Anime Reviews: Fruit Basket (2006)

May 5, 2016
2 min read

The term fruits basket refers to a game that is popular in Japanese schools but in this case, "Fruits Basket" is, by far, my favorite anime. It consists of 26 episodes and is based on a novel by the same name. The heroine of the series, Tohru Honda, who, after the death of her mother, becomes homeless and moves to a tent in the woods. After her tent is destroyed by a landslide, she is invited to move in with Yuki Sohma (a classmate and the prince of her high school) and Shigure Sohma (a novelist with a prevented streak.) The trio is joined shortly by Kyo Sohma (cousin to Yuki and Shigure) who is determined to defeat Yuki. After a struggle that transforms each of the men into animals, they reveal a long kept family secret; members born into the Sohma family are cursed to transform into one of the twelve members of the Chinese zodiac, not counting the cat (poor Kyo) when hugged by the opposite sex. As long as Tohru can keep the secret, she is allowed to stay with the Sohma’s. As the series progresses, Tohru meets other members of the zodiac and even decides to meet the different members of the zodiac and help break the curse.

There isn’t a thing about this anime that I don’t love; from the progressive character development over the 26 episode span to the art style, this series has carved a place in my heart. The characters are so well drawn that I had no idea this anime was released in 2006. The quality and art style could easily be compared to that of today.

Tohru is the most loving character to grace the screen and reacts humanly as frightening situations arise. The story and character development feel authentic and true to each of their personalities. The characters' growth is integrated into the episode so well that, as a viewer, you don’t realize how much knowledge about the story and the character's motivations you gain during each episode.

The animated series ends before Tohru can accomplish her goal but the manga continues until completion and as a result, it provides more detail and character evolution that fans of the series will appreciate. The anime only covers about half of the manga, which is a tragedy because the whole story is intriguing to see. Even though the anime doesn't tell the complete story, it provides the viewer with a satisfying ending.