Fruit’s Basket: Yuki Sohma

I’ve thought about this on and off for a while (a lot of going over it in my own head, analytical brain here). I want to talk about the character Yuki Sohma from Fruit’s Basket. Something of an analyses/character study. He is a character I really relate to so I want to talk about the things I see.

Now would be a good time to put in a Spoiler Warning for both the anime and manga books. If you have not watched or read Fruit’s Basket, I recommend doing so. (This story might not be best for too young of people. It has very heavy themes and there is a strong element of fantasy (the Chinese zodiac) in it. If you do not do well with such things or don’t want your children in that, then this is not for you. In my opinion, the strong emotional themes and lessens far outweigh and outshine the magical/fantasy element. But to each their own.)

Secondly, I have not had any kind of trauma like Yuki or any of the other characters. I would be hesitant to say I have trauma of any kind. I have a wonderful loving and supportive family. Every family likely has their problems (we’re all people) but I think my family is great. Yuki has been through some terrible stuff, and I know to an extent you cannot understand some things unless you have been through it yourself.

Also, Fruit’s Basket is not Christian. I am, however, and I approach everything with a Christian mindset. I don’t think that will come into play as much in this one. If I do one of these on Akito, it may.

Well if I have not said so yet, Yuki Soma is the character I relate to the most. And so when people don’t get him or say he’s just being winy or write him off, I kind of feel upset, because I get him so much more than the others. Kyo is a fan favorite, and I do understand him and like him too, just Yuki more. But when people write off Yuki and just want more Kyo or Kyo and Tohru, I feel kind of defensive. So I want to have a full look at Yuki from beginning to end.

Now I’m coming at this with the full knowledge of Yuki's back story (which we don’t get until halfway through or so) as well as the ending. I want to start at the beginning, but I might bounce around. I will try to keep everything cohesive, but I apologize now if I get crazy or have word vomit.

When we first meet Yuki he’s in high school living with Shigure. (Japanese high school is only three years, he’s a first-year and around 16 years old.) We know from later info that Shigure invited him to come stay with him and the school year starts in spring and it Sep when the story starts. So Yuki’s been living with Shigure for five or six months.

We also know from later info that at a young age Yuki went to live with Akito. Now at first, it was not too bad. Akito was a brat but not the holy living terror they would become. And you would expect a child to be a brat who is growing up being told they are god, they are special, and likely not being told no. Now Ren was around to rub Akito’s face in the dirt and bring them down any chance she got, but Akito had not snapped yet. Yuki I think could tell he was being abandoned by his family, which is terrible, but as a child, he still might have been in denial. And again Akito was not a true monster yet. My guess is it was Kureno’s curse braking that caused Akito to snaps. (I really might have to do one of these for Akito too, how I see the character anyway.)

When Akito snapped is when Yuki’s world further fell apart. Up until then, he was told the rat was special. Now he was still told this by some but by those closest to him he was told differently by word and action. Akito begins to verbally put him down. His mother, brother (and likely father) by their actions say they want nothing to do with him. And even children in the zodiac, around his own age, reject him, (Haru and Kyo). And he had never been given his own choice about any of his circumstances. And on top of that, the curse binds him even more to Akito. Kids are easily hurt by what others say. (For that matter many audits are too.) But with Akito, Akito is god to him, and god criticizes or talks down to him, it likely hurts even more. Kazuma (Shishou) mentions ones that to him, Akito seems like a spoiled child, but to the members of the zodiac, Akito is god and one word from Akito can crush those under the curse, this would include Yuki, with their words. Yuki, being Akito’s playmate, has few chases to get out from under Akito’s thumb.

Now when he starts going to school, he makes friends. That should be a good thing. All people need other people. Friendship is very important. I know this from my own life. We were made to need others. But this ends in tragedy. Yuki’s curse gets revealed, and all the friends he made, are made to forget him. And they never reach out to him again. Reaching out and then getting hurt, hurts even worse than never reaching out at all.

