Warning! This review on Fruits Basket 2 chapters twelve and thirteen contain spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episodes yet, I recommend you go check them out and then come back to read the review.
“You cried for me”
Fruits Basket 2 Chapters twelve begins with a small reunion between Mayuko and Shigure, which triggers a series of memories. Mayu is Kana’s best friend, so through her she met Hatori and Shigure. Despite her crush on Hatori, she always wished for the happiness of Kana and Hatori. When he had to erase Kana’s memories, she ended up walking away in consideration. Two years after that, they meet again, and she still retains her feelings for him. Fooled by Shigure, Mayu believes that Hatori already has a new girlfriend, so it surprises him that he doesn’t look happy. After clearing up the misunderstanding they both agree to go out for a meal together, a new hope is born for both of them.
“I wanted you to be happy …”
This has been a chapter perfectly dedicated to Mayu, dedicated to a painful and silent love. In the world there are many types of love, in the same way there are many ways to express it. For Mayu, the love she felt was hopeless, however I accept that it was because it meant that her two most precious people would be happy. From the beginning, he abandoned any kind of hope and dedicated himself to wishing for the happiness of that pair that in his eyes deserved all happiness. Because the moment she saw them together, she knew instantly, that they needed each other.
But life is never kind to our wishes, reality was distorted and Kana and Hatori’s happiness was broken. That was the hardest blow for Mayu, she could not understand how everything had turned out that way. The separation of Kana and Hatori was especially painful for Mayu, because she loves them both. The worst burden was seeing Kana lose her memories and having to think about the pain Hatori will have had to bear for it. Since neither of them could mourn and mourn the loss, Mayu did it for them.
The only thing Mayu wanted was for the happiness of those two to last, for nothing and no one to disturb her. But fate is cruel and he offered them both the worst separation. Although all he wanted was his happiness, he could do nothing to protect her. Mayu’s decision to stay away from the Souma was in consideration for Kana, and Hatori, since she could not bring back memories that hurt them more. His consideration is also the sign of his love, his love for both.
Solitude and company
Youth is a time of mistakes, we can easily stumble and get up. It is also the time where we learn the best lessons. For Mayu, that lesson came from the hand of Shigure. Being trapped in her hopeless love, Shigure offered her a hand, offered her his company as she was drowning in her loneliness. In desperation Mayu accepted that offer, but it didn’t take long for her to realize it was a mistake.
Mayu’s loneliness was understandable, she was in the middle of a painful unrequited love and could not even talk about it, since the couple of that love of hers was none other than her best friend. Even though she was happy to witness the happiness of her best friend and her loved one, loneliness clung to her deep down. Her wish that both of them would be so happy that they would become unreachable for her, plunged her even further into loneliness. She did not want her feelings to be known and she was building a wall so that nobody penetrated it.
But her wall was weak, because she was still longing for company. Accepting to enter into a relationship with Shigure due to his loneliness was a terrible choice. There is a huge difference between a real relationship and one formed to avoid loneliness. When we decide to unite our life with someone, it must be under the awareness that it is because we want it that way and that this does not take away our individuality. Joining another person believing that this will solve our problems is a mistake, because these can only be solved by oneself, especially if what weighs us down is a matter of the heart. We cannot continue to believe that we need someone else to complete ourselves, we are all born complete. Seeking someone’s company should never be a function of filling our loneliness, it is selfish to burden someone else with that kind of expectations.
What they both needed
Being in a couple can be aware that in the other person we have something we need and we lack it ourselves. There is nothing wrong with it, as long as we do not burden it with selfish expectations. We can believe that there are two types of harmonious couples, those that are opposite each other and those in which both are similar. It is very easy to identify who are the ones who need something from the other when we compare this pair, generally it is the opposite who are attracted to what they lack. Hatori and Kana are of this type, they could both seem like oil and water, but they were a perfectly harmonious couple. Kana’s kindness and sweetness were the ideal combination for Hatori’s temperance and seriousness. Both were complementary and were what they needed at the time.
Hatori lost Kana, and most certainly a part of him went with her, however life must keep up. Time may not be the best medicine, but it can change our perspectives and our needs. The Hatori of now, is no longer like the one that was with Kana. Now you need something different and it is possible that this is something that Mayu can offer you. She is similar to Hatori, but at the same time is different, the biggest difference is that she can express her feelings freely. After holding back for years, finding someone capable of openly crying for his sake, it’s hard not to appreciate him.
Hatori’s time has been frozen, he himself is aware that he does not want that, finding someone who can help him move forward is what he needs now. The person who can do that for him now is none other than the one who is similar to him, who can understand his feelings and express them if he cannot.
