i was kindly allowed to draw ritchan, mitchan and kagura in autumn for the beautiful @furubazine!!! \;;W;;/ this is SUCH a precious and heartfelt zine and im sooo happy i was able to be a part of it!!! >////< thank you so much again!!! \;;w;;/
You could definitely feel Takaya’s regret that she did not include Ritsu in the main story more through out the new episode. As a result it seems like she tried to atone for it by jamming every idea she ever had about Ritsu and Mitsuru together in there as retribution.
The problem with that is that while she never devoted much time to Ritsu in the story – because this is Fruits Basket and Ritsu is a Sohma with Sohma Trauma – Ritsu isn’t really your average side character. Despite often being reduced to two dimensions and comedic relief by the author and many of the fans there’s always been a lot. A LOT. To unpack with this character. Yet somehow even in a 23 volume manga – Takaya was never able to weave Ritsu successfully into the story beyond that first appearance like she was with other characters.
Which I never understood because there is an incredibly interesting narrative parallel that could have been explored contrasting Akito and Ritsu – and to this day i think Kureno was handled in the most dull way possible yet was given one of the most interesting plot lines possible. So if we could muddle through that – there’s really no reason why Ritsu couldn’t have made at least one significant later appearance if she really wanted to include them again. One can even make the argument that there are critical parallels between Tohru and Ritsu both wanting to live for another person that tie directly into critical emotional and romantic developments of the later plot. But whatever.
Instead we get Ritsu’s relationship with Mitsuru and in reality if she wanted to include this relationship in a meaningful way – Ritsu really needed two episodes. Which, of course, is not something they’re ever going to give Ritsu of all people in a limited run anime adaptation of a 23 volume manga. And you know what? That’s fine, because while maybe Ritsu wasn’t as fleshed out and included as the other Zodiac members when it came to the larger plot, however small it was Ritsu still had a significant story line. However small it was, Ritsu still had significant development. It was small though and that’s why it was absolutely critical that Ritsu got their own episode devoted entirely to Ritsu.
But that isn’t what we got here.
Having read the manga and watched the 2001 anime in which the episode’s storyline did revolve entirely around Ritsu – with meeting Mitsuru as a minor allusion of what was to come in the manga – I could still appreciate this episode for what it was. And I do think that some of the changes that were made made Ritsu less offensive and helped to round out Ritsu’s character as a whole.
But for someone watching the 2019 adaptation on it’s own – it left some core things about Ritsu totally lacking. For me the worst of it was what happened to the scene on the roof for a couple reasons.
Having Tohru climb on the roof with Yuki and Kyo continuing to stand on the ground merely watching – was hugely out of character. These are two boys who literally jumped after her when she fell in the lake episode trying to cushion Tohru’s fall even though they were going to transform as a result.
Which relates to another point of contention, Tohru being the one to slip and nearly fall off the roof. Sure it’s dramatic and adds tension because unlike Ritsu, Tohru doesn’t have the “monkey-like” athleticism to effortlessly pull herself back on to the roof. But it’s not supposed to be Tohru’s drama and tension to have in this moment. Because again you’re going to tell me that after nearly watching Tohru sail to her death when roof tile beneath her foot gave out, Yuki and Kyo were just going to stand there and watch? Seriously? Having Tohru climb on the roof to get Ritsu does actually put Tohru in real danger. It totally undermines the tone of the entire scene having Tohru on the roof instead of just Ritsu putting them self in peril.
Also there was something incredibly powerful for me watching that scene in the original with Ritsu almost falling off the roof in the original. The context of the scene is nearly the same. Ritsu feels so utterly useless in the world. Ritsu wishes that they could just stop existing because for them living day in and day out is painful for them and they just want to stop existing to stop being a burden on everyone around them – but they can’t find the courage to do it.
And from the ground Tohru pleads with Ritsu in much the same way that it’s okay to not have the courage to do that sort of thing. Shamelessly wanting to live isn’t a bad thing at all. For a moment it seems like Tohru’s pleas do resonate with Ritsu.
But– Ritsu slips. Ritsu’s the one in danger. Unlike Tohru though, Ritsu has a certain acrobatic athleticism that in this situation gives them a choice unique to them in this moment. They can embrace the divine punishment of the situation and fall off the roof. Or…
In that darkest of mentalities Ritsu grabs onto the ledge. Ritsu wants life. Ritsu grabs onto that ledge and “shamelessly” keeps living despite not believing they have any worth at all.
And I think some people interpret this scene as a joke making light of suicide because Ritsu’s treated as mostly comedic relief. This is an incredibly dramatic reaction to accidentally knocking over some cups, resulting in a tiny cut to Tohru instead of a stained manuscript. Since Ritsu has that acrobatic athleticism there was no risk to Ritsu really falling off the roof at all. And maybe it was intended that way, given how Takaya drew portions of the scene in stick figures.
