This week’s episode 7 of Fruits Basket: the Final was another emotional rollercoaster, with yet another cliff-hanger ending. Warning: major spoilers ahead. 73k3a
The episode begins with a flashback of Kyoko (Tohru’s mom) and young Kyo talking about Tohru. In last week’s episode, it was implied that Kyoko was suicidal following her husband’s death. It was also implied that she spent some time in a mental health facility, before returning to Tohru as a changed woman. During their conversation, Kyoko tells Kyo how much she loves Tohru and that she’s her reason for living.
In a voiceover, Kyo explains how he grew up with the belief that he existed to cause pain to others. Here we get another heartbreaking flashback; this time to Kyo’s mother committing suicide by stepping in front of a train. We’re then shown the same image from the last episode, of Kyo standing over Kyoko’s lifeless, bloody body. A sequence of haunting visions plague Kyo; his mother appears in front of him, telling him that it’s not his fault.
‘The Cat’s place’ (where Kyo is destined to be confined) appears behind her, and she tells Kyo to come inside. Kyoko’s body suddenly rises behind him and she once again says “I’ll never forgive you”. Finally, Kyo looks down to see his hands covered in blood and Tohru’s dead body on the ground. He awakes in a panic, to find it was all a bad dream.
To Kyo, this nightmare serves as a reminder that he’s foolish for thinking Tohru loves him back. This is, of course, untrue, as Tohru finally itted her feelings for Kyo to herself in the previous episode.
In season two of Fruits Basket it was revealed that, when he was a child, Kyo knew Kyoko. The events of the past few episodes have shed some more light on their relationship but there are still many things yet to be explained. Why is Kyo seeing visions of Kyoko’s dead body? What significance does the blue hat play in all of this? And what is it that Kyoko can’t forgive him for?
Meanwhile, we get to find out more about the relationship between Akito’s parents. Akira was sick and in search of a partner when Ren approached him. She recognized his loneliness and offered to be by his side when he died, and so the two fell in love. When Akito was eventually born, Ren viewed her as a threat to her relationship with Akira. This explains her continued resentment for Akito and why she treats her so cruelly.
In the following scene, Ren bursts into Akito’s room, wild-eyed and holding a knife. She’s furious because she believes Akito to be in possession of a box, containing something that belonged to Akira. However, the box turns out to be empty. Akito explains that a servant gave it to her after Akira’s death and told her that his soul was inside, in an effort to comfort her.
Suddenly, Akito grabs the knife from her mother and raises it, in an attempt to kill her. As she does so, she senses that the curse has broken for another Soma; Hiro. Like Momiji, Hiro is overcome by a mixture of emotions. Unsure how to feel about his bond to Akito breaking, he begins to cry.
Back at the Soma estate, Akito flees from the room in tears, and Kureno follows behind to comfort her. She explains to him that because of the sheltered life she’s lived, she doesn’t know any better than to cling to her father’s ideals. Kureno embraces Akito and tells her it’s not too late to change. Accusing him of indulging her childish fantasies, Akito raises the knife in her hand and stabs Kureno in the back. She runs away, leaving Kureno to collapse, bleeding.
The episode ends with Kyo leaving Shigure’s house after dinner. He’s stopped by Tohru, who says “there’s something I’d like to tell you”. Is she finally going to confess her love for him in the next episode? Will Kureno survive after being stabbed?
You can watch episode 7 of Fruits Basket: the Final on poll. The next episode airs on May 24 and is titled “I’m Disappointed in You”.
All images are via the Fruits Basket: the Final episode 7 stream on Crunchyroll.
© NATSUKI TAKAYA.HAKUSENSHA/FRUITS BASKET PROJECT