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Short Synopsis: A girl named Tohru Honda recently lost her mother in a car accident. Trying not to burden
anyone, she now lives in a tent in the forest. Unknowingly to her, she is living on the Sohma's property. One day, the Sohmas
discover Tohru living in the tent and invite her to live with them; however, this is a family of all men! And it gets more
complicated when Tohru discovers the family secret: when the members of the Sohmas are hugged by members of the opposite sex
or come under a great deal of stress, they transform into one of the animals from the Chinese zodiac and the cat. Now Tohru
has to keep the secret and deal with the Sohmas themselves.
Story: Fruits Basket almost sounds like a fairy tale, and at times it does almost seem like Tohru and
friends live in a fairy tale world, but as you progress through the series, you'll realize that this isn't a perfect world
in which there is always a happy ending. The story never seems stale even though it runs for 26 episodes. Each episode has
its own mini-plot along with the main plots.
Characters: This is one of the parts of Fruits Basket
that really shines. Tohru, albiet air-headed at times, is sweet but believable as a character. She appears to always be happy
but can hide her saddest feelings. Yuki and Kyo are interesting, too. Their rivalry adds to the expirence. Other characters
like Shigure and Ayame are pleasant delights. The whole cast is lovable in their own way.
Animation:
Another of this anime's best features lie in its spectacular animation. Being a fairly new anime, 2002, it has the bright,
clear feel to it that outfit most new anime. Fruits Basket, at times, truely feels like a manga-to-anime release. The characters
will become chibi in funny moments and become black-and-white like manga. Very cool!
Music: The music
in Fruits Basket is pleasant. The opening and closing themes are cute in their own right. The BGM consists of soothing piano
music. It gets the job done, and it does it right!
Dub: Fruits Basket actually has a good dub! *The
Sub-loving Otakus revolt!* The english voices really match well with the characters. Sure, there are flaws like Yuki's barely
audiable voice, but overall it is a very impressive dub. In fact, the cast does so well, I would reccomend it over the subbed
version.
Overall: Fruits Basket is a delight! It's a sweet tale, but don't think of it as a girly
anime because it is far from it. That's one of the good points about this anime, it can go from sweet to funny to serious.
There are few things wrong with this anime, and they are so small, they're not even worth mentioning. I recommend this for
not only anime fans but for anybody as well.
Seth's Ratings:
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 10/10
Animation: 9/10
Music: 9/10
Dub: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Final Verdict: Buy it! Add this one to your collection; you won't be sorry! That is, if you don't mind
some cuteness.
The Good:
+ Fruits Basket has amazing characters and animation
+ The dub and
music are done perfectly
The Bad:
- The anime ends before the entire story is told.
The
Ugly:
* If Berserk and Hellsing are your favorite animes, Fruits Basket may be too cute for you
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