Anime 38680 Fruits Basket 1st Season Reviews Filter Check 1

On November 12, 2018 last year, I woke up to a string of Twitter feeds and news alerts. Fruits Basket got announced for a new anime based on the manga. During that same week, I pinched myself several times and realized it’s not a dream. It’s a reality. Fruits Basket, one of the most celebrated shoujo manga series in North America, is making a comeback after all these years. And to my delight, we also got the announcement that the new Fruits Basket would adapt the entire manga. That’s right, all 23 freaking volumes of them.

There’s one thing for certain: Fruits Basket is a best-seller ... in the West. Whether you’re a fan of shoujo genre or not, the series has a large fan base that still exists today. As a fan myself, I’ve read the series many years ago and have seen the first anime adaptation. Coming into the new Fruits Basket feels like a trip down memory lane. Only this time, we have enhanced visuals updated to more modern quality and a commitment to bring a full adaptation. For an emotional story and character driven show, Fruits Basket is a classic.

It’s 2019 and bringing a show from the past isn’t that simple. The biggest question on many people’s mind revolves how many episodes will the new season consist. With the actual amount of content from the manga, it’s not enough for just 25 episodes. Hence, it’s labeled as “first season” serving as a remake continuation of the franchise. However, something else came to my mind with its staff and cast. Fruits Basket’s characters are significant and to bring their personalities on the TV screen would need an A+ level of talent. Luckily, there’s no need to worry as the voices in this show are able to step up to the plate. Tohru Honda’s VA has changed for the new adaptation but her personality remains relatively the same. For those new to the franchise, she is the main female protagonist and an incredibly kind high school girl. While her character introduction may cause some heads to turn away (I mean, who would be impressed by an orphan living in a tent?), there’s no doubt she is a selfless person. She is loyal and often optimistic about her life. There’s many times in the show where she treats others with respect and is well known for her kindness. At the same time, Tohru’s weakness shows in her personality with her being too forgiving of others. Her character growth this season is slow but should be respected as the anime wants to flesh out her personality as much as possible. Most importantly, the show establishes her as an iconic shoujo character.

Meanwhile, we shouldn’t forget about the other main cast. Fruits Basket is a shoujo after all and isn’t complete without important male characters. These consist of members the Soma family. Most prominently, there’s Kyo and Yuki. The characters themselves are based off of the Eastern Chinese Zodiac with 12 animals. Strangely enough, Kyo himself is not part of the Zodiac although he is still a member of the family. He is portrayed as a young man with a short temper who often gets into pity arguments with Yuki. Their rivalry is relentless with battle of words, contests, and occasional physical fights. However, their rivalry is more about Kyo trying to prove himself and whether he truly can be accepted as a member of the Soma family. In other words, it’s not really some blood feud with lives at stake. Plus, a princely guy like Yuki isn’t the type that would want to harm others. His gentle and reserved personality at school earned him many fans, including his own personal fan club. Despite this, Yuki is portrayed as a distant man who isn’t easy to make friends with. Throughout the show, he develops a unique bond with Tohru as the two understands each other more. It’s also important to realize the season occasionally shows cryptic parts of his darker past. We don’t see it often but there are windows of moments where he shows insecurity and fear. Any new fans would no doubt be curious to learn more about Yuki. And as the more episodes progresses, the more complicated his character gets.

On the other hand, the more you look at Kyo, the more you can probably realize he’s growing a deeper affections towards Tohru. There are some episodes that shows his curiosity about her and even transforming into a genuine friendship. From a character relationship perspective, their chemistry evolves surely, although slowly. Tohru herself also begins to see his true character, beyond that of a hotblooded youngman. It’s important to know that outside of the Sohma family, she has close friends such as Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima. It’s noticeable that the anime dedicates time to focus on all three of them ranging from when they first met to how much they deeply care about each other in the present timeline. Similarly, Tohru has a deep devotion for her deceased mother. Known for its flashbacks, Fruits Basket both shows and tells a story about the importance of family. It’s a tear inducing story once you truly understand how much Tohru’s mother cares about her. At the same time, Tohru inherits characteristics from her mother as being a selfless woman who isn’t afraid to protect her friends.

The more I watched this new version of Fruits Basket, it made me wonder how they can introduce the other characters properly. Remember, there are 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac and outside of the two main guys, there are at least 10 others. Shigure Sohma is introduced early on after taking in Tohru in as a house guest. Being much laid back than others, there’s not much we understand about him although he is a man with a word of wisdom. Unfortunately, this season doesn’t fully explore his character so anime fans will have to wait a bit longer. Others such as Kagura, Momoji, Hatsuharu, Hatori, and Ayame are also introduced in various episodes. While not being prominently featured as the main cast, they do have value in the show despite some portrayed as being very childish. Kagura and Momoji are key examples of this with their behavior. I mean, who can forget about the episode with Kagura practically jumping herself into Kyo’s arms? Indeed, while Fruits Basket often carries a melancholic mood, there’s many comedic moments. There’s even a running gag in the show with the guys losing their clothes after being hugged and transforming into animals. Now that’s a curse to really be careful of. But perhaps one of the most mysterious character is someone named Akito. This character is mentioned many times by the main cast, most prominently by Yuki. Just who is Akito? What’s this character’s purpose? And why does Akito make Yuki react in such fearful ways? If you want answers, you’re going to be in for a long ride.

TMS Entertainment is honestly a studio I have mixed thoughts for. They do have a history of producing shoujo anime such as Kamisama Kiss and even bringing back long running franchises like D Gray Man a few years ago. After seeing the promotional material for the anime, I’m thankful to say there’s no need to worry. The animation quality lives up to modern standards with the vibrant and colorful character designs. They’re faithful to the manga on most parts with updated quality compared to the 2003 version. The setting itself presents a youthful field of decorated visuals full of life. And of course, the ladies will be in for a treat with the guys getting the bishounen makeover.

The fact that I’m even talking about Fruits Basket in 2019 is amazing by itself. Not too many franchises gets the golden treatment of having a complete remakes these days especially for the anime medium. Fruits Basket is a great example of a show that deserves this continuation for the 2003 version didn’t truly live up to its expectations. Here, we have the beginning of a beautiful journey and a reminder of why certain franchises deserves to be revived.

I enjoyed the original Fruit Basket anime.

