Warning! This review on Fruit basket final Chapter three contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, I recommend watching it and then going back to read the review.

© 高 屋 奈 月 ・ 白泉 社 / フ ル ー ー バ バ バ ケ ッ ト ト 製作 委員会

“I hope snow soon”

Fruit basket final Chapter three begins with a little breakout from machi. Graduation is nearing for the third graders, and as the council goes into business, a rumor reaches them about Machi. Since she leaves without any explanation, Kakeru persuades Yuki to visit her and ask her directly. When they arrive at his house, they see that it is a disaster and they help him clean up. Yuki has a conversation with Machi about his aversion to perfection. In the end, she is honest with him and tells him the truth of the rumor. After all, they both promise to walk on the snow. On the other hand, Motoko decides to express her thanks to Yuki, knowing that she cannot return her love if she wants to leave him her good wishes. Isuzu is still missing and Akito is hiding a dark secret.

The effort of imperfection

This episode is a fresh look at Machi that allows us to unravel a little more of his story, character and complexes. We had the first deep look at her last season, that’s where we understood her biggest complex, and that plunges into the normal to the point where she doesn’t recognize her own identity. This chapter completes the picture and shows that Machi grew up below expectations and had no opportunity to discover himself. Since she was only doing what she was supposed to, she grew up without character, which made her “boring”.

The pressures they always put on them created several traumas, the largest of which is their fear of perfection. I spend so much time listening to how perfect she has to be that when they stopped putting that weight on, she collapsed and ran away from the part that was causing her so much pain. Machi is another victim of the selfishness of the parents on this series. Her mother was as demanding as she could be. As a woman, she had to surpass the lover’s male child and prove her courage. She was selfish to the end and when she got the heir she wanted she just turned her back on her failure and apologized for bringing her up badly. Those were the most selfish words of all, he shouldn’t have apologized, but given him his freedom.

Since Machi did not achieve her freedom as it should have been, she was still tied to her strict upbringing and her trauma with her. Nobody taught him to be selfish or to go about his favorite things, so he couldn’t try. Everything was decided for her, even her feelings, and she never knew how to defend herself against it. Machi’s greatest advancement was opening up to Yuki, and the reason she could do this was because she felt recognized. For the first time, no expectations, feelings or thoughts were imposed on her, she was recognized as herself. Yuki managed to open her heart and eventually she could talk about what she needs most to get out. She wasn’t jealous of her little brother. In fact, she feels affection for him and in her worry I create the misunderstanding that shouldn’t exist from the start. His parents are really the worst.

This rapprochement between Machi and Yuki is important to understand their relationship as it shows that everyone is getting what they need from the other. Both Yuki and Machi long to be needed. Both are looking for someone who is special and makes them special. That is exactly what they achieved. This is much clearer with Yuki, as he has already directly expressed his desire to be special to someone, just as he knows Tohru and Kyo share a bond. He wants to experience a normal relationship, he doesn’t want to be a savior, he just wants to be needed and special to that one person. This is why Machi is ideal because she does not see the perfect prince in him, but the simple and normal Yuki, the youngster who needs affection that he is. Both were discovered in the other.

Most of all thanks

Let’s move on to the topic of love a little and talk about Motoko. I have dedicated several lines to her in various reviews, and how not to do it when she is a highly developed character. Not only is she a fan of Prince Yuki, she has shown that she has real and deep feelings for him. In this chapter, too, he showed us that his development was not wasted. Far from confessing her love, perhaps for the last time, Motoko chose to convey her feelings in the form of gratitude. There was a lot she might want to say to Yuki, but nothing compared to the gratitude she feels towards him. Well, unwittingly, he was an integral part of her time in high school. In fact, it is so important that he learned from his mistakes and grew on them.

There was a time when Motoko dreamed of getting close to Yuki and desiring her love. But that didn’t last, his love turned into an idealization. She suffered from Yuki’s change because her ideal was broken, but far from giving up, she learned to accept it and with her her love developed again. So we came to her parting, her greatest act of love for Yuki wasn’t to press her feelings on him. Motoko has learned that feelings are not something to be forced upon others, including guilt for rejection. So she gave Yuki the only thing that was true and that he could accept, her thanks for those years of fun.

I think this remains a great lesson for everyone because love is not something that is forced. In the beginning, they relate to how uncomfortable a confession is when they know it will be rejected, and that’s true. I’m not saying that conveying your feelings is a mistake, but if you really love the other person, you need to find a way that will not put them in a bad position because of you. A good example was Motoko and even Naoto, they conveyed their sincere feelings without weighing the recipient.

Final comment

Fruit basket final Chapter three was a lovely episode, both reflective and emotional. You need to know that I have a crush on Machi as he is one of the characters that is easier to relate to. Whenever there is material from her, I will be happy and this chapter especially manages to highlight many of her good points. The motoko part was spectacular too, the lesson on sincere love and learning to let go of it with good wishes was wonderful. But honestly, I’m more grateful than anything for the comic part. Yuki blushing at everything he gives is something we need in our life.

Before closing this review, what if we talk about the abysmal difference in the role of mothers? On the one hand, we met Machi’s mother, a frivolous and selfish woman who uses her children as a kind of insurance for her position and assets. On the other hand, we had the best maternal love scene we’ve ever seen with a Sohma. Hiro’s mother is everything that is right on this earth. His love is immense and very warm, from the name he gives his children to his joy that Hiro should experience the warmth of his little sister.

Anyway, these were my impressions of this chapter. Tell me, what did you think of this episode? What’s your opinion on Machi? Do you think that all love should be expressed? In the next episode we will see Rin again, what Akito is hiding will come to light and things will get a bit out of control.

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Sweety Otaku

One of the best parts of watching anime is how many times a show can surprise you. Sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. But if the Otaku know one thing, it's that anything is possible.

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