Fruits Basket (2019) First Impressions - Aged like Wine or Squash?

Written by Shiggins

Romancing a cat.

If you're like me, your first instinct when starting your anime obsession was to search online for what's recommended for newcomers, and you came across a few names repeated on every single list. Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, and of course Fruits Basket. The shōjo series that ran from 1998 to 2006 was a big success and is often seen as a staple of its genre, spawning an anime adaptation in 2001 and again this year. And it's the latter that I'll be looking at it here.

Note: Minor spoilers for episodes 1 to 13.

I really am curious about Japan's obsession with school. Is it just because of their target audience? Or is it.. A CONSPIRACY?!

This seemingly-complicated story is set in normal everyday Japan, and focuses on a young girl named Tohru Honda (Manaka Iwami/Laura Bailey) who has a dysfunctional relationship with her family and is looking for a new place to live. Of course, she finds one filled with a trio of reverse harem archetypes, who quickly warm to her. Quickly, Tohru discovers that they are actually members of the Soma clan, and possessed by the spirits of the Zodiac, turning into their particular animal whenever they are stressed, weakened or hugged by someone of the opposite sex. Tohru discovers the Soma clan is cursed by misery and despair, and she resolves to help them find a cure.

While it does all sound very contrived and confusing, Fruits Basket has the particular skill to explain it all very clearly, never going overboard with exposition. You get who the characters are, what they want in life, and why they want them with very little hassle, and that leaves you time to enjoy the characters and their shenanigans.

Come on, I couldn't not post this picture!

The boys we see the most, although there are others as time goes on, are Kyo (Yuma Yuchida/Jerry Jewell), the cat rejected from the Zodiac, and Yuki (Nobunaga Shimazaki/Eric Vale), the rat responsible for Ryo's situation. Ryo is the loud one with a secret heart of gold, and Yuki is the cool one with the secret warm heart, two tropes you're familiar with in almost every anime by this point. And in all fairness, Kyo and Yuki are very fun and well-written enough that I never got annoyed at the cliche. They both open up over time in their own ways, they both snap at times, but they care about Tohru and want what's best for her. It might feel somewhat like fanfiction by today's standards, but one could argue this is what inspired so much fanfiction anyway, so I give it a pass.

Other characters, like Shigure Soma (Yuichi Nakamura/John Burgmeier), the Dog and owner of Tohru's new home, Kagura (Rie Kugimiya/Tia Ballard), a girl in love with Kyo, Momiji (Megumi Han/Mikaela Krantz), a half-German "Honey-senpai" type, and Hatori (Kazuyuki Okitsu/Kent Williams), the strict doctor of the Soma family, are all well-rounded and enjoyable as well. Each of them are fun, but have their emotional side too. My personal favourite was Hatsuharu (Makoto Furukawa/Justin Cook), but you can discover why for yourself.

Shojo: a summary.

Since we're on the subject, it should be said that Fruits Basket is a combination of comedy and drama, like many other shows before and after it. That means we can have characters in hilarious situations where they compete against each other, but also have an episode or two deal with loss and heartache. On that note, it has to be said that the drama is usually good. When done right, the drama is great for character development, but there was a few occurrences where a character's emotional backstory felt token, as if they were told they needed a tragic side to them because everyone else had one. Tohru herself is not exempt from this rule, and she suffers from the "Perfect Dead Mum" aspect that has plagued almost every single Disney movie, constantly bringing her up in every episode to give advice from beyond the grave. Again, the drama is good when done right, like when Hatori's past is revealed, showing just how dark this clan and it's head can be. It's just not always done right.

The comedy is charming. I use that word because it didn't always have me laughing, but it always had me enjoying it. Thanks to the characters and their chemistry with each other, the comedic scenes are joyful and light-hearted, enough to keep me watching. It's weird to say, but not every joke needs to make me laugh, although I will say I got my fair share of them. As far as I can remember, none of the jokes fell flat for me, but that might have been thanks to the voice acting.

Like the boys themselves, the anime is very pretty to look at and coloured wonderfully. And comparing it to the 2001 anime is a great way to see how far anime has come over the past two decades.

As usual, I checked out the dub and I have to start by saying how cool it is that almost every major voice actor from the original 2001 anime returned to play their roles. Laura Bailey, the one who can do no wrong right now, brings a bright-eyed optimism to all of Tohru's lines. Eric Vale's voice is suitably smouldering and mysterious, and well-countered by Jerry Jewell screaming his ass off. Other voice talents include Colleen Clinkenbeard, Jad Saxton, Lydia Mackay, and the best voice actor of all anime, Christopher Sabat!

Fruits Basket is simple and fun but it won't blow you away. It's not a series full of amazing-unique-special-situations-yum, but the strength of the writing has kept this story beloved by many for decades and this anime adapts them well. Charm runs through it in every scene, and it doesn't overstay it's welcome like so many other shows out there. Don't expect your mind to be blown asunder as if this is the romance to end all romances, and you'll be able to have a great time. I'm certainly looking forward to watching more!

"Ok Tohru,we need you to turn to us and act like you've just landed on the best bike-saddle ever. Or to sum up, do what every single anime girl protagonist has done at least once in their lives."

Shiggins:[Admin]
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Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/