Fruits Basket Vol. #19

By Sakura Eries     June 02, 2008
Release Date: March 31, 2008



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Natsuki Takaya
Translated by:Alethea and Athena Nibley
Adapted by:Liane Sentar

What They Say
As the Fruits Basket saga continues, Tohru is conflicted as she realizes that she might love Kyo more than her mom. Shigure shows up to let her know that he knows that she knows all about Kureno and Akito, and to let her know that all the members of the Zodiac look down on Kyo. If she wants to save Kyo, she has to create some trigger to break his curse.

The Review
Tohru's most distinguishing trait is her cheerfulness, but her smile belies pain that goes back years and an internal struggle to keep the memory of her mother alive. As Tohru's anxiety about Kyo's impending imprisonment increases, she finds herself conflicted about her feelings for him and a promise she made regarding her mother. Meanwhile, the Juunishi cousins have already figured out what Kyo and Tohru still haven't sorted out -- that the closeness they share goes beyond mere friendship. But despite the cat's despised place in their family, not all of Kyo's cousins are unsympathetic to their plight.

This volume abounds with angst, past and present as Takaya's focus shifts back to Kyo and Tohru. The first two chapters, which take place around the anniversary of Kyoko's death, delve into Tohru's personal demons and add an additional layer of complexity to the whole Kyo-Tohru dynamic. Her struggles are revealed through her own reflections and an unexpected conversation between Kyo and Tohru's grandfather. By the way, although Tohru's grandfather plays a key role in providing Kyo with a clearer picture of Tohru's difficult past, he is truly irritating when he talks about how lonely he is. Takaya seems to be trying to paint him as a character to be pitied, but he is the one living in a house with a daughter and grandchildren while Tohru was the orphan who got kicked out.

Despite all the impossible challenges surrounding our starcrossed couple, it is touching and a little humorous the way that the rest of the Juunishi have picked up on the vibe between Kyo and Tohru even as the couple stumbles awkwardly around one another. Momiji's attempt to encourage Kyo about Tohru was particularly both poignant and funny. As a side note, Takaya has been adjusting character designs to reflect the fact that our cast is growing up, and Momiji's hit a tremendous growth spurt, meaning that he actually looks his age in this volume.

In addition to Tohru's background, we also learn more about Kakeru. In the last two chapters, Kakeru's girlfriend Komaki is introduced. As it turns out, she has a sad connection with Tohru, and Kakeru is shown to have done something extremely cruel to Tohru in the past. The incident adds more depth to "carefree" Kakeru and reveals that the thoughtless vice president does actually think (occasionally) about how his actions affect others. However, I wish Takaya demonstrated that about him without overlapping it with Tohru's past. The Furuba world just seems extremely small with so many characters having so many connections to one another.

Extras include a 14 page fruits basket dojinshi, embedded author's comments, and a cast of characters.