I know that's an unpopular opinion as the author and manga readers despised the original anime for dropping the ball in terms of adapting the manga but I thought it was a pretty good show, despite its flaws.

When Fruits Basket 2019 was announced around late 2018 I was very excited as I finally got to experience this tragic tale in complete form.
I went into Fruits Basket 2019 with very high exceptions as I expected the series to deliver it's promises and fortunately the series managed to meet and surpass my high exceptions as Fruits Basket 2019 is only the ... best anime I have ever encountered but it's easily the best Shoujo anime I have seen from this decade.

Watching Fruits Basket 2019 story unfold was like picking up light hearted fairy tale book only to find out that the fairy tale book that picked has a lot of dark and mystery elements in it. That's Fruits Basket 2019 plot in the nutshell. It's a dark and intriguing story that was disguised as a fluffy and light-hearted story.

One of the things you begin to notice while watching the first couple of episodes was how it simply got straight to the point. The series wastes no time establishing its characters, themes and mystery elements to the viewer. It felt like a proper introduction and the way the show did was astounding.

Naturally this is an anime remake and the whole point of an anime remake is not only to fix the flaws were presented in the original adaptation for that particularly series but to also tell the present the classic story again to newer anime fans. This is Fruits Basket 2019 second biggest strength.

You can clearly tell that the Fruits Basket 2019 director Yoshihide Ibata had passion, respect and ambition towards this remake as he made sure it was accurate to the manga from story elements, themes and characterisation and it shows especially in the second half where the original anime went out of bounds.

Before we talk about Fruits Basket 2019 biggest strength I want to talk about the other aspects that it does well-staring with the well handed tonal shifts. One of my biggest issues I have with modern anime is how they struggle to have a consistent tone and many anime that shall be nameless end up being bad.

Thankfully Fruits Basket 2019 doesn't suffer from this as it knows how to use its tonal shifts and it never feels out of place due to the show understanding pacing.
Speaking of pacing that's an another aspect that Fruits Basket well.
The plot moves at the smooth and consistent pace that never bores the viewers. The smooth pacing also gives characters as its mystery and plot elements enough time to shine. Which leads me to Fruits Basket biggest strength theme exploration.

The series explores the themes of child abuse, family, bullying, memories, pain, love, accepting your true self, guilt child abandonment and discrimination. I loved how the series was able to execute and present its theme to the viewer without feeling forced or hamfisted thanks to great writing and direction. This was in retrospect absent in the original anime.

Obviously a well-written story like this is nothing without strong and likeable characters and fortunately the characters are just as great as the well written plot.
Thoru is one of the best Shoujo protagonists I've ever encountered in a long while. I know you guys are thinking right now. But you called her a great character already in your original Fruits Basket review.

It is true that I called Thoru a great character in my review for the original anime however the reason why she was not one of my favourite Shoujo leads period is that she a bit of a Mary Sue. 2019 Thoru is not a Mary Sue whatsoever she a caring but mentally damaged person.

Throughout the series we see trying her best to break the Shoma family curse by getting to know the Souma family as well not losing her cool in life due to her tragic past that damaged her mentally as a person. She also a nicely developed character as she changes through the plot with each new Shoma counter.

In the original anime Momiji was my character in series however in the remake Kyo is my favourite character. I just low how aggressive and caring he is when interacting with other characters. Kyo is also a well-developed character as he goes from an angry individual who hates everyone especially to a friendlier person who is able to his peers. Kyou strong characterisation is only better with his sad and well-written backstory.

Yuki is an another character that I really liked. I loved he's clam, charming and mysterious personality when he talks to other characters in the series. He also develops through the anime as he goes from an isolated individual who has a hard time communicating to his peers due the Shoma family curse in him to a more spoken individual who is able express his feelings towards others.

The supporting characters are just good and well-written as the main characters.

In the original series Saki and Arisa were mostly comedic relief characters that only embraced the comedy nature of the original series.
They were hardly relevant in the original plot minus a few key scenes notably episode 25. The remake turns Arisa and especially Saki into more serious and relevant characters and it was honestly for the better.

Seeing them properly characterised in this remake put a smile on my face as my wish for the now defunct season 2 of the original anime was granted. They finally became more than just tools of the plot as both Arisa and Saki as just as interesting as the Shoma family.

This is not to say Saki and Arisa aren't funny characters at all they still retain they gags and personality quirks that never fail to make the laugh their asses off.

The other Shoma members are also great. Every Shoma member is unique in terms of personality and seeing them interact with Thoru and the other Shoma members was fascinating due to Fruits Basket 2019 outstanding character chemistry.

The series also manages fantastically characterise every Shoma member to a point where you can sympathise with them including the some of the more loud and bizarre members like Kagura and Hrio.

If there was one word to describe Fruits Basket 2019 it would be gorgeous. Studio TMS did an outstanding job at bring the show to life with the smooth and sharp character designs that were only the enhances by the smooth bright and vibrant colour palette.
The background scenery is bright, well-detailed, and the lighting is spot on. As for actual animation it's pretty good. Character movement is smooth and there's hardly any still frames used.
The series may not be visually stylish as Demon Slayer and March Comes in Like a Lion but it makes up by great direction and shot competition especially towards the final 4 episodes.

Fruits Basket 2019 soundtrack is for the most part very good. The soundtrack features an upbeat, cheerful and melancholic score that perfectly the tone of the anime.

The first opening theme Again by Beverly is a beautifully composed song that perfectly captures the tone of the series.The second opening theme Chime" by Ai Otsuka is an upbeat and sparkling song that captures the more light-hearted elements in the series.
The first ending theme Lucky Ending by Vickeblanka is one of my favourite ending themes of all time due it's calming and beautiful bass. Fun fact the singer who did the ending theme for this also did the famous kickass third opening theme for Black Clover Black Rover.
The second ending One Step Closer by INTERSECTION may not be as great as Lucky Ending but it's still a pretty solid song.

The voice acting is strong in both languages but if I had to pick between the original Japanese audio and the Funimation English Dub I would easily pick the Funimation Dub. Not only the dub was very well-acted, but the audio quality was top notch. Returning voice actors Laura Bailey, Jerry ewell and Eric Vale absolutely blew the Seiyuus counterparts away.

The new voice cast for certain characters is also very good. My favourite newcomer for the dub is Mikaela Krantz who did a great job of portraying the bubbly Monoji especially with that German accent.
Overall its personal preference but I suggests giving the English Dub a shot.

