Some not-so-random facts about the Sohma family.
The Sohma family is very wealthy. They own a lot of land and properties all over the country. They have their own hospital. Ayame, Hatori and Shigure went to school in a limo. Momiji's father owns either one hotel or an entire chain of hotels (can't remember which). Either way, it's a hugeass hotel. Momiji takes violin lessons from a teacher that's stated to be very famous. Ayame owns his own business, so does Ritsu's mother, and Shigure is a novelist. All of the girls go to a private all girls school; all the boys attended a private all boys school (until Yuki asked to go to a co-ed school, and a lot of the Jyuunishi followed).
All the Jyuunishi receive a monthly allowance that's no small pittance. Kyou's father accuses Kyou's guardian of having adopted him only to get the moneys. Having established that all the Sohmas are well-off, this allowance has to be a really nice one.
There are fourteen cursed, despite calling themselves Jyuunishi. They are the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, the cat (Kyou) and the Jade Emperor/God (Akito).
Regarding the Sohma compound. . .
Tohru about the Sohma compound: It's very big inside too. . . It seems to have a town inside every door. . .
~ Fruits Basket, chapter 10.
Momiji: Tohru, when you came into the house, you walked by a street with lots of trees? From the Green Street to the Main House, everyone inside is a Sohma. There's about 100 people living "outside". . . and about 50 people live "inside".
Tohru: Haaaaaa. Incredible. . . !!
Hatori: Maybe hard to believe.
Momiji: Doesn't fit today's customs?
Tohru's thoughts: A world where a regular person like me can't step into. . .
Tohru: People who live "inside" seem to be those who are the twelve zodiacs or those who know about the secret.
Momiji: Before, Shi-chan and Yuki also lived "inside". Kyou lived "outside".
~ Fruits Basket, chapter 10.
The family is by no means limited to the cursed members and their families. The Sohmas are a very big, famous and old family, and a lot of them live in the Sohma compound. To give you an idea of how huge the compound is, there are two areas in it:
1) The "inside" or Main House: home of the twelve Jyuunishi, their families, and Akito. This is the small part of the compound. Not all of the Jyuunishi reside here, though there's houses for all.
2) The "outside" or Green Street, where other branches of the family live, including Kana and her family, Momiji's parents and sister, and others.
All of the buildings in the Sohma compound are traditional Japanese houses.
That's not counting the people who live outside the Sohma compound, such as Ayame or Ritsu's mother. I'm pretty sure Kazuma's dojo is outside too. And these are only the ones we know of.
So yeah. Not only they live in a massive compound, they're a really big family.
The only people who can access the Main House are those who know of the curse. This includes those cursed, their immediate family and a fuckload of servants (most of whom attend to Akito). Kyou can only go in the Main House in certain occasions. Sohma Momo, who doesn't know her brother is cursed, can't go "inside" at all. Even the outsiders who know, such as Tohru, can only go in safely if they have permission from Akito herself. Lacking this permission is considered trespassing, and is dealt with accordingly.
It can be said that the Jyuunishi live in a very big, pretty zoo enclosure.
Most of the Sohma family aren't aware there's a curse upon their family. And sometimes one woman gets the big lottery prize of giving birth to a cursed child, and their lives are screwed since that moment. Yay.
Those cursed are always premature babies, all of them born in the seventh month of pregnancy.
The shoujo waifish beauty that the Jyuunishi possess is NOT a Sohma family trait. The uncursed Sohmas are very average-looking. The Jyuunishi (and cat) don't look like their parents at all. The only exception to this is Momiji.
A quick explanation of the Jyuunishi bond (though NOT the Jyuunishi curse, which is for another time) is as follows: the twelve Jyuunishi are bonded to each other and they're all bonded to Akito. Though the cat is bonded to them as well, it's not seen as a Jyuunishi, it's more damned than the damned. This bond is the only life the Jyuunishi have known and when they become freed, they feel disconnected from the others and lonely.
Aside from being cursed with the Jade Emperor/God spirit (which refers to the curse and will get its own post. . . eventually), Akito is the Head of the Sohma family. She represents the family in business functions and dinners of high society, etc. She probably has been doing this since she was old enough to say "dada". It's a role she's extremely accustomed to, and she handles it with ease and confidence.
Akito is also the one who makes all the decisions that concern the family as a whole, and the Jyuunishi in particular. The Jyuunishi have to ask for her permission to get engaged and married, she decides which school the Jyuunishi should attend, what housemates the Jyuunishi are allowed to have, and whose memory should be erased to get rid of their knowledge of the curse. This is why the Jyuunishi at camp fret so much over people finding out about the secret, because they don't have Akito's permission to go on allowing these people to know.
