Fuits Basket was one of the first
anime titles i have viewed. somewhat to my surprise, i immediately liked it. it was, and still remains, one of my favorite series — hardly a surprise, considering how popular it has become.
Five minutes into the pilot episode, i knew right away i was going to enjoy
Fruits Basket
(proof: i didn’t realize i had this fatuous grin on my face, until i stole a glance in the mirror and almost scared myself in the process), without a clear idea of how the story was going to unfold. what prompted me to watch this 26-episode series though was the consistently good buzz it generated from various sources — reviewers, fans, industry reports, etc.
Fruits Basket starts on a funny-bittersweet note. You can’t help but instantly empathize with Tohru Honda, a recently orphaned 16-year-old high school girl who unwittingly sets up camp (literally!) in the wooded vicinity of Shigure Sohma’s house. After a series of interesting developments, she eventually becomes part of the Sohma household, which also included the squabbling cousins Yuki Sohma and Kyou Sohma (also her classmates). In exchange for room and board, she agreed to housekeep for the flamboyant trio.
It isn’t long afterwards that she stumbles upon the family’s well-kept secret (and what a funny scene that was — you ought to see it to appreciate the slapstick humor). In the process of interacting with the mind-boggling, colorful members of this fascinating family, she manages to teach everyone that there is more to strength than stoical toughness.
However, the road is not smooth for the slightly ditsy protagonist. In the course of the 26-episode story, Tohru learns to cope with jealous schoolmates (Yuki’s rabid fan club) and judgmental relatives, and to survive the chaotic, over-the-top and hilarious reactions of various ‘cursed’ Sohma clan members. Her major stumbling block is Akito Sohma — the frail, but bitter and manipulative leader of the Sohma clan.
Fortunately for Honda (for all her quiet resilience and unquenched optimism), she has two protective and devoted friends, Hanajima and Arisa, who are both a study in mental toughness themselves. She also forms an unlikely but strong bond with Yuki and Kyou, who — in their own touchingly awkward fashion — try to help and shield Tohru from the worst of Akito’s vengeful machinations.
Seamlessly mixing drama and comedy, Fruits Basket is one series where the characters are sharply delineated; despite the huge cast, it’s easy to single out and identify a character, mostly due to the concept of Jikkan-Juniishi (based on the Chinese zodiac, which comprises 12 animals that each ‘cursed’ Sohma clan member correspondingly personifies), and the way the show’s creators deftly handled the story. The fact that it is based on a hugely popular manga series (recently concluded, but i’m not including any spoilers here) in Japan and elsewhere, particularly in the US, also works hugely in its favor.
Other factors that contribute to its mass appeal is the art and the music it employs to complement (but never gratingly overwhelms) the scenes being portrayed. The opening and closing songs are also appropriate for the series.
hmm.. i wonder where i can get a copy of this.. seems very interesting indeed.
hi guys! as far as i know this popular series has been available in several bit torrent sites for a while now. this series is great, i promise you
Posted by onyxx at May 21, 2007, 11:41 pmoff-topic: have you seen Prince of Tennis? Now that’s one anime I think I’ll really love to watch.
One of the best ang Prince of Tennis, especially my one and only love Ryoma-kun.
Love ko din si Tohru..
Posted by twistedkai at May 22, 2007, 3:46 pmPrince of Tennis is a long series (100+ eps i think), and some of the strokes there are too fantastic to believe, but it’s still entertaining with very memorable characters.
my FB faves are Kyou (”baka neko”) and Ayame, who set off me laughing uproariously several times. he’s outrageous, flamboyant and highly original
Ayt! Hanap na ko nito sa ruins, hehe! Thanks kai and onyxx
One of my faves din ang FB… I liked Ayame as well as Momiji, so cute.
About your comment at my blog, i left a reply… Momiji and Hunny from OHSHC have the same seiyuu, Ayaka Saito.
heeey! i love Fruits Basket too! but the ending sucks.
there could have been more to it.
actually the story doesn’t end there (the manga series on which it is based only ended recently). they just needed something with ‘oomph’ as a way to punctuate the 26th episode. i heard they’re still negotiating to put the rest of the story in anime version. the story gets even more interesting, so stay tuned
yayayayay! now i’m all excited and shit. torrent torrent torrent!
Posted by liz at May 30, 2007, 4:04 pmi love this anime. i still don’t know who i’d pick, the rat or the cat. but i’m leaning towards the cat. i’m a sucker for the underdog. hehehehehe…
Posted by cheska at May 30, 2007, 7:13 pm
hai onyxx-san! thanks for the tip… hmmm meron kaya nito sa torrentz
Posted by Daisy at May 21, 2007, 3:55 pm