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.

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.

Hi Friend,

You see, me & you come from two different experiences regarding this omitted sub-plot.

You read the manga first, so this chapter came to you as part of the plot before you know the ending or how tohru's development will be furthered. So, tohru here was teased as a small step towards her future development. I find it fascinating that some manga readers thought of this chapter as filler once they finished the manga.

I already know tohru's core issues before reading this chapter cuz I saw the anime's finale first. Reading this omitted sub-plot felt fascinating for kakeru as a character which I agree with you on, but so underwhelming for tohru which I disagree with you on.

You see...

Direct commentary on tohru is what we ONLY have in the anime &.. what I'm disappointed to still see in the manga.. We know tohru hides her feelings, so the story tells us her feelings thro so many characters but her... Isuzu, kagura, shigure, kyo, momiji, hana, Arisa , kisa, hiro, kakeru & yuki... That's all what we see & know of tohru.

When yuki told his story, he took charge, expressed himself & was on control of his own flashbacks that the aduiance saw.. & who is yuki? someone who was withdrawn & hiding behind a mask with princely smile.

When it's time to know small scattered pieces of kyo's story, he was forced into confrontations with Kazuma, then akito & finally tohru But he told us his own story from his own pov. no one did it on his behalf.

Same goes for Isuzu, Arisa, hana, momiji & the others.

Only tohru was always commented on by the others. We see her thro binoculars & even her own flashbacks was introduced thro others.

I love this chapter for a glimpse of kakeru's new side.

Also~

I don't like this chapter precisely cuz we saw tohru thro yuki's eyes. Throughout se1 & 2, 90% of the story was presented thro yuki's eyes. Not only his own struggles with kyo, himself & tohru. We saw kyo-tohru's romance thro his eyes, saw isuzu & haru individual personalities & romance thro his eyes as well. Yuki provided plenty of commentaries abt so many characters including kagura!!!. Yuki is one of my top 3 fave characters, but his insightful comments abt other characters are my least fave things abt him & the story in general, cuz they're so direct, so forward, so guided, & so diminishing of the readers'/ viewers ability to connect things, relate to characters or guess the " lesson".

The author impersonates yuki to tell us straight forward what X & Y feels & I find myself confused on whose the target audience of the story? children? Do we really need to hear it that clear? Does yuki need to know every bit of other characters feelings & struggles so he can tell us the wise comments/lesson? Why can't yuki be allowed to be real ! interactive! & dynamic! instead he's the story's guide on what to feel & what to learn. To do that, he's made into this nonstop monologuist, tremendously wise & all knowing being. It adds to his "perfect" presence that contradicts his goal of being okay with imperfectness & un-princely character.

Tohru was already established as someone who hides her feelings. After seeing/reading kyoko's chapters & hearing her open up her ugly side to kyo in the sheet hug, to put more " indirect story-telling" abt tohru contradicts what the writer has established. It is regression story-wise. If this chapter was before kyoko's chapter, then fine, but now.... what is the writer trying to tell me in this chapter abt tohru that I dont know already??? Nothing. But the writer did inform me sth new abt kakeru!! but also needed to once again involved yuki into the only part in the entire story that he wasnt involved in.. tohru's past after kyoko's death.....

I love this chapter for kakleru, it's fun, but tohru's presentation? ~ another story-telling disappointment that I never expected from the author herself. but it's okay~

~

I'm glad my furuba friends convinced me to read the manga! I'm finding depth!!!!! I already knew kyo had so much depth only based on his core story. You can write dozens of articles abt his issues & If I were a novelist , kyo's story is where I flex my creative muscles! guilt, trauma, wrong choices, faulty coping mechanism, suicidal & self destructing tendencies, domestic abusive father & broken mother, hopeless love story with none other than the girl he thinks he killed her mom! So seeing his depth displayed in the manga is so refreshing & reading his pov feels like watching an epic dramatic story unfolds in front of my eyes! -Tohru is a delight surprise. I'll be honest, the anime left me no hope regarding tohru's depth. In the anime she's given the ugliest most basic tropes: perfect mom, nurturing caretaker, savior, a saint with the ability to talk her way thro abusers' pain & show them the sun.. literally. -In the manga, we have the same formula for tohru but it was presented differently, that's why manga tohru feels more human!! Her weakness doesn't come from watching akito's pain & realizing they're alike & extending a hand after giving lectures abt human weakness. Tohru's weakness comes from US: The audience actually seeing this weakness, not hearing the grandpa narrate it or hearing tohru's 8 min monologue to herself as she watches akito with the knife. -In the manga,tohru didn't just suffer for one ep & a half & then got strong & independent & told kyo that she's coming with him. Her pain needs the audience to witness it, be part of it, feel it. not just hear abt it.

