Fruits Basket Analyzed: Yuki Sohma part 1
a/n Not all experiences shared in here are mine
Yuki Sohma is one of the main protagonists of the story. He is the 15 year old Rat [1]{C} and the “lucky one” of the family, holding the unenviable position as Akito’s favorite {C}[2]{C}. Yuki is soft spoken to the point his voice is nearly inaudible in the anime, an actor decision I think was right on the money. The whole story focuses on Yuki discovering who he is. Before the opening of the series, Shigure moved away from the main house and brought his young cousin with him {C}[3]{C}. The two of them live in a house in the woods of Sohma land and Yuki insists on attending a coed high school as long as he lives there. Yuki is popular for his looks and his “hurt puppy” persona, but the attention frightens him {C}[4]{C}. Yuki is all the more lonely for being surrounded by people who worship him, but make no effort to get to know him {C}[5]{C}.
Emotions
Yuki and Shigure have deadpan faces and will often hide the emotions they feel the deepest. Yuki is kind and gracious with Torhu and his classmates at all times, but he has no idea if he does this because he is nice or because it is what he’s supposed to do {C}[6]{C}. Yuki is the best in the family at martial arts {C}[7]{C}, but when Torhu asks him if he likes them, he can’t answer {C}[8]{C}. Yuki’s life is a series of circumstances in his mind. First he was “sold” to Akito {C}[9]{C}, then he was at the mercy of Akito’s rages {C}[10]{C}. His pleas for help went unanswered. The one time Yuki escaped he was able to help someone and find the will to continue living, but then went back to his life as the “special” member of the Zodiac {C}[11]{C}. Even leaving the main house was not his doing, but Shigure’s {C}[12]{C}. In the first chapter Yuki critsizes himself for not being as proactive as Torhu and Shigure reminds him that he is a different person. (Plus Torhu’s can-do attitude can be a weakness, something Yuki doesn’t understand yet.)
Think about living in a place where the wrath and love of your sole companion lead to the same result (whipping was heavily implied) {C}[13]{C}. Any cry for help will get you ignored by those who could help and hurt even worse by the abuser. It would be better not to be noticed at all. When it was me I learned not to speak, not to make eye contact, just sit there and do nothing. Of course, that made the abuser angry too, so then I learned to go through the motions. I pretended to follow her lead, but I wasn’t paying any attention to what I was doing-all my focus was on her response to what I was doing. It didn’t even matter what I produced if we were drawing or writing because I couldn’t care about that. What if I said or expressed something she didn’t like? No, best to focus only on her.
This goes back to that one lie: you can’t be loved. Yuki has nothing to offer as a human being. The fact that he was unfortunate enough to be the “chosen one” only makes him feel worse {C}[14]{C}. As he once asked Akito-“Am I so strange you have to hide me?” and Akito assures Yuki he is strange enough that he will never be wanted {C}[15]{C}. Yuki is only around as a punching bag-when he does and says nothing, people like him better. A Yuki that does not think or feel seems to fit the bill just fine for what Akito wants {C}[16]{C}, and the Yuki that does have opinions, humor, and concerns just gets in the way of well being. To me Yuki often seems childlike and I think he’s making up for lost time with the garden {C}[17]{C} and the laughter {C}[18]{C} since he didn’t get any of those things the first time around.
Perfectionism has the same effect. The task becomes an end by itself-not the enjoyment from the task. Sometimes after playing a piece on my instrument I had no idea how I felt about it. When it was imperfect I berated myself for little mistakes, but when it was perfect (at least by the hollow standard of technique) I felt nothing. Yuki has achieved technical perfection in his fighting style {C}[19]{C}, but unlike Kyo who glows with passion when he describes training {C}[20]{C}, Yuki has no idea if he even likes what he does {C}[21]{C}. Winning the student council election seemed to bring Yuki no joy {C}[22]{C}, nor does his popularity. When people invest themselves in inanimate goals, they often find them hollow.