Watching Fruits Basket 2019 reminded me why I love this medium. It is a fantastically written and charming series that screams passion and love.

Compared to FMAB and Hunter x Hunter 2011 where you have the opinion to check the original adaptations for more detailed versions of earlier arcs there's little to no reason to watch the original anime as this remake from head to toe did everything better.

Sure the original series may have nostalgia factor but nostalgia is only as good as it's overall quality and that where Fruits Basket 2001 unfortunately falls flat on that regard.

Fruits Basket 2019 is not only great it's the type of great that makes you laugh, smile, cry and happy.

Studio TMS and Yoshihide Ibata thank you for bringing this classic story to the modern day.

“Grief is normal, but not eternal.” — Krunchyman

Life cares not for our emotions, as tragedy strikes without a moments notice. Due to our finite existence, we are bound to lose someone special. But we mustn’t allow ourselves to become trapped by emotions. Life moves forward, and so must we. Despite the uncertainty in her volatile life, Tooru Honda remains optimistic in the face of despair. Her daily struggles are physically and mentally taxing, yet she persists. Pressing forward with determination of mind and body. Turning an unfortunate circumstance into a springboard to cultivate a new life ... for herself.

A joyous life. An endearing life. And a life full of laughter.

‘Slice of life’ has always been a misnomer in the anime industry. In the strictest sense of the definition, it involves the depiction of mundane experiences to capture the essence of ‘real life.’ Anime/manga, however, rely on melodramatic — exaggerated — scenes to elicit a desired reaction. This becomes evident in “Fruits Basket (2019)” when Kyou challenges Yuki to a martial arts match on the fly, resulting in a humorously quick victory for Yuki. Or when the piggish Kagura displays her love for Kyou by twirling him at such a speed to self-propel herself like a helicopter.

This, however, brings up an interesting question: how did Kagura attain upward thrust without a tail rotor? Clearly, Issac Newtown’s third law of motion states, “to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.” Without an anti-torque system to oppose the torque reaction, upward thrust would not be generated.

But despite this aerodynamic contradiction and genre misclassification, “Fruits Basket (2019)” is a hilarious show with plenty of heartwarming moments. The success relies on its fleshed out characters. Now, to be honest, they are rather tropey. But unlike the majority of anime that hinge their entire plot on character tropes, “Fruits Basket (2019)” slowly unravels the tapestry that is our main characters to provide a rich experience.

In contrast to Tohru’s naive, awkward personality, she excels at giving advice to others. Several episodes display reminiscent visions of Tohru’s mother, Kyoko Honda, as she imparts wisdoms in her daughter. Tohru’s passing of knowledge to her friends shows her caring nature and her willingness to tacitly accept her mother’s passing. Remember. Although she exhibits positivity, Tohru is attempting to live for herself despite her unselfish personality.

Yuki, “The Prince,” is a reserved individual that feels isolated from the other adolescents his age. While his good looks garner a lot of positive attention, he feels incapable of ‘opening’ up to others; hence, why he envies Kyou for his ease of developing friendships. Kyou, on the other hand, sees his disposition as unfavorable, due to his estrangement from the Sohma family.

And this is the appeal of “Fruits Basket.”

Underneath its silliness, there are real problems that need to be confronted. Each member of the zodiac is shown to be ‘broken’ in some sense. Hindering their ability to express their true self to the world. And “Fruits Basket” does an excellent job of piercing through their barriers to talk to us on a personal level. Chances are, you’ll discover a character of the zodiac that you feel akin to, and you may learn something from their struggles. It can be heart-wrenching to watch, yet so beautiful. Combine this with the improved animation and wonderful OST, and you’re in for a real treat.

Disclaimer : I didn’t watch the first fruits basket anime and neither did I read the manga. So this review will be purely on Fruits Basket (2019). Second review ever and French reviewer, sorry if bad english, gambarimasu.

I’ll go through each point that made me love this anime that didn’t please me as much in the beginning. Firstly, let me tell you that this anime is perfect for shoujo lovers, BUT I’ll try throughout my review to interest the people who skip this only because it’s categorized as a shoujo.


Fruits basket is a simple shoujo story as we could have seen at first sight. Our ... main girl, Tohru Honda helps certain people affected by a curse that makes them transform temporarily into a cute animal of the zodiac when they hug someone of the opposite sex. What is the big deal you would say?

Yeah doesn’t mean much as a problem for me also when I started this anime. The beginning is what you expect from a typical shoujo show. A cute and simple girl flirting with handsome males that makes jealous others random female students at school. And she starts to live with them from the very first episode! In the first episodes, you could find that all is going well without any strong pressure and you will probably think: “Ah, another shoujo/slice of life anime without interest”.

You could’ve never been so wrong.

As the anime and the story advances, you will discover a very dark and mysterious story behind all the characters, and it doesn’t limit at the mains ones! That’s one of the strongest point of Fruits Basket (2019), the characters are really well written. Theirs backstory are roughs, deeps, unpleasant, frightening but also sometimes happy and they made them as they are today. All their interactions with the other members of the cast are coherent and really well thought taking into account their own experiences, traumas, etc… even if the spectator doesn’t know them yet.

From a certain point in the anime, the mysteries about the past lives of some characters start to be revealed. And it’s done in a magnificent way. Trust me when I say you will need more tissues than you usual jerking week routine. More seriously, the way this anime conveys the feeling is incredible and is on par with Violet Evergarden as an example. Those few episodes really hit the spectator because for some characters, all the pressure built during the anime releases suddenly as a flow of beautiful flashbacks, hidden memories and sickening past situations that explain a lot about how they are behaving today. Even for the characters that were not hinted to have a dark past, we do get some breathtaking moments that will stay on your mind for a while after.

I also must highlight that Tohru is one of the strongest characters I’ve seen in this genre of anime. Being able to put on the truest smile you’ve seen and being constantly a flurry ball of cheerfulness for everybody she met while staying reasonably true is something truly admirable if we consider what she has been through.

Enough about the characters, the music/sound in Fruits Baskets (2019) serves perfectly its role. Accentuating the emotional moments when it should and give a relaxing tone when the story goes on. And God I love the endings, they did a really good job, the songs are very emotional and remind us at the end of every episode the feels that went through during the last 24-min (If you saw episode 24, you know how powerful it can be haha). Moreover, they are meaningful both in their lyrics and in their visual.
F-yeah we could do a complete review on the second opening about how Tohru is giving hope and peace for all the characters as we see the cast bring down their umbrellas one by one while the rain stops and the luminous sunrays lightens up their faces.

