Nina’s rant and Patsie’s hopeless romanticism
(EDITED)
Note: The first time we uploaded this post a lot got missing and the draft seemed to be broken, sorry about that!
Nina: Ah, I know people are going to hate me for this but I need to get it off my chest. These are my personal opinions and aren’t meant to attack anyone. We all like different things after all! That’s what makes it interesting to discuss anime and manga with others. Lately, I’ve been having this unsettling feeling about Fruits Basket though and I just feel the need to write about it! I’ve already ranted to Patsie about this and she must be tired of hearing this but I thought it would be interesting to discuss this together for a joint post.
Patsie: Nina did call me to talk about Fruits Basket and that call lasted two hours. Just so you’re prepared. I don’t know where this is going but I enjoyed the manga and first anime, so this should be fun! Fruits Basket is one of my favorite romance manga and I remember loving the first anime.
First things first: Yuki or Kyo?
Nina: Yuki is my son! He’s polite and sweet and I love him. He has to deal with his trauma but he’s a good boy and deserves a hug. Yuki’s design is sweet and I like that he’s shy and despite being good at everything he feels insecure and sometimes lonely. Yuki is perfect and imperfect at the same time and I like that about his character. When I was much younger I used to prefer Kyo but that was my awkward bad boy phase. These days, I prefer the gentlemen kind of guy and Yuki is so adorable. I like how he’s trying to act cool but he’s freaking out internally.
Patsie: For me, it’s always been Kyo! He’s the cat zodiac and I’m a cat lady. I love his boyish charms and messy hair. He’s energetic and the kind of guy who would protect those that are important to him no matter the cost. He’s loyal and a big softie. I also like how he is more of a Tsundere character and super protective of Tohru. Yuki was more of a prince charming character and I didn’t care for him that much. Yuki was nice towards Tohru but Kyo treated her like a princess! Besides, I didn’t like how easily Yuki fell for Machi and immediately realized that he saw Tohru more as a mother figure.
The pairings: Kyo & Tohru | Yuki & Machi
Nina: I get Kyo and Tohru! I don’t care for the ship but I get it. Yuki and Machi however feel so random to me. I don’t get where that came from! Personally, I’m not a big fan of the perfect nice girl who saves the bad boy and makes him realize how great he is. Tohru is a sweet character but she’s almost too nice (Patsie said I sound like Akito lol) and Kyo is this misfit who falls in love so quickly and I’m not into that kind of romance. This is nothing against Fruits Basket but I feel that shows like Toradora! or My Love Story handled the pairings a lot better. The same goes for Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun and other similar romance anime. Machi’s character felt like a random addition just to be Yuki’s new love interest and I didn’t care for them at all. Yuki deserved a better story arc but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t happy to see my boy smile. The 2019 animation made Machi look very cute, not gonna lie but I just don’t care for Yuki and her as a pairing.
Patsie: I’m all for Kyo and Tohru because they are so cute and Tohru cares for Kyo! I love how Kyo learns to accept himself and that his flaws don’t make him lose Tohru. It feels like this sweet kind of love between them and I’m all for that. But I have to agree with Yuki and Machi being uninteresting and a bit random. Machi was such a boring character in the manga and it felt so forced to pair her with Yuki. Like, he needs a girlfriend because Tohru’s going to end up with Kyo. He could’ve stayed single and learn more about himself before finding love. Yuki’s love life didn’t seem important to me at least not after the focus shifted to Kyo and Tohru. For Yuki, his greatest development was realizing that he comes off as cold and distant because he’s afraid to open up. It is okay to learn about yourself and give yourself time to fall in love. The focus could’ve stayed on Yuki’s growth rather than romance. I agrre that It was too much!
Favorite character?
Nina: Yuki is my son but my favorite is that weird author who is a jerk. Maybe I like him because I’m a jerk? I don’t know but Shigure Sohma is my favorite asshole in this series. I also liked the doctor Hatori Sohma because he was not only a cool doctor but also really attractive. I suppose that I like the older guys, haha. Tohru is a nice character as well but as a female protagonist I didn’t enjoy her as much as I did other female protagonists in romance manga and anime.
Patsie: My favorite character would have to be Momiji Sohma! He’s adorable and he’s surprisingly mature. Then again he’s childish and playful. Momiji is my son. I also like Tohru a lot because she’s just so sweet and kind. I like how she is friendly towards anyone as long as they are nice to her friends. She’s selfless and caring. Tohru is the best girl! Nina, you have bad taste, haha! xD Jokes aside, Shigure is kinda funny.
Least favorite character?
Nina: Ehhh, this is harder than I thought! I don’t hate Machi as a character so I wouldn’t say she’s my least favorite but she was one of the more boring and predictable characters. I didn’t like how she was the cliché cold and stoic acting girl who in truth is very nice and the only girl who sees past Yuki’s prince persona. She could’ve been a cool character but for me, the sudden love story ruined it. I honestly don’t know who I disliked the most but a problem for me was that there were many characters I didn’t care about. Sorry, I sound so mean but I was frustrated with Fruits Basket.
Patsie: That little guy (Hiro Sohma) because he’s a jerk. He may be much nicer than Akito but still, he was annoying. In the Manga, we learn why Akito acts the way that she does but I still didn’t like her and her abusive behavior. I didn’t really hate any of the characters but for me, Hiro was the most annoying and unimportant character.
Are you a romantic?
Nina: I wouldn’t say that I’m a romantic but I do like some romantic stories and especially romance manga. No, I’m not a very romantic person in real life but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate some sappy scenes in anime. My guilty pleasure is tragic romance and I love and hate it at the same time. I want happy endings but I love drama and tragedy.
Patsie: I’m a very romantic person! In real life, I’m very shy and more laid back but I love romance. When I was thirteen I watched a lot of romance anime and collected romance manga. I still love romance as a genre but not as much as I did back then. I feel like it is difficult to write a good romantic story without it getting repetitive and therefore boring. My favorite would have to be a romantic comedy and I love seeing it in manga and anime. I want sappy and cute!
Overall thoughts?
Nina: Fruits Basket has a nice concept with sweet moments but overall, I do not think that it was as good as other romance anime I’ve watched. Kamisama Kiss, Toradora, My Love Story, Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun were romance anime I much preferred over Fruits Basket. The main pairing was not interesting to me and you know my thoughts on Yuki and Machi. The idea of using the zodiac animals was cool though and I like how both the manga and anime included comedic as well as emotional moments. I’m not the biggest fan of love-triangles and whilst I did like them when I was much younger I don’t think they work unless they are done exceptionally well. Fruits Basket is a manga I enjoyed a lot more as a teenager. Nowadays, I think it’s alright but when you don’t care about the pairings it is harder to follow the story. Romance revolves around the pairings and if you don’t like them it’s likely thy the anime and manga won’t be as fun.
Patsie: I love the story of Tohru and Kyo and I think that Fruits Basket is a lovely romance anime. I don’t think that I’ll watch it again though because when I knew that Kyo and Tohru would end up together I wasn’t as invested in the story anymore. The zodiac animals were really cute and I liked the relationship between the characters a lot. I have to agree with Nina that the anime and manga aren’t as fun if you don’t enjoy the pairings though. I would recommend Fruits Basket for the times you want to watch something cute and light-hearted. It’s a nice romance anime and I also enjoyed it a lot when I was younger. Either way, it holds a special place in my heart and I consider it one of my favorite in the romance genre.
We hope that you enjoyed our discussion and we plan on collaborating for another post soon! Thank you so much for reading!
Patsie & Nina
Desudesuanimu 