Fruits Basket (2019) – 08

「行ってらっしゃい」 (Itterasshai)
“Take Care”

What a fantastic episode.

Man, how amazing is an anime when it can make you remember what’s going to happen but still has the ability to hit you right in the feels? This week’s episode was a clear reminder that Fruits Basket has a lot to show us when it comes to understanding ourselves as well as others and doesn’t give a rats ass how many tears it takes to get there.

Leaping straight into the main point of the episode, I hope I wasn’t the only one who was naively thinking that Tohru was going to be okay by herself during New Years. As the happy-go-lucky protagonist who finds happiness and joy even in the most mundane things, there was never a moment where I second guessed that she was trying her best to make sure everyone around her had a great New Years. The thing is, Tohru was probably so busy worrying about everyone around her that she probably forgot just how sad she was going to be bringing in the new year without her beloved mom around. God, just thinking about the overarching premise for this week’s episode gets my emotions all worked up.

Luckily, Tohru’s support system has become quite robust throughout the past few episodes with Hana taking the initiative to do whatever she can for her beloved Tohru — this week included. While her methods of doing so could be debated, you have to love how she managed to not only find Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo but also managed to help our two boys understand just how big of a detail they missed all without directly telling them to go back to Tohru. Toss in how both Kyo and Yuki really enjoy spending time with Tohru and you had a fantastic moment where all our main players had an opportunity to show some vulnerability while also growing closer together.

Man, what an episode. As if wringing my emotions wasn’t enough, I really appreciated how the story has been advancing Yuki and Kyo’s relation the past few episodes. Instead of snapping at each other (or jumping straight into a fight), I really appreciate how they’re slowly growing closer through their mutual concern for Tohru. That and I love it when characters aren’t simply one-sided since it’s pretty easy to get bored of watching the same thing over and over.

In any case, I’ll catch you guys next week where we’ll possibly have to watch the repercussions of Kyo and Yuki not attending the family banquet. If that’s the case, I hope we won’t have to see Akito lose his shit. And actually, on that note, can we take a small moment to cheer on Shigure for letting loose some of his inner anger on Akito’s behavior toward his family? God, those evil eyes plus hearing his inner thoughts was giving me a raging justice boner.

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