However, when Ritsu loses their balance – and it’s difficult to tell given that it’s a static medium but– in the manga it looks like Yuki starts moving forwards to try to help them. Tohru covers her eyes in horror. Even though Ritsu is able to grab the ledge and pull themselves up with seemingly no effort at all, they are injured as a result of the event. The consequences of what could have happened had Ritsu not been so deftly able to grab the ledge are there. It was a dangerous situation.
And to me, Ritsu grabbing the ledge and pulling them self up has always been a powerful visual image. It’s stayed with me for years in my darkest moments. The way that Ritsu’s expression is drawn in that scene is the most confident Ritsu is EVER drawn in the entire run of the manga. Despite all the pain they live with every day, despite the burden they think they are on other people – Ritsu wants to live. In spite of everything Ritsu is CONFIDENT that they want to live.
And some people have said that Tohru falling on the roof and extending her hand out to Ritsu is some kind of allusion to the True Form Arc and – BOO miss me with that shit . Kyo gets an entire god damn manga to get fleshed out and work through trauma. Give Ritsu their damn moment they don’t get another one.
I certainly think that the original depiction was a more… mature? Way of handling suicide idealization in relation to anxiety and depression than having Mitsuru hanging up a noose in the yard for comedic effect.
The injury also provides a reason for Ritsu to stay at the house for three days in the manga thus padding out the timing for Ritsu to continue to talk to Tohru. She doesn’t just unload all that on the roof, call it a day, and then watch the romance unfold. Like??? Uh. The pacing was awful.
A lot of Kisa’s development was covered in the span of one episode and it was done well. After her first episode I could honestly never see Kisa in the story again and I would feel confident that off screen she was still working and striving towards the goals that were set up for her even without a firm resolution.
And that’s the sort of treatment that Ritsu was given in the original manga storyline and the 2001 anime episode. Ritsu is given something to work towards – finding their reason to be alive and hoping their reason to be alive is another person to spend that life with. Ritsu’s eventual relationship with Mitsuru is not shown on screen and aside from an omake extra it’s only alluded as developing to in the manga. However, even never seeing Ritsu in a meaningful way to the plot again after their first appearance we feel confident that Ritsu is in a better place and working towards finding their reason to live.
And by the end of the story though even though we didn’t get to personally see it we know that Ritsu’s been able to find someone to live for in Mitisuru when Kagura teases them about marriage. Their storyline, even though it was small and had no over arching relevance to the plot overall, is resolved in a satisfying way.
Ritsu’s episode in 2019 goes by so fast with such odd pacing –yo-yoing back and forth from comedic to serious – from Ritsu’s anxieties to Mitsuru’s anxieties – there’s not a lot of time to truly embrace what Ritsu is working towards. They just sort of…. end up with a relationship by the end of the episode in an unfulfilling way. Because if you want to expand on Ritsu as a character – you needed to give more time to Ritsu. Which Takaya wasn’t willing to do even after all these years.
So yeah. Somewhere in these three adaptations combined is a solid representation of Ritsu Sohma.
I definitely also felt the regret and the desire to act on it in the new episode, and I do think some aspects of Ritsu’s character were left out due to the rearranging of the storyline, but if I had to choose only one version out of the three to present Ritsu with, weighing the pros and cons of each version I would overwhelmingly opt for the reboot.
You’re right that there is a lot to unpack with Ritsu’s character that is sadly never touched on. I think, though–and you may probably disagree with me on this, which is fine–that overall the reboot comes closer to starting to unpack it than the original versions did, just by taking the focus of Ritsu’s character off of the way they dress and handling their emotional struggles with more empathy. Previously it was much more difficult to look past the two-dimensional and comedic approach to the character that you mentioned, as it was taken to such extremes.
A narrative parallel between Akito and Ritsu would be interesting, I’d be curious to see that–would it be a contrast of Akito’s terrible fear of rejection, which they turn outwards in the form of blame and control and thus end up not actually forming healthy connections, and Ritsu’s assumption that they already are rejected, which they turn inwards and thus end up avoiding situations that could make them feel more accepted? And/or how Akito is forced to dress as a man while Ritsu feels pressured to dress as a man for societal reasons?
Tohru and Ritsu both have difficulty living for themselves in the sense that they seek their own validation and happiness in others or by doing things for others. They can feel happy if they’re able to feel useful to someone else, and/or if someone else accepts them. This is a complicated topic that I would have liked to see more of, because as Yuki points out in Kisa’s episode, people are driven to seek social acceptance and it’s not fair to expect people to have confidence entirely on their own–we gain our sense of identity and place in the world from our relationships with others. However both Tohru and Ritsu go to the other extreme of pushing aside what they want and need, and both extremes are unhealthy–the challenge of all relationships is finding the balance between them.
