Ranked #273

Fruits Basket

Story & Characters
10/10
At first glance Furuba is just another Shoujo manga with nothing different to it; the average, beautiful, kind girl getting all the pretty boys. Okay so it really is that, however there's a special touch to the way the series develops itself and how you watch each character grow and interact with each other as the story progresses.

The story starts with Tohru Honda, your as average-as-you-can-get japanese girl who has lost her mother in an accident and was living alone in a tent in the Sohma's property. Of course she wasn't aware of that until they told her, to her surpirse they take her in in exchange for her doing all the housework (it was her who suggested not staying in the house 'for free'). It's when she's there that she discovers the family's biggest secret... The family has been cursed by the vengeful spirits of the Chinese Zodiac animals and when they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex they transform into the animal they were cursed by. When Tohru comes in their life they all learn to open up their heart more and realize that not all the people in the worlds are bad; this girl affects each one of them in a unique way.

It's a beautiful Anime with heart-touching subjects, there is much you can learn from it and definitely worth buying if the chance should present. There is just about everything in this series:bishonen, angst, drama,comedy, romance, shounen-ai hints and a light-hearted, kind bishojo showing us the way.

Art
8/10
The character designs are beautiful and would characterize everyone in the series a bishonen and bishojo. The colors of the hairs and eyes of the Sohma Family match with the animal they were cursed by and it gives each one of them a unique touch.

Tohru's design is supposed to be as average as possible since she represents a normal japanese girl.

There's is also a 'big abuse' of Super-Deformed characters (Ex. Chibi form) but it just serves to highlight the emotion they are expressing and make the show even more funny.

Sound
9/10
The music is simply beautiful, although the 26-episode long series only has one opening(For Fruits Basket) and one ending (Chiisana Inori) (both performed by Ritsuko Okazaki) it serves it's purpose leaving you with a serene calm sensation!

The soundtrack used as background music is delicate and simple

However if you haven't watched the series and just purchase the soundtrack for the sheer pleasure of it you will be disappointed since it is nothing special by itself, you must see the anime first so you can relate each short song to a scene.

As far as the seiyuu's gone they all seemed to fir their character perfectly. Tohru's voice was Yui Horie who also voiced for Love Hina's Narusegawa Naru. Her sweet, sharp voice goes in tune with Tohru's personality perfectly.

Enjoyment
10/10
You won't find a boring episode in this series. Each one develops and focuses's on a character's situation. Although the series was cut short abruptly and much ends were left untied (the manga is still running) seeing by itself will leave you satisfied (if not with a small crave for the continuity of it).

As mentioned before there's much you can learn from this anime since it deals with how we must see our own beauty and not be jealous of other's (among other important themes).

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Ever since she was young, Honda Tohru learned what it meant to be something that did not exactly fit in with everything around her.

After the death of her mother, she takes to living in a tent in the woods so she would not be a burden for her relatives. On her way to school, she accidentally comes across an isolated house--the home of the most popular boy in school, the very mysterious Sohma Yuki. While being offered a place to stay with the Sohma family instead of living in a tent, Tohru accidentally uncovers a shocking surprise about the people in that house. Upon contact with a person of the opposite sex, they turn into an animal from the Chinese zodiac.

While this does set up for a lot of wacky, zany hijinks based on gender-clashing and contact, Fruits Basket manages to present not only hilarity based on the fact that every member of the Sohma family turns into an animal, but it also shows us the truthful side to their curse. It is just that--a curse. What does it mean to not be able to touch a person of the opposite sex outside of your immediate family? In some cases, it may just even mean giving up the people you truly love. You can touch them, kiss them, or even be with them for far too long. It is a curse, and one that has been deeply entrenched in the lives of each Sohma.

Fruits Basket is a rather unique anime, in that it takes its material and manages to present it in a wonderfully entertaining and absorbing way. It is magnificently quirky, charming and very funny, and each episode or arc focusses on presenting a member of the rather large Sohma clan. There are twelve animals of the zodiac, after all, and several rather fun stories to get into. Though it's not all grins. Fruits Basket handles extremely emotional scenes with careful grace that most anime forget about. This isn't about screaming and tearing or fighting--it's about trying to talk things through, trying to work things out, and trying your best to keep smiling when all you want to do is break down and cry.

The art for the anime is not exactly magnificent. While the character design is very nice or rather cute, the actual animation itself is not tremendous. It is a rather pretty, colourful anime, and the artwork suits the look and feel of what is seen.

Sound for the anime is much, much more commendable. From the very sweet opening theme song to the melancholy closing theme and the magnificent background music, Fruits Basket gives us a score that is soothing, upbeat at times and slow at others, but complements the scenes effectively. It's a score you can download tracks for and play and relax while listening to it. The seiyuu work is also excellently done. Each character has a distinguishable voice, and Hisakawa Aya as Yuki is just great to listen to. Not to mention Saito Ayaka as Momiji being one of the cutest things ever heard (she is also Honey of Ouran High School Host Club fame). There must be mention of the English dub as well, though not a lot of people may care for it. It is possibly one of the better dubbed anime out there. Laura Bailey manages to capture the innocent, insecure, gentle and fun nature of Tohru very well.

And ah, what a great girl is Tohru. While describing her, it may sound as though she's another vapid "nice girl" with no real personality other than her being cute, but there is so much--no, there is too much more about her that defies that image by which she is pigeonholed. Yes, she's sweet, and caring and does some very cute things, but it's not superficially that. Tohru is perhaps one of the most selfless people to exist in the anime, or to even exist in anime on the whole. Every action taken by her is never done for the benefit of herself, but for the betterment of others. She lives in a tent not to trouble her family. It is pretty stupid, but in her understanding, doing them a favour means staying out of their way. Her caring nature extends to everyone she meets, whether they treat her badly or not.

The supporting cast of Fruits Basket is rather extensive, and each character brings to the table a great personality, depth and charm that will make you enjoy each and every one of them. The two other protagonists of the anime are the Sohma cousins, Yuki and Kyo. Yuki is cold, aloof, and very smart about the things around him. What he does not realise, and a sign of his excellent characterisation, is that he does not know everything like he assumes he does. Through interacting with Tohru, he learns how to reach out and want things in life, and not to be content with the life of solitude he fashions for himself. Kyo is a hothead, a loudmouth and a gruff and insensitive boy with a level of empathy that he does not even understand that he possesses. Also through interacting with Tohru, he learns to dampen his aggressive passionate side, how to learn to love others and most importantly, how to love himself.

Each Sohma family member introduced has an intriguing, though very sad past. Revelations about how the curse affects them each will surely tug at your heart. There's the goofy Shigure, brash Kagura, sweet Momiji, level-headed Hatori, estranged and bipolar Hatsuharu, drama queen Ritsu, charmer Ayame, shy Kisa, bratty Hiro, and the very perturbing, off-putting and dangerous Akito. Other than the Sohma clan, there are other great supporting characters seen in Tohru's close friends. They provide tremendous amounts of comic relief, though they are not limited to that. Time and again they both prove what friendship truly means.

Fruits Basket has been one of the most enjoyable and fun anime to watch. It is duly recommended, especially if you're a fan of shoujo anime. However, for readers of the manga, there are definite changes in the anime adaptation, especially in the later episodes. For anyone who enjoyed the series, it is recommended that the manga be read and the wonderful conclusion for this anime to be seen.

A truly magnificent show about a fruits basket accepting that a rice ball can indeed sit soundly with the rest of them. Just because it's different, does not mean it does not belong. It makes a difference after all, doesn't it? read more