It does not seem like Yuki begins thinking like Kyo, that anyone who gets close to him gets hurt, but such thoughts might cross his mind. At the very least he starts putting up a wall because anytime he lets others in, he gets hurt. Now as I think about it I think the wall is a combination of if he let others in he gets hurt as well as viewing himself as hurting others. He has been told the rat was clever and all, but the rat also hurt and used others to get ahead, so no wonder others hate him.

Akito continues to tell him that he’s useless and no one wants him. He finds out why Kyo hates him and it only reaffirms to him that others hate him and should. He’s worthless. Now Yuki says he’s bad at giving up, and thank goodness he is. He runs away rather than killing himself. He wanted to try and return the hat to Kyo. Here is where he meets and helps Tohru and is given the boost he desperately needs. By helping her he sees he is not worthless, and he can do some good. He helped someone, which he had never done before.

This gets him through for a time, but we know that Akito’s poisonous words get to him again. He even stops talking for a while. He does become friends with Haru, but there’s not much Haru can do for him. He can give him a little moral support, but Yuki needs so much more.

Now Yuki is strong. Stronger than me I think. (I have never been in the same place he was, all on his own, so I don’t know what I would do if I had no comfortable, safe place to fall back on. That can be dangerous, because you don’t have to move forward, but that’s a whole different topic.) Yuki tries on his own to put some distance between him and what he calls the Sohma cage. He seeks to go to a co-ed school rather than the all-boys school Sohma boys normally attend. It’s a small, desperate step in the right direction. Shigure then offers to let him come stay with him (per Haru’s asking). And this is where we meet Yuki.

It’s been 5 to 6 months since he has been living there, as I said earlier, and likely living with Shigure has done him some good (as funny as that may sound). Yuki, at this point, might be totally submissive to Akito, and before his family words or actions might seem points less, but he has not been beaten to the point he takes everyone’s crap. Verbally he holds his own with Shigure. (Shigure doesn’t seem the type to inspire submission. He can come a crossed as quite insincere. He might even have tried to push Yuki in the right direction, for his own purposes. That might be giving Shigure too much credit though too.) With the other zodiacs, and those who know his secret he seems able to hold his own.

But I would argue that emotionally, Yuki is in survival mode. In episode 3, when a girl confesses to him and gets turned down, she accuses him of distancing himself from everyone, of having a wall up. And it’s true. Yuki is nice to everyone’s face. He is nice and polite but never lets anyone in. On the one hand, he might not know how to. But more so, he’s scared too. Believes that if he lets them in they will see how terrible he is. He’s been told he’s useless and everyone will think someone turning into a rat is disgusting. Now Tohru turns that on its head, but before she does he has no reason to not believe the lies he has been told, and every reason to. With the old incident with his first friends, that seemed to be the case. His own family hates him, and most of all, god has told him this. He desperately wants to be liked. We all do. We want to be loved and accepted, and Yuki is no exception. But he has been so emotionally damaged he has no faith to step out. So he takes the safe route, be nice, but let no one get too close.

I honestly think the Yuki fan club did far more harm than any good it could have done. He grew up in an environment, which as the rat zodiac, he was lifted up, and to others, seemed to have it all. But he was kept from the others. He could make few connections outside of Akito, and Akito made his life a living hell. Now in his attempt to get out, he goes to a “normal” school. Now I think if he had gone there and just been another person, it would have been better. Manabe does not really treat him as special and the two can connect. But because of the fan club, Yuki is ones more put on a pedestal. And as per the rules of the fan club, he is separated from everyone. No one is suppose to talk to him alone. It raises him up but leaves him lonely. And I think his distant, nice guy persona is made even more a thing because of the club.

And here I identify strongly with Yuki. That smiling face you put on and tell everyone you're fine when you are terribly lonely, and inside you’re screaming for help or just friendship. But when you’ve been hurt and rejected too many times, it’s safer to pant that smile on and never open up, than be violable and hurt.

A lot of people like Kyo and identify with him. He’s the outcast wanting in. Who hasn’t felt like that? He has a prickly personality with a heart of gold. We likely all know people like that or feel like that ourselves. And these people garner attention. Now some just seem to have a bad attitude, and it harder to see the good within. Everyone has their own problems, and they can manifest in different ways. But I would argue the then Kyo’s are more noticeable. Yuki’s are forgettable. Kyo’s prickly personality and boisterous attitude is noticed and remembered. Yuki’s nice guy act, that never lets you in more than skin deep, is easily overlooked and forgotten.

