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Momiji is just about as rabbit-like as one can get while still demanding a degree of respect from those around him. Though bubbly, loud, bouncy and naive, Momiji is also intelligent and cheerful: not whiny. Though he may be rash at times, he's neither a stupid blonde, nor is he clumsy. Though he may present the image of a child, there's much more to his character. When Momiji first met Tohru, he had heard a bit about her already, being in the inner circle of the Souma. From the very beginning, Momiji kissed Tohru on the cheek, then excitedly hugged her and decided her an instant friend. Happy that finally someone other than family knew of the Souma curse, he took no time with his close greeting. The fact that someone knew about the curse of the Juunishi and actually accepted the cursed ones as human beings was what probably attracted him to Tohru in the first place. Momiji has no trouble expressing his feelings. His excitement to get to know Tohru was shown by his overly affectionate way of acting towards her. He's the kind of kid that wears his heart on his sleeve, unafraid of meeting new people and getting to know them. While with any other person Momiji's greeting of Tohru might've been awkward, the fact that Momiji is so innocent makes it okay. There's a vital lesson learned through Fruits Basket, and that's to never judge a book by its cover. As we learned with Kagura and Hatsuharu, those that may give off the impression of being meek or calm could actually be the most violent. Momiji is no different. Though not quite like Hatsuharu or Kagura, Momiji is a different two-sided coin. He's like a child (not childish: there is a difference) but he is actually only one year younger than Tohru, Yuki, and Kyou. He's the same age as Hatsuharu. The contrast between Momiji and other people his age is shocking. Even Tohru took him to be no more than a middle school student, experiencing quite a surprise when she found out he was in junior high. This assumption comes from Momiji's general behavior around other people and large groups. He loves to be in the spotlight, taking that chance whenever possible by (ironically) being the rabbit in a tag-like game where the rest of his classmates try to catch him, being so open with his feelings, and possessing an innocent and kindness different than others. His cheerful outlook on life, debatably a cover, wrongly gives off the impression that he hasn't experienced much emotional turmoil or hardship. Then again, it doesn't help that Momiji wears the girls' uniform at school (it fit better than the boys'), or that he hasn't experienced a growth-spurt in height, either. Girls at school are left imagining and swooning over how incredibly handsome he will be when he's older. Momiji doesn't quite mind that people might mistake his age; it probably gives him more of an advantage in some situations than anything else.
We don't hear a lot of Momiji's family because he doesn't have much of one. His father owns the company that Tohru works as a maid for; Momiji sometimes stumbles upon Tohru as she's at her part-time job. Other times Momiji might help Tohru out, surprise her by appearing all of a sudden at her part-time job, stay with her, or walk her home. Tohru never quite realized that Momiji's father owned that large corporation until she ran into Momiji on accident. Momiji also has a mother and younger sister -- both with the same color eyes and hair. The family looks a lot like a family would, but on the contrary aren't close at all, instead rather cold. Momiji doesn't even live with his actual family: Hatori is his guardian. Momiji's hyperactive madness is a nice balance to Hatori's extreme calm. Though definitely child-like and carefree, Momiji has a maturity to him that runs deep. It takes a while for it to emerge, but when the time calls for it, Momiji possesses great understanding and has the ability to give strong advice. He seems to understand Tohru and accepts her strange way of living life so simply more than anyone else does. While Kyou, Yuki or Shigure are baffled as to why Tohru is like the way she is, Momiji is able to understand it better than they are. He and Tohru have a certain connection that helps them relate very well. Momiji always backs Tohru up and helps her out (like that time Hiro stole the picture of Tohru's mother from her purse) and clues her in when she's left out of something about the inner Souma circle. While perky, bounce and loud usually, when Momiji has something important to say his voice drops to a calm, soft tone. His seiyuu suits him well.
Momiji is an extremely interesting character and competes for being my favorite in the whole anime series, personally. He's a bringer of chaos and one can't help but love the mix-ups he causes, his whiny voice that really isn't whiny, the way he teases everyone and has a fun relationship with all the characters in the series. He's the perfect balance between being fun to be around yet not overbearing. In other words, he's absolutely adorable without the excessive bubbliness that makes viewers want to generally puke. And when one gets to know more about his relationship with his family, there's suddenly a completely new light of depth to him.
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- - - - - - - - - -> Souma Momiji
Momiji
is lighthearted and terribly fun to be around. He's friends with nearly
everyone he meets and is like a class clown at school, always playing
games and blending right in, even with his blonde hair and habit of
inserting random German words into his everyday speech. He sings songs,
tells fairy tales, and smiles a whole lot. He and Tohru are close friends, Hatsuharu is protective of him just as he is of everyone,
Kyou beats him up whenever he teases him, Yuki's comfortable around him,
Shigure enjoys his company. He shows his concern for his friends
and watches out for them in his own way. Momiji is a central
part of the Juunishi circle, always welcome at Shigure's home.
Momiji
has a knack of disregarding tact, good timing, and foresight altogether.
When he first met Tohru, he tackle-hugged her, not caring that he was
about to turn into a rabbit in front of Tohru's whole high school class.
Yuki, Kyou and Tohru definitely had a difficult time covering that
up, and poor Yuki had to sacrifice his manliness in order to divert the
attention of his classmates from the fiasco at hand. Momiji also adores
to tease Kyou incessantly, especially with something perverted having to
do with Tohru. It seems as if Momiji is able to tell that Kyou has
special feelings for Tohru and teases him as
much as possible, often getting beat in return. Of course, all of
Momiji's teasing goes over Tohru's head, who is
clueless as always.