Part five in a series of five excerpts I have taken from the final three episodes of Fruits Basket. I have called the series "Kyo, Come Home". Those who know the series or watch the clips will understand why.
Part five opens with Shigure flushing the toilet, simply because it was an integral part of the plot. I called this fifth and final segment "Confrontation" and the following events unfold here:
Everyone is astonished and alarmed when Tohru tells Shigure that she would like to visit Akito. Unusually grave, Shigure explains that the curse over the Sohma family affects the sickly Akito most of all, in that he cannot live very long. Although the others have to obey him, as head of the family, Shigure wants Tohru to stay away from Akito. Although she agrees, initially, we see that she can't let it go and they ultimately make the trip to see him. Hatori is there to greet Tohru, Yuki and Shigure and usher them in as Kyo remains outside, almost defiantly. The four of them kneel respectfully in Akito's chamber as he asks Tohru what she has come for. She doesn't know. Akito approaches her, emotionless, at first, but suddenly lunges forth and grabs her hair in a burst of rage and yanks her forward. The others leap up and try to pull him off of her. Even in his weakened, ailing state, Akito is strong, and he shouts at Tohru, challenging her to tell him that she wants to go on living with Shigure, Yuki and Kyo, but he will not allow it. He sees their harmonious union as an act of sedition against the house of Sohma and, in particular, himself. He holds fast to her hair and his own fury, but betrays his feelings of being threatened and abandoned. Hearing Tohru sob, he thinks he has defeated her and gloats over her, but is taken aback to find that she has seen through his feigned ferocity.
Tohru feels pity and sympathy for the dying boy, understanding his bitterness over having been chosen to die. She tells him how horrible it is and that everyone will be sad when he's gone. Akito is stunned for a moment, as is everyone else, but he quickly collects himself. He responds coolly, that nobody wants him and will be happy when he's gone, but his composure falters and his despair and bitterness show through, at which he and everyone else but Tohru seem surprised. Akito can't believe or bear the fact that Tohru is getting to him. He desperately tries to silence her and commands Hatori to wipe her memory, but Hatori sits in silent defiance. Akito trembles helplessly as Tohru goes on through tears, telling him she's happy to have met him and the others and does not regret it. She pleads with him to tell her how he feels, even if it's negative. He is absolutely shocked and unable to react to someone asking him this, as it clearly had never happened before. He had always acted cruel and arrogant, hating his role in the Sohma family, punishing everyone for it, but never expressing or being asked his feelings about it. Now, confronted with that very thing, he loses his power and his rage and stands dumbfounded as Tohru's hair slips from his fingers. He shoves the others, still holding on, away from him and backs away silently. All he can say for himself is "I don't know", as if the very idea of considering his feelings about his fate is a revelation to him.
Kyo runs forward to greet them, anxious and excited and barely able to contain himself, as Tohru, Hatori, Shiguri and Yuki emerge from the house. He demands to know what happened, then proceeds to harass and threaten Yuki, which is what he is happiest doing. He runs off screaming after him as the two older men watch him in amusement. Happily, he is back to his usual, obnoxious, troublemaking self, as though none of the events of the preceding days had ever happened. Shigure and Hatori reflect on all that's transpired and speculate about whether or not there may still be some hope for lifting the curse over the Sohma family. Just then, Kyo barks at Tohru from the front gate to hurry up because he wants to get home and be fed. Tohru good-naturedly calls out in agreement and runs to catch up. The family is back together again, as always. Things are peaceful again between her, Uotani and Hanajima, as well. The scene closes on Tohru thinking of her mother and pondering on what is still to come for her and the others.
This clip is from episode twenty-six, "Let's Go Home". Please forgive the somewhat tinny audio and poor video quality. It was the best I had to work with. I apologize, also, for the increasingly verbose nature of my commentaries, which have come to be more like a complete narration of the videos. There are so many underlying meanings and things left unsaid in this anime, as is often the case with the genre, that I know many people don't pick up on or consider. I didn't want to leave anything about it unnoticed, especially as the emotional and meaningful elements of it developed and intensified.
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