You remember the kids in your class who were loud, got in trouble, and the like. The quiet, obedient kid is overlooked. Should they move away, or even die, you soon forget them. They did everything “right” but they are forgettable. (Now I don’t mean the goodie two shoes with their noise in the air and acted better than everyone else. Those people are memorable, though hardly for the right reason.) But if people do not let their personality shine through and only let you in skin deep (like Yuki) you may well forget them. Now I can testify for myself that they may well be screaming for help or attention in their head, but either they don’t know how or are too scared to make themselves heard with their voice or actions. (Likely they got burned for it at some time.)

We see that Kyo quickly makes friends. Now he has deep, dark secrets that he ain’t letting out, but he lets people in more than Yuki does. There are boys in his class who are soon picking on him and hanging out with him, and Kyo makes friends with Tohru’s two friends much quicker than Yuki does. (Kyo and Uo do have a similar personalities.) Yuki has been at this school months longer the Kyo, yet Kyo, even with his bristly personality, makes friends almost immediately, while Yuki remains alone.

This is probably why I feel so personally upset when people criticize Yuki. When they don’t care about Yuki’s development or time on camera, it feels like (feels like!) they are comparing him to Kyo and saying, “Yuki just get over yourself. Kyo has such a hard time being the cat yet he can open up and make friends. You’re just being a spoiled brat.” (Again my own personal feelings are likely way too involved. I don’t know that people are really going to this existent.) I want to yell back and say “He’s not being a spoilt brat! He doesn’t know how to open up like that. He bottles everything up. He doesn’t wear it all on his sleeve. There are personality types like that and not everyone is the same!” (Ok, I’m trying to move on now.)

Tohru entering Yuki’s life is a huge deal for him. For the first time in his life, an outsider has completely accepted him. She proves Akito was lying by saying no one would accept him if they knew he was a rat. And it means so much to him that when she found out she might forget this knowledge, that she asks Yuki to befriend her again. No one has ever done this for him. In fact, it’s the opposite of what happened in the past. Here is someone who fully except him, and they are not affected by the zodiac or connected in any way.

In the very beginning, we hear from Yuki how he is trying to get out from the Sohma control, but he hasn’t made much progress. Yes, he has physically left the Sohma estate but that about it. Like I said earlier, I think Yuki is in emotional survival mode. Tohru helps to bring him out of that, and she does that by simply accepting him. He says people think he’s kind, but he does not think he’s kind. He’s only nice so people will like him, but he still holds them at arm’s length. Tohru gives him affirmation that he is kind. She gives him affection and unconditional love which he has never received before and desperately wants (and I would say needs. (We all need.))

As I said Yuki is stronger than me. As a high schooler, he realizes he needs to put himself out there more and in positions that are difficult in order to change. He sees himself in Kisa and her struggle, and for both of them, because of Tohru's support, they push forward.

In the first season, Yuki is just making baby steps, but he is also setting himself up for bigger change. In Kyo’s true form are, Yuki and Kagura are both affected. Kagura realizes her love for Kyo is self-serving, and Yuki realizes his feelings for Tohru, and that they are not romantic. Tohru is a mother to him, and at first, he’s not sure how to feel about this. At first, he tries to deny it. I mean isn’t it a little weird to view a girl your age like a mom and not as girlfriend material, (or so Yuki thinks). This is explained in season 2. In the last episode of season 1 Yuki talks about locking feelings in a box, and we are told in season 2 that’s what it is about.

I think a lot of people were kind of confused by Yuki in that episode, and some called him jealous. It all seemed very clear to me though. In a way, it is jealousy but more justified or understandable than jealousy often is or maybe should be. Think about wanting something. You have to work very hard to get it. You can’t seem to make much progress, but you keep trying. Then your rival gets the same thing. They never asked for it, or even seemed to want it. But others in their corner helped them, and they got it, while you’ve been toiling away for a year and don’t feel like you made much progress. Would that not be a bitter pill to swallow?