That's why manga tohru isn't as motherly as the anime, she's spending chapters thinking of herself & her own pain, What's separating us from tohru being yuki's mother isn't yuki's decision or the Ed or the final season op. What's separating us is tohru no longer thinking abt mothering/ caring/ worrying abt the 101 dalmatians characters & instead is fighting with herself abt her own needs. sth tohru is not good at. Heck chapter 110 is a yuki focus! but that small kyoru scene serves in humanizing tohru as a female/woman with needs. Sth that yuki himself remarked that it feels weird to him as it distances tohru from the motherly image.... see the difference in visions?????

1- anime= vision: perfect motherly woman= cuts the sexual tension scene which is the cleanest sexual tension scene I've saw but the most frustrating! XD. see? the talent isnt in showing naked bodies, the girl's boobs or sth, then ooops! sexual tension!!! , Nope! that's redundant trope! The talent is in the writing! I fully believed in the sexually charged moment like yuki did!! takaya-san successfully made yuki the audience without making him princy or perfect.

2- The manga= vision: human weakness= shows a girl discovering her own sexuality & attraction towards another person without showing body. Making the scene feels suitable to their own circumstances as they both decided NOT to pursue their love! It's not abt kyo being tsundre or tohru being innocent for God's sake! it's abt them, being confused on how to interact now that the masks fell in the hug scene & they both still not sure where, how to stop.

If we think of the following: why do ppl watch sth they know its story already? Among the reasons are:

To see it come to life! To feel the emotions they once felt reading but this time with the powerful tools of voice, colors, & music to maximize the experience. Books are good & everything & they provide depth & time that moving pictures can't, but visual imagery wins if it's coupled with epic screenplay/perfect adapted plot.

Ppl have different perspective, what one likes isnt necessary what others like. So, some fans might just want to see their novel come to life to see their own fave cute scenes & that's it. In their mind, the books are superior, so they accept beforehand, that they wont see the " story/plot" at its best, so they're excited for certain cute scenes that are related to certain feelings they experienced reading the books. Nothing is wrong with that.

Some are individual fans, so they're here for certain characters, if this character gets their "story" told properly, they're not bothered with how butchered the rest are. Again, nothing is wrong with that.

Some care for the story itself & while they accept that things are bound to change, reduced or cut, they're intelligent in picking up on what harms the overall plot & what doesn't. These fans get called " haters" if they criticize cuz they aren't " grateful". Granted some of them might be disrespectful in their criticism. but those who are respectful get drowned under the "ungrateful/ you dont understand it is tv/anime adaptation not faithful" accusation. Altho, furuba kinda dug its own grave with their " we are faithful to the original work" advertisement. Reading the manga now, nope. They aren't faithful at all in the third act/final arc, except for the ending. Tohru got axed. Akito, too.

I get your frustration with the final arc. You understood what was cut & felt disappointed, I'm discovering what was cut & feeling confused! XD. For all the reasons to cut content, furuba is one of those rare instances where they cut the real good & best part! They cut depth!. The thing is they are blatantly biased. Only certain characters get depth & others meet the ax. But I've never seen a show that cuts its own protagonist! But it's all comes to the anime's understanding of its protagonist: "perfect girl saves cursed family". Notice how the only tohru-cut content is when it is NOT abt "perfect girl saves cursed family". Once the story is abt tohru's own personal struggle & she's no longer saving anybody, it is CUT & the things they cant cut cuz they're part of the ending, the anime water it down: " tohru's se03, ep6" or alter it for cheap drama " tohru's se03, ep6". That is tohru's only focused ep in 3 seasons... she had focused ep in se01, ep5 but that ep only scratched tohru's surface.

-The argument that" C'mon, just be happy we got a reboot! we never thought such day would ever come" & " hey~ the manga isnt going anywhere" is true & wrong. The argument is true cuz:

Yes, be happy the reboot exists. Other anime wish for that.

Be happy 60% of the story (two thirds) is faithful. Other anime with great manga, get butchered anime endings or no endings.

Be happy, we have a finished manga with satisfying ending, other manga are unfinished for good, others are on hiatus, others have disappointing weird endings.

but still, The argument is wrong cuz:

you are allowed to express your own valid dissatisfaction & disappointment with respect. Actually, thats healthy!

Criticism is form of love. You only care cuz the cut/ruined part is 100 times better than uncut part & the comic fillery content in all 3 seasons! They cut the best part not the worst which is.. disappointing.

All forms of art are subject to personal taste & subjective perspective. Those who love everything abt it can gush & enjoy & those who don't can express that. If seeing one side bothers the other, simply block~ one button is all it takes~

Also, unfortunately, female protagonist are mostly way less complex & shallower than male protagonists.. so it is a shame seeing potential female depth cut in favor for the "perfect woman" imagery. That alone warrant valid criticism.

