Yuki has been the focus of the series since the beginning of season 2 and so it is understandable why he was sidelined in this week’s episode because this episode was all about Kyo and his character development that we all were looking forward to. As I’ve mentioned this before, there has not been any character development of Kyo after the end of season 1 that actually ended with the major revelation about him along with a significant character development. But this entire episode covered it as it was focused on him. But sadly, it seems like it’s just going to be for the time being as he mentioned at the end of the episode.
Akito finally summoned Kyo and we all could guess that nothing good will come out of it. Since we all knew that, watching Tohru being so happy about it was uncomfortable but the only reason Tohru was so happy for Kyo was that that’s what Kyo had wanted and also because she is fond of cat and has always wanted the cat to be the part of the zodiac members. I like Yuki scolding at Kyo when he screamed and got furious at everyone for leaving Tohru alone. Kyo is not wrong but he can’t be angry at them for something that he did himself. Although he was reluctant and I know that he came because it made Tohru happy but still if he was so much worried about her being left alone in the summer house, he should have stayed with her. It’s annoying to see Kyo becomes so furious on others for silly reasons, even Yuki is fed up of these fights and didn’t respond this time. I hope to see Kyo giving up on these fights in the future.
So many things were revealed in this conversation between Kyo and Akito. We did not only get to know about the bet they made in the past for beating Yuki and there were many other things that were reveled about the curse. The logic behind Kyo always trying to beat Yuki was explained in this episode and it is completely understandable why Kyo has always been so eager to beat him in fight or any competition. It’s because his life depends on it. It also explains the indulgence of the curse in their existence as the cat is destined to be defeated from rat and so Kyo could never beat Yuki. Their own will or power is nothing infront of the curse and there is nothing they can do about it. It also explains why they can never refuse every time Akito summons them. Their will does not matter in this matter. The power of curse that brings all of them closer to Akito is something that can’t be overcome. The curse is not just about the zodiac members turning into animals after hugging opposite gender, it’s far worst than that. Even if it’s hard to understand, it’s the only logical explanation of the fact why they can never leave Akito as it’s part of the curse and they can’t do anything about it even if they want to.
It was very cruel of Akito to say all those vicious things to him that he couldn’t even bear to listen. It was surely hard to be reminded that his mother died because he was a monster and that nobody is to be blamed for that but him. And the bet was worst thing that only gave him false hope from the beginning as Akito knew that the curse would never let him win and he will end up having no hope at all. There was never a chance for him to win this bet and he has been fooled since the beginning always has been treated badly by everyone. Even his father didn’t care about him and put all the blame on him when he was just a kid. It’s so hard to be blamed for the death of his mother by his own father at such a tender age would have been extremely painful.
Kyo is an intriguing character. He is very eager to change what is destined for him. But his methods are wrong and he is trying way too hard to change it. So far one thing that we are sure about that he can’t do that by himself. The curse on him won’t let him change it so he definitely need someone else to help him. And it is very evident that Tohru is the only person who can help him. She has done that before and prevent him from breaking emotionally when he transformed into his true form infront of her because if she had let him go, he would have never have trusted anyone.
Kyo seems very different when he is not selfish and thinking about others. That is the reason why I ship Kyo x Tohru as it perfectly makes sense when it comes to the story and the character. I like the way Kyo dealt with Akito as it is something that cannot be expected from kyo. He was careful while talking with him and didn’t act rashly like he did in the past. He even stood still when Akito bruised his face. He acted differently and did not fought back when Akito blamed him. He acted rationally and it was all because he did not want Akito say bad things about Tohru. He had to suppressed his feelings for that but he stood there and took all the blame and it is something he never did. I felt bad for him when he admitted his feelings for Tohru for the first time to himself but only to realize that he can’t have those feelings as she needs to be protected. So for the first time he surrendered instead of fighting back. It’s hard for someone like Kyo who throw tantrums on little things. It is a major character development which was even demonstrated in this episode by showing him crushing flower under his feet in the past because of losing all hope to burry his own feelings for the sake of someone who gave him hope.
Kyo is basically sacrificing himself for Tohru. It’s sad but at the same it is very lovely as he said earlier that sacrificing life for someone else doesn’t make any sense to him but he is able to understand it due to Tohru. He doesn’t want her to end up being crushed in the hands of Akito and wish to see her happy even if he has to stay away from her. I like when he said that he doesn’t care if he is never summoned and that is the major change in his character as it was something that he always has wanted since the beginning of the series but turns out it was not zodiac members that he wanted to be the part of, he just wanted to be a part of something and he has found that place which is Tohru. Sadly, it is not going to be remain like this forever as he will be confined one day for the rest of his life.
Both Kyo and Yuki has changed a lot during the beech arc and that has been brought by Akito. Both realized their feelings for Tohru. One realized what kind of feelings he has for her and the other admitted that he is in love with her. They both were able to realize that because of Akito. It’s quite ironic. Yuki decided to move forward without any support while Kyo seems to be giving up and prepare himself for the confinement he has been fated for the rest of his life.
One more revelation during this arc was they both have met Tohru in some way in the past when they were kids and their fate brought them back together. The fact that Kyo had met Kyoko was very surprising. When I first came to know about it while reading manga I was really shocked.
The character that doesn’t seem to move forward is only Akito. It’s annoying to see him being so full of himself. His superiority complex is agitating. He doesn’t seem to understand his own action to be wrong even when some one tries to tell him. He is the most manipulative antagonist I’ve ever seen who keeps lying to the people closest to him about how the outside world will never accept them and so he is the only one who love them which is basically a lie. He lied so clearly on Kyo face about loving and caring about him as he was disgustingly washing his hands after meeting him. All he cares about his control over all zodiac members. Akito called Tohru monster and “too perfect” which is actually something that the character of Thru is being called by those who don’t like her. But her imperfections are revealed often during this arc. She did not supernaturally went after Kyo when he transformed. She was scared and trembling and was disgusted by the smell but only accepted him so that would stay. There are many other things that will reveal Tohru’s imperfections and insecurities in the future as she said she has also put a lid on things that she is not ready open yet.
This one of the most amazing episodes. Everything about this episode was beautiful from visuals, to Kyo’s character development and the emotional ride from start till the end. The episode was focused on one character but it revealed so much about the curse. On top of revealing somethings, this episode also teased about dew things that will be revealed in the future. The events occurred in this episode were surely very significant regarding the story.
