Warning! This review on Fruit basket final Chapter eleven contains spoilers. If you haven't seen the episode yet, I recommend watching it and then going back to read the review.
"Good bye"
Fruit basket final Chapter eleven begins with Tohru's departure from the hospital. When she sees that Kyo greets her, she runs away. Thinking that she was rejected by him, Tohru still doesn't prepare her heart to face him because she still longs to be by his side. When Kyo reaches her before she can say more, he expresses his feelings and asks for another chance to be together. The feelings of the two are now mutual and when they embrace they realize that Kyo is no longer transforming. Akito, grappling with her emotions since visiting Tohru at the hospital, is finally ready to say goodbye to her role.
To better understand what is happening, we have a reminder of the original promise. With this we can understand that it should never be a curse, but that the promise dragged on for so long that it inevitably became one. Now that everything is ready, each of the Zodiacs will be freed from their curse. Tohru and Kyo go to Kazuma's house to deliver the news. She is later called to Akito's house. Now that Akito no longer has to be God, he can seek solace in his friend.
An invincible love
What we all expected has finally happened, Kyo's and Tohru's feelings are finally completely reciprocal. This doesn't mean they haven't felt the same before, it's just that both of them could be at the same point in their relationship up until now. Coming here was a journey for both of them because although their love was strong and evident for a long time, neither had the mental preparation to act on it. Everyone's mental anguish was always a source of constant insecurity that did not get them anywhere. But it was these obstacles that made this moment even more beautiful and valuable.
Love can be a source of inexhaustible strength, at least for this couple. They both went through various stages of assimilation, doubt, and acceptance to eventually achieve the result we all expected. The process of coming together was thorny, the doubts and uncertainties of each individual were hard tests that had to be overcome. But the most important thing is that they managed to deal with it. While it is true that love is not a magical cure for all evil, the truth is that it gives value. Loving Kyo didn't automatically make Tohru's doubt and loneliness go away, but it did give her the courage to face that part of herself. The same for Kyo, loving Tohru did not solve his self-esteem problems or alleviate his guilt, but gave him the courage to face it.
The love they both share is so special that it has become the source of their strength. Loving another also means cherishing yourself, in so far as both of you decided to become the best version of yourself that could be together forever. They have gone through so many things to find themselves that it is normal for them to get a little lost along the way. But now that they are clear about their goal, there is no way they will get lost again, so Kyo no longer needs a second chance, because now he knows what to do and where to go. Since both are each other's strengths, there is nothing they cannot overcome in the future.
The original promise
In addition to love, this episode focused on the revelation of the original promise. As we well knew, the Sohma curse was born from a certain promise made thousands of years ago that prayed that the animals of the zodiac in every life would meet God to celebrate a banquet. So far there has been no mistake, but there is more to this promise in its story. Most of all, we can understand that it was a promise made with a desire to dispel the loneliness of a loved one. Well, God was that for each of the animals, someone who loved and something very special. The truth is that this promise was never intentionally bad, it was really a pure desire.
Another detail that contrasts with the history of the zodiac that everyone knows is that the cat was actually the first animal that God encountered. However, he was also the first to die, and his departure was the catalyst for this promise of reunion. The thing is that the cat never wanted to last forever, even though she was perfectly happy next to God, he never thought of trying to prolong that happiness. What was normal, farewells are necessary because they offer us new encounters. The cat's wish was misinterpreted by everyone, he wanted them to meet again, but not because of an invisible promise, but because fate wanted it that way. I wish God would give up his loneliness and not rely on the company of these thirteen animals alone.
Wishing forever is not a bad thing, we've all done it before. However, the weight of this desire may exceed our expectations. For God and the thirteen animals, this wish, which began as something wonderful, became a burden over the years. The reason for this is simple, his wish was completely one-sided and burdened another being too much. The Sohma, as a zodiac-obsessed family, had to cope with this condition, hiding and separating from others. The worst part of this promise is that it stole some of its will from its host. It became a curse because it ceased to be something wonderful and expected, and it became a burden. At that point she was completely deviating from her original reason, to the point where no one remembered her.
A lonely farewell
The curse is finally broken for everyone, including Yuki, but we'll see him in the next chapter. This was one of the most anticipated moments for everyone as it marks the end of all of their suffering from this condition. By breaking free from the curse, they are released from their inability to turn from God and from that blind loyalty that even they could not comprehend. There are many advantages to this situation, but there is another side. By breaking their curse, part of them will be forsaken forever. It is no mistake to say that there has always been a different consciousness in each of them, one that has accompanied them from the moment they came into the world and has now left it. What remains after that is loneliness.
Undoubtedly, this liberation was very much wanted by everyone, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't bring about other feelings. Farewells are generally sad, and this awareness in them has stayed with them for a lifetime. The one who made this loneliness even more bearable was Akito. After hearing all her life how special she is because she is God, she finally said goodbye to that part of herself that never allowed her to be her own person. Breaking the promise was like taking everything back to the source, starting over, especially for Akito. Crying is expected, it was really a situation to experience the loneliness of the world for the first time, like a baby being thrown into the world. This time they will face the world alone, there is no one else who will always be with them.
details
Similar to the previous review, I'm going to mention a few things that I'm not going to develop, but it's good to keep this in mind:
- The chapters of the manga that were adjusted in this episode were: 129, 130, and 131 (excluding the release of Yuki).
- It's nice that even though Ayame was actually already in a relationship with Mine, I waited until her curse was broken to show her sincere love and devotion.
- All of the zodiac signs shed tears when they were released from their curse, except Haru. This could be because he no longer had too deep a bond like the others, as his curse was partially torn apart when he faced Akito earlier. However, that did not prevent him from feeling the loneliness of this farewell.
- Shigure had a mark on his face, possibly the reason we'll see in the next chapter, as it's a key scene in the development of his future relationship with Akito.
- Kyo and Tohru went to Kazuma when they realized the curse was gone. Both wanted to pass this happiness on to Kyo's real father, who would be happiest for the situation.
- Akito's and Tohru's friendship was what it took them to move forward in their own way. Akito needed someone who would see her for herself and show her the right way without teaching her, just as Tohru needed someone who understood her loneliness and unreachable longings. Each will learn to grow in the other, and despite the differences between the two, the friendship they cultivate will be the source of new happiness. It was not for nothing that Akito needed his friend's consolation now that he could no longer keep promises.
Final comment
Fruit basket final Chapter eleven was a lovely episode. There are a number of adjectives I could use to describe this episode, but none are more perfect than simply saying it was beautiful. The amount of emotions that I portray, the moments full of sweetness, sadness, joy and loneliness, everything was so perfect. I can only express my gratitude to this series, its production team and the author herself. This chapter is the epitome of all of their work. All emotions mingled and reached their climax here. I couldn't think of a better scenario than this.
Before I close on this review, I just want to express my total love for this adaptation. Of course there are things in my heart that I would have liked to see as they are in the manga, but that doesn't mean I'm dissatisfied with the work of this adaptation. To tell the truth, I am amazed at the performance shown in the script, with the limited time they had they made this work the way it should be. If we can see more of this work in the future, it would be paradise, either as eggs from the one left out of the manga (cough * ArcoDeKyokoYKatsuya * cough) or even seeing it Another fruit basket.
Anyway, those were my impressions of this chapter, tell me: what do you think of this episode? How did you feel when the curse was finally broken? Do you think there are promises that can last forever? In the next episode we will publish Yuki, Akito's future decisions and also those of Kyo and Tohru.