For a remake, the animation of Fruits Basket (2019) is so worth it. Not much to say about it, it’s just beautiful. The sceneries are great, the movements are fluid and the expressions on the characters faces really feel authentic and is giving a lot to the spectator.


Overall Fruits Basket (2019) is close to a masterpiece of its genre. A story of love, friendship but mainly a story about life itself. The hard times that we all had once at least can be found and reflected in this anime. Thus, the spectator can easily relate to the various tragic event and it’s so well done that even if he didn’t encounter them in his life, they will still get through him. As Tohru brings peace and joy to the people she loves, Fruits Basket (2019) brings us tears of understanding and a very strong feeling of compassion that makes us want to take into our arms every single character of the show (and it’s not because we only want to pet them after!).

If you loves shoujo or you seek anime like Violet Evergarden with strong emotional moments with beautiful music and smooth animations, you should 100% go for it RIGHT NOW.

And if you are not particularly interested by shoujo nor slice of life anime, why not give it a try? You might be surprised by how moving an anime about simple things in life can be!


~ Walpurgies

This anime is so heartwarming and so darn cute! The art is outstanding, the music is good, everything is so colourful and it brings me so much joy!
I am very intrigued by all the zodiacs. Seeing how cute they are when they transform into animals, I would hug them all day long. This teenage rom-com is everything I could ask for. Tohru is a precious cinnamon roll who must be protected. I love Yuki, he is definitely my type. I ship them.
Kyo is cool and I love cats, but in this case, I prefer Yuki because I love grey haired anime boys who are ... sweet. The male tsundere might seem cool and new at first glance, but I grew tired of it. I mean, Kyo is ok, but his personality is sometimes irritating for me personally.

In conclusion, a great story to enjoy when you want something cute and heartwarming.

Perhaps the difficulty of understanding yourself is equal to the amount you feel alive when doing so. Fruits Basket understands this. Character driven and dramatically told, it is able to embed its most important themes inside of the story and characters.

What starts as a girl finding out a secret quickly becomes understanding the reality they shoulder.

The Souma zodiac secret, transferring into one of the zodiac members when hugged by the opposite sex, is a means to tell a story. Of course Honda Tohru wouldn’t have forged a relationship with them without discovering it, but more importantly it contains single-handedly the most important theme the show ... pertains—People are born with burdens. Each and every Souma carries some form of ache. But surprisingly enough, their issues are not foregin to what are real problems that real people have to overcome. Having no place to belong, holding resentment towards others because of one's own uncontrolled circumstances, parental issues, losing loved ones, not being able to get along with others. Each of these complications get conceptually visualized through very unreal means, but at their core are not unreal problems. It is this balance between a larger than life setting, but with a core focus on reality, that gives the show its charm.

Fruits Basket is about many things, however, and probably just as important as having burdens is about how to live and move on from them. This is mostly presented through a character, Honda Tohru. To the Soumas, she is exactly what they needed. Inspired by her late mother, Tohru is driven to be compassionate with a way of words. She learns to understand all of them because she understood her wonderful mother. She's kind, caring, and always seems to know what to say to them. She can inspire them with her words or actions, and manage to crack all of their shells to become friendly with all of them. Is she too perfect to be believable? Well, that is sort of her point, because she is in fact vulnerable and flawed, it just isn’t necessarily clear. Her “perfection” in a way feels its adding another layer to the show. Honda Tohru is extremely romanticized as a person, but that doesn’t mean she has no core issues. We learn she is naive, absent-minded, and often forgetful. But the show doesn’t necessarily present these flaws as a means to simply make her cuter. They are real with real consequences. She wants to believe the best in everybody, she wants the moments she loves to last forever, out of fear of not having a place to belong, again. This is only to a fault, because eventually—like everybody else, she will have to face reality. This is best displayed when she is called back to live with her Grandfather. But more important than any one issue the the show gives her is how she views herself. Even though most of the characters in the show (and probably most viewers) can admit she is doing all the right things, she doesn’t necessarily think she is living up to those expectations herself. This excerpt was one of my favorite moments of the show, an analogy Tohru uses to cheer up Kyo:

“If a person is a rice ball and what’s great about the person is a pickled plum, than maybe your plum is on your back! Maybe everyone is the world has plums on their backs, of all different shapes, colors, and sizes. But since they can’t see their backs, they can’t see the plums they have. They think they don’t have anything—that they’re just plain rice. Even though that is not true at all—even though they really do have a plum there. Maybe the reason we get jealous of others, is because other people’s backs are easy to see.”

It’s almost like this was written to describe how Tohru is projected to others. It's an important lesson, however, that we all have doubts about ourselves, no matter how perfect we may come off to others. This is how dynamics between characters in the show are formed. Through both understandings and misunderstandings about one another. Characters hiding things about them, or not being totally honest to themselves or others. It is surprisingly realistic.

The original Fruits Basket TV anime aired 18 years ago, so this rendition surges greatly in its animation/art/sound quality(though not necessarily the music pieces themselves can be compared, however). I can imagine, however, that there will be some loyal towards the original (just like some people are more loyal towards the original FMA and not Brotherhood) If you are looking to watch the series modern day and haven’t watched either, it is hard to not recommend the 2019 version. It is important to mention that just like the original Furuba, the way its assed will likely be polarized. Of course, like most drama anime, this series isn’t free from melodrama, or black/white conflicts every now and again. Not every character is well put together, and not every episode contains something special. But what I found always consistent about the show is how it remained faithful to its wonderful themes.

Fruits Basket is an impressively layered show. It manages to be both character driven and contain a relevant plot, all while never losing focus on its core themes. The characters, while possessing supernatural phenomena and having issues arise in a rather unusual way, contain familiar troubles that are very real. It's in that way the show tries to tell you no matter how distant a person feels from you—we all have to carry the burdens we get for simply existing.

The calm and quiet Honda Tour is a much more resistant and resourceful person than its fragile appearance would indicate. After the death of her mother, who died several months earlier in a car accident, Touru lives with her grandfather, goes to school and works, earning her living. However, the grandfather's house needs renovation, and he moves to his family at the time. Touru promises him that he will move to one of his girlfriends, but not wanting to disturb them, he decides that he may well live in a tent set up in the forest ... And this story begins here.

