Fruits Basket

Episode 35

Don't look now but Fruits Basket just dropped a major reveal. There is no longer any ambiguity about the nature of Akito's power over the Zodiac. From the kids' unquestioning obedience to Shigure's fawning, the Sohma family's dynamic now makes a simple, terrible sense. Low lighting and rainy nights amplify Akito's power in a physical sense this episode, but the tense, melodramatic storytelling offers room for hope. Amidst a grandiose, violent gesture to lord his power over Tohru, Akito doesn't realize that he's actually given her ammo against him. Since the beginning, Tohru has brightened her found family's home through kind words and acts of service. But now that Akito has clued her in, she's found a higher calling: to break their curse.

Look up “emotional vampire” in the dictionary and you'll probably find Akito's picture. The Sohma family head is a pro at sucking all the joy out of any situation, even a fun beach retreat. His toxic personality is so outsized that even though the last episode was supposed to be about Tohru and Kyo, I spent most of my review talking about him. It helps that this tyrant is surrounded by enablers, the most disturbing of which is Shigure. The laid-back, always-joking dog of the Zodiac has emerged during this summer vacation as a surprise agent of chaos in Akito's court. In an unsettling, almost incestuous scene in a darkened room, Akito chides Shigure for being cold to him and commands a return to the days when “you looked only at me.” This scene is set in a timeless traditional Japanese room, which serves to distance Akito's twisted realm from the real world.

The divide between Akito's inner court and the beach house where the others are staying with Tohru is further emphasized when Akito changes from a kimono into Western-style clothing in order to make an impromptu visit to “that woman.” It's raining, it's the middle of the night, and yet Akito feels compelled to wake up Tohru and give her a piece of his mind. Akito's most self-aware moments are whenever he realizes that Tohru is a threat to his hold over the Sohmas—but these are also the times he is most dangerous. It's no surprise that this encounter culminates in assault. But before Akito literally digs his claws into Tohru, he drops a few shocking truths. Missing, however, is what exactly marks Akito's godhood over the Zodiac—is he an incarnation of the original god, like the others are incarnations of each animal? Is his pull over the Sohmas merely psychological, or supernatural? For such a major discovery, I was hoping for concrete details. And another bomb: Tohru now knows that Kyo is going to spend the rest of his life in confinement. Though Akito may think he's crushing her spirit here, he's actually giving her strength. Tohru's mission changes as a direct response to this conversation. Up until now, she's worked to cheer up the Sohmas. But after Akito's threats, Tohru no longer questions her place in the Sohma family. Now she knows she's there to break Akito's hold over the people she loves.

Though Akito loomed over this episode like a dark shadow, it was Momiji who was the MVP. The childlike rabbit of the Zodiac proved he has wisdom beyond the innocent front he usually presents. At the beginning of the episode, Tohru overhears a conversation between him and Kyo, in which Kyo puts two and two together: the kids are all spending their days with Akito because if they refused, they'd make Tohru more of a target. Later, Momiji gets a chance to defend Tohru directly, taking Akito's punch rather than bring him to her. And in the end, it's Momiji who gets the others to defuse the situation. When Hiro asks why the two of them are injured in the fireworks scene, Tohru lightly conceals the truth and presses her forehead to Momiji's in a sisterly gesture—he protected her, and now she's following his lead. I think this marks a turning point in Fruits Basket. From here, the story becomes her hero's journey, documenting her efforts to break the curse.

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Fruits Basket is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist and model kits at Gunpla 101.