Yuki has been trying to self-improve for over a year. But Kyo has not really tried to change. (He did get nicer to Tohru.) He has shown nothing about wanting to change. In fact, to Yuki’s understanding, he wants to get in the Sohma cage and is not valuing the freedom he has. But because of Shishou (Kyo’s adoptive father, someone who genuinely cares about him) and Tohru, he has made a huge step forward. His most disgusting form has been accepted. And by Tohru’s accepts, he is helped to overcome some of the trauma from his mom. It’s a big step for Kyo, and we see his softness right away in season 2 (mostly with Tohru).

But what about Yuki? He has been desperately trying in every way he knows how to improve, but compared to Kyo’s step forward, Yuki’s looks like diddlysquat. On the stairwell scene where Yuki is listing little ways he has improved I’ve seen people say “Oh Yuki, stop being jealous,” or “stop trying to show off,” but to me, that scene is Yuki telling himself these things as much as to Tohru. He needs to remind himself he is making little steps forward, even if they are very small and can’t compare to Kyo’s leap forward. And he’s seeking affirmation from Tohru. It’s not petty jealousy. I’m not saying jealousy of any kind, or how Yuki handles it is the best way, but it is understandable. Even again, to some extent, Kyo has what Yuki wants.

In season 2 of the anime, we have a lot of Yuki focus and growth (which I love!) He starts on the student council as the president, which is something he personally does not want to do but knows it will help him grow. We see very quickly that he has changed too. Thanks to the fan club we find out how he can be more open now. He is letting people in more than skin deep and so being vulnerable. This is credited to Tohru and rightly so. From her he has gained strength and support which is what he needed to move forward.

He’s not sure what to make of the other student council members but recognizes that the smallest things can lift us up, or tear us down. He also makes a move to get along with Ayame. And this is not easy for him. The day Aya shows up, it’s already a bad day. He had a trauma remembers nightmare. His brother is loud and obnoxious, and they don’t understand each other. But as they point out, that’s ok. We don’t have to understand each other or be alike to respect each other. They don’t even have to like each other. But there are little ways that they are alike (besides their good looks.) Both want to create or have something that has come about by their own hands and hard work; that would not exist without them: for Aya is clothing; for Yuki it's gardening.

Thoughts of the future do plague the entire zodiac, including Yuki, but he keeps pushing forward. Then the beach arc happens. Now what happens here affects all our main characters, but Yuki’s is more positive than it first appears. At one point Yuki says he has accepted things and knows his place and Kyo should too. Now, this sounds really bad, and just what Kyo’s place is, I’m not sure. I not sure if Yuki is saying Kyo should accept being locked up, but I doubt it. I think it is that they should accept that the past happened. They are zodiac members, and they can’t stop that. But they can move forward. I don’t think Yuki is telling Kyo to give up because he is pissed later when Kyo does (the end fight between them. We will get to that!)

But for Yuki, this is mostly accepting Tohru as his mom. Now Akito says all this to try to bring him to despair. Something like, “You’re so messed up. You want this girl to give you a mother’s love. If she knew that she wouldn’t accept you but think you’re crazy. Only I can love you as you are. You're messed up, stupid, and worthless. But I as your god I will still take you. When are you going to realize all this and come back to me?”

But Yuki is stronger than this now. He realizes he needs to accept that Tohru is precious to him but, in a way, is out of reach. She’s not meant to be his. “You’re like the sky, beautiful but far away. And so precious to me.” (Not sure I got the quote just right but it was something like that.) By accepting that Tohru is his mom, he also accepts that Tohru and Kyo are meant to be together. And before Kyo, he can have confidence in himself. Now it comes out in a very cocky, condescending manner, but I think he is telling Kyo to get his act together. Yuki has accepted things and is confident in himself and his choices. He doesn’t want to be jealous of Kyo anymore. It comes out very condescending, as I said, but I think that’s what some of his attitude at the beach at the end is. “I know what I am and am not going after. Now you need to figure that out for yourself, dumb cat. Get your girl!” (Unfortunately, Kyo has taken stuff in all the wrong direction from the beach arc.)

