Since this is my first graphic novel, I’m not exactly sure how to go about this discussion, so I’m just going to go and we’ll see how it ends up. How’s that for an introduction?
First we meet Hiro, the Ram of the zodiac. Twerp on the outside, softie on the inside. He’s got a thing for Kisa, easily get jealous of whom she spends her time with, but deep down wants to be a better person and the man that Kisa deserves. I’m very interested to find out more about him…why he’s so rude, manipulative, and well, just is the way he is…and if/how he’ll change. Plus, what is his relationship with Rin? Oh the suspense!
We also meet Ritchan, Monkey of the zodiac. Quite the character. From his cross-dressing to having a on/off switch. From being super apologetic to wanting so badly to change and to find out why he was born. Am I mistaken in thinking that he and Mitsuru, Shigure’s editor, may have made a connection? As Kate asked concerning Kisa, is Ritchan’s mother the overly protective type, or the rejecting type? How has it affected Ritchan?
We find out more about Arisa Uotani and Kyoko, Tohru’s mother. I personally loved these chapters. Arisa and Hana intrigue me because they are so different, and getting to know Arisa more was very satisfying.
Hatsuharu reveals that he had a girlfriend named Rin, who has recently broken up with him. (I have an embarrassing confession to make. When I first plowed through this volume, the conversation between Hari and Yuki gave me the impression that Akito was Hari’s girlfriend and I was so confused. I wondered, "Is Akito a girl or a boy?!" Good thing I reviewed it, because now I’m on the right track.) Once again, Akito leaves chaos in his wake, injuring innocent significant-others. What is with this guy!?! Any speculations about why he acts the way he does? I have some thoughts I’ll put in the comments area, but I really don’t like him. Not one bit.
We catch a glimpse of how Yuki’s parents treated him when he was younger, and see a slowly strengthening relationship develop between him and Ayame. From the small snippet we got of his mother, what can we suspect about her relationship with Yuki? What similarities is Yuki discovering that he and his brother have in common?
And then there’s the president of the Prince Yuki Fan Club, Motoko, to give us some light-hearted entertainment and adolescent amour. I personally hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of her.
Thankfully these chapters have the satisfying smattering of philosophy and introspection that, for me, deepens the reading and provide balance to the overall story. Feel free to share any thought on these:
-Having the courage to admit our childishness/flaws (from a conversation between Tohru and Hiro).
-The importance of family and acceptance, a sense of true belonging (Uotani’s acceptance of the Hondas’ love).
-Searching for our reason to be born (Ritchan’s conversation with Tohru).
Now it’s on to volumes 9 and 10! Happy reading!
First we meet Hiro, the Ram of the zodiac. Twerp on the outside, softie on the inside. He’s got a thing for Kisa, easily get jealous of whom she spends her time with, but deep down wants to be a better person and the man that Kisa deserves. I’m very interested to find out more about him…why he’s so rude, manipulative, and well, just is the way he is…and if/how he’ll change. Plus, what is his relationship with Rin? Oh the suspense!
We also meet Ritchan, Monkey of the zodiac. Quite the character. From his cross-dressing to having a on/off switch. From being super apologetic to wanting so badly to change and to find out why he was born. Am I mistaken in thinking that he and Mitsuru, Shigure’s editor, may have made a connection? As Kate asked concerning Kisa, is Ritchan’s mother the overly protective type, or the rejecting type? How has it affected Ritchan?
We find out more about Arisa Uotani and Kyoko, Tohru’s mother. I personally loved these chapters. Arisa and Hana intrigue me because they are so different, and getting to know Arisa more was very satisfying.
Hatsuharu reveals that he had a girlfriend named Rin, who has recently broken up with him. (I have an embarrassing confession to make. When I first plowed through this volume, the conversation between Hari and Yuki gave me the impression that Akito was Hari’s girlfriend and I was so confused. I wondered, "Is Akito a girl or a boy?!" Good thing I reviewed it, because now I’m on the right track.) Once again, Akito leaves chaos in his wake, injuring innocent significant-others. What is with this guy!?! Any speculations about why he acts the way he does? I have some thoughts I’ll put in the comments area, but I really don’t like him. Not one bit.
We catch a glimpse of how Yuki’s parents treated him when he was younger, and see a slowly strengthening relationship develop between him and Ayame. From the small snippet we got of his mother, what can we suspect about her relationship with Yuki? What similarities is Yuki discovering that he and his brother have in common?
And then there’s the president of the Prince Yuki Fan Club, Motoko, to give us some light-hearted entertainment and adolescent amour. I personally hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of her.
Thankfully these chapters have the satisfying smattering of philosophy and introspection that, for me, deepens the reading and provide balance to the overall story. Feel free to share any thought on these:
-Having the courage to admit our childishness/flaws (from a conversation between Tohru and Hiro).
