Fruits Basket

Genre: Comedy
Type: Series

Tohru Honda didn’t want to trouble her friends or family when her mother passed away, so she made a brave decision to live on her own…in a TENT! With her friends and family unaware of her situation, Tohru goes about her life as a normal high school student until she comes across a house close to where her tent is situated. There, she meets Shigure Souma, an eccentric writer, and the school’s “prince”, Yuki Souma. After they discover her little abode, Tohru is hired as their maid and is given a more secure roof to live under. Unknown to Tohru, the Souma family has a secret relating to the Chinese Zodiac. Once revealed, Tohru’s "normal" life becomes a bit more hectic as other members of the Souma family are revealed along with their secret.

This, for me, started my whole anime craze. Of course, I watched animes before this one came along, but this one brought me into a new world of anime (*cough*). Not only did this anime have humor, it had drama and a really good story. I cried, I laughed, I got angry, I went through every single emotion. Fruits Basket was just an exceptionally good anime.

All the characters in this anime have their own unique personalities, most developed through tough childhoods. Tohru is the sweet, innocent lead who doesn't want to trouble others and has that kind of personality that makes you really want to pick on her. Her friends, Uo and Hanajima are like her guardians, one being a tough "Yankee" ex-bike gang member and the other being a mysterious voodoo character. The two friends help establish (in the anime) the relationship Tohru had with her mother and with them before she passed away. The members of the Souma family have unique characteristics such as the color of their hair and eyes. Shigure, is a writer who seems rather selfish but adds bits of humor in the anime where needed and becomes serious just the same. Yuki is a cool prince. His character is a little feminine but I suppose that's his appeal. Kyou, the other Souma that lives in Shigure's house is the outcast who has a grudge against Yuki because of the history of their family secret. The other members of the Souma family have their unique personalities that bring life to the anime as well but I won't spoil that.

The animation is very good in this anime. The characters are drawn nicely which is truly appealing to any viewer's eyes. The colors blend well and you aren't left wondering whether a tree is a lamp post. The animation is very top notch.

Happy is a good way to describe the music in Fruits Basket. I personally like the theme song played in the beginning (in Japanese and English). There are a number of waltzes and uppity music that just brings a smile to my face. It’s a bit too classical but each track fits well into this anime like icing on a cake.

Fruits Basket is a very good anime. I’d recommend it to everyone even though the story leans towards female fans and not too much males. I'm sure some guys could appreciate this story. It's probably not too good for really small kids but teenagers might like it (story kind of deep and dark at spots). There is also a manga version of the series which I believe is still ongoing. The manga has a more complex story than the one shown in the anime. Personally, I think it (the manga) far outshines the story in the anime but as always, that's just my opinion. Overall, I'd say watch it if you like drama and humor.

Written by Chiyuffie

Rating Meter: 90 %