One day Touru goes ... to a property in the forest. He meets there a handsome young writer, Shigure Souma, with whom he gets into a conversation, but in a moment he is awaited with a real surprise ... Here is a writer who is adored by almost all the girls in the school "prince" from her class, Yuki! He turns out to be a rather shy and very nice young man. Soon, as a result of a series of events (or necessarily unfortunate?), Touru loses his temporary shelter and agrees to live in the Soumi house. He also gets to know their secret: here is a curse on the family that reaches some of its representatives. Under the influence of strong emotions, and (worse) hugged by the opposite sex, they turn into one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Do you need to add that both Shigure and Yuki, as well as the soon-appearing ruthless and rebellious Kyou, suffer from this curse?

We are dealing here with a specific reversal of the situation known from the so-called Harem comedy - here one girl lives among handsome (and more or less interested) men. The series, however, contrary to appearances, is not a romance and in principle does not determine which of the gentlemen (and in time also appear more representatives of the Chinese zodiac) will ultimately win the heart of Tour. Besides, is that what it's all about? Living in rigid rules imposed by the family, forced to hide the curse on them from all over the world, they are quite helpless in the face of heat and acceptance shown to them by Tout.

The series, to tell the truth, feeds on the lowest feelings that do not affect any woman, regardless of age: the desire to take care of and mothering a guy who desperately needs her warmth ... The more so if the guy is an extremely handsome bishounen. But one must honestly admit: if it feeds, it does it in a perfect way. The best proof is that during watching I felt rather warm in the heart area than irritation (and the latter feeling is much closer to me in such situations). Characters are full of unforced grace, interesting and nice - including the main character. Even if at times she is irritated by excessive idealism and naivety, it is easy to put down a young age. Anyway, you can also see that this type of attitude is sometimes the only right ...

The series "sells" one important truth in all: that tolerance belongs to everyone and no one is allowed to judge after appearances. Of course, it is a cliché, as are numerous parables illustrating this topic (including the story about the title "fruit basket", or the game in which children play). But it is a cliché which is sometimes worth remembering. Even if someone could be maliciously noticed that it is quite easy to be forgiving and tolerant towards intelligent and handsome men, whose only disadvantage is that sometimes they turn into cute animals ...

The plot does not really exist. We watch a series of episodes from the life of Touru and its hosts, more or less dramatic (usually less), with one dramatic (but really nothing explanatory or unchanging) culmination in the finale. On the one hand, such a formula works quite well - after all, the thing "draws", inducing you to reach for the next episodes. On the other hand, however, lies the greatest weakness of this anime. It is an adaptation of only a part of a long manga and therefore it does not contain an ending, an explanation of what a Souma curse really is and what else can be done with it. As a result, one gets the impression that the curse (about which we do not learn anything concrete - even where it came from) was invented only so that some bishounen could make a tragic face and bend over their fate.

The music is very successful and delicate, you can even say - warm, emphasizing the atmosphere of the anime. The pastel colors are similarly warm. The characters are drawn in a very "beautiful" way, large-scale up to exaggeration - they can make the impression of being sweetened. They are a bit off-animal - inherited from the manga - their animal characters, resembling rather plush toys, than any specific creatures.

To sum up - the series enjoys unflagging popularity for a reason, but I suppose it is more "women's" and addressed to the women's audience. This does not mean, of course, that no representative of the ugly sex will be able to appreciate her grace. My good advice - it's worth a try, an ideal thing to improve your mood and should work even on people who usually bother with "warm romantic comedies".

"Do people exist to be punished?" - Episode 22.

Should you watch this if you've seen the 2001 version? Narratively it ends off in the same spot as the 2001 version. The episodes mirror each other, so there's not much new in terms of content. This version offered phenomenal episodes for Uo-chan-episodes 16 and 17 and Hana-chan-episode 22 that the 2001 didn't include. They mirrored so exactly until episode 6.

This is the remake of the original anime that came out in 2001. Due to creative differences, the mangaka requested a literal page for page remake of her beloved creation. Sometimes slight changes work better ... for the medium versus sticking exactly to the book. Think of this like another Sailor Moon Crystal. Yes the backgrounds are more detailed and things move more, but you lose the tight framing and really good directing from the original. The series suffers from awkward frames and some bad animation: i.e. when Tohru is walking back from work, her back is awkwardly animated that it just looks bad.

The differences are the 2001 version established the members of the Sohma family with more personality. The last two episodes of the finale are phenomenal. It established Kyou's relationship with Shishou with so much nuance and finesse. I personally prefer how Yuki and Tohru were involved, instead of Tohru just being by herself. I prefer Akito much more in this version. Akito is barely seen and feels menacing and scary thanks to the VA. I can see why the Sohmas are afraid of her.

I ended up watching episodes where it offered additional or different content from the 2001 version. The 2019 version offered more of a presence to Uo-chan, Hana-chan, and Kyoko-san, but lost the personalities of the other Sohma characters, like Hatsuharu in particular.

It did handle the Valentine's Day episode better in that there was Kyou character development in that episode. I enjoyed Hana-chan's role in the New Years Episode. I did enjoy the sleepover episode (6). It did fine on the Momiji episode/Tohru's mom's funeral and hinted that Kyou knew her mom near the end. Where it shined was establishing the backstories to Uo-chan and Hana-chan and you understand why and how they became Tohru's best friends. That's where the praise comes from. Then there's the hat that will be brought back again and again in season 2 and 3.

The finale was devoid of the emotional resonance from the 2001's finale. I was bored at episode 25.

The reboot's art direction resembles that of a dating sim. I'm referring to those awkward shots of two characters in a frame against a gray background/backdrop. What you sacrifice is the nuanced color palette for a more saturated Sailor Moon Crystal/dating sim like color palette. You lose the magical charm Ritsuko Okazaki's music had on setting the original tone from the original anime. In fact, there's barely a memorable track. The first episode alone didn't have any music. This new rendition is devoid of music most of the time.

I recommend the original for establishing the Sohma family plot and the 2019 for Uo-chan and Hana-chan, those episodes were phenomenal.