-The importance of family and acceptance, a sense of true belonging (Uotani’s acceptance of the Hondas’ love).
-Searching for our reason to be born (Ritchan’s conversation with Tohru).
Now it’s on to volumes 9 and 10! Happy reading!
5 comments:
When I read these volumes I was a little disappointed the story did not advance more. Although, the story certainly became more complex with additional characters and deepening feels.
Ah. I agree with you, Karla. Maybe that's why I had a harder time figuring out what to write about.
Thanks for commenting!
Oh, the thing about Akito that I wanted to leave a comment about was that I think he acts the way he does because he's extremely jealous of the zodiac members finding love, so he feels he hurt one of them to sabotage it. I also suspect him of being a control freak and not standing that anyone could lose focus on him as a central figure in their lives.
Ruth, since you haven't commented on the earlier discussion, I don't know if you've had a chance to read volume 6.
Just some interesting background information here. After Takaya completed the chapters that comprise volume 6, she injured her writing hand, had to have surgery, and thus the manga went on hiatus during her recovery.
I do feel like there is a shift or change in the story after volume 6. Maybe it's due to the brief hiatus, or maybe it was just inevitable after Kyo's revelation and the shift in the dynamics between the characters. Regardless, I did feel like meeting snot-nosed Hiro was a bit of a let-down after so much that happened in the previous chapters.
That said, Hiro is a pretty pivotal character in the story's progression (once you get beyond how annoying he is), as we're starting to move beyond the character introduction stage (where we met all the juunishi) and into the deepening of the plot stage.
I really enjoyed learning more about Uo as well. And thorugh Uo's story, we learn more about Tohru's mother.
Motoko makes me laugh. I could do without the Yuki fan club, but they are funny chapters and lighten up the story. It's also interesting that these girls are so infatuated with Yuki, but they really don't know who he is at all. I suppose that's probably how many school girl crushes are - you fall for the idea of being in love more than with the actual person.
Finally, one of the themes that I've enjoyed discussing with Brian is that of love in Fruits Basket. Ruth mentioned that Akito is extremely jealous of any of the juunishi finding love and how he wants to be the central figure of their what? - affection? love? Is it a forced love or a controlling love?
*Uo and Hana have a deep friendship love for Tohru.
*Tohru has shown unconditional love for all the juunishi she has met thus far. Yuki was afraid that she would find him disgusting, but she completely misunderstood his concerns (this interaction is in volume 1, I think?) and it set his mind at ease that she really did accept him.
*Love between parent and child. We've seen already how dearly Tohru loves her mother. She carries her mother's picture with her everywhere, and when Hiro took her notebook that had a picture of her mother in it, Tohru almost became panicked. Love between parent and child with the juunishi is a delicate situation. Kyo felt like his mother never really looked at him. Momiji's mother rejected him outright. Ritsu's mother is ultra-apologetic.
*Romantic love. We're seeing it's hard for the juunishi to find love, Akito aside. The whole idea of getting close to someone is nearly impossible (at least outside the juunishi). Any physical closeness immediately results in a transformation for them.
There are more examples of love throughout the series, especially as we progress. I hope we can discuss this theme more as we go on. Thanks for introducing the topic for it, Ruth!
We've met almost the entire zodiac at this point, and I'll agree that Hiro and Ritsu aren't the most shining examples of the family, but they have their charms...sort of.
I like this discussion of love, and I know it will continue as things get deeper in the story. Romantic love is indeed difficult for the juunishi...the bond they share with Akito and his intense jealousy make it difficult to handle relationships with anyone else, as we've seen with Hatori, Hatsuharu, and Hiro. They'll have to find a way to work around this if they do wish to love or be loved by anyone, and I feel that Tohru is already seen as a threat by Akito.
Familial love is also a difficult, complicated thing. This is very similar to the strife felt by the families of children with long term illnesses such as cancer, autism, or down syndrome. Parental relationships are strained, guilt is present, the children, regardless of age, feel the tension, and reactions can be intense. We've seen that many of the zodiac families are incomplete or dysfunctional, and this affects the juunishi as they grow and develop.
Ah, the fan club. Honestly, I get very impatient with them, because I don't like the kind of affection they force on Yuki. They are possessive in their adoration, the idea being if they can't have for themselves, neither can anyone else...and yet they don't know anything about him, his likes, dislikes, or how he feels about them.
Friendship/love is another matter, the support that these people get from the families they can't always depend on, either because of death, in Tohru's case, or abandonment or rejection in the case of most of the juunishi, and to an extent, Uo. They realize more and more how valuable their friendships are, and yet how challenging, as they struggle with selfish desires to keep their friends to themselves and still wish to celebrate their growth and change as they bond with others.
I agree with most of what has already been said. I just wanted to add that Uo's relationship with the gang is really another familial one. It's a forced, jealous love that couldn't allow her to leave for a better place.
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