It was 2001 when Fruits Basket first got an anime
adaptation. However, back then, the
manga was still ongoing, so the series did its own thing in some parts, making
it inconsistent with its source material.
In addition, the manga creator and the anime director were rumored to be
constantly butting heads during its production; the former didn’t like many of the
choices that the latter had been making, that in the end, she hated that
adaptation. Nevertheless, the 2001 Fruits Basket was considered a shojo
classic by fans.
Fast forward to 2019, and Fruits Basket has gotten a remake. With the manga now long finished, and the
creator presumably giving it her blessing, this new adaptation is set to be the
definitive anime version of Fruits Basket
as it would be able to follow the intended vision. With that in mind – as well as the fact that
the spring season wasn’t particularly top-heavy of notable anime – I
decided to finally see for myself what this supposed “shojo classic” was all
about for the first time.
Fruits Basket follows Tohru Honda, a high school girl who is forced
to become fully independent after being recently orphaned. She has been living in a tent in the woods,
when she’s discovered by her heartthrob classmate Yuki and his cousin Shigure –
members of the well-known Sohma clan. After
learning of her hapless situation, they offer to let her stay with them in
their house. In exchange for her board,
the grateful Tohru takes it upon herself to be their cook and housekeeper. Soon, another Sohma, the hot-headed Kyo also
begins living with them.
Yuki and Kyo hate each other’s
guts, and are perpetually in conflict with each other. The former always wins whenever they engage
in a martial arts battle, and as a result, the latter has become somewhat
obsessed of someday besting him. During
a fight between the two, Tohru jumps in to stop them, and accidentally hugs the
three Sohma boys. Immediately, Kyo turns
into a cat, Yuki turns into a rat, and Shigure turns into a dog!
Apparently, in each generation,
13 of the Sohmas are cursed to temporarily transform into the animals of the
Chinese Zodiac (plus cat) whenever they are embraced by someone of the opposite
sex. Tohru promises to keep the family’s
secret, and while living with Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure, she eventually meets the
rest of the Sohmas’ Zodiac members one by one as they come to visit.
Although it can sometimes get
“too shojo” for my taste, I still think the series is mostly poignant. I’m not gonna lie. This anime made me tear-eyed and brought a
lump in my throat quite a few times. Its
drama is pretty solid. It has decent
comedy, too, but its most noteworthy aspect is definitely its drama – or, more
accurately, its melodrama.
Melodrama is over-the-top, sappy,
and manipulative in nature. And thus, it
can easily get ridiculous, corny, and goofy.
But when handled with thoughtfulness and relatability, it can be
wonderfully bittersweet and reflective – pulling on the heartstrings with much
effectiveness. Anime has always proven
time and time again that it’s a medium where this can be pulled off very well (case
in point: watch any Ghibli or Makoto Shinkai films). And this is what’s true of Fruits Basket for the most part.
Now, the high-quality melodrama isn’t
necessarily found with the plot’s romance – the developing love-triangle
between Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki (which, to be honest, I didn’t really care much
for). Rather, it’s resonated by the
character relationships – specifically, the dynamic that every character
respectively forms with Tohru.
Each one of these characters –
both Zodiac and non-Zodiac – is emotionally broken, and is coming from a place
of sadness, tragedy, heartbreak, emptiness, and/or trauma. And it’s Tohru who has been able to reach them
emotionally – due to her sincere, caring personality as well as her applying
and sharing of the life lessons that her late mother had taught her – setting
them up on a path of healing, self-realization, and growth.
Tohru herself is dealing with her
own pains – most particularly, the pain of losing her mother, someone whom she
has been extremely close with. Despite
of this, she remains kind and hopeful. She
keeps choosing to move forward and see the best out of every situation and
person. Thus, she’s able to touch the
people around her, and in turn, they become devoted to and protective of
her.
Tohru Honda is one of the kindest,
meekest, most innocent, most optimistic, and empathetic heroines you will ever
encounter in fiction. And she’s arguably
the crux of what makes Fruits Basket
moving.
All in all, I like Fruits Basket. It doesn’t always work for me, but at its
peaks, it really hits right in the feels. It’s not necessarily one of the favorites of
this year, but it’s still a beautiful, worthwhile watch.
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