The soundtrack, including Ritsuko Okazaki's music, really sets the tone for a calming slice of life/rom-com: for example, the reoccurring theme titled "Memory for You." You would think the remake would give nods to Ritsuko Okazaki, but it doesn't. It tries to erase traces of its predecessor but you still see stylistic moments that borrow from the original, like in the framing of the opening scene. The themes songs pale from "For Fruits Basket" or even "Serenade".

Really, compare the emotional weight and impact of the original episode 8 to the reboot's episode 7 of Hatori. The soundtrack of the original is a character in it of itself for the way it sets the tone and the mood. I watched both. Due to the awkward directing, I'm not emotionally invested or impacted by the reboot's take at all. This is one of the saddest moments from Fruits Basket and yet the impact is completely lost by awkward framing and awkward arrangement of dialogue/scenes: there is just too much clunky dialogue that would work better in manga/book format than on screen. Those shots of two characters framed in a gray backdrop cheapens the experience.

It wasn't bad. I couldn't get through all the episodes when they were literally the same as much of the 2001 version. It lacked the emotional resonance of the final 2 episodes. It did have a few good episodes.

Me personally watch a lot of Anime, but when I first sought my eyes on the alluring and captivating cover image of this anime, evidently I was skeptical on whether to watch it, but I thank myself for my inquisitive doing that day for watching Fruits Basket never I had saw the previous series back in 2001. All my intuitive Knowledge of anime ceased to exist when I watched this inspiring and breathtaking Masterpiece. This series comprises of a lot of genres with Slice of Life being its main point, some other genres like drama and even Supernatural activity that's an interesting phenomena which has ... a lot to do with the essence of the story but your going to have to watch the rest for yourselves. I highly recommend everyone watch [Fruits Basket 2019]. Thanks for Reading my Review.
You can watch Fruits Basket here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/fruits-basket/

I am not a person who writes reviews, but I couldn´t stand seen so many bad reviews related to this beautiful anime.

The STORY is a shojo, which involves drama, it havent reached any point of talking about love, you can get a hint of it, but the story doesnt goes aroung people getting in love and dating. The ART the animation is good, is a shojo story so you cant expect to see an awesome battle animation that you get to see in shonens. The MUSIC is beautiful and relaxing and makes all your problems to go away and just enjoy the show, it keep ... the same type of music during the whole show.

For me the best part of this anime so far is the CHARACTER development, is not rushing, and they touch topics that resembles real life (taking a side of the zodiac animals), it passes to topics of overcoming a parent lost, gangster bands, bullying, being apart of someone you love or from your parents. I have to say it and its not a "normal/typical" shojo as some describe it, it doesnt follows a love relationship of just to highschool students (which I dont believe is boring or bad), it goes deep in the story of all the characters, not just the principals.
I ENJOY it a lot it makes my heart to feel warm, I highly recommend it for someone that wants to get a calm and relaxing feeling, if what youre looking for is action, battlef ights like in a shonen, this anime is not for you. If you´re going to watch it you have to do it without any prejudgment

How much pain and suffering can a person endure before they give up? How long can they keep it all bottled up while still showing their warm and earnest side?

"Fruits Basket" is indeed a product of its time, beginning serialization in 1998 and ending in 2006, it's ripe with the anime tropes that defined the early 2000s. Tsunderes, loud characters, girls aggressively showing their love and all the good stuff is present here. Yet, behind these cliches lie persons that got this way because of their circumstances. Tohru may seem like a happy-go-lucky person who sees the world in the brightest nuance of pink, but ... that's only on a surface level. As we spend more time with her we get to know her past. The bullying she's gone through in school, her mother's death, her relatives not having her best interests. Yet she continues to smile and not let these define Tohru, because to her life is so much more than the few bumps in the road.

One major theme the show tries to portray is that of change and how life can take an unpleasant turn, while leaving it up to the characters to decide how to react. I'd go into detail, but I'd enter spoiler teritorry and with there only being 1 season I can't give a detailed analysis on the matter.

While my first paragraph may have given the impression that the show is a grim and depressing tear-jerker, that's far from the essence of "Fruits Basket". The show focuses most on the interactions between the characters, which at times is serious, it is predominantly hilarious, with jokes that almost always find their time to connect. Tohru's positive energy combined with her being the cutest little sweetheart should be enough to combat the more impactful momets of the show.

As I've said previously, "Fruits Basket" is a product of its time, as coming in contact in 2019 with the tropes of the early 2000s may feel a bit jarring, but also nostalgic for those who grew up with the anime of that time. However, once you get past those inconveniences, only then can "Fruits Basket" invite you to its colorful world inhibited by its huge and diverse cast which more than make up for its shortcomings.

Will you accept its invitation? What you'll take part in might just be a few life changing lessons.

I haven't seen the old version of Fruit's Basket nor have I read the Manga, so this review is entirely based on my first impressions of the show!

From the looks of it and from what I have heard the old Fruit's Basket was a great anime and a large community still loves it. So for this show to get a remake is kinda delight for those viewers and fans and for me as a first timer, I really like this show so far. I won't drop any spoilers but from what I have seen so far I get the whole message of this show very ... vividly.

It's a show about a girl who despite losing everything appreciates the smallest of moments with her everlasting optimistic heart and this nature will change even the most brutal heart there is to find later on and changes those who weren't willing to change before. This in my opinion is what this show is all about and I guess this is a great plot.

Why I like this show is not only how great the story is building up but also its snapshot moments that are really captured beautifully with one of the best soundtracks to be heard to really enjoy the scenes.

Story is great, Characters are likeable, Animations is also great considering this is a remake and also it has one of the best OP & ED I have heard in a very long time, so I love its soundtrack a lot especially the inserts and theme tunes around the emotional scenes because they really hit your soul if you are willing to handle the emotional plot this show has to offer sometimes. I think the highlights of the shows are the most phenomenal ones with the soundtracks they have used so far.

Of course, this show is Romance, Slice of Life and a bit Comical as well but it really is enjoyable if you aren't nit-picking any stuff but enjoying it with full dedication.

Some of the reviews I saw rated it as 2/10 or 4/10 and that really got me to think, is that really how bad this show is? Now that I am watching this show as its ongoing, I am enjoying it a lot but I would say this to every anime fan out there that plots like this are based on fantasy of course but the message is sometimes deep that you really have to see for yourself to be able to really enjoy the full premise.

I would recommend this show to every anime fan who enjoys the anime without any complaints for how great animes are in general because it has great balance between every genre that it has been described as. But be sure to ready your heart because I believe sometimes this show will make you cry due to its great plot.

