck? But Yuki realizes...he can make the best of this! Shigure has probably introduced him to rom-coms by now, and if not, at least Yuki remembers the things he has envied from his childhood. Yuki is going to walk to school together with this girl and they will become friends maybe.

But as I said, our girl done Yuki dirty in that ep 1. Tohru, the person most likely to keep an entire conversation going the whole walk to school, even if it's most about her mom, even if it's a little weird. Tohru, the person who instantly friends everyone, even if they don't friend her back. Tohru…

...gets exactly as weird as everyone else at school, gets incapacitated by Yuki being good-looking, and doesn't say a single thing the entire way to school. Yuki and Tohru don't form an instant magical friendship bond. Tohru doesn't even share a single mom wisdom. Tohru. Our Tohru.

Yuki's bad at giving up. He tries to talk to Tohru again after school when she runs into him again. It doesn't go any better because basically all Tohru says is "Gosh I love Kyou he's the best zodiac." Like okay you seem nice or whatever but your taste is shit???

And then...Yuki reaches his peak assertive stubbornness. He runs into Tohru a third time on like that same day. Third time is the charm. Tohru is homeless and needs a place to live and apparently won't just, like, talk to her family or friends about it. Yuki's not a bad person but, like Shigure, I don't think he's doing this solely for Tohru. Yes they have a spare room but I think he's partly like "fuck the main estate, I go to a co-ed school I can even live with girls if I want!" and also partly like "OKAY SO WALKING TO SCHOOL DIDN'T WORK BUT I KNOW, I KNOW HOW ROM COMS GO, I HAVE WATCHED AN ANIME AND READ A MANGA, IF I JUST TELL HONDA SHE LIVES HERE NOW BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A TENT ANYMORE, WE CAN'T NOT BECOME FRIENDS. YOU CAN'T JUST NOT BECOME FRIENDS LIVING IN AN IMPROPERLY SUPERVISED HOUSE TOGETHER IN HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE OF WACKY CIRCUMSTANCES. I'M GOING TO FINALLY GET SOCIALIZED."

(and what do you know, it finally fricken works)