Fruits Basket 2×17 Review: “You Will, I’m Sure of It”

Some episodes of Fruits Basket are funny, some are heartbreaking, but “You Will, I’m Sure of It” felt very melancholy, despite the amount of fun. Perhaps it was the change in scenery or the change in season, or the knowledge that – for some characters – their freedom is rapidly dwindling. Whatever the reason, this episode made my heart hurt in a different way than usual.

There was very much a focus on romance in “You Will, I’m Sure of It”, from Shigure exclaiming about how school trips are ripe for romance to Kakeru revealing that he has a girlfriend. This episode very much pushed relationships to the forefront. But they were soft moments with subtle character development, and not quite as “in your face” as previous episodes have been.

Tohru and Kyo’s interactions in particular were very well done. It’s amazing how much emotion can be put into an animated character, but the stark change in Kyo’s demeanor when he’s with Tohru as compared to how he is with, say, the random girl who confessed to him, is phenomenal. Tohru naturally breaks down the walls that Kyo has put up after a lifetime of abuse.

He softens so much when he’s around her. He notices the small things and works to help her; for example, knowing that she wanted to pick up zodiac figurines despite her not having mentioned it to him.

Likewise, Tohru is similarly attuned to Kyo. She becomes aware in this episode of how much what he says and does affects her; him declaring that something is not her business hurts her, him asking if she wants to hang out makes her happy. The difference between the two of them is that Kyo knows that he’s in love with her, and Tohru hasn’t yet realized what these feelings mean.

It was lovely, after such a melancholic episode, that “You Will, I’m Sure of It” ended on such a sweet moment: Tohru making her own cat to go with the zodiac figurines that she bought. It was also a lovely callback to the first episode, because I’m fairly positive she bought the exact same set that Shigure had displayed.

As for Yuki, his development is tangentially related to Tohru and Kyo. It’s obvious that he’s aware of their feelings for each other – his confidence that Kyo will reject the confession, his reaction to the idea of Kyo hurting Tohru – and relatively unaffected by it. He tells Kakeru that Tohru is her own person and she’s free to spend time with whoever.

But the relationships that are most prevalent for Yuki are the platonic ones that he’s building with the members of the student council. He’s acting like a teenager, he’s becoming less buttoned-up and controlled, and he’s starting to acknowledge that that side of him is OK. Declaring that he would no longer be Kakeru’s friend if he hurt Tohru is childish, but it’s also an incredibly important moment because Yuki considers Kakeru his friend, which is a long way from Yuki’s first impression.

A touch of sadness in Yuki’s part of the episode is his insistence that he didn’t want souvenirs, he just wanted the memories. Presumably he wouldn’t get to keep much when he returns to the Soma compound, or perhaps he worries about having the items themselves taken away – but the memories he will be able to hold on to for the rest of his life, and they’ll be his safe place.

I love getting to see all the kids together; the dynamic is fantastic, and the comedy inherent in it brings some much-needed light-heartedness to what was a fairly melancholy episode. Great moments include Uotani rushing to witness Kyo being confessed to because she thought he’d be embarrassed, Hanajima casually giving Yuki some of her food, and Uotani trying to “feed” Kyo in the same way she would the deer.

The scenery in this episode was gorgeous as well. I’m usually very fond of the art and the art style of Fruits Basket, but in this instance looked as though it featured the characters drawn over photographs. The moment where Kyo grabs Tohru’s hand was beautifully animated, and the transition from Yuki grabbing the leaf to giving it to Machi was extremely well done.

Have you seen “You Will, I’m Sure of It”? What did you think?

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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