Fruits Basket Vol 20
Aug. 30th, 2008 08:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreWARNING!!! This post influenced by my tendency to get irritated when angst takes precedence over all else in shoujo.
No, really, Takaya, what’s going on? I’ve always praised you for being able to slip seamlessly between incredible angst and great humor, sometimes in the same panel. Now we’re just doing the non-stop angst bit, with a few 2-second breaks for humor. Really, I don’t do well with this much unadulterated angst if there isn’t serious crack and/or swords at the same time.
This volume focused a lot on Akito and Ren, and while their background and relationship is important to the story, I find it difficult to care about or be interested in either one (and Shigure’s role in all this is…affecting my opinion of him) even though I know I’m supposed to at least feel sympathy for them at this point. I’m sorry, but when you devote yourself that much to hurting others because of your own issues, I can’t feel sympathy for you.
And then there’s the curse being broken for some. Hiro finally getting to hold his sister made me sniffle, and I was well on my way to doing the same with Momiji…until that was suddenly all about how Momiji loved Tohru too, and was losing her to Kyo. Uhm, what? What happened to that lovely BFF friendship Tohru and Momiji have always had? Why must Momiji’s feelings be romantic? We already half way went through that with Yuki! I know Takaya is borderline obsessed with pairing people off, and normally I don’t mind, but really, there’s a limit.
I did like Kagura finally moving on from Kyo (even if it did mean destroying a wall…) and that Rin has no problems wearing clothes that show her scars, and Kyo and Kyoko’s relationship was fun (and cute) but why add the complication of Kyo blaming himself for Kyoko’s death? (I’m pretty sure we already knew he was there.) We already know Tohru will forgive him. It isn’t really an issue beyond…more angst for Kyo and Tohru. And they already have more than most can handle.
But it’s still one of my favorites.
Meanwhile, I know it’s been around for a while that Tokyopop has licensed Takaya’s Tsubasa wo Motsu Mono, but did I miss that they’d also licensed Phantom Dream?
No, really, Takaya, what’s going on? I’ve always praised you for being able to slip seamlessly between incredible angst and great humor, sometimes in the same panel. Now we’re just doing the non-stop angst bit, with a few 2-second breaks for humor. Really, I don’t do well with this much unadulterated angst if there isn’t serious crack and/or swords at the same time.
This volume focused a lot on Akito and Ren, and while their background and relationship is important to the story, I find it difficult to care about or be interested in either one (and Shigure’s role in all this is…affecting my opinion of him) even though I know I’m supposed to at least feel sympathy for them at this point. I’m sorry, but when you devote yourself that much to hurting others because of your own issues, I can’t feel sympathy for you.
And then there’s the curse being broken for some. Hiro finally getting to hold his sister made me sniffle, and I was well on my way to doing the same with Momiji…until that was suddenly all about how Momiji loved Tohru too, and was losing her to Kyo. Uhm, what? What happened to that lovely BFF friendship Tohru and Momiji have always had? Why must Momiji’s feelings be romantic? We already half way went through that with Yuki! I know Takaya is borderline obsessed with pairing people off, and normally I don’t mind, but really, there’s a limit.
I did like Kagura finally moving on from Kyo (even if it did mean destroying a wall…) and that Rin has no problems wearing clothes that show her scars, and Kyo and Kyoko’s relationship was fun (and cute) but why add the complication of Kyo blaming himself for Kyoko’s death? (I’m pretty sure we already knew he was there.) We already know Tohru will forgive him. It isn’t really an issue beyond…more angst for Kyo and Tohru. And they already have more than most can handle.
But it’s still one of my favorites.
Meanwhile, I know it’s been around for a while that Tokyopop has licensed Takaya’s Tsubasa wo Motsu Mono, but did I miss that they’d also licensed Phantom Dream?
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-31 02:20 am (UTC)My problem isn't the length (I prefer manga to just get to the point and tell the story, but, well, I am a shounen fan...) but with the fact that it tends to turn into a neverending angstfest towards the end.
The Momiji thing...I mean, what's with that? There were "hello, serious angst looming!" hints in the last volume, but come on! They acted more like siblings before this. Kids in a playground. Mutual platonic adoration society. Did Takaya just realize she broke the shoujo rule that at least one other male must be in love with the heroine so there can be a confrontation? (Why I hate love triangles: They send the message that, for a couple to be happy, someone else must be unhappy. Also why I dislike fanon-created love triangles.)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-31 02:27 am (UTC)Heh, I've almost entirely given up on shounen apart from FMA and TRC (not sure if that one counts), they just got me too annoyed.
I tend to eat angst as if it was nutella, but I agree the mix of comedy with angst works better (in general and in Furuba both), especially because it makes the angst too real. Have too much angst and it becomes melodramatic, so we become disconnect from the characters and don't particularly care apart from a "angst, lol" way. Which was a very lengthy way for me to say that too much angst is wangsty.
It's not even there long enough to be a love triangle! I don't know what it is ;_;
I like some love triangles and hate others, it really depends of the handling.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-31 02:32 am (UTC)When the angst is deserved (and 95% in FB is)
or there for total crackI'm a total angstbunny. but when it's there just to have angst, I have no tolerance for it.TRC is supposed to be shounen, but I think that it was just a ploy and it has long since given up any pretenses of being anything other than gothic shoujo crack.
Shigure has gotten away with a lot of things that would normally make me swear off a character.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-31 02:38 am (UTC)IN SPACEIN DISGUISE! which makes it awesome. Well crackful at least :)Oh boy, Shigure doesn't even come close. I think lately I've found myself loving so many horrendously immoral characters that I've given up on any pretence of morality about. I think Cnaiur was the tipping point.
Angst for angst's sake, yeah, good point.
I think what I like in love triangles is when it's set up well enough and you've got a feeling of a three way relationship. Not three way love, necessarily, but of the way each character's relationship with the second character colour their relationship with the third. If that makes any sense.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-31 02:56 am (UTC)Clamp's love triangles work for me for exactly the reason's you lay out. If the point is romance, they usually (at least in my admittedly limited reading) lay it out. If the point is the relationship, it tends to go all ways.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-31 03:11 am (UTC)Good point about Clamp, they really usually do it well.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-31 03:14 am (UTC)