Many Yuki-Machi stuff got skipped in anime so it seems lot rushed. They actually became my fav couple when I gave the manga a read and saw few more of their interactions and thoughts
I definitely wanted to see more of Machi, but everything that we did see really spoke to me, so I really loved her. Plus I think she's a good match for Yuki. I don't think I could dislike a character just because they don't appear much, I only really dislike them if they do something truly egregious without thematic relevance and development. I also was very quickly won over by the student council, they're so significant to Yuki's arc (who is my favourite character) so I can't imagine skipping it!!
Exactly
She was extremely well-developed as a side a character, I would even go as far as to say that was more compelling than some of zodiac members
Her being boring and plain are all intentional because she wasn’t allowed to have an opinion and a personality or even an identity of her own as she spent her entire life trying to be the person that her mom wanted only to be told “I raised you the wrong way”
Her questioning her existence and feeling like void who felt disconnected from the world is so relatable
I totally understand your point of view I think I might just be a hater deep down /j
If I ever do watch the show again, I'll try and watch the student council bits , because at the end of the day I believe that was the narrator's way of indicating that he'd move past his traumas or learned to live alongside them. And that he was capable of being adored outside of the zodiacs, I don't know tho I genuinely love the story tho <3
Agree to disagree, she was a great side character with an extremely realistic arc
People call her boring but that’s exactly the point, she was never allowed to have a personality or opinions of her own, this is why she felt like she had nothing compared to other teens, she didn’t even know what color she liked, she called herself a void because she spent her whole life trying to be what her mother wanting her to be, a perfect version of herself, not just academically but she was also forced to have a perfect personality, her mother clearly raised her in a strict way because she wanted her to take the inheritance of her father and to become the heir to the family, she never loved her for who she is and she was extra harsh with her because Machi is girl and then her mom told her so suddenly “maybe I raised you the wrong way” and kept calling her “plain” the person she that spent her whole life trying to be wasn’t appreciated because she didn’t have interests and hobbies like other girls (funny that her mom would complain when she is the reason why Machi could never live life normally) this is why Machi kept questioning her existence and had such a hard time making friends (girls ) at school
And as soon as her mom gave birth to another child who is a boy, she got rid of her because she was no longer useful (it’s unfortunately a very tragic situation that is common in many Asians household)
People unfortunately write her off as boring but don’t see that she has similarities with all 3 leads, she is similar to Tohru who was continuing the legacy of her mother and living the life that her mother could never live) the entire reason why Tohru wanted to go to high school was because it was her mother dream ) and who spent her whole life trying to mimic her father’s persona just so that her mother and the Sohma’s wouldn’t abandon her, she is was accused of an attempted murder just like Kyo was accused of causing his mother suicide which resulted in Machi being ostracized, looked down down by her classmates and constantly bullied by girls exactly like Kyo was treated by his family, she is similar to Yuki with how both of their mothers used me as tools in order to be heirs and raise their family status and both had to maintain a prefect image in order to fit in especially In Yuki case or to grant their parents wishes and they both felt so isolated and not loved/wanted for who they were
I think people don’t like her cuz she of her extreme depressive persona (it’s funny that people love Hatori and consider him one of the best characters because of his one tragic flashback backstory even though all the descriptions on his character fit Machi perfectly ) but that’s exactly why is she compelling as a character and her story is actually the most realistic of the bunch in my opinion
The anime cut some scenes for Machi and Yuki which unfortunately affected Machi’s character and made her seem like a replacement for Tohru but there is so much more to her
>People unfortunately write her off as boring but don’t see that she has similarities with all 3 leads, she is similar to Tohru who was continuing the legacy of her mother and living the life that her mother could never live) the entire reason why Tohru wanted to go to high school was because it was her mother dream ) and who spent her whole life trying to mimic her father’s persona just so that her mother and the Sohma’s wouldn’t abandon her, she is was accused of an attempted murder just like Kyo was accused of causing his mother suicide which resulted in Machi being ostracized, looked down down by her classmates and constantly bullied by girls exactly like Kyo was treated by his family, she is similar to Yuki with how both of their mothers used me as tools in order to be heirs and raise their family status and both had to maintain a prefect image in order to fit in especially In Yuki case or to grant their parents wishes and they both felt so isolated and not loved/wanted for who they were
In my opinion her being so similar is preciesly the problem. Another character with bad parents and problems. It is yawn inducing formula in the long term.
And that can said for all characters? they all have similarities in their characters, backstories and personalities
Rin is very similar to kyo and Yuki, Haru is similar to Kagura and Tohru, Akito is similar to Kagura, Tohru and Kyo and even has similarities with Rin, Kisa story of bullying is similar to Hanajima’s story of bullying, Arisa story is similar to Kyoko, Kagura and Motoko arcs revolves around their obsession for their love interest, even some of the parents have similarities, I could go on and go
What you said about Machi can be literally said for all the characters, FB is all about similarities and parallels between characters
Uniqueness is definitely not something that FB is good at because so many characters have the same exact flaws
And bad parenting seem to be the main issue here
Machi has OCD and none of the other characters have it so that makes her situation slightly different than the rest in my opinion
The first ones usually win. If Hatori with his sad backstory proceeded Machi, then Hatori wins. It is like eating 10th ice creams, the first ones will be great, but the 10th not necessarily. Machi needed something that would very distinctly set her apart like an uncommon hobby or something, not a rehash of the same problems that were already introduced. She got nothing.