When they got back and go back to school, there’s the parent-teacher conference. This almost sets Yuki back. He has been growing and changing on the “outside” and in a relatively safe environment. He did face Akito at the beach, but he was not Akito’s main target, and Akito thought they had gotten to him (the whole mom thing). But now Yuki has to face his mom. The person who should have loved him and helped him but abandoned him. She is a fermentable force for Yuki to face.

And anytime someone has improvement and growth, they will likely face setbacks. We all do. It’s a part of growing. If you’ve never had a setback you have likely never struggled against anything hard. The anime does a fantastic job of showing what anxiety feels like in this bit too. Yuki is sitting at the table with his mom and teacher, and the table begins to stretch in a weird way, and it’s like Yuki is getting farther and farther away without moving. His mom shuts him down and he feels again the overwhelming feeling that no matter what he says she won’t hear him. The anime series does this so well I’m not sure I can explain it better. He remembers all the times she had put him down and refused to listen to him. Once more his words are drying up inside him, and he is about to give up.

And then Ayame shows up!

I know I wasn’t the only one to cheer out loud when Aya bust through the door. I am also like Yuki that I often find Aya a little much. But in that moment he was the person (with that personality) that was needed the most. He changes the whole mood of that room in an instant. The teacher was trying to stand up for Yuki and was having a hard time with the mother (or should I say that woman!) The mother is use to money and power and knows how to push people around and bend things to her will. It took an over-the-top Aya to completely change everything. And Yuki feels it. He has his brother’s support and he’s not alone. And this is a result of him (and Aya) moving forward. Aya sought out Yuki and wanted to mend their relationship. Yuki at first was not ready but later does seek to connect with his brother. And so, even though they are vastly different and don’t really understand each other, they can support each other and be there when the other needs them.

One thing I love about this whole scene is that Yuki could not stand up for himself but later he stands up for Ayame. And I think this can be true. Sometimes we find it easier to stand up for ourselves more than for others (in fact most time we can probably stand up for ourselves over others,) but sometimes we might have a hard time standing up for ourselves, but we can stand up for others. I think it’s beautiful anyway.

And Aya’s arrival shatters the reality (or illusion) that Yuki has of how things are. For so long his mother was this powerful figure. She had the power to hurt (or help) him so easily, but when Aya shows up that gets shattered. Their mother loses her composure and for ones, Yuki can see a small woman desperately clinging to the illusion of power. He had given her more power over him than she deserved, and he can now take that power back. He also shows his growth, and that he’s the bigger person, by going after her. She is still his mother, and so he will respect her, but he will not be silent anymore. He can finally make his voice heard. In this bit, he also realizes most of this by realizing how physically small she is. And as she leaves Tohru walks up, his real mom. Through her and Aya he has the support he needs and can make his way forward even more.

Now let’s get into Manabe and the student council. I mentioned them before, but I want to get more into them. They are a wonderful way for Yuki to move forward and try to better himself, but I think they help him so much by the way they treat him. How do they treat him? Well, not as the special prince Yuki.

Manabe is quirky and sees Yuki as an interesting person and enjoys teasing him. (Yuki is not use to teasing at school or by most people. He’s lifted up as a prince, and put down as worthless, but not teased (other than by Shigure but Yuki can handle him). These new people he does not know how to take.) Kimi is out for Kimi. If Yuki can be used to benefit her, sure, but I don’t think she cares for anyone as much as for herself. Nao sees him as a rival in love. The girl he likes is infatuated with Yuki so he does not like Yuki. But he’s more passive-aggressive about it, and Yuki is more use to head-on physical attacks.

And then there’s Machi. Machi is going through her own struggles to the point she can barely see the world around her. But because she is struggling in somewhat similar ways, she can see things in Yuki the others don’t. She sees the smile he wears is sad and a front. Because he has problems (like she does) he cannot be perfect. She does not think less of him for this, just that he’s human too. He’s not a prince on a pedestal, so far above them, nor a worm under their feet. He is just a person. And because she’s struggling with her own problems she does not think about him much at all (at first anyway. J ) And so Yuki is finally just another person to this group.

