Fruits Basket released its first anime in 2001, but its second adaptation, coming out 18 years later, in 2019, stands out not just as a great reboot but as one of the best shojo anime ever. Natsuki Takaya wrote the Fruits Basket manga, which rapidly became an absolute hit in the shojo genre. Shojo is often geared towards an audience primarily of young women, and most often includes series with a female protagonist and primarily romantic plots.
When one thinks of shojo, Fruits Basket is one of the first series to come to mind. This is largely due to the immense success and acclaim the 2019 anime adaptation received, far surpassing the viewership of the first 2001 version.
Fruits Basket is not only a perfect representation of shojo and a standout for the genre, it’s a phenomenal series in its own right and entices even viewers who don’t typically watch much shojo. The series spread far beyond its target demographic of young women, gaining respect, amusement, and love from people of all ages and walks of life.
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Fruits Basket Is A True Shojo Standout, Intriguing Even Viewers Who Don’t Typically Enjoy Shojo
The series follows some conventions of the genre and pushes back on others to create a unique story
Fruits Basket is the story of a high-school girl named Tohru Honda who is living alone in a tent because she lost her mother in a car accident. One day, the Somas discover her living alone outside and generously offer to take her into their home. She feels obligated to offer them something in return to show her immense gratitude, so she decides to help out around the house, which the Somas greatly appreciate. However, the secret Tohru discovers about this family astounds her: when hugged by the opposite gender, the Somas turn into their zodiac animal forms.
The adorable premise of Fruits Basket allows for many cute scenes of the zodiac animals interacting and hilarious circumstances of Soma family members turning into their animal forms by accident when touched by someone of the opposite gender. The series draws a lot of inspiration from the Chinese zodiac and this concept comes up again and again. Tohru’s mom frequently tells her a zodiac story in her childhood about the cat missing the animals’ party because he was lied to by the rat. Symbolism is very prevalent in Fruits Basket, and this zodiac story impacts how the Somas treat one another.
The Use Of The Chinese Zodiac Is More Than Just A Tool To Allow The Series To Include Cute Animals
The zodiac is integral to the series and the myth Tohru grew up hearing affects the Soma family’s daily lives
Kyo Soma, the zodiac cat, is seen as an irrational and angry character who won’t participate in Soma family traditions out of pettiness, but as the series goes on, it is revealed that Kyo is being unfairly excluded for reasons out of his control, so he feels resentful. Although the concept of turning into a zodiac animal may seem exciting and whimsical, it becomes a curse that deeply affects each member of the Soma family in different ways, not just Kyo, holding them back from normal dating relationships, friendships, careers, and lives, since they must constantly hide their secret from the outside world.
Tohru is the only human who knows of the Zodiac curse and does not have her memories wiped, but she continually strives to break the curse and help the Somas find happiness and freedom. As far as shojo protagonists go, Tohru is one of the kindest and most genuine out there. She is forgiving beyond belief and would do anything to help the Soma family, even going as far as risking her own life a number of times by facing Akito, the head of the Soma family, boldly and courageously. Tohru’s selflessness certainly helps Fruits Basket stand out from any other shojo.
Tohru’s Giving And Loving Nature Make Her A True Shojo Heroine
Although Tohru has been through awful circumstances, she remains a compassionate person
One of the best aspects of Fruits Basket is Tohru’s pure love for the Somas, her dedication to saving them from the curse, and overall, how incredible of a character she is in spite of the trauma she has been through. Another aspect of Fruits Basket that makes it so wonderful, is how respectfully it handles heavy topics, including death, abuse, heartbreak, bullying, and feeling excluded from one’s own family. The series doesn’t shy away from difficult topics and portrays them as unfortunate facets of the human experience, displaying them accurately and allowing characters to grieve and show realistic emotions.
Throughout the series, Tohru struggles to come to terms with her mother’s death, Kyo grapples with a past mistake that haunts him, and Yuki struggles to build friendships and find his voice outside the Soma family. These are just a few of the troubles the family faces, but surprisingly, even in spite of all these difficulties, the series is still funny, whimsical, and lighthearted, peppered with typical shojo romance plots like beach vacations and shared dinners together. Fruits Basket perfectly blends more serious discussions and character development with silly jokes and flirtatious romance, making it a perfect shojo masterpiece.
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Creator of Massive Shoujo Series Announces New Manga
Fruits Basket author Natsuki Takaya has a new romance manga called Kakumo Chiisaki Sekai Ni Te or In Such A Small World and it’s sure to be a hit.
The Love Triangle In Fruits Basket Is Riveting and Emotionally Involving
One of the main plots of Fruits Basket involves a love triangle between Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru
The concept of a love triangle is quite common in anime, especially in shojo, but Fruits Basket executes this common trope very well, putting a beautiful and heartwarming spin on it. In a majority of love triangles, at least one character often ends up devastated and heartbroken in the end, but at the finale of Fruits Basket, all of them find true, fulfilling happiness. Yuki reveals his feelings for Tohru were never romantic, and he loves her platonically, in a way one would love a mother, while Kyo is head over heels for her romantically and she reciprocates those feelings.
The characters in Fruits Basket are some of the most lovable and relatable in anime, with vastly different personalities and unique mannerisms that are incredibly endearing. It is satisfying to see the characters find real peace and fulfillment after the Zodiac curse is finally broken, and the anime’s conclusion is truly amazing to watch.
Fruits Basket stands the test of time and is still gaining new fans today, who will be immersed in its delightfully relatable characters, perfect blend of humor and serious emotion, captivating storyline, and clever and innovative uses of shojo tropes like the love triangle.
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