I feel that Ritsu’s interactions with Mitsuru are overwhelmingly positive for both characters. Ritsu’s original character arc, short as it is, basically ends with them deciding to continue to live and hold onto the hope of meeting someone who loves them for who they are. The inclusion of Mitsuru furthers this arc by actually showing someone who genuinely wants to befriend and spend time with Ritsu. So much of Ritsu’s character revolves around their longing for acceptance. They need to be around someone who is not ashamed of them, who is openly happy to be together and interested in things Ritsu likes, who makes them feel like it’s okay to be the way they want to be. Mitsuru is that person. The moment where Ritsu is smiling and openly looking forward to spending time with her, not even apologizing for wanting such a thing from another person, is such a world beyond where Ritsu’s old arc ended and it’s so beautiful to see.
(Mitsuru, moreover, needs to interact with someone who treats her as a person and cares about her feelings and wishes instead of relentlessly tormenting her for his own amusement OI SHIGURE WHAT ARE YOU DOING)
I really love everything you pointed out about the roof scene and what is powerful about having Ritsu be the one to fall. You’re right, Ritsu feels so worthless, like a burden to everyone, and like living alone is too painful–but when the chance is there, Ritsu still wants to live. Even if they are ashamed of everything they are, they still want to be. Even if they think a person like them is worthless, they still want to be that person. Because that is who they are, and that already is a reason to exist.
I really love that picture from the manga as well and I love how you pointed out that it’s a rare display of Ritsu’s confidence. That despite how much pain it is to live through every day, Ritsu still hangs onto that ledge over and over again, because they still want to live, still want to be–and that want, that confidence deep down inside, very much stays with them.
However I do think that the scene on the roof in the 2001 anime comes off as comedy and I have never liked how it was played in that adaptation, not just because it makes light of the situation but because the joke comes at the expense of making Ritsu seem even more pathetic. Maybe it’s the way I’m looking at it, but I don’t get a brief sense of confidence in the 2001 anime at all–Ritsu ends up looking rather pitiful dangling off the roof, and more so sobbing as Hatori bandages it up later. Combined with the extensive self-loathing diatribes, which were much more exaggerated in the original anime (particularly with the voice acting), it’s really sort of painful to watch.
I do also prefer having Ritsu be the one to slip off the roof. I felt weird watching Tohru sprawled out and clinging so awkwardly to it, putting herself in danger. It’s the kind of thing she’d do, of course, but as you said–ordinarily you’d expect the boys to try to save her, and Ritsu to feel even worse about causing someone else to risk themselves for them. And the purpose of having her slip seems to be to underscore her willingness to put herself in danger to save others, but we already see plenty of that. I absolutely agree it’s powerful to see Ritsu saving themselves from their own would-be fate and I wish we’d gotten that, but I understand they probably made the change to make the rearranged pacing flow better (since they combined both of Tohru’s speeches into this part), and I think overall the other changes are worth it.
I feel much more confident about Ritsu working and striving towards goals offscreen after seeing the 2019 adaptation than any of the earlier ones. I already mentioned this, but the earlier versions end with Ritsu hoping to find someone who accepts them–2019 goes a step farther by actually showing that person and building the beginnings of a relationship with them. Meeting someone who cares and forming connections that make Ritsu feel valued are absolutely core to Ritsu’s goals. This is a huge step towards Ritsu finding that reason to live, and it’s actually shown onscreen.
I don’t feel that Ritsu and Mitsuru end up in a relationship at the end of the episode. They’re two people taking the absolute first steps to get to know each other–they’re making plans to spend time together again, that’s it. And for both characters, who don’t seem to have much in the way of support, just having something like that to look forward to and enjoy with another person is huge.
Fruits Basket’s entire story does a lot of yo-yoing between comedic and serious. I prefer this pacing to the 2001 episode, where it was heavily comedic (gratingly so) for the entire first part of the episode and only finally makes Ritsu more sympathetic by shedding light on their backstory towards the very end.
There is still a chance that Ritsu and Mitsuru will be seen and expanded on more in the episodes to come, so I wouldn’t write off their development when they’ve only just been introduced, although knowing how much the story has to cover I’m also not counting on anything (maybe a background aside or two)–but to me, the new adaptation shows that a great amount of thought and care went into leaving Ritsu in a better place than they were originally, and I’m grateful for it.
But I also think there is a more rounded picture from all three adaptations combined, and I really appreciate your pointing out these valuable and powerful aspects of the original.
I was hoping they’d expand upon Ritsu and Mitsuru and they did it in the cutest way!!! Seeing them just walking home and sharing in their problems, and Ritsu sharing Tohru’s advice! And of course their joint frantic apologises are as adorable as ever just….