I am glad I found this anime right before I could have skipped it for any other one. I hope everyone who has seen the old one still smiles and everyone who's watching for first time smiles even more!

Have a Nice Day! :D

(I know we're only halfway through the episodes but I do plan on editing this and adding more afterwards. After episode 14 I just felt the urge to give a good review. That's how much I loved it.)

Before anyone calls me out for being biased because of "nostalgia feels", no I have not watched the old Fruit's basket nor have I read the manga at all. :)

For now let me cut to the chase. Fruit's Basket honestly has one of the most subtle and emotional storytelling that only a few could appreciate. It may seem like a simple slice-of-life, shoujo-manga feel but as it ... progresses hints of a deeper storyline peeks through. Each episode is overwhelmingly wholesome if not a tear-jerker. Characters are slowly yet wonderfully developed and the music man! The background music, OP's and ED's are beautiful and full of emotion befitting of the anime's either melancholic or vibrant themes.

I would also like to give huge props to the way they dealt with the romance aspect of the story. Nowadays anime have been so fast-paced or rather bland with romantic relationships. In Fruit's Basket it happens so subtly and slowly, but you see the development grow so well despite that. I.E with Kyo, even 14 episodes in, he's still not head over heels over Tohru because his character just isn't the type that would. Unlike Yuki, who's more gentle and observant. And honestly even Yuki still isn't SO in love. It's slow, he's still in the infatuation stage. And I honestly love that.

TLDR if you're looking for something wholesome, cute, occasionally sad and overall just something to make you feel warm and fuzzy, then Fruit's Basket is definitely for you. Just be prepared for a few emotional rides ;D

From the perspective of someone who watched the original anime and read (most of) the manga, this remake has been absolutely amazing to watch, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested enough to be reading this.

The plot seems to follow the manga source material a bit more closely than the original 2001 anime. I found this refreshing because certain characters and key scenes are presented differently from the 2001 version.

While the portrayal of the manga plot deviates slightly from the original anime, the visuals, animation and character art are certainly significantly different, and this may take awhile to get used to, especially if ... you have been watching the original multiple times over the years. Personally, I'm into the 7th episode now, and this has ceased to be an issue.

Regardless of these differences in presentation, the humanity of the storyline and the complexities of the characters certainly continue to shine through, giving the series great emotional appeal. It is not easy for remakes to fulfill audience expectations from the source material while bringing a fresh perspective to the story, but the creators and cast of this new series seem to have done an excellent job so far.

I have yet to see the original, however this is my personal favorite anime. I love the characters, especially Tooru, as her story hits close to home. And as someone who loves zodiacs, this anime was perfect for me.

The animation is beautiful, and I personally love the character design. The op music is very calming to me. And the story is amazing. I cried just about every episode

I've seen a lot of romance animes, as it's probably my most watched genre, this one stood out from the rest for me.

If you want to watch something cute and heartwarming, this anime might just ... be for you <3

Fruits Basket is a special anime, it not only exceeded my expectations but it turned to be one of the best shoujo I've watched in ages. Fun Fact, I actually expected a reverse harem romance anime, but I end up getting something way different instead, Something that would make me grin like an idiot for 24 minutes straight, something that would suddenly change my emotions several times in the spawn of only 24 minutes. Not many anime is able to do that with me, and here is why.

The story of this anime is most of the time Episodic as it slowly introduces each member of ... the Sohma Family as they hint us their personalities while doing some slice of life comedy and heartwarming moments. Earlier episodes focuses on Honda Tohru as she finds herself with the Soma Family while she struggles to live since she doesn't have a place to call home. It isn't until a certain character lets Tohru live on his house that she finally has a place to call home after getting back from high school and work despite the many circumstances where she's driven apart of the things she love. Later episodes focuses on each member of the Sohma family and Tohru's best friends as they shows us their backstory, how they struggled through very difficult moments and, in some cases, how they managed to move on from it and live on.

Each story is carefully developed with great pacing while the animation and the soundtrack gets the job done portraying the themes it handles greatly. Wisdom, Knowledge, Happiness, sadness, any kind of theme is handled greatly and even if these stories ranges through 1 or 2 episodes, is more than enough to make the viewer engage with the amount of feelings shown in screen, making each situation these characters go through easy to understand and easy to sympathize with. It does help a lot that each story delivers a powerful impact thanks to the great voice actin, great animation and soundtrack that these stories ends up being really meaningful.

Best part of this anime is Honda Tohru, at first, she may look like your typical airhead who is extremely kind because why not. But in reality, she is a bridge, a bridge that links with each person she meets and how she is able to make them open their eyes and realize all the things they were setting apart, be it a love tragedy, being listened at, being loved, to be understood, being friends with each other no matter their differences and what not, after all, the magic of developing flawed characters is what Fruits Basket does the best. Honda Tohru is just so adorable and pure, its all thanks to the relationship with her deceased mother that everything fell in place perfectly. Honda Tohru is the kind of friend we all need but don't deserve... God Damn it, where is my Tohru? ;_;

Last but not least, Animation is pretty much really consistent. Beautiful scenery is often the key to the masterful execution of each scene, even to comedy gags. The color palette is amazing as it shifts depending on the tone of the scene; a Dark tone for those really sad moments, a cheerful bright tone for those heartwarming moments and the goofy over the top silly faces and over exaggerated physics for the comedy gags. The Soundtrack is amazing and really fits the ambiance and KNOWS when to be silent (I'm looking at you Violet Evergarden), Each OP and ED are beautiful, I'm not a personal fan of the first ones, but the second OP "Chime" by Ai Otsuka is really beautiful and has a very melancholic feeling to it, and the second Ending "One Step Closer" by INTERSECTION is one of the most beautiful endings I've seen this year and probably since forever, its so damn beautiful and boy I can't count the amount of tears I shed each time an episode ended.

I can't recommend this anime enough, If you liked the older version of this anime then you'll probably love this anime twice as much and even if you are unfamiliar with the source or the old anime, if you like slice of life anime with romance, comedy and really heartwarming stories, then this anime is for you.

This re-make of Fruits Basket is entertaining for what it is - a very fluffy, cheesy, romcom shoujo aimed at younger teens. If that is the show that you are looking for, then this is a great example of that genre. If you are looking for something more serious, believable, or original, then you are going to be disappointed.