This was how Yuki went through life, but when there was no one directing his every moment, Yuki was at a loss. I find it amusing and healthy that Shigure’s life goal seems to be getting a reaction out of his young cousin {C}[23]{C}. Even in his unfailing kindness Yuki is unsure if he has genuine compassion or is merely bowing to social expectation {C}[24]{C}. At the hot springs Yuki says he’s never even laughed in front of his parents, so we know this numbness is nothing new {C}[25]{C}. The fancy word for it is dissociation. Yuki is not invested in anything going on around him and with him, and why would he be? Anything you like or dislike is a tool the abuser can use against you. Anything that makes you happy can be taken away and anything that makes you unhappy can be used to keep you in line. After a while feeling nothing seems the best way to go.
When I was being attacked as a young child I tried to fight the attacker off, but it never worked. At some point during each attack I would make myself go unconscious. That way I didn’t have to live through what was happening-I didn’t have to live my own life. Yuki is likewise not living his own life. Even with Akito gone, Yuki is still not living in the moment until the start of the series.
{C}
{C}
{C}
[1]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 1
{C}[2]{C} Volume 15, Chapter 84
{C}[3]{C} Volume 12, Chapter 69
{C}[4]{C} Volume 13, Chapter 76
{C}[5]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 4
{C}[6]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[7]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[8]{C} Volume 3, Chapter 13
{C}[9]{C} Volume 13, Chapter 72
{C}[10]{C} Volume 15, Chapter 84
{C}[11]{C} Volume 15, Chapter 85
{C}[12]{C} Volume 5, Chapter 26
{C}[13]{C} Volume 4, Chapter 20
{C}[14]{C} Volume 15, Chapter 84
{C}[15]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[16]{C} Volume 4, Chapter 20
{C}[17]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[18]{C} Volume 3, Chapter 18
{C}[19]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[20]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 3
{C}[21]{C} Volume 3, Chapter 13
{C}[22]{C} Finding out he won isn’t even mentioned
{C}[23]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 1
{C}[24]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 4
{C}[25]{C} Volume 3, Chapter 18
Yuki Sohma is one of the main protagonists of the story. He is the 15 year old Rat [1]{C} and the “lucky one” of the family, holding the unenviable position as Akito’s favorite {C}[2]{C}. Yuki is soft spoken to the point his voice is nearly inaudible in the anime, an actor decision I think was right on the money. The whole story focuses on Yuki discovering who he is. Before the opening of the series, Shigure moved away from the main house and brought his young cousin with him {C}[3]{C}. The two of them live in a house in the woods of Sohma land and Yuki insists on attending a coed high school as long as he lives there. Yuki is popular for his looks and his “hurt puppy” persona, but the attention frightens him {C}[4]{C}. Yuki is all the more lonely for being surrounded by people who worship him, but make no effort to get to know him {C}[5]{C}.
Emotions
Yuki and Shigure have deadpan faces and will often hide the emotions they feel the deepest. Yuki is kind and gracious with Torhu and his classmates at all times, but he has no idea if he does this because he is nice or because it is what he’s supposed to do {C}[6]{C}. Yuki is the best in the family at martial arts {C}[7]{C}, but when Torhu asks him if he likes them, he can’t answer {C}[8]{C}. Yuki’s life is a series of circumstances in his mind. First he was “sold” to Akito {C}[9]{C}, then he was at the mercy of Akito’s rages {C}[10]{C}. His pleas for help went unanswered. The one time Yuki escaped he was able to help someone and find the will to continue living, but then went back to his life as the “special” member of the Zodiac {C}[11]{C}. Even leaving the main house was not his doing, but Shigure’s {C}[12]{C}. In the first chapter Yuki critsizes himself for not being as proactive as Torhu and Shigure reminds him that he is a different person. (Plus Torhu’s can-do attitude can be a weakness, something Yuki doesn’t understand yet.)
