"If you love someone, they could make you sad. They could even make you feel lonely sometimes. But, that someone can also make you happier than you'll ever be." - Kyo Sohma
Fruits Basket is a slice of life, comedy, supernatural drama, romance, and shoujo anime. It was originally released in July 2001 by Studio Deen with 26 episodes. It was recently re-released in 2019-2020 as a first and second season directly from the manga with modern animation.
General Rating: 7.8/10
My Rating: 10/10
Fruits Basket was the second anime series I ever saw in late 2011/early 2012 and it quickly skyrocketed to the top of my list. Fruits Basket remained a consistent part of my top 10 until around 2014-2015 and has since been a consistent part of my top 20. Fruits Basket was a very emotional anime for me. Tohru was an upbeat, slightly naive, and optimistic girl despite the pain she has been through, and that was something I deeply identified with her. Tohru still is one of the anime characters I identify most with, and this introduction to the series almost immediately made it one of my favorites. Fruits Basket deals with themes like acceptance, belonging, family issues, compassion, and sacrificing one's own happiness to make others' lives easier.
After her mothers' passing in an accident, Tohru moves in with her grandfather, but due to his home being renovated, is unable to continue living with him. Claiming she will stay with one of her friends, Tohru resorts to secretly living on her own in a tent in the woods so that she will not be a burden to anyone. One night she returns to find her tent buried underneath a landslide. Yuki Souma, the "prince" of her school and his adult cousin Shigure Souma stumble across Tohru's situation and invite her to stay with them until her grandfather’s home renovations are complete. Upon arriving at the Souma house, Tohru accidentally discovers their secret: if a Souma is hugged by someone of the opposite gender, they temporarily transform into one of the animals of the zodiac. This curse holds a dark history against the family, as Tohru will soon learn. Throughout the anime, Tohru meets more members of the zodiac family, to whom she greets with her resilient kindheartedness - but is it enough to prepare her for the dark secrets behind the Souma household's doors?
Story: Fruit Basket has a cute story with some comedy and romance, and a very emotional and dark twist. This anime has so many themes you would think it'd be a mess, but it is far from that. The 2001 Fruits Basket does depart from a lot of what is written in the manga, however it is still good. I am sure the 2019 Fruits Basket has the more complete story. Fruits Basket operates with character arcs, where Tohru gets a chance to connect with each character, learn their story, and sometimes help them too. This anime's story is mostly cute and heartwarming on the outside, but peel back its layers and it has a whole new side. Something else about this anime that I think a lot of fans brush over is how we see young Tohru at the beginning getting emotional over the Zodiac story, saying she wants to be a cat. Later on, she meets Kyo, the cat of the zodiac, who is constantly rejected just like in the story. The bond that grows between these two throughout the anime is one of my absolute favorite things about its story and also why I am a permanent Tohru x Kyo shipper.
Characters: I absolutely LOVE the characters in Fruits Basket, my goodness. They each share slight similarities to their animals of the zodiac, which I found very cute. Also, no matter how bright any one of them may seem from the outside, they are all carrying a burden of some sort. The characters of this anime are what makes it a bit painfully emotional to watch.
Soundtrack: Fruits Basket has a very cute and beautiful soundtrack that suits it well. I fell in love with both its dub and sub openings, dubs' first since that is how I originally saw this anime. The voice acting and seiyuus also fit this anime very well and a lot of good quality was put into it, especially for the early 2000s.
Art: I have yet to see the 2019's remake, but I do plan on it as they are remaking it like the manga. As sure as I am that it will be well done and enjoyable, I am not a fan of the art. I love the 2001's Fruits Baskets' art, and that is something that will never change, no matter how great the remake turns out to be. I am a sucker for 2000s art, and I also hate in general when characters look a certain way but are changed to modernize them. This is one of the reasons I still love 2001's Fruits Basket the most.
Fruits Basket is more than just a cute anime. It's emotional, has amazing characters, gorgeous art, and a dark and mysterious background. I recommend this anime to fans of animes like School Rumble, Kobato, Inuyasha, Kamisama Kiss, Chobits, Vampire Knight, Special A, Inu x Boku SS, Full Moon, Pretear, Wolf Children, or Clannad. I do still recommend you to see the 2019 remake in addition to the original, but the 2001 Fruits Basket will always remain the original and the most loved in my heart.
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