I said earlier that if Yuki had come to this school and there had been no fan club, and he had just been a normal person, which I thought it would be better for him. Well, that’s what happens in the student council. Manabe seeks him out and hangs out with him because he finds him interesting and wants to probe. But he does not put Yuki on a pedestal. Yuki struggles at first a little. He had never had people treat him like this before, and he’s not sure how to handle it.

He and Manabe go at it ones but it turns out well. (I have gathered guys sometimes respond better and get along after they physically get it out in the open. Don’t know that that’s always true or good but so it seems.) In this though, Yuki shows his growth too. He is willing to be vulnerable and says that he does not like himself. Manabe responds in kind to this and admits that he went off because Yuki said something he didn’t like. But not because it was Yuki’s fault, it reminded him of his own flaws and he was upset about that. He then goes on to tell Yuki that what Yuki does, seeing things and people more clearly, is something to be admired. Yuki has hardly ever had anyone affirm something good in him. Tohru has done it, and Ayame, but that’s about it. Haru does later too, and it means a lot to Yuki.

I should mention too that Yuki is out of his emotional survival mood now. When it happens, I’m not sure. Those things can take time. But he can now care about Haru and Rin’s relationship, a lot, as well as Tohru and others. He still thinks he’s selfish, but as Haru points out, he cares and that means a lot and shows his growth.

Someone pointed out in the anime that Yuki starts out wearing (when he’s not in his school uniform) more traditional Japanese clothing. But later, towards the end of season 2, he is wearing more western-style clothing. It shows his growth and change too, which is kind of cool.

He begins to accept that some things are the way they are. And things that happened, happened. It’s a very mature approach. Rather than getting mad, demanding justice, or wanting revenge, he decides to move on. All those other responses would keep him stuck in the past. We can have a right to be mad or seek justice, but I think Yuki has come to the conclusion that that won’t help him anymore. The past happened, and he wants to let it go. Which is why he tells Akito he forgives them. He gets whacked for it, but it also makes him the much bigger person in that moment. He also forgives and apologizes to Hatori for erasing his first friend’s memories. Hatori didn’t have a chose and Yuki recognizes all that and lets it go. And by doing that he helps Hatori. Hatori had been feeling bad about it all this time, even if he could not help it. By being forgiven by Yuki, he can forgive himself.

It’s a big move and not something I think most would do. We are told by the world that we have rights, and we should have them no matter what. It’s all very “me” focused. But I’ve been told forgiveness can free the forgiver as much or more than the forgiven. It’s because you’re letting go and moving on, which is exactly what happens here with Yuki. Now Yuki (at this point) has accepted that the things in the past happened and lets them go, moving on/forward from it. He accepts that Tohru is a mother figure to him, and he has no romantic feelings for her. His family situation is what it is. His brother’s crazy, and his mom is who she is, but he does not give her the power over him he use to. He also has friends now, all be it crazy ones, but he has a life outside of his Sohma and zodiac identity. He has come incredibly far. For him, a lot of his growth comes from facing the past, accepting it, and moving on from it. He still has some animosity with Kyo and then there’s his love interest in Machi.

I love the relationship between Yuki and Machi. They also find and recognize each other because of their struggles. I have heard that broken people often find each other. Yuki recognizes that Machi is struggling and tries to include her and word things so she can understand. Machi recognizes from Yuki’s actions that he is struggling. At first, I don’t think Yuki realizes how much Machi is struggling, but he does recognize that something is off. Manabe is so loud and obnoxious, as are the others; I think it would have been easy to overlook the quiet Machi. But as I said earlier, Yuki’s behavior could fall into the category of those that are overlooked too. (His looks help him stand out though.) And I think different personality types can somewhat recognize their own. They might like them or find them annoying but they don’t overlook each other.

Also, I think Yuki wanting to do his best and connect with everyone. And why not try to make friends with the quiet girl, she’s got to be better than the crazy Manabe, or even Kimi. And so Yuki does not overlook Machi and includes her. He talks to her and does his best to listen. When her problems come more to the surface, he accepts her and tries to help. Manabe has been trying to, but I think Yuki with his background and personality is able to understand her better.

