Papers4me

Hi anon! Yes, GK manga ended.

I loved all the final chapters in the final arc except the last one! I'm kinda underwhelmed by how desperate the last chapter was trying to wrap things in a " happily ever after" feel. I mean I've always knew that despite the tragic stories of every convict, 7th division guy, & the protagonists, the story will end in a hopeful note cuz of the " future" theme. But it was done kinda poorly imo, all respect to Noda regardless.

Here's What I liked in the final two chapters:

Yumeko: loved her so much! sometimes very minor characters steal the entire ending!!!! She started her story being in love with sugi, it was a teenager/childhood romantic love, she even begged sugi to take her with him. but when he refused, she didn't abandon her life for him. She married toragi, not cuz sugi said so, but really toragi was everything sugi wasn't! Yes, he wasn't handsome. but he was mature, responsible & never ran away from his issues. Even in his wedding night, he faced sugi with how he felt upon seeing him back & faced umeko with how inferior he felt that her former lover is back. Umkeo calmly assured him that she'll choose him over sugi even if sugi would kidnap her. She chose to love her husband & build a loving marriage. After toragi's death, she wasn't a damsel in distress waiting for sugi to man up & come or cure her eyes or whatever. She moved on. She accepted a widower's proposal & chose wisely. It's obvious that the new husband loved her as he paid for her eyes surgery & funded her own small business that suits her. Upon seeing sugi again, after many years, she didn't recall the years of lost childhood nor did it ignite her teenage love. She was gladly surprised but sugi has become a stranger to her. a kind person from the far past. I really love her. Hands down the strongest character without holding a sword, or facing villains, or being in a death train. Being mature & moving on is the hardest theme in GK that tons of hard men failed at! & Umeko did it with few panels.

Tsurumi: I loved everything abt his journey & ending! Noda did wonders in compacting Tsurumi's entire emotions in one single silent panel! PERFECT! Tsurumi's face upon seeing his wife & daughter's bones gone forever & upon realizing he did NOT choose them at the end. This silent Panel was Noda's best writing hands down in the entire series. It goes to show that you dont need pages of monologue or exposition or tons of panels to convey a character's inner feeling. Tsurumi lived & died not accepting his role in his wife & daughter's death. He lived & died blaming wilk. His grief & guilt were so overwhelming for him. Best thing is that his greed & lust for power was exposed too, in the same panel! He was not given any salvation till the end & he chose his own journey.

Ogata: I talked before in depth abt my opinion of Ogata's story & death. Great writing & loved it all.

Shirashi: him running after sugi & asirpa was beautiful, him stealing the gold was so awesome! Why would the gold be buried forever? if no body wants it, Shirashi can take it. lol!

. Sugimoto taking his share from the gold before leaving the well. Awesome! Sugo contributed in finding the gold. He is one of the original pursuer to even convince Asirpa to start hunting it. It was a deal between two ppl with contract, shares & equal partnership. Asirpa can decide to disown her share or hate the gold or call it satan or whatever, that's her part. She has no right to deny sugi his share which she agreed upon initailly. Sugi only took his share nothing more.

Sugi throwing his share at tsurumi & leaving Toragi/ Uneko's share untouched in his pockets was awesome! he has a right to abandon his share but he made a promise to toragi & he'll try ro keep it even in the supposed death.

Koito's growth was well written!

I'm fine wit the Ainu issue not fixed or the central not exposed, it was never the purpose of the story. As I keep saying GK is a story abt ppl's journeys & choices. The ethnic minority, gold hunt, central are plot tools to create struggles for the characters.

.---What I didn't like:

1. (sugimoto's & the protagonist curse):

Wrapping up the protagonist internal issues was done weakly, imo. unforgettably, Noda wasnt better than most Manga or story writers in this regard. it's so common for writers to perfectly wrap the side characters struggles but leave the protag till the last moment & gush everything in weird exposition or an over the top climax. Protags carry the story's themes, GK is Sugi's story, but authors think that if they present the protag issues or start wrapping them up before the finale, the readers will NOT read the last chapter.... Why?? do they think that ppl ONLY follow the protag?? why the over the top climax to milk the readers feelings for the ptotag one more time? it really cheapens the story...

A lot of authors do that.. Even AOT's isyama did that cheap protag's struggle milking till even after the character's death... In GK, Noda wanted us to fear for sugi's life & went to great lengths to ensure his supposed death even to the point of pinning sugi with a freaken sword to a metal train's drowning body! wth! I never once thought sugi will die from the beginning of the manga. not even for a split second. Not cuz he's the protag, but his death would go against tons of GK themes. So I was worried reading how noda kept making it harder & harder for sugi to be alive becuz I knew that the only one in trouble is Noda himself! How would he fix that cuz sugi is 100% surviving, only to be met with the final chapter jumping that altogether....TIME SKIP fix everything you guys... wow. one of the most underwhelming scenes that I've come across recently. lol. Sugi will be saved off screen cuz sugi is immortal. meh~

2. Sugimoto emotionally & psychologically completely healed in the time skip. simply because we must be caught up with sugi's face down with tsurumi till the end, if sugi's issues were dealt with earlier then the over the top climax wouldn't be so over the top. Sugi accepted his past, his sins, & is ready for the future in the 6 months off screen healing process. He comes to meet umeko with content, tells asirpa that his homewon isnt his home anymore, but it was whever he eats food with her. One silent panel can explain everything about a character. but 3 pages of exposition can do nothing if it didnt feel earned.

Unlike Umeko, sugi is the protagwho we followed his story, One of Sugi's issues were that he was good for nothing, makes a huge deal from nothing ( Umeko was happily married with healed eyes, while he was hunting for gold & hating himself). how things would be different if sugi learnt to face his issues! that's his journey. Sugi learning to accept himself, that's what we MUST see. it's not abt romantic love with Umeko or asirpa. nor comfort food. He convinced himself he has a seat in hell the last time we saw him in the train, time skip! he chose a peaceful food filled future with asirpa.. bummer..

Sugi & asirpa ending up together is 50% expected. even if sugi didnt show any romantic feeling during the whole story. I'm thankful to Noda for not making sugi fall in love with what Noda described as 12-13 years old child during the manga! From sugi's side, she was a precious partner in a journey, the 3 years time skip wasnt ambiguous at all in telling their future. Asrpa is growing to be an adult woman & is spending all her time with him & we know she's head over heels in love with him. in the 3 years time skip & beyond, sugi can fall in love with her if he sees her as a woman, which he will, because the theme is happily future & new type of partnership. within the story, they renewed their partnership twice & each time with new equal perspective. in the implied future, they'll do their 3rd partnership renewal with new equal terms as wife & husband. I have no issues with all that. I'm not a shipper of anything except good writing! XD, but I really wished that sugi parted ways with asrpa when they were in his hometown to learn to heal & find himself & then 3 years time skip, he comes back to her!!!! better? at least it gives depth to him even if it's off screen, it will imply, he is working on himself, bot tada~~~~ perfectly healed & happy!

2. Tsukushima:Oh boy, this is a hard one cuz I LOVE tsukushima! but he was spared any kind of punishment, didnt regret anything, didnt grow, didn't even let go of tsurumi, didnt reap what he sow, he just escaped everything. He was one of the best written characters until the finale......

3. Ushiyama's death was so unnecessary. Perhaps Noda killed him cuz it's convenient? he was one of those characters with one path. He's been the same since his first appearance & the story has too many strong characters? cutting him from the scene makes the finale harsher? I duno. It did nothing story-wise. Asirpa would have shot Ogata regardless of Ushiyama's death, cuz she swore to protec sugi if he'd face death. so, again, why?

do i still love gk? YES! Do I think it's well-written? YES. I'm not a fan of the simple fan servicey feel of it, it has major writing issues in my perspective, but I LOVE gk.

WOW~!

I loved ur interpretation so much! so deep, profound & correct! Yes! it fits with him seeing her admiration of his father, fits with him wanting her to SEE him! it's like him saying" look , mom! are you happy now? I'll be holding his position? do you see me? ~~~ tragically sad! Plz ANON! talk to me more abt GK & Ogata! your symbolic insights are awesome!!

