Fruits Basket The Final Season Episode 5

Winners and Losers

Before I started watching Fruits Basket The Final Season Episode 5, I was thinking about how the romance aspect of the series has shifted over time. It used to be a battle between Yuki and Kyou for Tooru’s love. But, Kyou’s become the clear winner.

To be fair, from the very start of the series, Tooru stated that she was always interested in the cat of the zodiac. So it should really come as no surprise that Kyou would beat Yuki in that regard. But for a while there, I thought it could have gone both ways.

This week’s episode only cemented that when Yuki was going to tell Machi about the zodiac curse. And the current OP actually hinted at this development all along. In the OP, we see a shot of Kyou followed by three images of Tooru and a shot of Yuki followed by three images of Machi.

If we take the events of this episode, the OP, and the ED into consideration, we can see some clear winners and losers in the love department. The pairings I expect to see by the end of the series are Kyou and Tooru, Yuki and Machi, Haru and Rin, Hiro and Kisa, Shigure and Akito, Kureno and Arisa, Hatori and Mayuko, and Ayame and Mine.

Good for them. But some of these couples mean that there are losers as well. With Kyou and Tooru inevitably becoming a pair, Momiji loses out, which is what Episode 5 was all about. But, I don’t really feel bad for Momiji; there’s someone who deserves my pity more.

The original best girl of the series, Kagura, is truly the biggest loser in terms of romance. She’s loved Kyou for years, and this is how he thanks her?

Who’s Next?

Obviously, the big twist of this week’s episode was that Momiji became the second zodiac member to break free from the curse. I would have expected Haru to be next considering his connection to Akito has started to fray. But, no, it was Momiji.

In my review of Episode 4, I theorized about how the curse is broken. And with Momiji’s breaking of the curse, my theory seems to be on the right track. Momiji’s curse was broken after he wished he could start a brand new family with Tooru.

Again, why Momiji’s curse broke while Haru’s didn’t likely has to do with how they view the Souma clan. Haru and Rin are both within the clan and so breaking free from the clan isn’t necessary for them to be together. For Momiji, being a zodiac member of the Souma clan has taken his immediate family from him.

Momiji doesn’t simply want to be with Tooru. He wants to start a new life with Tooru that’s separate from the Souma clan and the zodiac. That’s why I think his curse broke while Haru’s only weakened. Haru still has a meaningful connection to the clan, and therefore Akito.

But, who’s going to be next? Surprisingly, I don’t actually think it will be Haru now — and because I think he and Rin will break free at the same time, I don’t think it will be Rin either. I think it’s going to be Yuki. And yes, I realize that may be bold.

Sure, someone random like Kagura or Ritsu could be next. But, considering how Yuki’s development has been going, I think it will be him. Not only has he finally stopped worrying about Akito, but he now has Machi as well. That’s a powerful combination.

Curse 2: Electric Boogaloo

Going along with Momiji’s curse being broken and the revelation that he’s also vying for Tooru’s affection, we learn that being free from the zodiac curse isn’t always a positive. Even being free from the curse can itself be a curse in some ways.

First of all, Momiji’s status as a zodiac member was something that connected him with others. He had a connection with every other zodiac member through the curse even if they can’t actually feel that connection. All of them feel their connection to Akito, but since nobody knew Kureno’s curse broke, they clearly don’t feel a connection to each other.

Even so, that connection was important to Momiji because, as I already mentioned, he has no immediate family. Sure, they exist, but he has no real relationship with them. Without his zodiac member bond, it’s as if Momiji is really on his own now.

Additionally, Momiji mentions that breaking free from his curse is more painful for him than it is for someone like Kyou who’s still bound by it. What did he mean by this? He obviously had a point since Kyou didn’t want to accept it despite knowing he was right.

Well, what Momiji was saying that now that he’s finally free from the curse, he can be with whoever he wants. In his case, that means Tooru. But, this is painful because despite finally being in a position to be with her, he can’t actually be with her because she loves Kyou instead.

And Kyou’s acknowledgment that Momiji is right is basically saying that Tooru’s affection is more important than the curse. They’d both rather be cursed if it means having Tooru than not be cursed but living without Tooru.

Conclusion

What do you think of Fruits Basket The Final Season Episode 5? Do you think all of my final relationship predictions are right or wrong? Who do you think will be the next one to break free from the curse? And is Tooru’s love worth being cursed? Let me know in the comments.

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There’s no review of Episode 6. But my review of Episode 7 is available.