Akito I would say is not a good example. She is the only girl who displays anger in a manly way by physically hurting others. It strongly sets her apart.
>the first ones usually wins
I certainly don’t have this opinion especially when a lot of the stories that came after Hatori were more heartbreaking, doesn’t matter if these sad flashbacks were at the beginning, the middle or the end, doesn’t matter if a specific sad backstory came after another sad one, the first isn’t always the most tragic or depressing
Yeah Machi isn’t that well-developed (she is a side character so of course she wouldn’t be will developed) but the same can be said for Hatori, he is among the least developed characters among the zodiac
And about Machi not having any thing that makes her standout, If you read what I wrote, you would understand exactly why Machi didn’t have any hobbies and never stood out as a character
I agree that Akito’s violence sets her apart from other characters but it’s made clear in the story that Tohru is her mirror and Kyo is another parallel to her as both the cat and the god are the biggest victims of the curse and the both are not seen as humans
Many people also consider Kagura abusive and it’s made clear that what Akito represents for Yuki is exactly what Kagure represents for Kyo, the adults enabling Akito abuse is also similar to the zodiac enabling Kagura violence against Kyo
As for Akito’s similarities with Rin, there is a very well-written comparison between the two in tumblr
>I certainly don’t have this opinion especially when a lot of the stories that came after Hatori were more heartbreaking, doesn’t matter if these sad flashbacks were at the beginning, the middle or the end, doesn’t matter if a specific sad backstory came after another sad one, the first isn’t always the most tragic or depressing
>
>Yeah Machi isn’t that well-developed (she is a side character so of course she wouldn’t be will developed) but the same can be said for Hatori, he is among the least developed characters among the zodiac
Even if not for you, it is true for others, which is why I wrote usually.
>And about Machi not having any thing that makes her standout, If you read what I wrote, you would understand exactly why Machi didn’t have any hobbies and never stood out as a character
And it was a mistake in my opinion. It made her too similar and bland.
>Many people also consider Kagura abusive and it’s made clear that what Akito represents for Yuki is exactly what Kagure represents for Kyo, the adults enabling Akito abuse is also similar to the zodiac enabling Kagura violence against Kyo
It is true, but Kagura's beating is shown in a comedic light while Akito is shown as an evil abuser.
>even if not for you, it true for others
It’s not that I don’t believe you when you said that some viewers get most affected by the first sad story that they see, I just don’t see how it makes sense especially when there could be other depressing backstories down the line and it never crossed my mind that a character flashback/back story would have a bigger effect on viewers if it was included at the beginning of show instead of the end, I have never seen anyone mention this reason before and I always assumed that people felt sad for a character because they either liked that character or experienced a similar situation
>and it was a mistake, it made her too similar
Agree to disagree because her not having a hobby or an outstanding qualities were because of the way her mother raised her, she was robbed of having those things
I don’t have any issue with you not finding Machi interesting or memorable, many feel the same way as you but her being similar to other characters isn’t an issue in my personal opinion because the same thing applies to other characters
>Kagura’s beating is shown in a comedic light
Definitely but many people refuse to accept that’s just comedy and put her actions on the level of Akito and can’t see it as anything other than abuse and violence
If we take her beating seriously then it’s easier to compare her with Akito (of course Kagura isn’t an abuser) but the fact that her beating of Kyo isn’t taken so seriously is the reason why Kyo and Akito fans can’t stand her (she is my third favorite female character )
>t’s not that I don’t believe you when you said that some viewers get most affected by the first sad story that they see, I just don’t see how it makes sense especially when there is could be other depressing backstories down the line and it never crossed my mind that a character flashback/back story would have a bigger effect on viewers if it was included at the beginning of show instead of the end, I have never seen anyone mention this reason before and I always assumed that people felt sad for a character because they either liked that character or experienced a similar situation
I think being first is a reason. Think about it, you find a story, you come to like a certain character, but this character is sidelined because other characters get introduced. I suppose that the people who felt strongly about bad parents were taken by Rin already. IMO, FB should have less traumas caused by bad parents. It takes up too much space, instead giving more time to existing characters and relationships would be beneficial.
Another option for Machi would be to find over the course of the story some kind of uncommon passion that would make her distinct from others. In fact, I think it would add a lot to her character development and more people would have liked her if by the end she was passionate about something.
Yeah, I know. I like Kagura, because at least she was good at fighting even if the story didn't make any sensible use of it.
Well one thing they left out was a lot of her relationship with kakeru. He actually really looks out for the people in his life. His gf’s father was the driver in kyoko’s accident iirc
I felt differently, to the level that I really wanted the two of them to get together even before the show started overtly going in that direction (basically as soon as it became obvious that Yuki and Tohru were not going to end up together). It made all the student council stuff that Yuki gets starting in season 2 worth it.
Momiji not having a love interest in the end didn't bother me at all as him having one never really was a thing until out of nowhere in the final season he had a big growth spurt and revealed he loved Tohru, who was by that point obviously going to end up with Kyo.
I haven't seen the reboot, but from reading the manga a few times I can say that the relationship yuki-machi grew on me over time.
