Goodbyes & Hellos! | Fruits Basket Season 2 Eps 11 & 12 REACTION!

[@andrewtaylor3167]

For a lot of people, the magic element adds just enough suspension of belief to make the darker parts easier to get through. If there were no magic, the abuse can get a bit too real.

[@nadnahar]

I mean, she did keep her feelings locked up tight for the past few years. The crying was long overdue.

[@Show-joTell]

I love this Kagura episode so much. It's so tragic for her, makes me feel for Kagura a lot more than I ever have before, and shows just how much the both of them have matured.

[@chronics23]

Ah I'm so excited for you to react to the new ending in episode 14, it's one of my all time favorites!

[@larissamitie9808]

Mental and psychological abuse can be something too subtle to notice at times as well as how some dynamics, "bonds", can be incredibly toxic without you being none the wiser. The magical bonds are kind like the personafication of the worst it can reach in a way that allows you to recognize it. It's obvious exactly for being "magical", because you know it's "artificial" so it makes you perceive it as inherently wrong and unnatural. It also doubles in another layer of leverage it hold against the characters. From what it shows so far from the story: -Zodiac kids are born premature which puts even more stress on the expecting mothers to make their handling of the situation even less likely(on top of possible things like post partum depression or medical complications) and hugging their babies only for them to transform in a not-completely shapped animal(for being premature) can further traumatize them. -Hugging is the most basic expression of love, comfort and connection, specially between parents and kids and the curse makes it harder for this bonding experience to happen betwen them, creation an alienation there. Zodiac members being the only ones exempt from this rule just pushes them to stick to each other only(Kagura even talked at one point how marriage between members is happier because they don't have to deal with this shit), "enforcing" this connection. -The weird rule about transforming when touching when hugging the other sex that isn't a zodiac = making it harder to make a family of their own. Shigure joked about how it's hard to find a position to not turn but can you image how complicated this thing can be? Imagine doing the deed and suddenly in the middle of it they become a dog or a horse? Yickes. It's like Shiso said, the "zodiac bonds" indeed create a world only meant for its members, doings its best to push outsiders and giving the members "benefits" for being inside the click(downsides not triggering between the inside members) to keep them in. While there are realistic equivalents similar to what the characters go through it doesn't change the fact that the "curse" is very much still the characters' circumstances and had shaped who they were at the start. Like Kyo's form being shaped like a weird and foul smelling beast. It made his mom a paranoid wreck and made him be rejected by what was at the time his only friend(Kagura). It's an "uncontrollable" source of trauma that could resurface at any moment if he wasn't careful enough. It's something he had to always be mindful and on guard about until Tohru helped him navigate/overcome that. The curse festers the "circumstances" that created the root of problems. I mean, look at the way the cat host is treated. Creating a culture/tradition in which it becomes "justified" to lock an innocent human like an animal is easier when it can become a horrifying monster right? Because the curse helps to "dehumanize" it. It's easier to make it the pariah.

[@kclightman]

I hated Kagura until that episode. She redeemed herself a lot to me, because I knew her feelings were 100% selfish. I think the reason they need the magic metaphor, is what you were ranting about a few episodes ago - you couldn't believe they wouldn't just walk away. You said that several times. The magic bonds are telling you it's not that easy. This is a thing anyone who hasn't had an abusive family might not understand. So the metaphor is there to tell you. I'm really glad I'm not the only who sees it as a metaphor, though, some people like to argue with me on this just because the author never confirmed it. But it clearly is.