I love furuba se03. its the best part of the entire anime, but yeah~ i could see its " plot" issues from far away even before seeing a single manga panel. Reading the manga now makes me feel mixed feelings & i'm gonna express them, the good & the bad alike. It wont change how precious furuba is to me as a story, but it will be a good healthy outlet to express valid appointment.

oh my!! “ 3 or 4 months”!! That’s way longer than I anticipated! I was like she’s been locked for weeks, so, 2 months maximum! & that was me exaggerating. Knowing its longer than that leaves me disgusted with this abuse system going on. It is never just the abuser, it is also all those enabling him. Akito’s maid included! seeing that she encourages such behaviour. What happened to Isuzu is a crime.

I love Kureno, Hatori, shigure & Akito as they’re all playing important roles in this story to paint a realistic picture of abuse & its system. Leave the curse aside, what’s been happening in furuba can be sadly found in many houses.

Kureno, Hatori & shigure are all part of the enabling system even if they’re victims themselves or try to scheme to break the system:

Kureno playing the rescuer part isn’t enough. He pities Akito & seems to treat her as this sick person who’s not responsible for her own mistakes or who’s not fully aware she’s hurting others. Akito is aware. That’s why she chooses the most suitable blackmailing tactics. Kureno is still by the abuser side. passively watching closely. Still caring for her instead of stopping her or the least he could do: leave.

Hatori playing the fixer part, fixing the victims physically isn’t enough. He himself is a victim who wasn’t fixed physically. The doctor has a bad eye. Epic symbolism of his situation. He finally found emotional support & love through Mayu afters years of emotional scars. What can Hatori do to help these kids escape his nightmare besides medical help? He himself pities the abuser as he knows of her sad life & horrible mom. Again, Akito’s sad life & crazy mom trauma isn’t the young zodiacs’ problem. They shouldn’t bear the consequences of her mental & emotional issues. Hatori’s pity reaches dead end as it helps no one. passively watching closely.

Shigure playing the schemer part, the one actively trying “break the cycle”. Be it solely for akito or partially for the others. However, Shigure’s tactics adds fuel to fire. He engages in breaking Akito more to make her notice him, but her wrath reaches others beside him. He’s in pain cuz she sleeps with Kureno? boohoo!. Others get locked in cages for months cuz they resemble the b!sh he slept with. He can enjoy sleeping with akito, it won’t tone her down cuz Akito wants MORE than just shigure. Shigure wants the situation to escalates & the zodiacs to leave Akito, so more drama is good. More hurt is fine. He isnt a monster who enjoys it but it works for him in the long run. They’ll be saved & akito is left by her self for him to come & show her his love. I differ with Hatori, Shiure might be in the only one doing sth to break Akito free, but it is a plan dependent on others more than him. What if Akito snapped & stabbed Isuzu in her fury? What if Isuzu fall ended up fatal with head or back injury?

I’m loving the escalated drama as it creates amazing opportunities for writers to discuss or mimic real life situations with a splash of fiction & fantasy. I also love how flawed the three guys are. How being a victim can lead to faulty judgement & passive participation into others pain as well. As for Akito, I’m loving how as much as I find her sympathetic, nothing excuses her abuse towards the younger sohmas.

Hi! Thank you for sharing more thoughts!

Hana+Arisa+Tohru dynamics/friendship is one of the multiple trios in this story.

In Literature in general, 3 provides balanced dynamics that creates both clash or support as it's an uneven number. Anime/manga/cartoon , being what it is, takes things over the top & turn the trio dynamics into tons of trios within one simple work. Take Attack on Titan for example, different genre, but trio is a golden dynamics in every interaction in this work! Veteran trio, Shignashia trio, warrior trio, even Grisha & his wives trio! XD & many many others.

In Furuba, we have:

The trios with conflict at its core that takes long time to be resolved: Yuki+tohru+kyo, Tohru+ kyo+ Kagura, Shigure+akito+ kureno, Kana, Hatori, Mayko, Akito+ Kureno+ Arisa. Tohru+ Isuzu+ Akito, Momiji+ tohru+ kyo. 

The Trios with harmony but with very silent third member that mostly tag along & doesnt interact much within the trio due to their personality: Kakeru+ yuki+machi, Haru+ yuki+ Isuzu, Hana+ Arisa+tohru, Ayame+ Shigure+ Hatori, tohru+ kyo+ Kazuma.

The first group is where all the drama is & the main core dynamics that moves the main plot & carry the major themes. The 2nd group is supportive dynamics that moves either the secondary plot or the next phase of the characters towards the happy ending or to be observers that help the audience catch the change.