Her behavior towards the Jyuunishi aside, Akito seems to be considered (and admired) both within the family and by other families of their standing as a mature, wise, beautiful and young Head of Family.
NOTE: though I've referred to Akito as female all throughout these paragraphs, Akito has been raised as male.
ETA: Added a few facts from chapter 10 of the manga.
ETA2: Added a few facts about Akito.
Okay, this is all pretty cool, but what do I care?
The reason I've explained all these facts is so that you see where I'm coming from when I say that Haru doesn't see his dating Rin as cousincest. At most, he'd consider it Jyuunishicest and he'd snort at the concept anyway. The trust and love and connection that comes with the bond simply can't be compared with anything that a non-cursed cousin or an outsider will ever make him feel. The Jyuunishi are Haru's world and he only sees it as natural that the love of his life is a Jyuunishi and his first love is another.
So, when his laptop posted the poll the other day and people commented on the kinkiness of incest/cousincest, he had to scoff. Because yes, he's aware of how an outsider perceives his dating Rin; but these people don't know about the bond and even if they knew, they wouldn't understand what it means either. Before a cousin, Rin is first and foremost a Jyuunishi, with all the connotations and feelings this carries.
Haru is no more a supporter of incest than he is of hunting babies for sport. (I'd say cows, but he eats beef and wears leather, so. D:) He encourages Yuki to go for Tohru and, later on, he assures Yuki he's certain there is someone in the world who will make Yuki happy. That said, Haru is a pretty non-judgemental guy and if there are campers practicing twincest or if George Michael wants to wall Maeby, he's totally okay with this.
And while I'm explaining stuff from last week: Hatsuharu never really hated Rikuou. Rikuou made a lousy first impression on Hatsuharu; but at the same time, Haru was always aware that Rikuou cares very deeply for Kazahaya. And someone who cares that deeply can't be all asshole. Once Black Haru got out of his system to beat Rikuou up (circa the uke polls), the tension and grrrr at the back of Haru's head went away. This tension and grrr was ALL Black Haru.
Hatsuharu thought he'd never manage to get along with Rikuou (there's another person in camp that falls under this category: Axel. And now is when I tell you that both Rikuou and Axel heartily enjoy Rin, and you snerk.) Seeing Rikuou amicable during their entire conversation was a surprise to Hatsuharu. The good kind of surprise.
And now, having completed something that resembles an essay, I go to bed. ♥
All the Jyuunishi receive a monthly allowance that's no small pittance. Kyou's father accuses Kyou's guardian of having adopted him only to get the moneys. Having established that all the Sohmas are well-off, this allowance has to be a really nice one.
There are fourteen cursed, despite calling themselves Jyuunishi. They are the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, the cat (Kyou) and the Jade Emperor/God (Akito).
Regarding the Sohma compound. . .
Tohru about the Sohma compound: It's very big inside too. . . It seems to have a town inside every door. . .
~ Fruits Basket, chapter 10.
Momiji: Tohru, when you came into the house, you walked by a street with lots of trees? From the Green Street to the Main House, everyone inside is a Sohma. There's about 100 people living "outside". . . and about 50 people live "inside".
Tohru: Haaaaaa. Incredible. . . !!
Hatori: Maybe hard to believe.
Momiji: Doesn't fit today's customs?
Tohru's thoughts: A world where a regular person like me can't step into. . .
Tohru: People who live "inside" seem to be those who are the twelve zodiacs or those who know about the secret.
Momiji: Before, Shi-chan and Yuki also lived "inside". Kyou lived "outside".
~ Fruits Basket, chapter 10.
The family is by no means limited to the cursed members and their families. The Sohmas are a very big, famous and old family, and a lot of them live in the Sohma compound. To give you an idea of how huge the compound is, there are two areas in it:
1) The "inside" or Main House: home of the twelve Jyuunishi, their families, and Akito. This is the small part of the compound. Not all of the Jyuunishi reside here, though there's houses for all.
2) The "outside" or Green Street, where other branches of the family live, including Kana and her family, Momiji's parents and sister, and others.
All of the buildings in the Sohma compound are traditional Japanese houses.
That's not counting the people who live outside the Sohma compound, such as Ayame or Ritsu's mother. I'm pretty sure Kazuma's dojo is outside too. And these are only the ones we know of.
So yeah. Not only they live in a massive compound, they're a really big family.
