Tohru, a literal Angel, is one of the best female characters in all of manga, and soon to be in all of anime once the full thing is done. Yep. Even in the first season content we see so much from her. From this bleak downtrodden girl living in a tent to the Tohru we see at the end helping the Sohmas fight through their pain. As I said last week it's incredible how she's able to just melt it all away. Sure she's pretty air headed and ditzy but no one on earth can deny the effort she puts in. Girl work's harder than any of us could ever dream of. No matter what happens no matter what comes her way she keeps going. Carrying on the dream her mom had for her to live a better life. She has an immense amount on her plate yet keeps helping so many people. I'm sure some would see it as naive but Tohru just has that kind of soul. Hates seeing people in pain so she does everything possible to help them. Something we should all strive towards. All this while shouldering her own pain, her own tragedy like they all have. Even with the weight she fights forward.
Kyo, the best cat boi of all time, he's great. Kyo doesn't get a lot until the end, does have some moments sprinkled throughout the first season but it comes on thick at the end. But Kyo gets that shine with his true form. His own pain and weight he's carrying. Ridiculed and chastised for being the cat zodiac. The outcast, the freak even among freaks. Constantly being hated for something he has no control over. He didn't ask to be the cat but he is. It's something Kyo has had to live with. Kyo is my favorite character in Fruba even above Tohru so Seeing him down this good warms my heart. I relate to Kyo *a lot* so it's good catharsis watching the remake with his scenes. Yuki is sort of an enigma right now. We do see him grow but as he said in the finale he's keeping a lid on his feelings so they don't overcome him. Give a credence as to why he's been so cold and closed off this whole time. He's afraid of his own emotions.
The supporting cast is spectacular. All the Sohmas carry their own pain, some we've seen some we haven't yet. The Soham family is interesting to say the least. We'll get more of their inner politics next season but even here we get a sense that this whole thing is pretty messed up. They're not operating like a family, the curse is an albatross on all their necks. Weighing them down and keeping them apart emotionally. Which is where Tohru comes in like a breath of fresh air to alleviate all this decades pent up turmoil. Uotani and Hanajima fit well into this whole thing as characters outside the Sohma family tree. Both having already meet Tohru beforehand and been saved by her more or less. Tohru's unwavering kindness and support that feels real and isn't just one liners and fake bs. Tohru speaking as someone who truly knows pain so she's the best to help them out of theirs.
Fruba brings up a many themes that are hard to talk about and bring up with people but does so in a very natural way such as how is said Tohru does. That's part of it's excellence. The best kind of stories to me tell a good lesson for sure but they do it a way that's not forced. That's not preachy and jamming it down your throat. One that eases you into it's world and the viewpoint it's going to show you. Fruba does that in spades. Such a timeless story that almost twenty years later it still rings true. A pinnacle of shojo storytelling. Cannot wait until Season 2 next year cause guess what, this is only the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more to what we've seen here.
10/10, top 5 of the year.
