REVIEW: ‘Fruits Basket: The Final Season,’ Episode 10 – “I Just Love Her”

Fruits Basket the Final Season Episode 10 released on June 7th, 2021, to premium subscribers of Crunchyroll and Funimation. After Tohru’s tragic fall off a cliff last episode and Akito breaking the chains of the zodiac curse, this episode brings viewers a refreshing change of pace while still providing lots of character growth.

The ensemble cast of Fruits Basket rallies together for moral support as well as trying to figure out what happened to Tohru on that cliff. Viewers get to see what characters Arisa, Saki, and Yuki are up to. Akito riddled with guilt for her various crimes against our protagonists begins her journey towards forgiveness by confessing to Arisa and Saki that she was the one who stabbed Kureno and put him in the hospital. For Akito, this a huge step towards reconciling with how much she has hurt not just the Sohma clan but others around her. I say this often when it comes to Fruits Basket but the scriptwriting is so human and natural that every word and interaction amongst characters never feels out of place.

Various exchanges of forgiveness occur between key characters that wonderfully capture the art of forgiveness. This leads viewers to finally have a payoff between the characters of Kureno and Arisa. Their relationship had always been on the backburner because of Akito and they are finally allowed to explore their relationship free of chains. Arisa, in a bold exclamation of love, confesses that she will follow him wherever and will wait for the right time to be more than a footnote in his life. This exchange was a wonderful end to seasons worth of pain amongst these two characters. While it was short, it still satisfied.

Despite Tohru not being in Fruits Basket Episode 10 much, she is still a key topic in Kyo and Yuki’s growth in this episode. Kyo despite his awareness of his weaknesses, wallows in self-pity again and wants to run away. Yuki cannot stand how Kyo is falling to his coping mechanism and forces him to have an emotional showdown with one another. It is in this moment that some of the most intense growth between two characters, always at odds with each other, is displayed.  With emotive voice work from Eric Vale and Jerry Jewell, Yuki and Kyo begin to accept that they are their own persons separate from each other.

It’s a great moment for fans to see how all of our character’s internal conflicts are healing and laying the way for the end of the series but a brand new start for almost all of our main characters.  Before going to see Tohru, Kyo knows he needs to absolve himself of all of his past guilt with his parents before he can properly move on with his life. TME Entertainment animates another one of the series most intense and saddest moments as Kyo goes to talk to his dad. The way they interact with each other, the movement between a parent and a child that feels as if violence is about to occur hits too close to home for any child who has ever had to deal with abuse.

The handling of parents blaming their kid for things out of their control is done tastefully and this scene captures the loneliness, confusion,  shame, and the pain of a parent constantly blaming you for all that is wrong in their life. It’s in this moment where Fruits Basket Episode 10 shows Kyo at his best despite the fact that this is the most intense emotional roller coaster he has experienced as a character. Kyo doesn’t run away from his dad, but he does walk away from a situation knowing he stood his ground and has moved on from the suffering that this relationship has caused him. It’s a beautiful message to send to viewers. Sometimes blood family can cause you harm and it’s okay to walk away to find happiness and love with your new, chosen family.

Fruits Basket Episode 10 still brings lots of emotional threads together however, it is lighter in tone. With a bit of secondary character progression, this isn’t as much of a knockout as previous episodes but it is still great. There are only three more episodes of Fruits Basket pacing and writing that are wonderfully wrapping up the series.  It is pushing us into the final stretch and I cannot wait,

Fruits Basket Episode 10 is now streaming on Funimation.