It's so tragic that Ogata's trauma has clouded his judgement over & over thro the manga. Some fans think Noda suddenly has dumbed him down. I don't agree at all! Nothing is stupid abt his decisions. They fit with his mentality & judgement.

When do we call a someone's life decisions stupid in real life? When they do sth not profitable? when they fail to achieve what "we" think is better for them? Basically we are judging them thro our own lenses whether they're lenses of love or frustration.

Fictional characters must walk a path that " according to the author" fits the characters' mindset, themes & the overall plot. All the characters are part of the the author's imagination. He is the designer. However, you can find issues with the characters according to YOUR own perspective because you are someone different from the author, with different perspective, visions & needs FROM the story. You can also criticize the work of fiction without ridiculing the author or doubting him as a writer because his own perspective is the original painted on a white canavas, yours perspective is second derived from what you SEE as a person. Any work of art is subject to opinions, but all these opinions remain perspectives same as the author.

Personally, I don't think Ogata has been dumbed down or that he is dumb or even smart. He is a person looking at the world from HIS own perspective. What does Ogata see? What is the world like to him? How he sees the other characters? what does his actions mean to HIM?

Noda created Ogata as a person viewing the world thro the lenses created in his early days. deprivation, neglect, isolation, deep identity crisis. Who am I? the son of a gesha? or the son of a respected commander? What did they do for me as son? was I loved? Ogata lacked warmth & learned so early that he couldn't find it from the closes person to him, his mother. Funny how we only carry the hurtful feelings/moments with us as we grow up. Happy moments fade in front of our current suffering. Ogata could've turned his path to the better, if he remembered the few happy moments, or if he set his mind to CREATE his own happy moments, to hell with the past! I'mma be my own person! but Alas~ this is not that type of a story~ GK is the story of men with wrong choices & men dragging their past behind them, men whose past is the one dictating their future. Trurumi, tsukushima, sugimoto, hajikata, nikaido, hanazawa, koito senior, Usami, all the convictions, Sophia, Kiro & wilk.

Ogata's path is abt Ogata. He isnt following anyone. He sees everybody as tools to create an Ogata that is vaild in his anger, an Ogata that can show his mom & dad that he is worthy of what they couldn';t give him. He condemened himself to broken & wanted to prove all are like him.

---He's one of tsurumi's men, Does this means Ogata is so smart, he's learning Russian & using Tsurumi? It's not abt that. It's abt Ogata knowing that tsurumi & his men are as broken as he is so he fett valid, Trsurumi helped him meet his dad, he gave him the opportunity to face his dad all alone, so ogata can test him, pounish him.

---Does that mean Ogata is indebted to tsurumi? not really. Ogata knows tsrrumi has his own golas in getting rid of Hanazawa.

---Does this mean Ogata is so smart he's the only one who saw thro tsurumi as he called him sneaky bastard? Tusukusjims/Usami saw saw thro his lies & still followed him. Koito acknowledged that him & his dad are accountable for their own decisions. Ogata isn't the only one.

---Why does Ogata quicly fall for tsurumi on the train roof & believes his lies? He's suddenly dumb? No. Not at all. Ogata desires to be in his dad's position. His revenge isnt finished, yet. His desire for his mom's love/appreciation is still burning in him. These are what Ogata sees. Ogats is not dumb. he knows an illegitimate son could never hold high positions nor he can go to the military school! so he desperately clings to tsurumi 's help. Help me get to father's position. By this time in the story, Ogata isnt the same as he was earlier. He killed his brother & it slowly ate thro him, he's met Asirpa & she ignited his guilt over & over. He felt small doses of compassion & was struggling with his brother's words " it is NOT normal to NOT feel guilt". He had confronted Asirpa & was ready to die to prove to her that NO! I'm normal! Kill me or I'll kill you. it's NOT normal to NOT dirty your hand. Honestly that chapter is one od the best in the manga! ut tells a lot abt Ogata!

---Why Sugimoto & Ogata didnt confront each other talking? really? this isnt a shonen where every time rivals fight, long speeches happen where the pour their hearts out as they punch each other. I'm so happy, it didnt happen this way, tbh! Sugimoto has always fought first, then dealt with his emotions later. That's how it should happen. Plus, what's there to talk abt? Their rivalry was practical not emotional. Sugi is a stone in Ogata's path, Ogata was right in shooting his head, from his own prespective. Ogata nearly killed Sugi & nearly killed Asirpa, Sugi is right in hating him. No need for " emotional discussion".

---Why No one acknowledged Ogata's death? Why should they? He isnt friends with any of them. He's their enemy. Do you think that Sugi & asirpa will vry over tsurumi ? Plus, really? is now the best time to grieve? question decisions? lament on the loss of ppl? now is an ongoing battle. All those who died so far got only a scream or a short melting from Asirpa which was intentional to build up her character to....... " dirty her hand.

Asrpa might not be the one shooting Ogata in his head, The poison might not caused his delusional shock, but SHE killed HIM. She shot an arrow intentionally wanting to kill a person. whether in self defense or to help someone else, it doesnt matter.

Ogata was right........ it is simply not normal to fight in battles & not dirty your hand. that's not how it works....

Both him & asirpa won & lost.

THANK YOU!

I'm so honored that you're enjoying my ramblings. I'm delighted to see tohru is your fave character, too!

Honestly, If the anime didn't butcher her character & the lovely ppl here in tumblr didn't assure me that in the manga-tohru is different, I wouldn't have picked up the manga. It's very rare for me to read sth I've watched or vise versa. But I'm glad I did! Manga tohru is awesome! The anime simply chose to keep the scenes/ chapters where tohure is typical shallow shougo protag like " fixer, savior, motherly, happy, selfless, everybody heals from her warmth, she's like the sun visually" & skip or minimize all the scenes where tohru is her own person " weak, frustrated with herself, struggling alone to heal, ashamed of herself, having womanly desires yearning for company & partnership, grieving, & so scared". " it was all in one ep/half ep, really.

I hope I get to finish the manga soon! I hate how quickly wrapped up akito's issues are in the anime & I'm dreading that once I read tohru/akito confrontation scene, I won't find anything else for akito as a human being struggling to be better except her romantically induced confrontation with shigure where 80% of it were abt them more than anything else.

Oh well~ it is what it is! I'm looking forward to read kyo's self confrontation after tohru's cliff fall since it won't be tainted with the stupid " i forgot all abt it" !!

Hi anon! I loved Ogata's last chapter! there are things I didn't like in the last few chapters ( Tsukushima & Ushiyama), but Ogata's the winner when it comes to awesome character-writing!

What I like most abt Ogata is that his writing & characterization is so consistent since the beginning!! If you search Golden Kamuy tag in my tumblr, you'll find my writings/thoughts abt Ogata way before this last chapter comes & you'll see that what Ogata dealt with this chapter was in plain sight all along! I'm so happy that I read him correctly!!! Noda can deliver unexpected turns but so far it has been consistent with his character's core issues & character traits. Really nothing abt Ogata was surprising to me, except how well it was presented.

Ogata is not a hero nor a vicious villain, he is simply the same as all GK characters, a person in a journey to deal with his own issues. GK isn't abt gold hunt, nor forward political Ainu/Japan issues. It's a story abt characters embarking on self-focused journeys where they are the focus of their own mini tale. All of them, including the convicts at the beginning. Nikaiado was the focus on his own story, Nihei & others too. No one is 100% manipulated, powerless or a victim.

Each of the characters at least once in their journey had a choice to either let go, better themselves, rise above their own sins, repent, reflect, make a U-turn, or choose a happier path. ALL OF THEM. That's why GK is one of the best stories, cuz we watch 5678656 characters deal with things differently & either win or lose. Ogata is one of these characters & he went thro the same themes.

