Episode 14 starts with a new opening and as usual it was visually appealing but the soundtrack was not as good as the visuals at it felt incomplete in the end and overall was not as good as the previous opening themes. The OP represents symbolisms like other OP where Zodiac members are relaxing in the sunlight except for Kureno, Kagura and Akito. The reason why Kureno is in shadows is a bit of a spoiler so it’s better not to talk about that as it may reveal later in this season. The reason why Akito is in complete darkness is quite obvious as he has shut himself in the darkness with no sign of sunlight. On the other hand Kagura’s presence in the shadows is a little vague. Probably it is because of her current emotional state sue to the break-up but she is not in complete darkness as there is some light which shows that there is a hope for her to move on.
As it has been quite a longtime since the manga was released so I almost forgot that a lot of the part of the story is focused on Yuki and it’s probably because it was overshadowed by the story of Kyo x Tohru. But being a fan of Yuki, I am very happy to see the growth in Yuki as a character and I like how he is not being focused as the second lead in the love triangle who didn’t get the girl which is something clichéd in romance stories but Fruits Basket is more than just that. Yuki’s struggle hasn’t ended with the beach arc. In fact, it was just the beginning of his character development where he vowed to himself to move forward and now he is more open about his insecurities. He is getting better and better while pushing away all his fears as he nearly got sick when he was shown entering the Sohma estate for the first time but in this episode he had no difficulty facing his past trauma. Even though he was a little hesitant but it’s much better than the last time and he is trying his best to be more confident.
There are still few things that he needs to sort out like his relation with his parents and how he deals with Akito. He needs to figure whether or not he really wants to make things right with them. I can’t recall him sorting things out with is parents but I would like to see him doing it as it would be a major step in his life According to what theme suggest I think he would just move on leaving things as they are. If that’s really what’s going to happen then it will be a good thing for him. Even Haru suggested him to move on and leave his past behind and look for his own happiness.
Speaking about Haru, he has proved to be my favorite in the anime series. I nearly cried after knowing what he has done for Yuki without even letting him know about it. He has been a biggest support for Yuki but we didn’t know how far he would go to make his life better. At first, I thought that it was really sweet and nice of Haru to visit Yuki in the lonely room but after knowing that nobody was actually allowed to meet Yuki in that isolated room and Haru risked of him getting caught to meet Yuki just for a bit, my respect for Haru increased. Haru could have been caught up in a worst situation but he still went to meet Yuki to make him feel better. It was heart wrenching to know what Haru did for Yuki. Being so proud, it’s not easy for a guy like Haru to beg Shigure to take Yuki in so that he can live peacefully. He even agreed to call him sensei and kept his promise as we have seen him calling that to Shigure since the beginning. He is truly the nicest character in the series and probably the kindest Sohma. He truly loves and cares for Yukia and he proved it with his actions without caring for himself.
There is no doubt that Yuki is overwhelmed after knowing about what Haru did for him. Yuki agrees on what Haru said about receiving something from Haru and it kind of felt like a farewell when Haru told him that someone else is looking forward to it. Haru and Tohru, both have done lot for Yuki and with the help of their support, he was able to come so far and now it’s his choice how he will take advantage from it. It’s sad that he needs to move further on his own without their support but it is also good for him.
As far as Rin goes, she always seemed a little mysterious character. At first she seems to be rude and someone who doesn’t care about others but with the flashbacks that we get to see in this episode there seem to be more depths in her character as she is certainly not what we thought her to be. As Haru mentioned, she never said anything for herself as her rude words in the flashback were actually to save Haru from being caught. Rin cares a lot about others to the extent that she wouldn’t let others know about it just to save them from getting into more trouble. There are definitely more things to be revealed related to her as she has been roaming around and doing everything she can to break the curse and that is to protect Haru. It’s sad to see her doping everything on her own as he really needs someone’s support
There was a bit of character development for Tohru as well. There were some indication about her lively and joyful nature. It revealed her extreme fear of losing people she cares about, when she was nearly shown to be traumatized when she thought that her grandfather passed away when in reality he was just sleeping. She couldn’t walk and fall down on her knees due to breakdown when she thought about her mother’ death who left her behind alone at home. The scene got a little complicated when Kyo appeared at that moment. He came back to be by her side as he doesn’t want to leave her side but he is actually going to be the next person who will leave her.
The series is getting a lot more complicated than we ever thought. With all the character development and revelation, things are getting darker and it makes me love it even more as there is so much ore to be unveiled and we are eagerly looking forward to it.
