Fruits Basket 1st Season

Tooru Honda has always been fascinated by the story of the Chinese zodiac that her beloved mother told her as a child. However, a sudden family tragedy changes her life, and subsequent circumstances leave her all alone. Tooru is now forced to live in a tent, but little does she know that her temporary home resides on the private property of the esteemed Souma family. Stumbling upon their home one day, she encounters Shigure, an older Souma cousin, and Yuki, the "prince" of her school. Tooru explains that she lives nearby, but the Soumas eventually discover her well-kept secret of being homeless when they see her walking back to her tent one night.

Things start to look up for Tooru as they kindly offer to take her in after hearing about her situation. But soon after, she is caught up in a fight between Yuki and his hot-tempered cousin, Kyou. While trying to stop them, she learns that the Souma family has a well-kept secret of their own: whenever they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they transform into the animals of the Chinese zodiac.

With this new revelation, Tooru will find that living with the Soumas is an unexpected adventure filled with laughter and romance.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Souma, Kyou Main

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Honda, Tooru Main

Iwami, Manaka Japanese

Souma, Yuki Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga Japanese

Souma, Hatsuharu Supporting

Furukawa, Makoto Japanese

Souma, Momiji Supporting

Han, Megumi Japanese

Souma, Shigure Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Souma, Ayame Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Souma, Hatori Supporting

Okitsu, Kazuyuki Japanese

Hanajima, Saki Supporting

Satou, Satomi Japanese

Souma, Isuzu Supporting

Toyosaki, Aki Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Yamauchi, Mirai Producer

Takemura, Ippei Producer

Yazaki, Fumi Producer

Reviews

Jul 3, 2024

lavendertulip

Recommended

╱|、
(˚ˎ 。7
|、˜〵
... じしˍ,)ノ୧⍤⃝💐

Fruits Basket is always going to hold a warm place in my heart. It was my first manga and because of that I feel biased towards loving all content that comes from this series. When I first learnt they that TMS Entertainment was going to be remaking the show I was so excited.

˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖

I was not ready for how pretty and lovingly drawn this anime is, I recommend it to anyone that loves slice of life dramas and even the supernatural. This is a show of tragedy so be aware of that, but don't let that stop you from embracing it.
In my opinion I didn't have a single episode I didn't enjoy and I was captivated the entire time by the stories and information being handed to me by the complex lives these characters have.

The Manga is something that I recommend all fans of the anime, read. There's plenty more unseen happenings.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Feb 13, 2024

_Shara_

Mixed Feelings

Note: All my reviews are written after I've completed watching the entire season, never before.

"Fruits Basket" Season 1 rejuvenates the beloved story with modern animation and deeper character exploration, yet leaves something to be desired in pacing and romantic development. The season excels in showcasing the emotional depth of the Soma family and Tohru Honda, weaving intricate backstories that highlight themes of acceptance and resilience. Each episode adds layers to the complex tapestry of relationships and personal growth, making it a compelling watch.

However, the series' focus on side characters, while enriching the narrative fabric, often sidelines the development of Tohru and her future relationship. Fans ... longing for a romantic progression akin to "Kamisama Hajimemashite" may find the slow burn between the main characters a tad frustrating. Despite these moments of yearning for more, the episodes dedicated to characters like Hanajima offer delightful insights into friendship dynamics, standing out as memorable highlights.

Unfortunately, the music didn’t leave a lasting impression on me, blending into the background without significantly enhancing the emotional resonance of key scenes. This lack of memorable musical accompaniment (including the opening and ending themes) represents a missed opportunity in a series so rich in emotional depth.

Character development shines, particularly in episodes revealing Kyo and Yuki's vulnerabilities. Yet, the anticipation for significant romantic scenes frequently finds itself overshadowed by the series' broader focus. The introduction of the Zodiac members adds a mystical layer to the story, though at times, it feels like a double-edged sword, diluting the central narrative thread.

IN CONCLUSION:

Season 1 of "Fruits Basket" 2019 lays a solid foundation for emotional and narrative depth, with its strength lying in character development and thematic richness. However, the longing for more pronounced romantic elements and a tighter focus on the main characters' relationship leaves viewers like myself with mixed feelings. The season sets the stage for potential, promising a continuation that could hopefully address these desires. The blend of heartache and humor, alongside the promise of growth, keeps the series endearing and watchable, but with reserved expectations for the romantic storyline to unfold in future seasons.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Feb 27, 2025

Supersonic_Pain

Not Recommended

Tbh everyone's lives seem miserable in this show and it does not make it an enjoyable watch

I actually enjoyed some of the random Zodiac side Sohmas but the problem is the main 3 are some of my least favorite

Let's talk about Tohru first though.

Tohru is one of the wimpiest, spineless...iest, doormats I've ever met. It feels like 90% of her lines are her trying to make someone else's life better at the cost of her own or trying to please someone or some other "nice uwu" thing. I've heard her described as a green flag character and no, no, absolutely not. You meet this character, ... run the fuck away from her in the other direction. Not only that but if this weren't a shoujo from her perspective and she were in, like, Rent-a-Girlfriend as one of the haremettes, I feel like she'd be considered a male fantasy waifu because she's basically just Jesus Christ

She comes in, makes people's lives better because she's so heckin' nice and aw shucks! It actually started to grate on me how nice and doormatty she was, it was laid on that thick.