-The theme of " you can choose your path" regardless of your tragic surroundings:

Ogata is one of the most tragic characters. born to a mentally sick mother ( or perhaps she was healthy all a long, but developed toxic attachment issues to her partner) & a selfish, self-serving & conceited father. While he might have been loved when he was born, he found no love as he grew past his toddler years. An absent minded mother & an physically absent father. Extreme emotional neglect can cause serious issues in children. What Ogata went thro is sad & tragic. In his young mind, he believed that if he killed his mom, his dad would come rushing to her funeral, hence proving that love did exist in his family. But none of that happened. Children are capable of harmful thoughts & actions due to trauma & lack of proper mental judgement due to their age. Picture this: a child forming the thought & action of killing his mom with poison!! only to not achieve anything except more loss. He then sets to see this father, & further hurt him by killing the innocent brother, only to gain nothing as inn his last moments, the father still refuses Ogata as a son & shows no remorse & no love. Tragic background, but it was riddled with choices. In every step of the way. Ogata could have chosen to not pursue the father, he could choose to not kill Yuusaku, He could've also chosen to find another path to heal. There were redemption stops in his journey that he chose not to take in, Why? Cuz Ogata has decided that he is a victim!!! He decided that he is NOT loved by anybody. that he MUST prove to dead father who abandoned him that he was worthy of love, nurture & respect all along~~ If he could become the leader of the 7th division, he could prove that! to whom? a dead man. Tragic life can force a certain path on us, but inflecting harm on others is a choice we make in moments of weakness & darkness. There was happiness in Ogata's path. A brother who actively & genuinely sought his love & companionship, but Ogata was blind to that, cuz he has judged himself to be a victim on a journey to prove others wrong, a ben broken twisted man that can prove everybody is similar to him. Tragic story, bit uh! so well- written! ( also many characters share this theme but I'll only focus on Ogata now)

-The theme of " guilt & the human compassion":

Since Ogata has decided that he is a broken, bent, twisted victim, he refused to engage in guilt. He loved his mother & sought desperately to gain her love but fail. Killing her wasnt easy choice. While he didnt cry, he convinced himself that it was her fault for being pathetic or that he is simply twisted. He joined the army, where logically if you kill the enemy, you are a hero! it is expected of you & you are encouraged to do it. Further proving that all humans are twisted & bent. He met Usami, a guy with the most healthy & loving family in GK who saw no guilt in killing innocent child & thrived in war. Further proving to Ogata that he is the norm. Tsurumi a leader who celebrated death & rejoiced in battlefields, His fater sacrificed an entire division to win one battle for his own glory & honour, all the broken men in war, solidified this thought. Then he met Yuusaku, a guy who found no joy in war & who is desperately trying to cheat his way in an official manner into not killing anyone of his enemies by being a flag bearer. He doesn't even carry a sword. A guy who refuses to kill unarmed army prisoners. A guy who told him, "it isnt normal not not feel guit" Suddenly Ogata's entire identity is put into questioning & his perspective of life is shaken, but still Ogata chose to find validation from Usami that they are right, he chose to imitate Tsurumi's twisted mindset. Killing Yuusaku meant that Ogata has a tool to torture his father & also silence the voice of compassion.

GK is not a story abt superstitions, wandering spirits nor fantasy. It's based on reality. Yuusakue's ghost is not real & is only a fragment of Ogata's tired, sad consciousness. Ogata is a normal human being. He can feel guilt like all of us. But chose to silence e this feeling & chose to continue to believe that he is twisted & bent. Thast's why the ending is perfect. Ogata died knowing that he is normal, loved but chose wrong.

-The theme "letting go of the Past":

So many GK characters are chained to their past, Trurumi, Ogata, Sugimoto, Tsukushima & many more. Most of them refuse to let go, others cant find the proper copying mechanism to deal with their past sins & mistakes, Some accept that their present life is punishment if such sins & chose to remain still, Some want to punish the words as well for all the pain of the past. Most see no future. No... All of them see NO future. That's why, those who'll be able to let go of the nostalgic happy past & accept the sins of the recent past, will SEE a future. Ogata saw a future where he sat in his dad's position, but it was a future based on forcibly holding into the toxic past, built upon many wrong choices.

-The theme "Reaping what you saw":

I love this theme!! GK is unique in doing this theme properly. Most stories the most fan fave or the protag get away with things simply cuz fans dedicate stories. They're the customers afterall. I didnt necessarily wish for Ogata's death nor anyone's death. But You gotta pay the price of you sins towards others. Ogata paid it so thoroughly & in a really shocking writing style! truly interesting from a writing perspective. Now my eyes are on Tsukushima, will Noda treat him the same way? make him pay the price? Similar to Ogata, Tsukushima refuses to let go of the past & insist to continue a toxic path. They both have someone who cared for them trying to stop them. How will Noda deal with him worries me especially that few chapters are left, so perhaps the volume will have better & full exploration of Tsukusima's journey? I duno.

There are may themes & many things to say abt Ogata's arc! but one word is enough: Complete & very thorough!

oh! fun question. Let's see why it might have been a bit underwhelming for some fans!

Who is Hajikata?

He is the coolest GK character & a respected real historical figure.

Not once did Noda drew him in a comedic way or made him the butt of a joke.

Always calm, with a smirk & charm.

Was stated to be the best swordsman in the story & a deadly samurai.

Noda gave him a touch of "unrealistic fantasy" element. He's one of the oldest characters, yet " young" in spirit & far away from " feeling" his age. ( this is all part of the cool stamp he's marked with).

Fights with Asirpa (the innocent heroine) , but he fights for himself, japan & the Aiuno, which gives a nice combination so fans don't split over his direction. There's a glory for him personally in this fight over Hokaido's independence, The Japanese who support him will get rid of The Central & he'll repay the Auino debt he still feels.

Who is Koito?

He is one of the youngest characters in the story.

Naive, sheltered, rich, spoiled, & brat.

One of the most comedic characters.

The Most flexible in body & mind. He is far from rigid: (a) Display acrobatic & agile movement. (b) can change his beliefs/mind/ perspective after facing proofs/ facts/truth. (happened plenty throughout the story as early as karafatu)

His swordsmanship is praised within the story but due to his age, he didn't join in wars & the few battles he fought in ( abashiri/ karafatu) we as audience, didn't see him use it in them.

Fights with Tsurumi ( the main villain), but he fights for himself, japan & his men. Initially, (b) koito saw the battles as mere chance to be next to his idol Tsurumi, so it was for himself to be one of tsurumi's leading men, but as he grows, he drops this completely. He moves from selfish to selfless. (b) It become a fight for japan's prosperity as he acknowledges that both him & his dad, joined Trsurumi with their own free will choosing to believe that this military path is better for japan than The Central. Koito Senior is never a traitor to sell japan even in the expense of his child's life. But he saw military future as the best in the troubled future prior to the wars. (c) Later on, young koito looses belief that Trusumi's path is indeed best for japan as he discovered Trusumi noticed him & Tsukushima in the church & altered his speech. Koito decided to fight for his men only & protect them from Tsurumi.

Now, why was Hajikata loosing this fight disappointing for some fans?

Here's my perspective: ( only one of the many perspective ppl could have, If you think: Nah~! Then, that's fine)

The reason lies in Hajikata's cool design. When Authors paint a character as too cool/awesome/unbelievably skilled than the rest, it would become tough to once again humanize said character. defeat is humanizing. Only unrealistic super heroes always win no matter what.

Think Levi in Attack on titans ( spoilers) he's the strongest/coolest to the point that the author needs to give him a physical reason to not participate in battles! cuz he's so cool, who can defeat him???????? Nobody is as cool as him! so before each major battle Levi exit the show due to the plot needing to continue the battle, so he sprained his ankle, get's blown by a missile but STILL not die!

Hijikata can't die becuz of koito! so he will live on for more chapters until someone kills him, his samurai friend perhaps (mercy killing). I duno.

But koito defeating him is important!!! so important thematically, story-wise & a wonderful nice climax to both their arcs. But how can the young humble koito defeat the awesome legendary hijikata? Had Noda toned hajikata's "legendary" aspect down a bit, just a bit, their battle would be more appealing to a wider majority of fans.