“Sure ~”
Fruits Basket 2 Chapter thirteen begins with the return to school, the holidays have ended and it is time to resume school work. Just before the summer break, Yuki assumed the title of student council president, even meeting two members, but there are still more faces to meet. The members of the student council are the troublesome type, at least not the kind of people Yuki tends to deal with. But amid jokes, scams and stumbles, the new student council has been formed and each is ready to take office. The difference in personality creates some rough edges between Kakeru and Yuki, however both can solve it by being honest, a strong friendship is being born.
A different kind of allies
Finally the entire student council has made its debut, which only means that Yuki’s growth will become more progressive. Throughout this first half of the season we have followed Yuki’s internal struggle, and finally after the trip to the beach he has managed to get on the starting line.
Yuki’s growth is quite a marathon, which we will see portrayed throughout the series, but it is from his entrance to the council that Yuki finally manages to start advancing on his own. The reason for this is simple, joining the council is a complete imbalance in your comfort zone. From the moment he decided to take over as president, he took the first step outside of his safe zone. Very different from what others see in him, he has never felt safe in front of a group, so taking a leadership position is a great challenge for him.
In addition to the above, we have the peculiar selective that this council has, each and every one are characters with an attitude and personality difficult to deal with. Yuki himself classifies them as “problem boys”, and they are like this because they are people who go at their own pace. What Yuki needs to grow and develop is not a group that is unconditional but one that challenges him. At this point many may believe that the selection was very random, but the truth is that each one contributes something to Yuki’s growth. Don’t forget that birds of the same plumage fly together, if the council members are troublesome it is because Yuki himself is troublesome too. What each can contribute to the others is what they needed from the other.
Happiness on a scale
A very strong point in chapter thirteen is the small dispute between Yuki and Kakeru, a fight that begins with the loss of temperament due to a sermon that bounced off both of them. We have known for a long time that Yuki does not have much self-confidence, so there are times when he can not help comparing himself with others. But it is one thing to compare himself and quite another to hear how they compare him. That comparison hurts because it hits the wound, it makes him more aware of “the truth” from which he wants to escape. Although he has decided to stand up, although he has made the decision to strengthen his heart, that does not mean that magically all his wounds have disappeared. He still has to deal with the conflicting feelings he carries for not feeling enough.
In the middle of this fight Kakeru appears, who without intention reminds him of that feeling of inferiority. Kakeru is free-spirited, coming and going like the wind, yet he carries certain feelings of uncertainty himself. For being the way it is, you can’t help letting your thoughts go unfiltered, you have no way of measuring the damage this can cause. There is no evil in Kakeru’s words towards Yuki, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t hurt. Although it is not the first time this has happened, Kakeru again showed his lack of empathy and repeated the same words. But there is not much to say, not all of us can be aware that happiness is not weighed on a scale, we are used to measuring our happiness in terms of others.
Empathy is not a gift from everyone, Kakeru knows it and therefore envy, because he does not want to continue hurting others for not knowing how they feel. In his eyes, the one who possesses, above all others, this quality is Yuki. Kakeru is awkward in acknowledging the feelings of others, perhaps that’s why he is more direct about his own feelings, to the point of not noticing how much his words can mean to someone like Yuki. Being recognized by someone you envy is not a small thing, and now Yuki knows it.
Final comment
Fruits Basket 2 Chapters twelve and thirteen have been beautiful, very tearful, and even funny episodes. One of my favorite characters is Hatori, being a character surrounded by so much tragedy I confess that I feel very good to testify that the future that awaits him is hopeful. I love the couple that Hatori made with Kana, they really were perfect for each other, but I can’t help but love Mayu too. She is a very strong and really empathetic character, I think she is the one who can best understand Hatori’s pain and help him get ahead. Honestly all I want is for him to be happy, more than any other, because he really deserves it.
Before closing with this review it only remains to say, what a beautiful and painful episode. Remembering the story of Kana and Hatori, but from another perspective, it really hurt. Also, being able to appreciate all of Mayu’s love has been very gratifying. The best scene of all was when Mayu could no longer hold back her emotions and she cried on the bridge, I really felt all the feeling on the surface. I want to add that I am especially happy about the debut of the student council in chapter thirteen. I am thankful that the day I can see Kimi and Nao on screen and in action has finally arrived.
Anyway, this has been my impression of these chapters, tell me: what do you think of these episodes? What do you think is the best type of couple, the ones that are opposite or the ones that are similar to each other? Do you think loneliness is something that we should always seek to eliminate? What do you think of the members of the student council? Is it possible to stop weighing happiness? The trailer for the second half of this season was released recently and I only tell you, now if the sauce is coming. I am excited and from what we can appreciate this second half we will have great moments, what I am most waiting for is the trip to Kyoto and the great confession of Yuki’s feelings for Tooru.