As for her friends (who surprisingly get their own episodes)... whatever. I don't really have much to say for Delinquent-chan, her episodes were nice enough, I liked her dynamic with Cat. Psychic-chan, however, why the fuck do you just have an actual psychic in the show? I guess the show already has a supernatural aspect so it's not out of the question but she just... has a superpower and she's just used as fodder to protect Tohru and prove that Tohru is just the heckin' nicest gal you'll ever meet!

Back to the Sohmas! If you don't know, there are 13 Zodiac people, we properly meet 11 of them so I won't comment on Horse or Rooster.

Cat (Kyo): A fucking jackass. I don't really care for tsunderes as a genre even when they are women so he was losing an uphill battle here but he was so unpleasant, he ruined Rat by extension because of how often Rat interacted with Cat. I mean, I get why he's come to be so unpleasant and maybe in the process of his growth, he'll be more pleasant in future seasons but I can only judge what I'm watching and what I'm watching is not good.

Rat (Yuki): On his own, he is Fine. I don't really have an issue with him (although I also don't really care much for him in a positive manner either) until he interacts with Cat and he just becomes an unpleasant douche because he has to be combative with Cat.

Dog: For the most part, he sure is The Landlord guy. He does his part well, I really like his dynamic with his editor, shoutout to Editor-chan, probably my favorite non-Sohma in the cast. However, he (and one other Sohma) has a tendency to flirt with either Tohru or other high school aged girls and, like, aren't you guys in your late 20s? Not to kinkshame shoujos but it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Dragon: He sure is

Snake: I thought he was kinda funny with Rat but he's the other creep, not to mention he and Dog make sexual jokes about wanting to fuck each other no matter who is around them

Boar/Pig: BASED. My favorite member of the cast. Every time she was on screen, absolute cinema. My only problem is, like... that's technically incest? I guess the Sohma family is fucked up enough but there are multiple, multiple counts of incest in this show and like maybe they are branch families and stuff but if this were JJK and I was drawing Megumi x Maki... you know?

Sheep: One of my other favorites. I know I just called Cat a jackass and, like, Sheep is too, but he's funny about it, you know? It's not just "grrr, Grug angry. Grug smash things and yell. Grug storm out.", Sheep is super smart (for a sixth grader) and tries to verbally poke and prod at you. I mention Tohru being a doormat and Sheep FLAMES Tohru over this, so points for that.

Tiger: She sure is

Monkey: It would have been funnier if we didn't meet his mother first. I enjoyed his episode but the moral of the day really spelled out one of my biggest issues with the show which I'll get to once I finish the Sohmas.

Rabbit: Bro's one gimmick is he can speak German. It's annoying because he's like "oh, this is my MUTTI, she has blonde HAAR and loves to go for walks in the STADT".

Ox: I liked him but he was the last of the 11 that came to mind so take that for what you will

" I enjoyed his episode but the moral of the day really spelled out one of my biggest issues with the show which I'll get to once I finish the Sohmas."

What did I mean by this?

Well, occasionally, they hit you over the head with basically "codependency is based!"

Tohru gets sick (in a different episode) and says "Wanting to get better not for your sake but for someone else's, I'm lucky I can feel that way". She also says in the Monkey episode that "I hope I find the reason for living within someone else".

It's not just her either, Rat says "Only when someone says they love you can you start loving yourself"

What if I don't believe the person saying they love me, Rat, huh? What then?

Wanting to have friends and a partner and being able to rely on other people is awesome, that's not what I'm disputing. But if you find your reason to live in someone else, that is a crutch. If you don't want to recover from your illness for YOUR sake but you're trying to get better because, of all things, you don't want to fail a test and let your friend down, that is a crutch. You should have social connections that you don't want to break off, friends you don't want to disappoint, perchance even a lover you want to see smile if that's your jam but you should also be able to find self-motivation.

There's a space between "fuck you, I'm a badass, I'm gonna do everything by myself, DTA, don't trust anyone, fuck the world" and "uwu I'm a coughing baby, save me from the hydrogen bomb, BF-kun!", you know

Speaking of which, this is just a miserable show.

They'll just shove big, thick, warm and mushy spoonfuls of crunchy peanut butter in your mouth, no water, of straight up trauma. Oh no, one of the dudes looks like a fucked up Digimon! Oh no, one of the kids' moms is a dick and got her memories wiped! Oh no, some guy's incest boo had to get HER memories wiped! Oh no, *checks notes* some guy got called stupid!

This whole season is a conveyor belt of people too so it just never stops, even at the end. Since it's always introducing people, it has new trauma to exploit. It even goes out of its way to give Tohru's FRIENDS sad backstories. I'm surprised it had the restraint to not give Rat's fangirls tragic backstories.

I can't say it's the worst show I've ever seen, some of the side Sohmas are cool and funny but, like, they're the side characters. One of them completely vanishes after being introduced. Cat and Tohru in particular are insufferable. Watching Natsuki Takaya punch me in various places trying to aim for my nose for 25 episodes was not a fun experience and I did not enjoy this show.

Maybe it's better in the next couple seasons once they have everyone introduced and settled is better but the juice, as they say, is not worth the squeeze.

Fruit pun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qlCC1GOwFw

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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