Think about living in a place where the wrath and love of your sole companion lead to the same result (whipping was heavily implied) {C}[13]{C}. Any cry for help will get you ignored by those who could help and hurt even worse by the abuser. It would be better not to be noticed at all. When it was me I learned not to speak, not to make eye contact, just sit there and do nothing. Of course, that made the abuser angry too, so then I learned to go through the motions. I pretended to follow her lead, but I wasn’t paying any attention to what I was doing-all my focus was on her response to what I was doing. It didn’t even matter what I produced if we were drawing or writing because I couldn’t care about that. What if I said or expressed something she didn’t like? No, best to focus only on her.
This goes back to that one lie: you can’t be loved. Yuki has nothing to offer as a human being. The fact that he was unfortunate enough to be the “chosen one” only makes him feel worse {C}[14]{C}. As he once asked Akito-“Am I so strange you have to hide me?” and Akito assures Yuki he is strange enough that he will never be wanted {C}[15]{C}. Yuki is only around as a punching bag-when he does and says nothing, people like him better. A Yuki that does not think or feel seems to fit the bill just fine for what Akito wants {C}[16]{C}, and the Yuki that does have opinions, humor, and concerns just gets in the way of well being. To me Yuki often seems childlike and I think he’s making up for lost time with the garden {C}[17]{C} and the laughter {C}[18]{C} since he didn’t get any of those things the first time around.
Perfectionism has the same effect. The task becomes an end by itself-not the enjoyment from the task. Sometimes after playing a piece on my instrument I had no idea how I felt about it. When it was imperfect I berated myself for little mistakes, but when it was perfect (at least by the hollow standard of technique) I felt nothing. Yuki has achieved technical perfection in his fighting style {C}[19]{C}, but unlike Kyo who glows with passion when he describes training {C}[20]{C}, Yuki has no idea if he even likes what he does {C}[21]{C}. Winning the student council election seemed to bring Yuki no joy {C}[22]{C}, nor does his popularity. When people invest themselves in inanimate goals, they often find them hollow.
This was how Yuki went through life, but when there was no one directing his every moment, Yuki was at a loss. I find it amusing and healthy that Shigure’s life goal seems to be getting a reaction out of his young cousin {C}[23]{C}. Even in his unfailing kindness Yuki is unsure if he has genuine compassion or is merely bowing to social expectation {C}[24]{C}. At the hot springs Yuki says he’s never even laughed in front of his parents, so we know this numbness is nothing new {C}[25]{C}. The fancy word for it is dissociation. Yuki is not invested in anything going on around him and with him, and why would he be? Anything you like or dislike is a tool the abuser can use against you. Anything that makes you happy can be taken away and anything that makes you unhappy can be used to keep you in line. After a while feeling nothing seems the best way to go.
When I was being attacked as a young child I tried to fight the attacker off, but it never worked. At some point during each attack I would make myself go unconscious. That way I didn’t have to live through what was happening-I didn’t have to live my own life. Yuki is likewise not living his own life. Even with Akito gone, Yuki is still not living in the moment until the start of the series.
{C}
{C}
{C}
[1]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 1
{C}[2]{C} Volume 15, Chapter 84
{C}[3]{C} Volume 12, Chapter 69
{C}[4]{C} Volume 13, Chapter 76
{C}[5]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 4
{C}[6]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[7]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[8]{C} Volume 3, Chapter 13
{C}[9]{C} Volume 13, Chapter 72
{C}[10]{C} Volume 15, Chapter 84
{C}[11]{C} Volume 15, Chapter 85
{C}[12]{C} Volume 5, Chapter 26
{C}[13]{C} Volume 4, Chapter 20
{C}[14]{C} Volume 15, Chapter 84
{C}[15]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[16]{C} Volume 4, Chapter 20
{C}[17]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[18]{C} Volume 3, Chapter 18
{C}[19]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 2
{C}[20]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 3
{C}[21]{C} Volume 3, Chapter 13
{C}[22]{C} Finding out he won isn’t even mentioned
{C}[23]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 1
{C}[24]{C} Volume 1, Chapter 4
{C}[25]{C} Volume 3, Chapter 18