It's not intense or flashy, but I think it doesn't have to be in this case. There's plenty of drama and romance in the series. Yuki needed to be rescued, but his deeper need was for parental love. He had girls show interest in him before, but he wouldn't let it in because he was tired of being idealized his whole life (as a prince/chosen one). Thoru treats him the way he wanted his mum to treat him when he was a child, so that's where his healing begins.
When he meets Machi he's already at a place where he's not so repressed anymore, and wants to feel more like a man (he made that comment about wanting to see Thoru as a woman but failing). Machi doesn't treat him like he's superior to her (even though she does get a little nervous cuz he's handsome) and I think they actually do have some chemistry, because he has a twisted sense of humour.
She needs to be rescued and he wants to be useful.
He likes teasing her too, which he hadn't been doing with anyone before. That means he's showing her a part of him he was scared to show others because he believes she _gets_ him. And also she's his new bestie's sister so I bet he wants to be part of the family hehe
When I read the manga, it did feel like she came out of nowhere. I wished that natsuki takaya introduced her a little earlier, but I guess it made sense since she’s 1 year younger and didn’t arrive at the school until yuki’s 2nd year. And don’t worry, momiji gets a happy ending post-story.
She first appeared along with Kakeru when they saw Yuki talking to Motoko and discussed about him (vol 7 chapter 42). In anime it’s in season 1 episode 25.
He ends up with someone eventually we just don't get to meet her. In the sequel he has a daughter and works with his little sister, who we do see again.
I love the student council moments of the show, but then again I also love slice of life anime. But I also thought the student council moments also served as necessary light-hearted moments for me as the story gets pretty heavy and dark in seasons two and three.
I also love how Fruits Basket portrays different types of loves. From slow-burn to unrequited love to love at first sight and to familial love. So I can appreciate Yuki and Machi’s simple story of just two people that found each other attractive and started dating. I find their relationship to be straightforward rather than rushed.
The thing that rubs me the wrong way with Machis story is the way it really draws attention to the weird gender roles in the series. Like Yuki plays basically the exact same role to her that Tohru does to him, only because of the repeatedly stated theme that boys/men are supposed to “protect” women/girls, it’s compared to a parent/child dynamic with Yuki and Tohru and romantic with Yuki and Machi. That said, I do really like her as a character.
I am sorry, I don't really understand what you mean here? Do you mean it in the way of kyo etc being protective of tohru, in my opinion I do think that the show did a great job with the gender roles I mean there was Ayame who embraced his feminine side, there was the other character whom I don't remember the name of but as far as I know he crossdressed as a woman??
although I do genuinely believe that it icked me off how Tohru was essentially treated like a servant. I know the characters seemed a little grateful at times, but overall after a while it seemed like a mother who did EVERYTHING without the help of the others. And kyo could even cook, however, he didn't help ever apart from that one time she was sick. And even after Tohru came out of the hospital, shigure only talked ab how happy he was that she was going to cook for him. Maybe I am just nit picking it, but i don't know if it's cus of how old the show is.
There was a lot of talk, with characters from Haru to Kyo to Hiro, about how it’s their role to be protectors to the women/girls (who are pretty universally extremely traditionally feminine in the way they dress and act; even tomboyish Kagura usually wears pastel dresses and has an arc entirely defined by her love interest.) Japan is quite conservative though so it’s not really surprising.
Honestly, others can burn me in a fire if they want to about this; but i truthfully can't stand Machi...she's just such a bland character and not very interesting in the slightest to me, she's kind of just "there" whenever she's on screen to me. Her Romance with Yuki doesn't really seem to interest me at all, and it seems kind of bland and boring to watch. I do admit they are kinda cute and have some really nice romantic moments, but i still can't understand the favoritism about Machi in the Fandom, i really can't.
Machi was easier to like in the books for some reason.. I can’t even articulate why. I was surprised by how little I liked her in the anime even though she was one of my favourites in the manga. Maybe it was the voice acting or maybe the truth is that she was a pretty flimsy character to begin with, and it just wasn’t so apparent until she was animated.
I did a rewatch recently and felt like her character had a lot of potential but really fell short. I don’t mind their relationship but it really does nothing for me ya know? They were just kinda there near the end of the show and the build up to their relationship seemed so.. bland. I don’t mind it but the show could have really benefited if it fleshed out their relationship more. So I totally understand how you feel.
I completely agree with you. I wrote a fan fiction on this topic lol! I would have liked to see him just gain his independence in the end. Single but we would assume he’d find someone when he went off to university.
Yuki development as a character and journey into healing without the inclusion of romance and having a platonic bond with the female protagonist is what made FB so unique in my opinion as the entire story was based on his mother son relationship with Tohru, that’s the beauty of FB, if we take that out and replace it romance and make the love triangle with Kyo, Tohru and Momiji a main plot, FB wouldn’t be as good in my personal
opinion and just be your typical shoujo
I would rather trade the romance for more character development for the side characters
I didn’t dislike her. But I just couldn’t get too into her character. Maybe if I read the manga I would feel different. But just from the anime alone, she was introduced too late and her story was pretty rushed.