The second group is where tohru+hana+ Arisa at. No drama, not much effect on the general plot, both girls (Hana & Arisa) are mostly observers that help us notice tohru's struggle faintly with not much effect on tohru's character that makers her change, altho they did tell her very frankly that she might get crushed by the weight of worrying over others well-being. Still, tohru continued to be tohru until someone came & shook her dramatically with conflict: Isuzu + kagura+ Akito.

With Isuzu: tohru was forced to answer, even if late, the question: who's the most important/ precious to you? soft spoken & polite Tohru screamed with her lungs saying she'll interfere to save someone important to her! sth that shook the boys next door. Tohru didnt even know much abt isuzu's love life or even interfered. Tohru didn't even save isuzu much! Couldn't even protect her from akito & didnt even why she's hospitalized.

With Kagura: in theit first meeting, Tohru was able to feel the tingling feeling of jealousy as a woman watching someone's else so in love! Tohru actually desired to be in love herself which is such a personal need that tohru is always so quick to brush off. She didnt know she'll end up loving kyo nor did she desire for kagura to be left behind, but tohtu actually thought of personal needs & desires that day. Also, kagura slapped tohru, anime style, to bush her to pursue kyo! the main target of tohru's personal self descovery as an independant woman away from the scared child wanting her mom beside her. Kagura slapped tohru to grow up & own up her already confessed declaration in front of isuzu.

With Akito: tohru realized the ugliness inside herself & cast away the angelic aura of tohru- the-ever-so-good mother. She did before with kyo, but with akito it was a stage where tohru cut the toxic past bond with the dead & realize the importance of moving on even if she lost her most important person. Granted tohru is the one who pushed akito to do that, but seeing akito's ugliness, tohru realized her own.

Now, do I hate tohru+hana+ Arisa? nope! I enjoy them so much, but yeah Hana+ Arisa are more of protective squad, or surrogate mothers. The author herself joked abt that using kyo when hated that Hana+ Arisa accompanied tohru in their 1st date. Not every friendship needs drama or purposeful major plot device. Hana+ Arisa once they were saved by tohru early on, they tried to repay the debt by being super protective without interfering much. Kinda like yuki+tohru dynamics, once yuki was saved by tohru, he became the protective angel without confronting tohru much abt anything, or pushing her to do anything. Yuki+ Hana+ Arisa (another trio) will rather beat up kyo & mock him rather than face/tell tohru anything for fear that she might get sad. To these 3, tohru is an angel or like a glass that can easily shatter. Granted this feeling stems from great love & care. I also respect the notion that" hey, you are my dear my friend, but dont interfere in my personal space, let me do me". Still, I love the "if you are my buddy, tell it to me as it is, cuz If you don't, who will?"

In the end, I love the variety of dynamics & approach how much it copies real life.

AAAAAAAhhhhhhh~~~~~

look, I never even dreamed of getting anything after just saying goodbye. But now I'm so into seeing the cast dating & you just killed my hopes! you mean to say no dating in the manga? T_T.

I want to see kyo softly teasing tohru!

I wanted to see tohru playful & flirty so bad!!!!!!!

I wanted to yuki harsher style of teasing machi cuz she's so easy to tease!

I wanted to see machi blushing, annoyed & happy!

I wanted to see a double date (kyoru / haru & Isuzu)! cuz kyo/haru dynamics are so rare but gold!.

I wanted to see a double date (machi, yuki & kakeru & his gf " i think he said he has one in se02? or someone said so under one of posts in a comment responding to another asking if he's gay? I cant remember..

I wanted to see momiji flirting!

I wanted to see the whole young cast going to real amusement park! Imagine the shenanigans!

I wanted to see mayko sensie & Mine chatting!!! hatori can be cool, hot & boring in the background, I dont care but mayko is gold!!!!! I', forever in love with how much she is given cool facial expression & silly anime faces at the same time!!! she reminds me of kyo!! both can look intimidating but are so easy to tease with the ones that know how~~

I wanna see what on earth akito's reaction to meeting aya in his natural habitat! shigure can trick her & take her to aya's shop!

I wanna see hana & arisa burn kyo for days~

I wanna see the class reaction to kyoru dating!!! the guy who had girls around him but chose to be annoyed & uninterested, I bet he's as soft in school as he was on the zoo date! Kyo isnt really the tsundre type, once he relaxes he's so open abt his emotions~

I wanna see kyo & yuki normally hang out at home when tohru makes popcorn for a late movie night! T_T.

I wanna see kyo practicing karate at master's dojo when tohru waits for him to finish so they can go grocery together, she's all *_*.. "my man is hot!" ! yes, tohru likes kyo's karate clothes the most!.