Here's why Koito must have won that fight:

The theme of the future: Koito is the new face of military conscious of japan. He isnt tainted by the war of china or Russia. Unlike sugimoto/ tsukushima/ogata/ tsurumi/ hajikata, Koito isnt dragging ghosts of the past behind him wherever he goes. He is worried abt the living: his men. The ones who are now between Tsurumi's hell, The Central's schemes & hijikata's pursuit. Koito is the present & the future. Same as Asirpa. Both are foils of each other, carrying the burden of a father's choice & deciding a future after said father's death.

The theme of worthy opponent in heart: How did koito win? Hajikata taught right there how to defeat him exactly. Why did the cunning hajikata do such anime stupid move? cuz Hajikata isn't solely fighting for others. He is fighting for himself as well. There's sth for him in this exciting pursuit for gold, glory & politics! It makes him young at heart! but what's exciting abt easy win? Hajikata wants a worthy opponent. He didnt find that in the scheming sneaky Tsurumi. Koito came as a noble warrior but too green/ young. Hajikata saw that! so he tested the boy to see if he is a man. He gave him the clue to fight him, but that's not stupid cuz it would be wasted on a green boyish brat. Koito proved he is a man & persevered. Hajikata appreciated that. He wasnt looking for death. NO. he was looking for a fight in that moment. Sugimoto once fought the stenka tattooed fighter for himself. not cuz of asipra/gold/yumi/ He wanted/needed this fight so bad. What I'm saying is: Koito was worthy opponent cuz of his heart/determination same as hajikata's.

There are other themes but this is getting longer than What I've intended. Summary: I liked the result & themes of koito/ hajikata's fight a lot!! but the execution needed more thought & refining. Perhaps in the volume. Afterall, Noda is restricted in the weekly manga.

Hopefully, in the upcoming chapters, hajikata doesnt become another Levi. kept around for the fans eyes only when he's long past his purpose!

Hi!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm doing fine, lovely anon. Looking at how things are now all over the world, makes you appreciate the tiniest things you got in your life. ... how sad ...... Hope you are safe & healthy!

I don't plan to stop reading Furuba or posting abt it, at all. My friends told me that the remaining chapters after tohru's cliff fall differ greatly from the anime!!!!! I'm so excited to see how!! I had issues with how the anime wrapped things after her fall, to know the manga had new un-adapted content is exciting & scary! XD

The last chapter I've read was the same one I posted abt a month ago. Kyo & tohru's confrontation where he confessed the past & rejected her. I'll always post the same hour I finish a chapter, this way, I can express my honest thoughts.

I'm very grateful for your kinds words & honored that you liked my humble writings. I love looking into authors' themes & celebrate when they actually do something different than the norm or flip a popular tropes upside down. It's so fun! So thank you for appreciating that.

However, I do enjoy the fandom's theories & perspectives which are different from mine, altho I don't agree with them at all. They're simply an insight into another person's mind & a look into how they consume the same fictional story differently from me. Some ppl care for certain characters & only view the story thro the lenses of what is affecting said characters, other are so exclusively into romantic ships whether canon or made up, While others hold certain personal views in regards to morality/ good/evil & would want a certain ending. All that is totally fine. I don't mind any of these different ways. What I mind is when they are treated as hard facts & therefore, ppl who think differently are attacked in their own blog for not seeing eye to eye with the said perspective.

I have plenty of Golden Kamuy asks which I received questioning how blind I am for not seeing that Ogata is a mere victim! or that killing his own mom at age 9 is sth from the past & is totally her own fault, or that only the "tiger curse" will bring doom to certain characters not their own choices & beliefs? I duno why I must be blind if I don't agree with such perspective. Why can't we have fun discussions about fiction? If those anons came to my blog, there are a huge possibilities that they'll read different thoughts than theirs! so, learning abt this is fun, not threatening. Remember this is fiction. None of these characters is real.

As for GK, I say, Everybody will face the consequences of their own actions & choices regardless whose side they pick or who they fight for & why. Even Asirpa, the most innocent character, will have to decide a certain action to defeat Tsurumi & she will face the consequences of her decision. Noda is tearing her apart/melting her down for a reason. Whether she decides with deliberate calm mental process or in a frenzy of emotions, her decision will affect others & she'll have to face the consequences. That's the best writing method, the characters' own paths is based on their own actions & beliefs.

I love Golden Kamuy. Its fandom is extremely small & when they decide to interact, it is mostly abt Ogata has done nothing wrong, or the damned tiger curse.......

I can never understand how the rest of the real themes aren't worthy of discussion in Gk.. The manga is one of the darkest yet most realistic stories that I've come a cross, yet a tiny superstitious tale is what inspires debate... I'm not judging what ppl find worthy of attention, to each their own, but I'm being judged repeatedly for not believing it. These are the only GK asks in my inbox.. how sad~

Anyway, Tanegkie, koito & Tsukushima aren't punished for killing kiro, they're punished for all the wrong choices they're made since the start of the story, long before freakin kiro died! Kiro himself wasn't killed as a mere victim, he was killed for the choices he did in his own journey.

Unlike all the shonen or senen or whatever genre you read where the focus is on the main characters only with huge revenge theme & huge friendship saves lives & all the characters serve only the main center cast. GK has set a journey/path for every character, based on their own choices & their own fate. Yes, the characters cross paths & influence each other positively & negatively. However, the amount of effect each character has on the other, is solely related the the character's own choice.

Kiro chose to kill wilk. it is a choice based on his own character, goal, personality & convictions. He crossed paths with Inkaramat & tanegiki, but his interaction with them didn't change who he is as a person. The secrecy he chose to work with is understandable. he solidly seemed suspicious to them based on his previous actions which is understandable of them as well. They interacted with him based on their own personality, goal & convictions. Kiro had his own journey in GK, his arc & goal. Him being a rebel working to find a home for his ppl, doesn't dissolve him form committing mistakes, sins & crimes. The tiger curse foreshadowing, you say? so why isn't kiro's death looked as a punishment for killing the wolf? Why can't the wolf be a curse, too. Wilk is for sure Tsurumi's curse, lol. not kiro's as well? why only kiro's situation is considered foreshadowing?

Koito is the youngest, least experienced of the the so called " cursed folks by the tiger". but he is no baby. He chose to follow Tusurmi & has a choice now to not to. His dad's death is the dad's own choice. Koito senior chose to rebel against the central & chose to die with his falling men. He himself saw it as fitting for dragging them to this mess under his command. whether he still believe tsurumi or not. Young Koito is among the characters governed by the " theme of the father's effect" which includes Asirpa, Ogata, Ariko, & Yuusaku. These characters must embark on a journey to either be buried under their father's influence or be freed. Koito's misfortune is related to his own path/ themes/ arc as a whole not a single event or action.

Tanegaki's path is related to being freed from the destructive vengeful past & be born a kind husband & a father. There are characters who are governed by the " theme of the precious child" which includes Tsurumi, wilk, kiro, sophia, Airko's dad, Koito's dad, Yuusaku's mom, tanegeki, & a convict I forgot his name. These characters' lives revolves around a child they hold precious. Each one of hem is stunned due to his feelings to said child & does horrible things to ensure the safety or revenge for said child. Tanegeki while meeting with kiro & interacting with him is an important part of his journey, it is not all there is to Tanegaki.... He is much more. He isn't brought to die for killing kiro. If he is truly dead, he died saving a child. Anon, tell me~~~ who is Tanegakie's child??? Ainu born from an Ainu's mother. She 's the perfect child to represent the true future of mixed peaceful race!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, Tanegakie doesnt know now abt the deed & just wants to repay his debt. but think anon, think!!!! Who is Tanegaki indebted to? An Ainu grandmother! Tanegeki's fate is intertwined with the Ainu race even if doesnt realize it, bit Noda does. Also, his death/injury is tied to Noda's plan to breaking Asrpa, so again.. it is more than a shallow foreshadowing...