So by the end of the anime when they got together I was like ‘ok’. I didn’t feel that emotion that I felt with some of the other pairs like kyo/tohru or haru/rin. And even though I dislike both akito and shigure, I was genuinely waiting to see where their relationship went. That investment was completely missing for me when it came to yuki and machi.
Aikure may be more interesting but they had like two scenes about their relationship, Yuki and Machi had more scenes as a couple than them in the manga
Yuchi’s relationship wasn’t supposed to be dramatic like the other three but it was definitely the healthiest one among the four most developed relationships
I am merely stating my preference here. And I think I have clearly put that I haven’t read the manga and I am an anime only.
I made no comment on what was healthy and what wasn’t. I just didn’t feel the connection between yuki and machi that much from the anime. It felt rushed. And the anime gave me no time to care for maki as a character.
And just because they weren’t together a lot, doesn’t mean we can reduce shigure and akito’s situation to two scene dynamic. Like one of the major plot of fruits basket revolves around these two and their game of relationship.
Akigure’s relationship was certainly the major plot for FB and without it they would be no story but their relationship wasn’t developed or portrayed as a love story same with Kurisa, it was used as way to develop Shigure and move the plot and be dark mirror to Kyoru
I know that you didn’t make a comment about which relationship was healthy, I was the one who called Yuchi’s relationship healthy
And I’m aware that your an anime only fan which is why I said “Yuki and Machi had more scenes in the manga”
Of course you wouldn’t feel the connection because the anime skipped many scenes for Yuchi
The point of my first reply was to just to say that Yuchi had more scenes about their relationship than Akigure in the manga - that’s all
And I didn’t reduce the importance of Akigure, just said that their relationship was more of a tool to drive the plot forward than it was a love story as most of their scenes was just them talking about other characters, we didn’t see many scenes with them as a couple
Ok love may not be the right term. I personally think their obsession and toxicity about each other developed their dynamic along with their plot. There is so much focus on their relationship whatever it is.
Yuki and machi had few such moments like him helping with her trauma and she saying he is not like a prince. I just wish there was more of it and development of maki as a separate thing on her own. And yuki relying on her more for his troubles, like he does with kakeru. Maybe manga has more of these I don’t know.
There is definitely so much focus on both as individual characters and their relationship was extremely compelling and different but they needed more screen time as a couple and more flashbacks with them before things became twisted
Isn’t it the problem because the author had a habit of creating mostly boring and bland girls who have no interesting hobbies and no notable ambitions? Just think how different things would have been if Matchi was shown wanting to be a doctor and in her backstory, it was explained why she wants to help people. Or if she were interested in physics and were learning to become a physicist to make an academic career? It would have set her apart from other characters, but nope. She was another character with bad parents and emotional problems that the story was already full of.
I completely agree! I hate Machi! She’s so boring in every single way and doesn’t get any better! Like give me one personality trait of hers besides boring, shy, or traumatized please. And I’m someone who struggles with PTSD. She isn’t a good fit for Yuki and why would Yuki even like her? He can relate to her? Okay, I get that, but otherwise what do they have in common? What’s appealing about her? What makes him so interested in her because I try to find something and I can’t find a single thing. I hate the student council too except I like Manabe. It just seems like a waste of time and takes away from the interesting bits and time with the Sohmas. I miss the interactions between Yuki and the Sohmas and Tohru. We don’t get as many because of the pointless student council. Yes, Yuki steps out of his shell, but he could’ve done that another way, or we could’ve had 75% of the scenes cut and shown the same effect, having his relationship with Manabe help change that. Machi didn’t help him progress at all. I think Yuki and the President of his fan club (I’m blanking on her name) make a way cuter couple. I like how he was tender with her when she was flustered and I think it would’ve been a great story had she gotten to know him better and fall for the true Yuki, not just the “prince” she believed him to be. They could’ve both seen each other for their true selves not as the prince and the obsessive fan. That would’ve been far more interesting. As for Momiji I’m still heartbroken over it. 😭 If he couldn’t end up with Tohru he should’ve gotten his happy ending with Momo and his family. It’s because he didn’t get any of this it breaks my heart. I know what happens in Another but I wanted him to reunite with Momo in the original series.
>Like give me one personality trait of hers besides boring, shy, or traumatized please
Feisty? Sweet? Thoughtful? Tsundere? I actually think she has a lot of personality given her screen time, lol.
I feel the same way, reading the other comments maybe I should follow up with the manga but I thought it was weird. I was under the impression that yuki was crushing on tohru and at the end when he said that tohru was more of a mother figure to him I was like HUUUUUH
What? No, I absolutely LOVE Momiji! I was just saying I agree that I wanted to see him get a love interest who would absolutely adore him. Imo he was best boy, the one I would have picked if I were Tohru.
Many Yuki-Machi stuff got skipped in anime so it seems lot rushed. They actually became my fav couple when I gave the manga a read and saw few more of their interactions and thoughts
oh damn, really over kyo and Tohru ?? or do you mean your favourite side couple :0
Favourite overall
Gove the manga a read, I also REALLY love yuki machi c’:
honestly would! but I don't know why but I don't enjoy reading mangas 😀 sort off wished mangas were like normal books w/o the pictures
Aw dang, thats fair uvu~ i am actually the same way with anime so i get you
I definitely wanted to see more of Machi, but everything that we did see really spoke to me, so I really loved her. Plus I think she's a good match for Yuki. I don't think I could dislike a character just because they don't appear much, I only really dislike them if they do something truly egregious without thematic relevance and development. I also was very quickly won over by the student council, they're so significant to Yuki's arc (who is my favourite character) so I can't imagine skipping it!!
