Shadows of the past - Rated 
You can really tell when a series is finally starting to wind down, and the plot threads are being tied off one by one.
Such is the case in the twentieth volume of "Fruits Basket," where Akito's dark family legacy and malign mother are finally exposed completely, and the curse comes further unraveled. There's a little romance around the edges, but not much comedy here -- only a lot of heartrending loneliness, and a bloody secret that has been torturing poor Kyo for years.
The whole story of Akito's mysterious box is revealed, as we see how Akito's parents -- beautiful, sheltered invalid Akira and his seductive maid Ren -- met and married, despite the family's protests. When Akito was born, Ren rejected her out of jealous hatred, and Akito clung instead to her loving father until he died -- leaving her a wooden box. Just what is in the box, and how far will the maddened Ren go to find out?
But her mother is not Akito's only worry -- as Shigure predicted, the curse is coming unraveled, and two more members of the zodiac are freed. Even worse, she turns against the one person who has always been there for her, when he tries to leave her for her own good.
Meanwhile, Tohru is struggling with her feelings for Kyo, with a few of her zodiac friends egging her on to just say how she feels (in particular Kagura, who is understandably annoyed by this). But when she finally confronts Kyo, he reveals a secret he's kept since before she came to live with the Sohmas -- a tragic story about the day her mother died.
"Fruits Basket" is often classed as a romantic comedy. But there's not much romance or comedy in the twentieth volume -- the love is painful or even illusionary, and the comedy is almost nonexistant. There are admittedly a few cute moments, like Kagura whacking Kazuma in the head, but more often the humor is dry and weird, such as when Shigure tells Ren why he slept with her.
But most of the time, Natsuki Takaya cloaks the story in a feeling of bitter reminiscence, and sorrowful loneliness -- of the broken curse, of being an outcast, of being rejected, or of being unloved. The flashbacks to Akito's childhood are both beautiful and tragic, especially the story of poor Akira and the revelations about how Akito became such a neurotic. And the final chapters are outright painful in their naked emotion, especially Kyo's despairing final lines.
Even the moments when certain people lose their curses are bittersweet. They are suddenly free, but they've also lost the connection that has been with them all their lives. Takaya doesn't resort to flash or dramatics, and her elegant, clean artwork only adds to the feeling of beautiful loss.
In a way this is Akito's story -- we get to see her from birth to the present day, and see how Ren's hate has warped her. Ren herself seems like a manipulative bunny-boiler, who hates all women -- including embryos -- and can't stand the idea of her sweet, tragic husband loving anybody but her. The scene where she stalks into Akito's room with a knife is pretty creepy.
And poor Kyo's much-foreshadowed grief is finally explained. Suddenly all his weird feelings, past breakdowns and gory dreams make sense, and you can see why the poor guy thinks Tohru couldn't love him.
The twentieth "Fruits Basket" takes the story into one of its darkest places, with a jealous Mommy Dearest and a crumbling curse. Not to be missed.
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