Fruits Basket 3×13 Review: “See You Again Soon”

And with that, we have ended our journey with Tohru and the Soma clan. “See You Again Soon” is the final episode of the Fruits Basket reboot and serves us a nice buffet of Soma snippets as everyone prepares to send Tohru and Kyo off towards their future.

“See You Again Soon” is honestly the perfect kind of final episode. After basically 62 episodes of everyone being miserable, dealing with trauma and self-esteem issues and what have you, here everyone is happy – some to a greater extent than others. This last episode brings back every character we’ve come to know and love – even Shigure’s beleaguered assistant Mitsuru – and all of them fondly remember how Tohru helped them.

This is the culmination of all of Tohru’s character development. Since she was a child, she’s never really thought of herself as good enough just as she is. She tried to emulate her father in order to prevent her mother from slipping into despair after his death, and I truly believe she has never really considered herself worthy of affection. Despite how unbelievably obvious Hanajima and Uotani are with how ride-or-die they are for Tohru, she still doesn’t like to burden them with her problems.

Kyo tells her that she doesn’t realize how much everyone loves her, but I don’t think it really hits her until Yuki tells her the same thing later, admitting that everyone would miss her and think of her fondly. This episode really emphasizes the importance of kindness; Tohru changed so many lives just by being herself – gentle and kind. She is sad to be leaving everyone behind, worried that the best memories are gone because they won’t be seeing each other as much. But because of the impact she had on all of the Somas, they will never forget her.

I basically cried throughout the entire episode, but Yuki’s speech to Tohru, saying that she actually made him a person and finally calling her by name, acknowledging her as an individual, was an extremely beautiful moment. It’s so rare in a romance to have such an amazingly complex platonic relationship between a male and female character without having one of them be the “loser” in a love triangle. While never truly being romantic, Yuki and Tohru’s relationship was pivotal to the series, and I’m so glad that they got to have their own farewell.

Everyone gets a moment in “See You Again Soon”, and we’ll go through them one at a time.

Kyo and Tohru have a very fitting first date at the zoo, looking at “mini-Rins” and petting cats that completely ignore Kyo. I love that they were chaperoned by Hanajima and Uotani, who can’t resist giving Kyo a hard time, but are finally able to admit that they actually like him, and how they’re going to miss Tohru, and now it’s Kyo’s turn to take care of her. As Tohru’s parents are both gone, this very much reads like Uotani and Hanajima are giving Tohru away at her wedding.

One last scene with Yuki, Machi, and Kakeru just to make sure you’re not sobbing too hard during “See You Again Soon”. Yuki giving Machi a key to his place so she can visit whenever she wants was so sweet, and I genuinely laughed out loud when she declared she wouldn’t be jealous and he called her bluff by going to throw the key out the window. Yuki has had some of the best character development of the series, and it’s wonderful getting to see him happy and excited about the future.

Ritsu’s short hair surprised me so much. I thought for a minute he was Momiji, and wondered why the voice was different, until he talked about Mitsuru and then I realize who it was. I love the progress Ritsu has made throughout the series, even though we’ve only gotten a few glimpses of him, but it’s nice to see he’s still the same Ritsu when it comes down to it.

I’d feel kind of bad that Kagura is one of the few characters (along with Momiji) who doesn’t end “See You Again Soon” paired up, but honestly, it’s kind of refreshing that everyone doesn’t get a partner at the end. Because it may be the end of the series, but it’s not the end for the characters, and Kagura will have plenty of time to find someone – or not find someone, and just be happy on her own. I do love how certain she is that Kyo and Tohru will be happy.

Hiro and Kisa are so adorable. I love how she was clutching his arm as they walked. I really appreciate that Hiro didn’t want to let Kisa hide her emotions, both for how much that means for Kisa, and for what it will mean for Tohru. Hiro was desperate to prove he could be strong enough for Kisa, and I feel like this scene proves that he is.

I am so, so glad they had the scene with Rin, Momiji, and Haru, because it’s good to show that not everyone is just willing to forgive Akito for everything she’s done. Aside from Kureno and Hatori, Rin is the one who has most suffered under Akito’s rule, and her anger that others aren’t angrier was extremely believable.

Momiji is going to exist purely out of spite from now on, which I just find hilarious, because when he was introduced, he was probably the last character you would expect to be like that. He was so accepting of all of the crap that got thrown his way, but now that Kyo is taking Tohru away, Momiji is determined to have an amazing life just to go rub it in their faces.

I blanked for a moment at the scene between Kazuma and Hanajima (her order that Kyo call her “mama” earlier in the episode hit a little different after that scene), before I remembered that in the manga she ends up working as his assistant.

I’m so happy that we see that Kureno has moved away from Akito and the Soma compound in “See You Again Soon”. Kureno is the person who deserved to get away the most, so seeing him in his own place, by the sea, on the phone with Uotani who is going to join him soon, was such a relief. I’m a little sad seeing him walking with a cane, but he was stabbed in the back and that’s not just going to go away.

Hatori is also someone who desperately needed to get away, and I was a little heartbroken to hear him tell Mayuko that he’d never been on a proper trip. He had to spend almost the entirety of his adult life taking care of Akito and even had to stay on and help the person who blinded him and caused the end of his first relationship. Getting to see him laugh was like a soothing balm. It’s rare to see him so happy.

I appreciate that Akito realizes she still has a lot to atone for when she tells Shigure that she doesn’t intend to go to Tohru and Kyo’s going away party. But her being excited about potentially visiting Tohru in the future was a nice sign that she is trying to be better. I also liked how happy she was when Shigure made the comment at being dragged along to visit.

And lastly, that ending. I think I cried the hardest at getting to see a glimpse of Tohru and Kyo’s future, with the two of them as grandparents, and seeing all of the photos – the family photo with Katsuya’s face uncovered for the first time, pictures of their kids, their traditional wedding photo – and mementos acquired throughout a lifetime. Seeing them happy after all these years, walking hand in hand, with Kyoko’s final wish for Tohru as the voice-over… I am crying right now just typing it.

“See You Again Soon” is basically the perfect ending. It ties up everyone’s stories while still leaving everything open for the future. It’s optimistic and joyful, with everyone in a much better place than they were at the beginning of the series, and all of them hopeful for the future.

I’m extremely emotional right now, and I’ve only been a fan of Fruits Basket for two years. I cannot imagine how older fans of the manga are feeling right now, after having waited almost two decades to see the ending adapted. This energy will likely carry me through the rest of the week.

Oh, by the way, have you heard that a spin-off anime will be released in 2022 featuring Kyoko and Katsuya?

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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