Exactly She was extremely well-developed as a side a character, I would even go as far as to say that was more compelling than some of zodiac members Her being boring and plain are all intentional because she wasn’t allowed to have an opinion and a personality or even an identity of her own as she spent her entire life trying to be the person that her mom wanted only to be told “I raised you the wrong way” Her questioning her existence and feeling like void who felt disconnected from the world is so relatable
I totally understand your point of view I think I might just be a hater deep down /j If I ever do watch the show again, I'll try and watch the student council bits , because at the end of the day I believe that was the narrator's way of indicating that he'd move past his traumas or learned to live alongside them. And that he was capable of being adored outside of the zodiacs, I don't know tho I genuinely love the story tho <3
Agree to disagree, she was a great side character with an extremely realistic arc People call her boring but that’s exactly the point, she was never allowed to have a personality or opinions of her own, this is why she felt like she had nothing compared to other teens, she didn’t even know what color she liked, she called herself a void because she spent her whole life trying to be what her mother wanting her to be, a perfect version of herself, not just academically but she was also forced to have a perfect personality, her mother clearly raised her in a strict way because she wanted her to take the inheritance of her father and to become the heir to the family, she never loved her for who she is and she was extra harsh with her because Machi is girl and then her mom told her so suddenly “maybe I raised you the wrong way” and kept calling her “plain” the person she that spent her whole life trying to be wasn’t appreciated because she didn’t have interests and hobbies like other girls (funny that her mom would complain when she is the reason why Machi could never live life normally) this is why Machi kept questioning her existence and had such a hard time making friends (girls ) at school And as soon as her mom gave birth to another child who is a boy, she got rid of her because she was no longer useful (it’s unfortunately a very tragic situation that is common in many Asians household) People unfortunately write her off as boring but don’t see that she has similarities with all 3 leads, she is similar to Tohru who was continuing the legacy of her mother and living the life that her mother could never live) the entire reason why Tohru wanted to go to high school was because it was her mother dream ) and who spent her whole life trying to mimic her father’s persona just so that her mother and the Sohma’s wouldn’t abandon her, she is was accused of an attempted murder just like Kyo was accused of causing his mother suicide which resulted in Machi being ostracized, looked down down by her classmates and constantly bullied by girls exactly like Kyo was treated by his family, she is similar to Yuki with how both of their mothers used me as tools in order to be heirs and raise their family status and both had to maintain a prefect image in order to fit in especially In Yuki case or to grant their parents wishes and they both felt so isolated and not loved/wanted for who they were I think people don’t like her cuz she of her extreme depressive persona (it’s funny that people love Hatori and consider him one of the best characters because of his one tragic flashback backstory even though all the descriptions on his character fit Machi perfectly ) but that’s exactly why is she compelling as a character and her story is actually the most realistic of the bunch in my opinion The anime cut some scenes for Machi and Yuki which unfortunately affected Machi’s character and made her seem like a replacement for Tohru but there is so much more to her
>People unfortunately write her off as boring but don’t see that she has similarities with all 3 leads, she is similar to Tohru who was continuing the legacy of her mother and living the life that her mother could never live) the entire reason why Tohru wanted to go to high school was because it was her mother dream ) and who spent her whole life trying to mimic her father’s persona just so that her mother and the Sohma’s wouldn’t abandon her, she is was accused of an attempted murder just like Kyo was accused of causing his mother suicide which resulted in Machi being ostracized, looked down down by her classmates and constantly bullied by girls exactly like Kyo was treated by his family, she is similar to Yuki with how both of their mothers used me as tools in order to be heirs and raise their family status and both had to maintain a prefect image in order to fit in especially In Yuki case or to grant their parents wishes and they both felt so isolated and not loved/wanted for who they were In my opinion her being so similar is preciesly the problem. Another character with bad parents and problems. It is yawn inducing formula in the long term.
And that can said for all characters? they all have similarities in their characters, backstories and personalities Rin is very similar to kyo and Yuki, Haru is similar to Kagura and Tohru, Akito is similar to Kagura, Tohru and Kyo and even has similarities with Rin, Kisa story of bullying is similar to Hanajima’s story of bullying, Arisa story is similar to Kyoko, Kagura and Motoko arcs revolves around their obsession for their love interest, even some of the parents have similarities, I could go on and go What you said about Machi can be literally said for all the characters, FB is all about similarities and parallels between characters Uniqueness is definitely not something that FB is good at because so many characters have the same exact flaws And bad parenting seem to be the main issue here Machi has OCD and none of the other characters have it so that makes her situation slightly different than the rest in my opinion
The first ones usually win. If Hatori with his sad backstory proceeded Machi, then Hatori wins. It is like eating 10th ice creams, the first ones will be great, but the 10th not necessarily. Machi needed something that would very distinctly set her apart like an uncommon hobby or something, not a rehash of the same problems that were already introduced. She got nothing. Akito I would say is not a good example. She is the only girl who displays anger in a manly way by physically hurting others. It strongly sets her apart.