Tsukushima is the easiest... guy's been drenched in innocent blood for years before kiro. He's Tsurumi's dirtiest right hand. He's also being punished long before Kiro appeared in his life. Guy is living a void, not even knowing his lover is dead or alive. Misfortune for Tsukushima for killing kiro? give me a break! Tsukushima has been in misfortune since his birth to a disgusting horrible dad. The only good thing that has ever happened to him was Igosas & she became his biggest most excruciating pain. Guy's favorite line is " reserving my VIP seat in Tsurum's theatre in hell". He's one of the most broken & mentally devastated characters in GK. He was chasing a pregnant woman to kill her, yo!!! & you are telling me kiro's curse is waiting for him???? are you for real?. You mean to tell me he is only foreshadowed to die after killing kiro??? not after killing whoever Tsurumi wants? not for choosing to stick with this maniac altho he saw thro his lies since way early? not since he buried the voice of reason willingly & shut his ears & closed his eyes since day 1???

If so, then Noda is the poorest writer there is, anon & I'm shocked he could even write.

No, the tiger curse is a writing tactic to add to the lore of the karafatue arc. It is related to the tiger itself whom sophia warned to not kill & koito & gang avoided killing, just like the many Ainu legends that Asipra told Sugimoto since day 1. As a matter of fact, it is one of the last Ainu legends told within the story, the rest was told in comedic style when Asirpa became a director filming Auinu history with the photographer.

-Below is the true Tiger Curse:

The tiger curse is a harmless notion, foreshadowing the doom that will be in the snow storm. After the snow storm where kiro died, none of the characters emerged the same:

Sugimoto saved ogata's life despite wanting to kill him & later clashed with Asirpa when she refused to obey his vision to follow Tsurumi & return to her happy go lucky life forgetting the gold.

Arispa realized the scale of the situation & the meaning of a vast world with future. she's no longer the innocent child she was.

Koito stopped being spoiled & emerged a leader taking care of his men in the storm & refusing to let them die. also, he hot enlightened abt his pat by ogata.

Ogata was faced with his demons in his confrontation with Asrpa & things became too personal for him & his own convictions clashed with hers. He also spilled the beans abt koito.

Tsukushima helped a girl return to her parents, for once in his life prioritizing sth else above tsurumi's demands/orders. He was also confronted by koito abt the past & theirv dynamics changed for ever.

Tanegakie learned he's dad & let go of everything, revenge, anger & escaped with his wife, truly fulfilling Nihei's wish.

Shirashi cared for ppl other than himself & his group asrpa & sugimoto. He cared for kiro & cherished his words. For once thinking abt things other than Gold & booze.

Sophia abandoned Russia & headed to japan. Halting the Russians rebellion.

by Alex Michaelides.

I missed reading psychological thriller/Mystery novels! I remember getting a part-time job during high school just so I can pay for all the novels I’ve read! Each book only lasts three days maximum in my hands no matter how long it was. I’ve even dedicated half of my part-time salary in college to sustain my addiction to reading, cutting all my essential expenses to the basics.... I didn’t even get to sell my used books cuz dad found three big travel suitcases in the basement filled with my books after I’d moved out & gave them away for free thinking that’ll make me happy...lol... good deed, he said. other ppl will enjoy them, he said. I wanted to sell them! I wanted  some money back! even if it was way less than half their original price! I was fresh out of college & broke! XD....

looking for a job & getting lost within the world of occupational responsibility, I lost my hobby. became more of a.. movie/tv person.. sth quicker & less expensive..how long was it before I bought a novel again?... years..

Anyway, this holiday I visited relatives in scattered rural villages where the internet connection is moodier than a bored cat & thought I’ll take some books with me to read! I gotta confess, it was hard to pick a good book since thrillers are extremely dependent on a solid plot & the synopsis are usually so generic. I ended up choosing based on the cover... I’m embarrassed to confess! XD, but I’ve become so visual that covers with a hint of artistic symbolism attracted me more then the synopsis.

Lucky me, the first book was good!

The plot & Writing Style: very solid! the twist is unexpected. the narrators are unreliable. Best thing is, the story has real time action. I loath when the entire novel is told from 1st person perspective in flashback with detailed direct narration. That is the worst type of narrative construction that can be used for lengthy books. This style is designed for certain moments while the rest of the events should happen in real time to give the book life! Fortunately, Alex Michaelides knew how to implement the narrative choices for his benefit. I also hate meticulous, detailed explanation of events, atmosphere & feelings. It’s a waste of ink, time & bores me. set the tone & move on! captivate me with your story & characters, not showcase your descriptive writing. His descrptive paragraphs were short & direct which is so good.

The characters: are all unreliable! with a hinted layer of deception! all of them! even the tines character! The ending is suitable & he knew where to stop. The dialogue suited the characters & is believable. All the characters vary in their personalities, each is unique & easy to remember although there’s a bunch of them which is awesome!

I can visualize the novel into a movie! however, for the plot twist to be shocking, the book format works better. If it were to be a movie, then the director/ screenplay writer needs to move things around to fit the plot twist. establish it at the very end, perhaps. The book can tell about a man who looks familiar to the main character doing sth horrible without the main character or the readers  knowing who he was, but the movie-watching audience will tell who he is right away, so I’m kinda excited to see how they’ll work this out in film format if the book gets adapted into film on day.

I think you and the fandom are in a consensus here, episode 8 was probably the best adapted episode of season 3...it's really good !!

Thank you!!!!

I missed you guys. Hope you are doing well, anon! Please take care of ur health 🤍

Oh I love ep8 but @mizzraynelly reminded me of the most awful anime addition ever in furuba which happened in ep 8.:

Kyo's " I totally forgot abt ur mom all this time & blocked it, but somehow remembered it in the gravesite, then in the beach with Akito, but forgot again cuz not everyday you see car accident of loved one & think u caused it, so opps my bad".

I'll never forgive the anime for this stupid & illogical addition cuz it undermineded the audience's intelligence & collective memory. The director only cared abt his added dramatic scene of both kyo & tohru shocked face upon seeing the hat in her room & didn't bother to make this work within the plot. He went the D&D route of " danyres forgot abt the iron fleet" on game of thrones.

Meh~ moving on. The rest of the ep without the addition is fantastic! The best ep in se3 hands down!!

“ Of all ppl, why me? “..The author starts the climax with this question.

it sums up kyo’s perspective of himself when it comes to being loved by tohru. Why me? The guy who hurt your mom & caused you to be orphaned which led to you being tossed between ur relatives till you slept in a tent.. me? the one whose mom couldn’t even bare to live with him? me? whose dad outright wish him death? me? who watched as you desperately tried to link everyday’s events to ur deceased mom... 

it also summed how Isuzu felt, “Why him? is it pity” ? How the sohma felt knowing tohru is in love with kyo” oh no, He’s the cat & will be locked soon ” . There’s a sweeping feeling of “poor tohru”.

It sums up how the audience felt seeing his flashback & knowing how much he loved kyoko, how much the kid kyo truly wanted to protect tohru, how awfully the teenage kyo is tormented by guilt. As audience we understood how much kyo is depressed & although we rooted for this couple the most of any show even, it’s irony that tohru would fall in love with the one who was involved in her mom’s past.

-Brilliant writing that takes a melodramatic plot twist & writes it in a realistic gut-retching way. Kyo’s question is so true to his view of himself. The sohma’s question is so true to their view of him, the audience questions is so true to their fear that kyo might not do what he hope he does!

--Part of setting the climax is not surprising the audience with unforeseen plot twists that shocks them. NO. On the contrary, you gotta set up the dread, the fear of the worst case scenario, this will keep the audience /readers glued to ur story!

-The Suffocating Love:

Se01, ep 24, kyo describe living with tohru as “ lukewarm water” he felt “ suffocated”. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. Master Kazuma understood what kyo meant. When you feel you should be rejected, being accepted hurt. When think you should be hated, being loved hurts. When you believe you should be punished, being forgiven hurts like hell! weird, right?

