Fruits Basket and Abusive Relationships
By Vidhi Gupta
*Spoilers*
Fruits Basket is a Shoujo anime which I started because Netflix recommended it to me. That’s it. Terrible subtitles, but the show made up for it in so many different ways. The story follows Honda Tohru, a high school girl who lost her parents in her childhood, and her associations with the Soma family. The Soma family has a unique condition where certain members of the family turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by the opposite gender or when they fall ill.
Apart from Tohru, the show revolves around Soma Kyo, Yuki and Shigure. While we don’t see them in their transformed states often, their character development leaves nothing to be desired. Apart from the three, there are 10 other Somas who share the zodiac bond with Akito. Akito’s existence in the Zodiacs is akin to a God’s existence in humans. Akito is the head of the family and dictates the presence of the Zodiacs against their wishes. This ability of the characters appears to be very cute, however, the irony is that for the characters themselves, it is a curse.
What surprised me is that the show is so much more than just romance and high school drama. It delves into the fragile relationships that hold people together. However, it also distinguishes relationships from bonds created through force. Forced bonds exist for the convenience of a single person. That is the essence of the show. Wounds that can be pressed and scarred further, also hold the ability to heal. Akito repeatedly bullied and said extremely harsh things to the zodiacs, all to keep the Zodiacs close by his side.
Delving into the story, the zodiacs have a common problem. Together they cover 3 generations and because of the nature of their curse, their parents have extreme difficulty accepting them. Either parents get overprotective or abandon their children altogether. Hiro’s mother (the ram/sheep) was the only couple who accepted their child. She also accepted Kisa (the tiger) and gave her the love that Kisa’s mother had difficulty expressing. In more extreme cases, like in Momiji’s case (the rabbit), his mother decided to erase her memory to come to terms with her child. For Yuki (the rat), his mother abandoned him to Akito because the rat and God have a closer bond. At Akito’s whim, Yuki was separated from his family.
The zodiac’s lives start to change when they meet Tohru. Her problems are different from the zodiac’s, though they are also rooted in her parents. When the show starts, Tohru’s mother just passed away and Tohru was living in a tent. Tohru’s ultimate dream is to live independently. When Tohru falls in love with Kyo, her biggest problem is her guilt. She doesn’t want to let her mother go. I feel this is something that anyone who has experienced grief has trouble with. It’s not a question of blame, but rather, the acceptance of it all. Tohru could not accept her mother’s death and that perhaps, there was someone equally important to her. When she does realise that and lets her mother go, she is happier and at ease with herself. What I love about Tohru is that she is grateful and happy for the love her mother gave her. She doesn’t take it for granted and appreciates it.
On the other hand, Kyo (the cat) is suffering from the terrible fate of being the cat. His mother’s suicide left him scarred and his father did not help. In contrast to Yuki who was shackled to Akito, Kyo had the company of others. At first, I wondered why Kyo was hesitant to approach Tohru until the show revealed that Kyo’s abandonment issues were more deeply rooted than they seemed. While Kyo was struggling with people leaving him, Yuki was struggling with forming relationships with other people. Akito took the false bond of the rat and the God to a whole another level. Yuki was not allowed to leave and was bullied by Akito every day. No matter what Akito did, the zodiacs were compelled to stay in the Soma estate, except the older generation who were working (Ayame and Shigure).
On the other hand, Shigure (the dog) is one character in the show that I could not understand at all. The show portrayed him as if he was constantly planning and plotting something. However, the events of the show seemed beyond his control as well. Contrastingly, Ayame (the snake) is the only character who is trying to reflect on his behaviour and support his brother, Yuki. Ayame is a bit extreme and eccentric but his mannerisms are sincere.
There are a lot of couples in the show, however, my favourite will always be Hatsuharu and Rin (the Ox and the Horse). Rin is always suffering on her own and tries to find ways to protect Haru. Haru, on the other hand, is the nicest and kindest character in the show. He is one of the calmest characters, yet when he snaps, Haru makes a 180-degree flip. He turns “dark” as the characters call it, and goes on a rampage. A knock on the head usually helps.
Akito’s relationship with his mother is very twisted. To the extent that Akito takes it out on the zodiacs. He believes that no matter what he does, the zodiac will always come back to him. The essence of this thought process is that superficial or forced bonds cannot compensate for a person’s mind. Everybody has their feelings and wishes. Akito doesn’t understand this and believes in the bonds of God and the zodiac blindly.
The name “Fruits Basket” is rather unique and apt. Tohru is called an Onigiri in her school. An Onigiri has no place in a fruit basket and it shows how she feels like an outsider no matter where she is. The show is engulfed with the themes of loss and tragedy, though the fact that Tohru becomes everyone’s solution is a bit weird. Overall the show is really good if one wants to understand the complexities of human relationships and intimacy.
All in all, my motivation to watch the show was seeing Kyo in his cat form. I would recommend Fruits Basket to everyone who likes a bit of shoujo in their lives and cats. Definitely cats.