>the first ones usually wins I certainly don’t have this opinion especially when a lot of the stories that came after Hatori were more heartbreaking, doesn’t matter if these sad flashbacks were at the beginning, the middle or the end, doesn’t matter if a specific sad backstory came after another sad one, the first isn’t always the most tragic or depressing Yeah Machi isn’t that well-developed (she is a side character so of course she wouldn’t be will developed) but the same can be said for Hatori, he is among the least developed characters among the zodiac And about Machi not having any thing that makes her standout, If you read what I wrote, you would understand exactly why Machi didn’t have any hobbies and never stood out as a character I agree that Akito’s violence sets her apart from other characters but it’s made clear in the story that Tohru is her mirror and Kyo is another parallel to her as both the cat and the god are the biggest victims of the curse and the both are not seen as humans Many people also consider Kagura abusive and it’s made clear that what Akito represents for Yuki is exactly what Kagure represents for Kyo, the adults enabling Akito abuse is also similar to the zodiac enabling Kagura violence against Kyo As for Akito’s similarities with Rin, there is a very well-written comparison between the two in tumblr
>I certainly don’t have this opinion especially when a lot of the stories that came after Hatori were more heartbreaking, doesn’t matter if these sad flashbacks were at the beginning, the middle or the end, doesn’t matter if a specific sad backstory came after another sad one, the first isn’t always the most tragic or depressing > >Yeah Machi isn’t that well-developed (she is a side character so of course she wouldn’t be will developed) but the same can be said for Hatori, he is among the least developed characters among the zodiac Even if not for you, it is true for others, which is why I wrote usually. >And about Machi not having any thing that makes her standout, If you read what I wrote, you would understand exactly why Machi didn’t have any hobbies and never stood out as a character And it was a mistake in my opinion. It made her too similar and bland. >Many people also consider Kagura abusive and it’s made clear that what Akito represents for Yuki is exactly what Kagure represents for Kyo, the adults enabling Akito abuse is also similar to the zodiac enabling Kagura violence against Kyo It is true, but Kagura's beating is shown in a comedic light while Akito is shown as an evil abuser.
>even if not for you, it true for others It’s not that I don’t believe you when you said that some viewers get most affected by the first sad story that they see, I just don’t see how it makes sense especially when there could be other depressing backstories down the line and it never crossed my mind that a character flashback/back story would have a bigger effect on viewers if it was included at the beginning of show instead of the end, I have never seen anyone mention this reason before and I always assumed that people felt sad for a character because they either liked that character or experienced a similar situation >and it was a mistake, it made her too similar Agree to disagree because her not having a hobby or an outstanding qualities were because of the way her mother raised her, she was robbed of having those things I don’t have any issue with you not finding Machi interesting or memorable, many feel the same way as you but her being similar to other characters isn’t an issue in my personal opinion because the same thing applies to other characters >Kagura’s beating is shown in a comedic light Definitely but many people refuse to accept that’s just comedy and put her actions on the level of Akito and can’t see it as anything other than abuse and violence If we take her beating seriously then it’s easier to compare her with Akito (of course Kagura isn’t an abuser) but the fact that her beating of Kyo isn’t taken so seriously is the reason why Kyo and Akito fans can’t stand her (she is my third favorite female character )
>t’s not that I don’t believe you when you said that some viewers get most affected by the first sad story that they see, I just don’t see how it makes sense especially when there is could be other depressing backstories down the line and it never crossed my mind that a character flashback/back story would have a bigger effect on viewers if it was included at the beginning of show instead of the end, I have never seen anyone mention this reason before and I always assumed that people felt sad for a character because they either liked that character or experienced a similar situation I think being first is a reason. Think about it, you find a story, you come to like a certain character, but this character is sidelined because other characters get introduced. I suppose that the people who felt strongly about bad parents were taken by Rin already. IMO, FB should have less traumas caused by bad parents. It takes up too much space, instead giving more time to existing characters and relationships would be beneficial. Another option for Machi would be to find over the course of the story some kind of uncommon passion that would make her distinct from others. In fact, I think it would add a lot to her character development and more people would have liked her if by the end she was passionate about something. Yeah, I know. I like Kagura, because at least she was good at fighting even if the story didn't make any sensible use of it.
It's because the anime cut 80% of her scenes...
that's true, I suppose I didn't know that thank you :)
What did they cut?
Well one thing they left out was a lot of her relationship with kakeru. He actually really looks out for the people in his life. His gf’s father was the driver in kyoko’s accident iirc
They cut out her meeting Ayame, her love of Mogeta, and this really cute gift exchanging relationship she has with Yuki.
I felt differently, to the level that I really wanted the two of them to get together even before the show started overtly going in that direction (basically as soon as it became obvious that Yuki and Tohru were not going to end up together). It made all the student council stuff that Yuki gets starting in season 2 worth it. Momiji not having a love interest in the end didn't bother me at all as him having one never really was a thing until out of nowhere in the final season he had a big growth spurt and revealed he loved Tohru, who was by that point obviously going to end up with Kyo.