Nope. That’s so relatable. ppl aren’t computers where you can program them & then deprogram again. To be accepted, loved, forgiven is wonderful & liberating! but it needs time to wash away the rejection, hate & desire for punishment. Kyo’s problem is that the one who eventually gave him all these, is the one who he think he hurt the most. That’s why every time tohru loves him, he feels so much joy, but the knife of reality stabs him hard! Every time she opens her heart, complains & become vulnerable with him, he’s overwhelmed with happiness to see her genuinely relieved but the guilt comes & strangles him with “ YOU CAUSED THIS”. He didn’t. But alas he’ll never know as kyoko died with the true meaning of her words with her & kyo would need to grow despite this pain & learn to let go of guilt.

---I’ve never read a love story where being together is the ultimate joy as well as  the ultimate pain. both weaved in realistic display of emotions & logical reaction of years of trauma & pain! forever my favorite love story!

-Logical Reaction & Realistic Assessment of self:

The anime made me appreciate kyo’s inner monologues the most in furuba! It only happened in big moments & revealed deep painful thoughts! Tohru was the narrator of se01, she commented to the audience abt everything & yuki was the narrator of se02 & commented on all characters feelings. Buy kyo was shrouded with silence to keep the “ suspenseful plot hidden”. He had way more inner monologues in the manga! I was delighted! But let’s focus on what he says here:

1. loneliness.   2. shame.     3. frustration.

Kyo explain why he felt each of those & what reaction it caused him: sulking. He then commented on his reaction back then: “ I was a brat” !

Age gives us wisdom even if he didn’t think which is good. so, child kyo is different from teenage kyo, is different from 18 years kyo. Age is coupled with experience brought by daily encounters. You live more, you learn more. Mostly, you look back at yourself & assess it, which is good. We all do. Most of the time, we berate our young self. We lament the stupid choices we did. We look back at our mistakes back then & see them with magnifying lens!! which is BAD!. Kyo being in this state of mind where he feels trapped by tohru’s love that he is forced to “ confess” his “ sin” of knowing her mom, looks back at his young self & althou gives a successful assessment, ends up with a harsh judgement! Kyo doesnt want tohru to forgive him cuz he is not forgiving his younger self. He wants the current self to be punished severely. So, the future self won’t exist at all. He is committing emotional suicide.

Punish the brat.

The brat who, few years earlier, saw his mom throw herself at a train...

The brat is still listening to his dad wishing him death & fuming hate... 

The brat who will grow up few years older & once again see a loving soul bleed to death on the street knowing that he had 50% chance of helping & hearing her say “ I’ll never forgive you” ...

If kyo was looking for forgiveness before, it’s long gone after kyoko’s dying words~~

So, yeah kyo. You are right. You were a brat, still is now with your hate of yuki. But that brat existed to preserve your soul from doing what your mom did. You know that, too, right? that’s why it’s been long since you really hated yuki. It actually stopped completely after beach trip. The hate is directed to you. It always was. but hid behind yuki’s image for awhile. but now. it is unleashed. His heart can’t take it anymore.

Buy kyo.... You said your part. Explained yourself.... unleashed your hidden pain.. Go ahead, Judge & Punish yourself.

Now it’s Tohru turn to say her part, explain herself... Logic? deliberate Choice? reason? It all doesn’t change how I feel! I’m not a button that can be pressed to change a channel. three whole years of love I carried in my heart for you, only you, can’t be erased just like that. Goddammit kyo that’s not how ppl work! You resisted loving me?  I’m resisting hating you! Now, I’m the one unleashing my anger!

Side Notes:

I don’t like so many things in se03 & how rushed it was. But ep 8 is my favorite in this entire season!! I’m so thankful it only covered two chapters!!!!! It gave space for kyo’s pain to sink & impact the audience! How silly would it be for a character that was locked away emotionally & expressively during all 3 seasons to be rushed in one ep? How horrible would it be for the the hidden plot of kyo seeing kyoko’s death which was teased since se01 (grave visit ep) & to be mixed with Akito & tohru bonding under the rain? I’m so happy ep 8 ending wasnt tohru falling off cliff, but tohru left by kyo while akito approaches. This way the emphasis is on the pain kyo caused not the harm akito caused.

Another thing I’m thankful for in se03, ep8 is kyo’s animation. Looking at the manga panels, I see kyo’s pain so clear, so well-drawn!! Looking at the anime & my God the pain is well-drawn too & coupled with marvelous voice acting from both Jerry Jewel & Yuma Ushida! The animators didn’t care for pretty style of drawing & focused on realistic facial emotions, hence, the picture matched the voice!

As I said previously, the only thing I hated in ep 8 was not showing tohru’s face when she confessed her love for kyo, the emphasis was on yuki’s face...... weird choice!!!!!!! but meh~ the anime never cared for tohru when it comes to realist emotions, so not seeing her face will equal seeing it with weird tears or whatever they do with her, plus yuki was coming on to the picture & within frame, so it was expected they will only focus on him.

I’ll complete my analysis of ch120 next post along with the following chapters cuz this was getting long!

It is so rare for anime to make a character look at their self, assess the past & not come back triumphant with self knowledge, or enlightened on what to do!!! I’m loving how kyo’s look back on himself was both good & bad given his emotional state & depression! one of the best writing element in the story!!! It’s also one of the few moments where I didn’t feel Takaya-san was giving us a direct lesson about life or urging us to “learn” something on the spot.

I enjoyed these two chapters so much!!! They contain cut content as well, but I believe the soul of the c2 hapters was beautifully preserved in the anime ep8. so I’m satisfied.

It took me a whole month to start reading furuba again!!! Man... life was tough~ oh well, hopefully, it gets better now that the holidays are approaching <3

oooh! that would be equally disturbing!

Either way Akito is doomed since she's born into this toxic family without any sane adult guidance. Even the maid contributed into this mess. Even her lovers are a mess, too! -_-'!

Still, this doesn't absolve adult akito from the deserved guilt or punishment from her victims. That's why akito being a character that is redeemed is the core of furuba's biggest theme: allowing/accepting change.

All the characters struggled with change & eventually found their own place, either letting go of toxic coping mechanism or finding new beginnings or both.

However, no main character in furuba has inflected systematic abuse upon others more than akito ( minus her mom & kyo's dad, but they're side characters so they're characters weren't explored ). Thus, it is very important & very powerful that the viewers understand her change. Not necessarily accept it or support it, but the viewers need to understand that it is never too late to stop the toxic wheel & save what's left of your soul. No one is pure angel & we're all sinners one way or another, but mistakes deserve equal punishment, then moving on afterwards. Carrying the guilt of your victims is part part of the process but not the end.

This is exactly why kyo thought he only deserves death (confinement). He didn't see anything beyond the guilt. He thought it was too late for him, although it turned out his sin is mostly in his head due to his abuse as a child & he never even knew the truth of kyoko's words. That's why his story is so unbelievable layered, truly something only a genius can write. However, kyo, being an endearing character, survived the anime's butchered final season, altho half his story was cut! Cuz kyo was the underdog: ridiculed, exiled & set for doom. We were never in his head & very rarely heard his inner voice, still his genuine personality won us over, & we cheered for him every step of the way even as he stumbled! exactly as yuki said when he explained to tohru & us why kyo is always loved.

Akito isn't loved at all. Not supposed to anyway. Also, She DID hurt so many characters on-screen & not " wrongly thought she did like kyo did with kyoko & tohru". but the manga acknowledged that she is human despite the monstrosity of her actions & treated her accordingly. The anime screwed akito's presentation in her arc & we're left with the shallow: "villain who repented trope". That's why most anime fans either didnt forgive her, or like me "felt her transformation/story focus is super meh~". very shallow & basic.

I still dont know how the manga treated the rest of her story, I stopped at ch 117. We'll see!

When I saw the 1st panel of tohru & her outfit, I was like OMG! It’s the confession chapter! but then it transitioned to Akito’s story & I was equally excited!

Why was Akito’s story more engaging & thrilling in the manga than the anime’s se03, ep 7 despite it being nearly the same content?