I’m not sure when the attraction begins but I think it has a large part to do with her accepting him and seeing the real him. Machi immediately sees through Yuki’s mask. His fake smile she recognizes. And so she never puts Yuki up on a pedestal. She doesn’t think less of him either. She sees him for who he is, a hurting, lonely soul desperately trying to hold it together. But because she recognizes Yuki’s struggle, she also recognizes that he gets better and stronger. She sees how he changes, and I think it might challenge her and offer her hope. His persistence in including her stands out to her too. Because he lets his guard down with her, she ends up dropping hers.

We really see this when the student council is meeting up to hang out outside of school and at first, it’s just Yuki and Machi. Machi is feeling invisible and unwanted when Yuki calls out to her and is genuinely happy to see her. She gets flustered, trips, her bag gets dumped, and the leaf Yuki gave her is revealed to have been made into a bookmarker. She is so flustered her and Yuki ends up kind of fighting because she doesn’t know how to take this whole situation.

Yuki also overhears her with some other girls and finds out she sees through him. She sees the real him and that he’s lonely (and an airhead J ). Then when the painful history with her parents comes out and what really happened with her brother, he believes her. It seems he is the first person who was willing to hear her side, and then he believes her. Machi has her own struggles but just as Tohru and the student council gave Yuki the support he needed, Yuki and Manabe give her the support she needs. It’s a lovely and adorable romance in the story, and I like it probably about as much as I like Tohru and Kyo’s.

Now let’s talk about Yuki and Kyo’s final fight. Kyo and Tohru have been struggling with their feelings for each other, and when it all comes out Kyo in fear pushes Tohru away. This makes Tohru cry as Kyo runs away. Yuki only overhears the end of their conversation ad tries going after Kyo and is pissed he made Tohru cry. I mean after all, what person isn’t made at someone making the mom, they love, cry. Then we have the whole disaster with Akito showing up, and Tohru falling and ending up in the hospital.

The anime and manga end up differing a little here so I think I will go from the manga. Tohru and Kyo’s talk as well as the accident all happen one morning. Yuki stays at the hospital until evening. Before leaving he meets Tohru’s grandfather, and the grandfather asks where is the “Orange haired boy” which reminds Yuki all over of how Kyo made Tohru cry and he’s still pissed at Kyo. He mutters that Kyo is an idiot or something to that extent, and it’s the Grandpa who suggests he should knock some sense into Kyo. Yuki goes home and that s when the fight happens.

Yuki acknowledges that Kyo is probably struggling with problems of his own, but he does not care because Kyo hurt Tohru. And I would agree that just because you are struggling or hurting does not make it alright to hurt others. I love this fight and I think it's supper impotent because they finally get things out in the open and really talk. They have not been physically fighting as much anymore, which is good, but it makes this fight all the more impactful. They finally admit that they admire, in a sense, the other and wanted what they perceived the other as having. It makes Yuki mad that Kyo admitted this first. But Yuki rightly points out that they can only be themselves.

Yuki demonstrates his own growth here in that he admits he can’t be what he’s not and that Kyo can do for Tohru what he can’t. He has grown more than Kyo because he knows and accepts this, where Kyo was ready to walk away because of his own fear and feelings of inadequacy. Fortunately, this does knock some sense into Kyo, and Kyo later even admits it. I also feel like Yuki might have been mad at Kyo for his lack of growth. It’s my own theory but hear me out.

Remember how at the end of season 1 Yuki was feeling down. He had been trying so hard to grow and self-improve but had made so little progress, then Kyo, who was not trying, because of others in his corner helped him make a huge step forward? Well since then, what growth has Kyo made? He has gotten closer to Tohru (largely from that) and is softer with her but in trying to improve he has not made much change. In fact, after the beach ace, he had kind of given up. He wants to be near Tohru, but he has accepted that he will be locked up later and separated from her. He seems to have realized he was scapegoating his problems onto Yuki and has stopped hating him as much, but he has not tried to grow or change.

