Manga Diaries – Fruits Basket Volume 18

If you don’t know what my diaries are, please go here. Spoilers ahoy!

Otherwise, let’s go!

• Cover: It’s a good thing Takaya confirmed this is Shisou, otherwise I wouldn’t be sure.
• Page 11: Who’s this?
• 12: Oh, Machi. Doesn’t look like her.
• 16: Big rumor.
• 21: An unusual case of OCD.
• 23: Yuki’s always going to be on edge with this brother-in-law.
• 26: Seriously, is it still OCD if you prefer things to be disorganized? I assume it would still be the same, since the person would be focusing on things being in the “wrong” spot, even though it would be the right spot for others.
• 34: How does a parent confuse putting a blanket on with smothering?
• 37: Way to go, Kakeru.
• 39: Yuki smoothly avoiding a crisis.
• 41: Well, I guess I shouldn’t expect much Tohru or Kyo in this volume. Better hurry and make your return, you two. Only five volumes to go.
• 46: Knew this chapter was going to be about her. Yay… *sarcasm*
• 47: I think I’m blanking out here. Yuki and gang must be in their second years, even though since he’s the student council president. It just seems like so long that they should be in their third year by now.
• 53: Y-y-y-you idiots! *runs away*
• 57-60: Confession time. Yawn.
• 66: Nao confession time.
• 71: Here’s someone we forgot. Hinata is a cute name.
• 72: Another “long time no see” character.
• 74: Scissors and hair, never a good combination. Unless you’re in a makeover manga.
• 79: And yet, Motoko gets a chapter, but Ritchan can’t.
• 80: Haru is happy.
• 85: Even Kisa’s growing up.
• 92-93: Gee, wonder who is there.
• 96: Hiro gets a big moment here.
• 101: So he gets a Hiro x Kisa moment as a reward.
• 104: Haru is in battle mode.
• 105: Chapter 105 starts on 105. Wish all would be this easy. Keeping track of page numbers is a pain sometimes.
• 109: Haru is ready. Go Haru.
• 111: Haru is full of rage.
• 118: Kureno spills the beans…
• 119: Then scolds Akito.
• 122-123: Haru especially looks like Ranmaru from Utapri here. So I can’t help but hear this scene with Tatsun’s voice.
• 130: Now Akito pulling the “don’t leave me” schtick.
• 135: Daddy complex.
• 141: Kureno looks young here.
• 142-144: Old hag is screwed up, too.
• 151: So close, Rin. So close…
• 155: Wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
• 162: Rin gets a little piece of happiness.
• 163: Who buckles their belt on the side?! Actually, it’s almost toward his back.
• 166: Finally back together.
• 168-170: Rin taking on the role of “rival becomes friend” in this manga. Wasn’t really a rival though, but she has the whole “embarrassed to be friends” thing going on.
• 174: Haven’t had one of these lines in a while. Put a smile on my face.
• 177: Haru designs his own jewelry, huh? Pretty talented.
• 182: Probably fulfilled the Tohru and Kyo quota for this volume.
• 186-187: Shigure knows all about using people. And they’re good friends. GOOD friends. Really good friends. REALLY good friends. Yep, don’t get to be any more good friends than this.
• 188-189: Shigure drops a bombshell on Rin.
• 196: Guess we had a little more Tohru and Kyo at the very end.

First half of the volume was boring. Motoko and Machi are characters I don’t really care about. Rin’s situation was much more interesting, and we see how all the chess players deal with this situation. Ren will use anyone, Shigure pops in to move the pieces occasionally, and Akito will knock the pieces down if things don’t go her way. Tohru doesn’t do anything here outside of throwing a fit at the end of the volume. I imagine these volumes felt like they stretched on when Fruits Basket was being serialized with the main characters being out of the story so much. Really, Yuki x Machi has had, overall, much more focus in the second half. Even Haru x Rin finally get back together in true dramatic fashion. Rin has taken many risks in being together with Haru and to break the curse. Tohru just kind of has been floating around, powerless. Even her moments with Kyo are rather short, making them feel more like a side couple than a main couple. I mean, I like the story of Haru x Rin, but it almost seems like it would have been better suited for a different manga completely. Have a different supernatural secret, or just make Rin suffer under a cruel parent or guardian, and then have a whole manga about the two of them. Ensemble casts can be very hard to write about, but it feels like it’s been so long since Tohru has really done anything to earn the title “main character”.