The manga treated akitio the same as tohru since one is the major antagonist & the other is the major protagonist. They are both given agency & control over their own storytelling & expressing feelings. Tohru remembered her mom’s story & expressed her own feelings regarding that to herself & kyo & akito herself told kureno her own feelings. Compared to the anime which treated both akito & tohru as weak secondary characters with no agency & took away their voice & gave it to others to narrate to us, the audience, how akito or tohru felt, so tohru’s grandpa was the narrator while both shigure & Ren took over akito’s voice.

In the manga, the previous chapter was momiji’s curse break, so akito was in her lowest mental state realizing the the curse will break for sure! Kureno’s curse broke long ago & she quickly controlled him, but momiji is recent &  most importantly from HER! For the 1st time in forever, akito realized she can no longer control the zodiacs! This is bound to break her emotionally & mentally, super awesome transition! Compare it to the anime, where the focus was on kyo/tohru huge cliffhanger that was reduced to happy cooking session with momiji & yuki, but kyo’s dream was brought up just before akito’s story completely hijacking everything akito story can bring to the table. As a 1st time viewer who is an anime only, I was shocked that kyo’s dream confirmed he is involved in kyoko’s death & that kyoko is super angry & vengeful towards him. Knowing that tohru loves him & being worried how she’ll react to his confession, akito’s ( the character that the anime ONLY showed her abusive side until now) emotional pain felt flat & less interesting.

REN. Manga Ren is so unbelievably thrilling as a broken toxic human! I don’t forgive her for ruining her own child’s life, but she looks as a screwed up human with her own issues. In all her scenes, despite the nonsense she says, she was given humanly facial expressions & you can’t help but feel pity for her. So much pity. Exactly as shgiure said. Compare it to the anime, where she is a caricature of a maniac character. One that can fly, with mouth bigger than furuba’s universe & big eyes with pupils that rotate the sun! So cartoonish, She is drop dead gorgeous with her boobs having their own life distracting viewers! so anime! The only human aspect abt her in the anime is talented Japanese VA. Seriously, Ren is a character that I’ve never thought I’ll enjoy reading the manga. So screwed up & toxic, yet thrilling from a story perspective.

-Akito ( the mentality behind the child that became an abusive manic):    

As simple as that, the 1st panel says it all. ( broken home) same as yuki,. same as kyo. This simple line said by akito gives her agency over her own story & allows the audience to hear the villain/ the person’s voice. It quickly draws similarities between her & tohru:

Tohru was desperate for mom’s love & was always scared the mom loved the dad more than her & will follow him to death. A fear that is an established a reality by kyoko’s own actions that traumatized tohru for years. ( the anime choosing to omit that to profit from it later in an ova, screw protagonist story). It doesnt matter that kyoko regretted her actions, the harm has occurred. the writer brilliantly expressing that children are like a white canavas, you can’t easily remove mistakes. You can try & might succeed, but it’ll leave a tiny mark. kyoko tried to mend her human mistake & shaped a loving girl, but the tiny mark is still there. Akiti not so lucky, the father indeed loved her dearly, but akito always feared thar he loved the mom more. She & her mom were competing for his love in a toxic environment created by the mom’s dominant character & the father’s submissive behavior & toxic faulty mentality. Still he tried his best to compensate but instead of the result being similar to how kyoko tried with tohru, it turned quite horrible! Kyoko succeed cuz she taught her child that she is a human & weakness is okay, still the tiny scar remained. Akira failed cuz he taught his child that you’re above the others & all-deserving of all-entitled above the zodiacs. The scar became bigger with every passing year.

Tohru hated her dad, for her own wrong reasons while he himself as a parent was not deserving of her hate at all. On the opposite, in his life, he was as loving & as supportive as father can be. but scared orphan child mentality created a monster to preserve the mom & explain the overbearing attachment to her mom that she felt & knew in her heart was wrong, she felt guilty for having such toxic hate. Ren deserved akito’s hate & gave every reason for it, fueling it more by taking away her child’s own identity as a female without consent & challenging her child in every opportunity. Unlike tohru, akito couldn’t feel guilty over toxic feelings.

All this from the first panel that contained both protag & antag.. symbolism & parallel goes a long away more than shock value~

These two chapters, being in akito’s voice, explained everything, Why akito allowed kyo to live with yuki? Why akito even challenged kyo into a bet of their own. Why akito allowed tohru to live with them. Why akito allowed yuki to even move to shigure’s house. Why momiji’s curse breaking now is the worst timing for akito & the best timing for the story’s climax! It’s all explained by Ren & Akito’s bet. The mother of all bets. If you can prove that the zodiacs after leaving this cage & seeing the wide world, can still choose to come back to you, then you really win, akito!!!

Win & prove your father’s words were right.

Win & Prove that you mom is wrong.

Win & Prove that your identity as a being beyond human is right.

Win & Prove that bonds never break.

Win & Prove the core theme of furuba is wrong: Change is NOT okay. never ending & never changing eternity is better. ~~~

But now akito realized she isn’t wining, & will never do. Result: Complete mental breakdown.

These are the thoughts I felt reading the chapters, the rest is the same as the ones I have expressed in my anime review of ep 7.

-Side Notes:

Akito being the villain that will turn good deserved more scree-time & more attention before the climax. The anime team knew before hand how she’ll turn out to be, so why cut her her human-scenes & only leave out the toxic, abusive scenes? to make the transformation after the climax super wow & shocking? Well, it wasn’t shocking cuz by the climax the audience has figured out the furuba is all about hope, so no way akito will be doomed, but I’ll tell how anime akito felt to me, super meh~ Akito was an amazing villain with so much story-telling potential & promising redeeming attention, but all that was cut so we can be “ shook”  at tohru’s rain-stopping, sun-emerging power of healing hearts with a tear & a smile... really, how I wish that the anime at least gave us two eps of akito’s emotional struggle before she went after tohru with a knife. So, we can feel for her a person & human, but nope! she gotta stay crazy so we can believe she’ll hurt tohru. So the anime successfully turned pre-climax akito into... REN.

In the manga, you can see Ren really believed she’d get akira’s soul in the box. As crazy as this might be for an adult. That’s how sad & pathetic she is. Kureno was right “ she is sick in the head”. She was drawn sympathetically & realistically. I really felt pity for her. She just wanted akira. I really wished she & akira used protection. lol!

I wonder if Ren gave birth to a boy instead of a girl, would she feel threatened for akira’s love?

Hi friend,

Yeah, Momiji's curse break happening to Akito, emphasizes "the feeling of being left behind" & tohru's chapter where she see her mom's ghost after kyo came to pick her up from sense's house emphasizes "the feeling of leaving someone behind". Both sentiments will be experienced interchangeably inside both of tohru's & akito's hearts in the upcoming story climax.

I dare to say, even kyoko attempting to kill herself didn't want to be "left behind" by Katsuya, but she ended up nearly" leaving tohru behind".

Very deep. The underrated theme of "grief & loneliness" is the most dominant in the manga, while the most overrated & popular theme of "coming of age struggle" is the most dominant in the anime, as in nearly hundreds of animes out there. oh well~ I still like the anime regardless.

However, the contrast between anime & manga really expresses a huge deal between: the female author's emphasis on "loneliness & the struggle of letting go of loved ones", & the male director's fixation on "boys leaving the nest & becoming men". Perhaps that was his personal struggle, after all.

As for Fruits Basket 2001, I haven't seen it at all or heard its songs. I remember Youtube being overloaded with amv of fruits basket with huge views back in the day~but I never watched any except one where its centered around whom I know now is Ayame! XDDD! I didnt choose it on purpose, just thought I'll see what's the deal with this anime & pressed one amv & tada~hilarious montage of Ayame! I remember being confused & laughing! XD. What was the song?... um...female singer signing sth like..."Do you think you luv me~~~~ oooh~~ me~~ I think I love you! So what am I afraid of" . OMG! why I'm remembering all this now~! XD

I'll make sure to check the ost of the old anime as well as its character designs!! =D

I really love how much you appreciate the art of the manga, it's just so good, and it hit different than the anime,right.