Meanwhile all of Yuki’s efforts started to pay off, and he has grown and changed. Yuki changed because he had Tohru too, but no Shishou. Manabe and Machi are only there because Yuki put himself forward and joined the student council. Kyo could have grown just as much or more the Yuki, but he didn’t try. Yuki did not have the same support, but he has grown more. I think Yuki sees that Kyo could have grown but didn’t, and because of that, he has hurt Tohru. Yuki tells Kyo he needs to fight for what he wants. He needs to grow.

Interestingly enough, he doesn’t make it easy for Kyo though. I think it's Yuki’s way of punishing him for hurting Tohru and to look out for Tohru too. After their fight he tells Kyo to go see Tohru, knowing Kyo can’t because visiting hours are over. Yuki also tells Uo and Hana about what happened knowing they will be pissed at Kyo. All three of them kind of force Kyo to grow and get his sh*t together.

On the surface, it can feel like these three are being really mean to Kyo, but when you look deeper I think it is done with the best of intentions. They really are trying to look out for Tohru. Tohru has had so much placed on her; she is at her breaking point. They don’t want her to get hurt or burdened more. She can’t handle Kyo’s baggage right now so he needs to take care of that before going to see her. She needs him to be a rock for her, not she be a rock for him. Yuki has put plenty on Tohru himself (as have others) but I feel like it’s been a while since Yuki has. He has gotten things together better now and might even see how he has burdened her and how close to breaking she is.

After all this Yuki makes another step, in that he wants to tell Machi about the curse. This is big for him. Tohru found out but it was not his because he wanted to tell her. Before her, it was his friends who found out about the curse, and they then had to have their memories erased because of it. He wants to be honest with Machi, but he could lose her forever this way. He wants to be honest with her and get closer to her, which of course is better than lying or hiding the truth, but is much harder and exposes him and makes him vulnerable in a big way. It’s not a dissection he would have made willing when we first meet him.

The curse breaks before he tells her and so he gets to hug (and kiss!) her instead. (He does tell her one day, but we don’t see it in this story.) Machi supports him in his pain and comforts him, proving she’s the girl for him.

In the end, Yuki and Kyo never become buddies, but they can somewhat respect each other. I think this comes from their admission that they envied each other, and Kyo no longer blaming Yuki for everything. At one point Yuki says that he admired Kyo and wanted to be his friend, but admiration turned into animosity. It’s really hard not to get mad at someone who always comes at you with anger and hatred. So when that gets taken away, both can let go and move forward. They don’t need to be friends, but they are no longer enemies.

One of the last things I want to talk about is when Yuki gives Machi a key to his apartment where he will be staying in college. He says so she can check on him to make sure he’s not cheating her. She says she’s sure he won’t so he acts like he's going to throw it away. Machi quickly agrees to take it then. This can seem as kind of jerk-ish by picking on her when she’s not someone who jokes around. But again I think it shows Yuki’s growth.

When we first meet Yuki, he doesn’t joke around. I don’t think he’s confident enough to joke. What if someone takes the joke wrong and he loses them? He wants people to like him, but he’s too scared to let them in close. He can pick on Kyo, who he doesn’t like, and he can let Shigure’s none sense roll off his back, because it's, well Shigure, (and if you’re going to survive living with him, you’re going to have to learn how to do that). Plus Yuki’s a little more relaxed with other members of the zodiac. But with anyone else, he has to maintain his perfect image so people will like him. Eventually, he can joke with Manabe, and Manabe is a little like Shigure, you’re going to have to learn how to if you want to keep your sanity with him. But Machi is different. She’s not a joker.

This bit made me so happy. It shows Yuki is comfortable in his own skin and not afraid of losing her. (“My boy has come so far.” Brush away a tear.)

And this pretty much covers Yuki. In Fruit’s Basket Another we see how Yuki has become a dad and how far all of them have come. The struggles and things they went through and learned from have not been wasted and have been passed on to their own children. At first, I wasn’t crazy about “Another” but the more time that passes, and as I reread it and thought about it, the more I like it.

Oh, man this went long! If you have read all of this thank you, and I’m sorry for how rambly this was. I think I will do one for Akito, and I should do it while everything is fresh in my brain but…we will see.

A shout out to Through Bubble and Cinema Therapy. I think I took things from both of these YouTube channels, (especially Thought Bubble).

Well until next time,

God Bless