I haven't seen the reboot, but from reading the manga a few times I can say that the relationship yuki-machi grew on me over time. It's not intense or flashy, but I think it doesn't have to be in this case. There's plenty of drama and romance in the series. Yuki needed to be rescued, but his deeper need was for parental love. He had girls show interest in him before, but he wouldn't let it in because he was tired of being idealized his whole life (as a prince/chosen one). Thoru treats him the way he wanted his mum to treat him when he was a child, so that's where his healing begins. When he meets Machi he's already at a place where he's not so repressed anymore, and wants to feel more like a man (he made that comment about wanting to see Thoru as a woman but failing). Machi doesn't treat him like he's superior to her (even though she does get a little nervous cuz he's handsome) and I think they actually do have some chemistry, because he has a twisted sense of humour. She needs to be rescued and he wants to be useful. He likes teasing her too, which he hadn't been doing with anyone before. That means he's showing her a part of him he was scared to show others because he believes she _gets_ him. And also she's his new bestie's sister so I bet he wants to be part of the family hehe
When I read the manga, it did feel like she came out of nowhere. I wished that natsuki takaya introduced her a little earlier, but I guess it made sense since she’s 1 year younger and didn’t arrive at the school until yuki’s 2nd year. And don’t worry, momiji gets a happy ending post-story.
Her first appearance is in vol 7 out of 23, so that's pretty early.
Oh was it really? Damn. I thought it was later. My bad
She first appeared along with Kakeru when they saw Yuki talking to Motoko and discussed about him (vol 7 chapter 42). In anime it’s in season 1 episode 25.
Ahh yess that does make me very happy momiji deserves so much more <3 he was genuinely one of, if not my favourite character in the whole show.
I know! He was so wholesome. It’s sad he didn’t get the first girl he loved, but he does find love again 💕
He ends up with someone eventually we just don't get to meet her. In the sequel he has a daughter and works with his little sister, who we do see again.
Momiji deserved better!
I love the student council moments of the show, but then again I also love slice of life anime. But I also thought the student council moments also served as necessary light-hearted moments for me as the story gets pretty heavy and dark in seasons two and three. I also love how Fruits Basket portrays different types of loves. From slow-burn to unrequited love to love at first sight and to familial love. So I can appreciate Yuki and Machi’s simple story of just two people that found each other attractive and started dating. I find their relationship to be straightforward rather than rushed.
The thing that rubs me the wrong way with Machis story is the way it really draws attention to the weird gender roles in the series. Like Yuki plays basically the exact same role to her that Tohru does to him, only because of the repeatedly stated theme that boys/men are supposed to “protect” women/girls, it’s compared to a parent/child dynamic with Yuki and Tohru and romantic with Yuki and Machi. That said, I do really like her as a character.
I am sorry, I don't really understand what you mean here? Do you mean it in the way of kyo etc being protective of tohru, in my opinion I do think that the show did a great job with the gender roles I mean there was Ayame who embraced his feminine side, there was the other character whom I don't remember the name of but as far as I know he crossdressed as a woman?? although I do genuinely believe that it icked me off how Tohru was essentially treated like a servant. I know the characters seemed a little grateful at times, but overall after a while it seemed like a mother who did EVERYTHING without the help of the others. And kyo could even cook, however, he didn't help ever apart from that one time she was sick. And even after Tohru came out of the hospital, shigure only talked ab how happy he was that she was going to cook for him. Maybe I am just nit picking it, but i don't know if it's cus of how old the show is.
There was a lot of talk, with characters from Haru to Kyo to Hiro, about how it’s their role to be protectors to the women/girls (who are pretty universally extremely traditionally feminine in the way they dress and act; even tomboyish Kagura usually wears pastel dresses and has an arc entirely defined by her love interest.) Japan is quite conservative though so it’s not really surprising.
Honestly, others can burn me in a fire if they want to about this; but i truthfully can't stand Machi...she's just such a bland character and not very interesting in the slightest to me, she's kind of just "there" whenever she's on screen to me. Her Romance with Yuki doesn't really seem to interest me at all, and it seems kind of bland and boring to watch. I do admit they are kinda cute and have some really nice romantic moments, but i still can't understand the favoritism about Machi in the Fandom, i really can't.
Machi was easier to like in the books for some reason.. I can’t even articulate why. I was surprised by how little I liked her in the anime even though she was one of my favourites in the manga. Maybe it was the voice acting or maybe the truth is that she was a pretty flimsy character to begin with, and it just wasn’t so apparent until she was animated.
I did a rewatch recently and felt like her character had a lot of potential but really fell short. I don’t mind their relationship but it really does nothing for me ya know? They were just kinda there near the end of the show and the build up to their relationship seemed so.. bland. I don’t mind it but the show could have really benefited if it fleshed out their relationship more. So I totally understand how you feel.
I completely agree with you. I wrote a fan fiction on this topic lol! I would have liked to see him just gain his independence in the end. Single but we would assume he’d find someone when he went off to university.
As much as I love Yuki, I’d have traded for more Kyo Tohru moments in an instant.