Also fun fact as a manga reader, the art of the last part of fruits basket hit even harder because the art evolved with the series so much.

I love how you kinda seems to be in agreement with the general consensus of the manga readers after watching the anime, I'm here for the rest of your reviews,whenever you feel ready to do it !!

<3<3 Thank you for your kind words. I promised myself to only read the chapters when I'm ready to post, this way the emotions are raw & the thoughts are true to my feelings.

I admit that when I saw it's the akito chapter from the anime, I rolled my eyes thinking it's the dull akito origin story, but it wasn’t dull at all! The chapter was so full of emotions & despite not having colors, music or fantastic voice acting, it was 100 times better! Why? cuz it felt like a story for once! not a quick flashback, no, there is a purpose to it as it connects to momiji's curse break. I really ended up enjoying ren/akira & can say tons of stuff abt them as ppl & their effect on akito. In the anime, ren is just crazy mom with exaggerated animation & akira is the aesthetic combination of a fragile yuki & mystical ayame but with short hair, so, too weak & shallow to be remembered.

I love how momiji had his own space to connect with us in this chapter, I hate se03, ep 5, I admit i didnt connect with momiji much that time, I was surprised by his growth & sudden romantic love to tohtru that I failed to notice earlier due to him being toddler like in all his scenes with her. I wish they allowed him to grow up subtly so I can see him as a big boy/man & not the baby boy who looks even younger than hiro.

Yes, the art was so expressive! I'll make sure to visit earlier chapters randomly once I finish the manga to see how the art evolved! =D

  -Akito, The antagonist, The villain, & The troubled little girl: Anime vs Manga focus:

I want to be invested in akito. She’s been this despicable villain who tormented many kids & even adults. She’s the big baddie who is obviously will have her Furuba makeover. For this to be as memorable as yuki or kyo’s story, she should be written well.

I’ll be honest, anime akito’s focus & depiction is.. half-assed. As a tormented, troubled person, she got even less screen time than tohru! Honestly, Se03, ep 7 is the only akito-centered ep & too bad, it’s been already opened poorly regarding her issues simply cuz the first few minutes are so kyo-centered due to his chilling nightmare abt the most loved furuba character: kyoko, not to mention the frustration of the very weak follow up to the huge cliffhanger from ep 6. The big combined kyo-tohru freakout was only partially fulfilled seeing kyo’s nightmare & huge let down seeing tohru’s stupid illogical cooking scene with yuki & momiji where she experience memory loss & wonders why kyo is.. um.. not as bubbly as the three of them.... really tohru? You weren’t there when he crumbled?

so, yeah, in the anime we jump from this to akito’s issues while kyo’s voice-over is all over shigure-Ren scene, once again stealing from the importance of the scene & reminding us of someone else other than akito~~

In the manga, kyo-tohru issues happen where both tohru & kyo make up their minds differently, we even have a fantastic kyoko scene where she haunts tohru, but while their issues aren’t solved yet, it was wrapped in a way that doesnt affect the jump to akito. We start this chapter totally invested in her & not worried abt the dearest tohru & precious cat-boy.

I wont judge how the manga presented akito as a whole as i’m still reading it, but so far, I’m invested.

-The villain’s origin story:

Thro this chapter we visit akito’s origin before her birth, The love story of Ren & Akira. Not much difference from the anime but still it hits better, even with the anime’s powerful tools of music & voice acting.Why?  In the manga, more focus is given to facial expressions. I’m actually feeling sorry for young Ren! She’s obviously troubled & weird, but she is no gold digger. She toxicity loved Akira. The way that she only wanted him & nothing else, reminded me of akito’s “womanly”  monologue/confession abt shigure in Se03, finale. Same feeling, but different execution. Nice parallel by the author. You see, Healed akito while possessively wanting shigure, still looked for the future & still wanted a bigger life that included the sohma’s well-being. Ren just wanted akira. not even his daughter that is the product of their love. She needs to be the only one in his life as he is the only one in hers. I love this depiction of twisted love! I felt like peeking into a troubled woman’s mind & seeing the abyss.

While this is akito’s story/chapter/ep, Kureno was stealthily present all over the place in order to prepare him to be killed off later. Man~ I cant even imagine how the manga readers reacted seeing him stabbed & not knowing he’ll survive!!! especially combined with Airsa’s imagery of dead bird. It sucks that us anime-only were spoiled seeing him with Arisa happy & healthy at the ED since se03 opening ep...forever pissed off at this horrible slip up! Was the anime really to present the story to new audience or just nostalgia for manga readers? Honestly it felt neither.

-Unexpected Surprise!!! Different Angle to view the villain! A scared girl:

Akito’s origin story is interrupted by momiji’s curse break! I really forgot he was still cursed all this time! How amazing is that!!! now we understand her pain, now the audience are both looking at a poor boy who cant have mom back no matter what & a poor girl who is the same!

Both momiji & akito are abandoned by their mothers.

Momoji & akito??? that’s a connection I’ve never made. In the anime momoji’ s curse break heavily attached to his love to tohru. It was in one of the most weakly backed furuba eps. Quickly momiji is a man now,  quickly in love, quickly free, quickly heart-broken, quickly hopeful! But here... we are looking at his pain while also seeing akito’s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-The Contrast between broken boy & broken girl:

Momiji didnt choose his parents, neither did akito.

But momiji accepted his mom’s cruel abandonment, thus was able to move on & forward despite the lingering pain. Akito could’nt accept her mom’s abandonment & chose to prove her worth & cling more to the desire of wanting to be loved.

Momiji never forced himself on anyone, didnt dwell into the victim mindset either. He knows he is loved  by his dad & many others. Altho, their love isnt exactly what he hoped it to be, he didnt lecture them on how to love him. His dad sucked at keeping his promise & staying with him, but momiji knew his dad wished him well, Tohru despite loving him dearly as a friend, can’t fulfill the romantic need he wanted. Momiji accepted that you cant forced ppl & bound them using the guilt of love & relations. You are free to love your ppl as you want & so are they. Tohru cant force momiji to love her platonicly, that’s not sth he felt, but she isnt bound to return the same sentiment simply cuz she cares for him. Momiji knows the boundary of emotions & where to stand to preserve you mental & emotional health without feeling lost, failure, or broken. Yes, he felt sad for sometime, that’s okay. You should let out the negative feelings to leave space fop the positive ones without forcing anything in or out.

Akito used the bonds to tied down the sohma’s with the ropes of relations, choking them & sucking the air out of them, yuki got panic ashma! even the ones she despised: kyo, she wanted bound to her! see? I’m not someone who is abandoned. What is that yuki? you’re leaving me? hitting him with the vase! Hatori wants to marry? hurt him badly. They cant hate me, they’re built to love me! momji, you too! what? you won’t? why? how? thus, we see akito the vicious villain cries as a broken girl. Knowing her mom & dad’s story, now we feel for her. We understand, we dont agree with her, but we see her humanity. 

Well-done manga! akito is now human who is struggling accept her human weakness.

Side Notes:

If the ren-akira scene is similar to botb manga & anime, why does it hit deeper in the manga? cuz the buildup paid off. In the anime kyo’s nightmare was the most chilling element that haunted all the ep especially as we still didnt know if he really killed kyoko or not. in the manga, the focus here is only on akito & her issues. Same scenes different buildup. I’ll say it over & over. Furuba anime doesnt know how to do series of connected plot & only knows episodic presentation.

Akito vs momiji face off happening after akira-ren story is the best thing that has happened to akito as a character!!!... why did the anime skip this golden connection I can never understand... instead everything momiji was pasted togther in ep, 5. meh~

The momiji/kyo face off was good too.

Tohru seeing kyo talk to yuki/haru happens in the manga after she realized she loved him!!!! it hits different!! also, sweeeeeeeet art!

I know love the ren-akira chapter thanks to its effect on akito!

but shigure-ren convo is still, ewwwwwwwwwwwwww~ Shigure is disgusting no matter how much he showers.. lol.