[@azliee9865]

Completely disagree that her feelings were 100 % selfish, they were only partially selfish because they came from a desire to atone, I think that Kagura genuinely wanted to love Kyo for himself and was confident that her love was real at some point, she desperately tried to fight her feelings of superiority towards Kyo and even love his cat form, the many cat plushies in her room are a prove, a selfish person wouldn’t worry about the pain they caused for others for years and plus Kagura is the only character other than Momiji who never once called him names or said “stupid cat” if Kagura didn’t think about Kyo’s pain, she wouldn’t have felt guilty all this time, she would have justified her actions saying “I ran away because I was a child” but she never did. She only realized that her feelings were selfish and fake during the true form arc but she was In denial the whole time Just because Kagura says “I’m so selfish” doesn’t mean that it’s all true, she is too harsh on herself, characters in FB have a tendency to blame themselves and mix their altruistic feelings with their selfish ones and readers and viewers immediately believe that and they are so many examples And they are other characters who were even more selfish than Kagura like Shigure, Ayame and a third one but I’m not going to say who cuz it’s a spoiler and it’s definitely not one of the 3 main characters

[@KarIgo87]

Honestly completely disagree with the binary view that there only should be the story without magic or it should be really plot involved. Why not both? I don't see anything wrong with showing real problems through hyperbolizing metaphor. It's kinda shounen brain showing, like if there's magic then it has to be some strict magic system and it should be involved all over the plot, with magic fights, magic deaths and stuff. If they (well, mostly the dude, sorry forgot his name) have this much trouble dealing with showing mental psychological problems through supernatural metaphor in Fruit Basket I wonder how they'd take Monogatari. Probably would be pretty hard for them, especially for the dude, there's much more vagueness and ambiguity there, it would've driven him nuts. Plus all the dialogue and lots of sus moments. Peak show though if you give it a chance and dive deep enough into it. But it'd be probably as frustrating for me to watch their reactions as it would be for them to watch it lol Especially with the dude's tendency to try getting into the author's head, assume a lot and create his own version of what the story should be about 😅 It's a bit of a dig towards him from me but it's still interesting to listen to their discussions even though it's sometimes frustrating. And about Monogatari maybe when the new anime will drop Monogatari hype will rise and we'll see their reactions but as I said I'm not sure if I even want to watch them lol

[@rhea8059]

Lol sorry to Mayu's VA but the loud wailing crying always breaks the moment for me and cracks me up

[@AllTheArtsy]

Without the magic, the trauma and abuse is so tragic. Too real. Too painful. At least with the curse and magical bonds, it makes their situation a bit easier to accept. "Oh, it's magic. That's why they can't do anything to fight it." instead of "Oh shit it's years of abuse, psychological trauma, lack of parenting, dissociation from the outside world, and familial duty all keeping them tied to their abuser."

[@messilpm17]

2 peak episodes for me

[@user-wv1rd4he4e]

Me too!

[@subhamdas943]

I almost was thinking of dropping the show...and then this episode came and I am glad I didn't drop the show earlier.

[@Yewtewba]

1:17:51 just link to to these 2 lines to advertise your reaction videos.

[@oyaoya4156]

Yayyy omg🥹

[@my_sweet_dark588]

❤

[@NabiMoon2]

🤍🤍🤍🤍

[@LiviBurke]

I feel like this episode was frustrating especially with Kagura. It’s like she’s self aware enough to know her problem but chooses to stay the same.

[@azliee9865]

She wasn’t self aware, she was in denial and believed at some point that her love was also for Kyo, she only realized that her feelings were fake and selfish during the true form arc

[@aqcchi1961]

And here is my least favorite ship in the entire anime... Getting with your friend's ex is a really shitty thing to do. How does one even fall in love with their friend's partner? My friends' partners are off limits, I do not even consider them. Maybe I dislike this ship so much because a friend of mine has done this to me and let me tell you, it sucked... You could argue that Kana didn't remember but that does not make it okay.

[@K-Cylion]

Can't relate at all, especially in their case. Also, you can't control who you fall in love with. It's a different story if they were still a thing, but they are not and it has been years. Sorry it happened to you, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with this relationship.

[@aqcchi1961]

@@K-Cylion I guess we can only agree to disagree.

[@K-Cylion]

@@aqcchi1961 and that’s also fine, because everyone is different and has had different experiences in their lives.

[@Lady_Yunalesca]

I'm not like into the ship or anything, but they still have a better dynamic than Uotani and Kureno.

[@aqcchi1961]

​@@Lady_Yunalesca Fair, I'm not a fan of Kureno x Uotani either.