The only people who can access the Main House are those who know of the curse. This includes those cursed, their immediate family and a fuckload of servants (most of whom attend to Akito). Kyou can only go in the Main House in certain occasions. Sohma Momo, who doesn't know her brother is cursed, can't go "inside" at all. Even the outsiders who know, such as Tohru, can only go in safely if they have permission from Akito herself. Lacking this permission is considered trespassing, and is dealt with accordingly.
It can be said that the Jyuunishi live in a very big, pretty zoo enclosure.
Most of the Sohma family aren't aware there's a curse upon their family. And sometimes one woman gets the big lottery prize of giving birth to a cursed child, and their lives are screwed since that moment. Yay.
Those cursed are always premature babies, all of them born in the seventh month of pregnancy.
The shoujo waifish beauty that the Jyuunishi possess is NOT a Sohma family trait. The uncursed Sohmas are very average-looking. The Jyuunishi (and cat) don't look like their parents at all. The only exception to this is Momiji.
A quick explanation of the Jyuunishi bond (though NOT the Jyuunishi curse, which is for another time) is as follows: the twelve Jyuunishi are bonded to each other and they're all bonded to Akito. Though the cat is bonded to them as well, it's not seen as a Jyuunishi, it's more damned than the damned. This bond is the only life the Jyuunishi have known and when they become freed, they feel disconnected from the others and lonely.
Aside from being cursed with the Jade Emperor/God spirit (which refers to the curse and will get its own post. . . eventually), Akito is the Head of the Sohma family. She represents the family in business functions and dinners of high society, etc. She probably has been doing this since she was old enough to say "dada". It's a role she's extremely accustomed to, and she handles it with ease and confidence.
Akito is also the one who makes all the decisions that concern the family as a whole, and the Jyuunishi in particular. The Jyuunishi have to ask for her permission to get engaged and married, she decides which school the Jyuunishi should attend, what housemates the Jyuunishi are allowed to have, and whose memory should be erased to get rid of their knowledge of the curse. This is why the Jyuunishi at camp fret so much over people finding out about the secret, because they don't have Akito's permission to go on allowing these people to know.
Her behavior towards the Jyuunishi aside, Akito seems to be considered (and admired) both within the family and by other families of their standing as a mature, wise, beautiful and young Head of Family.
NOTE: though I've referred to Akito as female all throughout these paragraphs, Akito has been raised as male.
ETA: Added a few facts from chapter 10 of the manga.
ETA2: Added a few facts about Akito.
Okay, this is all pretty cool, but what do I care?
The reason I've explained all these facts is so that you see where I'm coming from when I say that Haru doesn't see his dating Rin as cousincest. At most, he'd consider it Jyuunishicest and he'd snort at the concept anyway. The trust and love and connection that comes with the bond simply can't be compared with anything that a non-cursed cousin or an outsider will ever make him feel. The Jyuunishi are Haru's world and he only sees it as natural that the love of his life is a Jyuunishi and his first love is another.
So, when his laptop posted the poll the other day and people commented on the kinkiness of incest/cousincest, he had to scoff. Because yes, he's aware of how an outsider perceives his dating Rin; but these people don't know about the bond and even if they knew, they wouldn't understand what it means either. Before a cousin, Rin is first and foremost a Jyuunishi, with all the connotations and feelings this carries.
Haru is no more a supporter of incest than he is of hunting babies for sport. (I'd say cows, but he eats beef and wears leather, so. D:) He encourages Yuki to go for Tohru and, later on, he assures Yuki he's certain there is someone in the world who will make Yuki happy. That said, Haru is a pretty non-judgemental guy and if there are campers practicing twincest or if George Michael wants to wall Maeby, he's totally okay with this.
And while I'm explaining stuff from last week: Hatsuharu never really hated Rikuou. Rikuou made a lousy first impression on Hatsuharu; but at the same time, Haru was always aware that Rikuou cares very deeply for Kazahaya. And someone who cares that deeply can't be all asshole. Once Black Haru got out of his system to beat Rikuou up (circa the uke polls), the tension and grrrr at the back of Haru's head went away. This tension and grrr was ALL Black Haru.
Hatsuharu thought he'd never manage to get along with Rikuou (there's another person in camp that falls under this category: Axel. And now is when I tell you that both Rikuou and Axel heartily enjoy Rin, and you snerk.) Seeing Rikuou amicable during their entire conversation was a surprise to Hatsuharu. The good kind of surprise.
And now, having completed something that resembles an essay, I go to bed. ♥