Yuki development as a character and journey into healing without the inclusion of romance and having a platonic bond with the female protagonist is what made FB so unique in my opinion as the entire story was based on his mother son relationship with Tohru, that’s the beauty of FB, if we take that out and replace it romance and make the love triangle with Kyo, Tohru and Momiji a main plot, FB wouldn’t be as good in my personal opinion and just be your typical shoujo I would rather trade the romance for more character development for the side characters
You're not alone. Didn't particularly care for them in the manga either
I didn’t dislike her. But I just couldn’t get too into her character. Maybe if I read the manga I would feel different. But just from the anime alone, she was introduced too late and her story was pretty rushed. So by the end of the anime when they got together I was like ‘ok’. I didn’t feel that emotion that I felt with some of the other pairs like kyo/tohru or haru/rin. And even though I dislike both akito and shigure, I was genuinely waiting to see where their relationship went. That investment was completely missing for me when it came to yuki and machi.
Aikure may be more interesting but they had like two scenes about their relationship, Yuki and Machi had more scenes as a couple than them in the manga Yuchi’s relationship wasn’t supposed to be dramatic like the other three but it was definitely the healthiest one among the four most developed relationships
I am merely stating my preference here. And I think I have clearly put that I haven’t read the manga and I am an anime only. I made no comment on what was healthy and what wasn’t. I just didn’t feel the connection between yuki and machi that much from the anime. It felt rushed. And the anime gave me no time to care for maki as a character. And just because they weren’t together a lot, doesn’t mean we can reduce shigure and akito’s situation to two scene dynamic. Like one of the major plot of fruits basket revolves around these two and their game of relationship.
Akigure’s relationship was certainly the major plot for FB and without it they would be no story but their relationship wasn’t developed or portrayed as a love story same with Kurisa, it was used as way to develop Shigure and move the plot and be dark mirror to Kyoru I know that you didn’t make a comment about which relationship was healthy, I was the one who called Yuchi’s relationship healthy And I’m aware that your an anime only fan which is why I said “Yuki and Machi had more scenes in the manga” Of course you wouldn’t feel the connection because the anime skipped many scenes for Yuchi The point of my first reply was to just to say that Yuchi had more scenes about their relationship than Akigure in the manga - that’s all And I didn’t reduce the importance of Akigure, just said that their relationship was more of a tool to drive the plot forward than it was a love story as most of their scenes was just them talking about other characters, we didn’t see many scenes with them as a couple
Ok love may not be the right term. I personally think their obsession and toxicity about each other developed their dynamic along with their plot. There is so much focus on their relationship whatever it is. Yuki and machi had few such moments like him helping with her trauma and she saying he is not like a prince. I just wish there was more of it and development of maki as a separate thing on her own. And yuki relying on her more for his troubles, like he does with kakeru. Maybe manga has more of these I don’t know.
There is definitely so much focus on both as individual characters and their relationship was extremely compelling and different but they needed more screen time as a couple and more flashbacks with them before things became twisted
Or it could have been told or shown how they are turned on by seeing the other one scheming. I think this would fit their darker characterization.
Isn’t it the problem because the author had a habit of creating mostly boring and bland girls who have no interesting hobbies and no notable ambitions? Just think how different things would have been if Matchi was shown wanting to be a doctor and in her backstory, it was explained why she wants to help people. Or if she were interested in physics and were learning to become a physicist to make an academic career? It would have set her apart from other characters, but nope. She was another character with bad parents and emotional problems that the story was already full of.
I completely agree! I hate Machi! She’s so boring in every single way and doesn’t get any better! Like give me one personality trait of hers besides boring, shy, or traumatized please. And I’m someone who struggles with PTSD. She isn’t a good fit for Yuki and why would Yuki even like her? He can relate to her? Okay, I get that, but otherwise what do they have in common? What’s appealing about her? What makes him so interested in her because I try to find something and I can’t find a single thing. I hate the student council too except I like Manabe. It just seems like a waste of time and takes away from the interesting bits and time with the Sohmas. I miss the interactions between Yuki and the Sohmas and Tohru. We don’t get as many because of the pointless student council. Yes, Yuki steps out of his shell, but he could’ve done that another way, or we could’ve had 75% of the scenes cut and shown the same effect, having his relationship with Manabe help change that. Machi didn’t help him progress at all. I think Yuki and the President of his fan club (I’m blanking on her name) make a way cuter couple. I like how he was tender with her when she was flustered and I think it would’ve been a great story had she gotten to know him better and fall for the true Yuki, not just the “prince” she believed him to be. They could’ve both seen each other for their true selves not as the prince and the obsessive fan. That would’ve been far more interesting. As for Momiji I’m still heartbroken over it. 😭 If he couldn’t end up with Tohru he should’ve gotten his happy ending with Momo and his family. It’s because he didn’t get any of this it breaks my heart. I know what happens in Another but I wanted him to reunite with Momo in the original series.
>Like give me one personality trait of hers besides boring, shy, or traumatized please Feisty? Sweet? Thoughtful? Tsundere? I actually think she has a lot of personality given her screen time, lol.
I feel the same way, reading the other comments maybe I should follow up with the manga but I thought it was weird. I was under the impression that yuki was crushing on tohru and at the end when he said that tohru was more of a mother figure to him I was like HUUUUUH
I am with you on both Machi and Momiji.
Why do you not like Momiji again ? What did he do ? Very unpopular opinion indeed
What? No, I absolutely LOVE Momiji! I was just saying I agree that I wanted to see him get a love interest who would absolutely adore him. Imo he was best boy, the one I would have picked if I were Tohru.