The individual components of this anime are each fairly mediocre, The art, while certainly an update when compared to the original (which I have not actually watched myself - the original art work always turned me off from watching it), is nothing spectacular. The plot is ... obviously contrived to put the characters together into embarrasing/cheesy romcom situations. The characters are fun but kind of flat. However, there was something about how all of those elements that I still found to be enjoyable when they were all combined together.

My main gripe about the anime is with the main character, Tooru. Naive, overly optimistic Mary Sue's are just not my cup of tea. That being said, since her character doesn't have a strong presence, she is easy enough to ignore. In my eyes, her character just serves as the vehicle to get all of the other more interesting characters to interact with one another.

This anime comes to my long-awaited list of one of the best in my top 10, so let's go to the full REVIEW of this masterpiece.

Fruits Basket started in a very subtle way, presenting some simple dramas, and so it went until, little by little, it became a work that I found myself dependent on watching.

By the sixth, or seventh episode, things started to settle in a way that made me wonder every week, creating that feeling of satisfaction in having followed the story, in a way that I had been feeling for a while.

What impresses me the most, however, is that this was not ... a passing thing, worthy of just one episode or another, but rather all these other twenty episodes that followed.

There is that variation in quality in impact, of course, but overall the episodes managed to move me in some way, basically, all the time during this first season (25 episodes in all).

The development of the characters within the work is very good, where the cast brings not only good backgrounds, but also learning and reflections on their lives in a way that even the simplest ones give you something.

There are themes such as bullying, overcoming, family contempt, among many other things, that create really touching stories to follow.

Best of all, this is not only done to discuss/expose certain issues, but also as a way of working on relationships within the plot.

It's through these character developments that you can understand why character X thinks what Y thinks, or why someone has so much regard for the other.

The script and direction manage to have a good harmony to deliver these stories, where even the secondary characters manage to have their moments of brilliance and present their pasts well.

Another thing that made me really like the anime's story is the way it traces a very heavy sense of reality, so to speak.

Things aren't so reversible with fictional poses at times. The decisions we make have an effect, and it's not that simple to fix, depending on what happens.

Some of the stories there carry a lot of that weight, where the characters find themselves in situations where all they can do is accept the condition they're in.

This ends up creating that feeling of injustice, but in a positive way in the work, which, instead of making you angry with what is happening, makes you feel moved by the characters and ends up creating empathy for them.

A good example of this is Hatori, who at times made me really want to see a magical solution to fix his life, but things don't work that way, and he just has to accept the consequences for having erased the memory of the woman he loves. .

Taking the opportunity to talk about romance, even if this is one of the anime genres, things don't develop much for that side.

The focus is more on the personal development of each character, so the time for romance ends up being just a few scenes and ships, or things like that, at least when we're talking about the main trio.

As for the secondary ones... There's even something or other, as is the case with Hatori above, which, despite being a sad romance story, still has the said romance, in addition to some other indirections about the feelings that the characters carry.

I particularly prefer it that way, with the personal development of each one coming first, before starting to get into the novel itself, but it's a warning for those who expect a novel work, since until then the focus was greater on the characters.
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In conclusion, Fruits Basket was a work that I picked up to see more for the positive comments on top of the manga. The beginning of the anime can even be a little slow, but soon it hits the mark with good character stories, which certainly has a lot to offer.
For those who like works with a greater focus on the characters, it is worth watching, for those who are not such a fan, it is still worth the attempt, as the praise for the manga is not without foundation.

Fruits Basket is breathtakingly beautiful and painful.

Amidst all those pretty faces, perfect body ratio and big dreamy eyes of male characters, are the tales that only some knows. Recently, with the bloom of isekai and fanservices, the company of genre such as action that pumps adrenaline; thriller that sends chill down the spines; harem beyond one can bear, makes them much more attractive than a mundane story that only offers warm characters.

However, this one monotonous genre inside has proven even without grand adventure, a bumpy hero journey, just within your comfort zones and in your daily lives, interesting things and lessons could still happen to ... you, to everyone and anyone. It depicts the taste of these small experiences we all had, with a grip of moments that we can often resonate with. The cringy romantic moments and comedy that slip its way in to tickle our bones are the fragments that elevate ambience of this genre. It is, out of many life-changing stories out there - a slice of life.

Fruits Basket managed to enhanced this genre. Its main success is in the efficiency in drawing emotional context out of the characters from their stories that makes them 'alive'. It doesn't just let us sympathize the characters, but also to understand why we should empathize them. The sweet storytelling method with flashbacks played a huge role to boost this and these moments of resonation are heighten with the cheerful Tohru that sees the world in a different way.

Because when others are enduring the pain, she is there, crying for them.

She is painfully honest to others, but never to herself. This is why she is the most efficient character in drawing emotional context out of any characters by helping them to embrace the feelings stacked inside. Her kindness, her optimism shine lights on others' darkest state without her realizing it, and these are her genuine personality derived from her background. Her mother instilled wisdom into her when she was young, which made her a stronger person on the inside that wouldn’t cry even if she should, burying her emotions and always thinking of others when she doesn’t need to.

Apart from this element, the light-hearted animation is a bonus to making it more mesmerizing. It colorfully portrayed the silly comedic scenes with touching moments that can seize the heart. The soothing scores are also right on cue, and are unbelievably powerful in evoking emotions. There’s seemingly a bit of happiness blending with loneliness inside, as if hinting to an inevitable changes to come on the joyful life. “ One Step Closer ” by INTERSECTION was a particularly sweet and unforgettable one.

Overall, Fruits Basket being a reboot has introduced me to the junction of a world of shoujo and slice of life that bring the best out of each other. With drapes of realistic and a bit more emotional entanglement, you might find yourself dropping tears and your heart, warmed when you least expected it.

I'm only writing a review because I'm honestly shocked at some of the negative reviews about this beautiful masterpiece!

I'm a fan of the anime that aired in 2001, and the manga, so I was so excited when this remake was announced! Everything from the animation, the voice actors, the story pacing...EVERYTHING...has been top notch and even better than what I expected! Tohru was someone I looked up to when I was a kid, with the first anime, and that stays true to today watching the new series as an adult. She is such a strong and compassionate person after going through everything that she has. ... And each character has so much depth and they all are lovable in their own way.

This show is AMAZING. PLEASE watch it!!!

I am so excited for the second season that will be airing in 2020!