Fruits Basket: The Final フルーツバスケット The Final

2021 spring | Episodes: 13 | Score: 9.0 (253748)

Updated every Tuesdays at 01:30 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Streaming: Crunchyroll | Bahamut Anime Crazy | Starzplay | iQIYI

Synopsis

Hundreds of years ago, the Chinese zodiac spirits and their god swore to stay together eternally. United by this promise, the possessed members of the Souma family shall always return to each other under any circumstances. Yet, when these bonds shackle them from freedom, it becomes an undesirable burden—a curse. As head of the clan, Akito is convinced that he shares a special connection with the other Soumas. While he desperately clings to this fantasy, the rest of the family remains isolated and suppressed by the fear of punishment. Tooru Honda, who has grown attached to the Soumas, is determined to break the chains that bind them. Her companionship with the family and her friends encourages her to move forward with lifting the curse. However, due to confounding revelations, she struggles to find the tenacity to continue her endeavors. With time slowly withering away, Tooru contends with an uncertain future in hopes of reaching the tranquility that may lie beyond all this commotion. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Iwami, Manaka

Sakamoto, Maaya

Shimazaki, Nobunaga

Uchida, Yuuma

Tomari, Asuna

News

Reviews

OnSuS
01/16/2025, 06:14 AM
I personally found Fruits Basket to be the worst anime I've ever watched. Despite its popularity, it just didn’t captivate me at all. The plot felt slow and predictable, with too much focus on drama and not enough on exciting action or complex character development. I couldn’t connect with the main characters, and the romantic elements felt forced rather than genuine. The themes of family curses and emotional healing seemed overly repetitive, and the emotional moments didn’t hit as hard as they were meant to. Overall, I found the whole experience pretty boring and felt like I wasted my time watching it.
RaChuckie
09/29/2024, 05:49 PM
What an amazing anime. I loved it so much the only complaint I have is that I finished it far too quickly. I related a lot to a few characters in this series it's a bittersweet anime. It's definitely going to get a few tears out of you but oh it's Definitely worth a watch. I usually look up trailers for animes before I watch them and I wasn't that interested from the trailer but wow just wow. I feel like the story was good it had some sad difficult moments but it also had moments where you got to know the characters it didn't feel like the anime hadforced filler episodes as I've seen in a lot of other animes you have a few boring episodes here and there. But I really feel like throughout the whole anime I did not get bored even if it was a backstory a flashback or a somewhat of a filler episodes you were always learning something new and relevant to the story which was nice to see. This anime was so well written and so well produced and I loved the scenery and style.
Skotthildur213
05/15/2024, 04:55 AM
This show should not be listed as a shoujo anime, this is a trauma dump at its worst. The story is trying to humanize a character that is literally the worst human being ever. Akito is abusive and is basically keeping a human sex slave. Not to mention the adult men who are sleeping with or are in love with underage girls. I know that adult men with high school girls are very common in shoujo anime but all the other stuff is not. I hate it! And just add all the characters are one dimensional And Tohru has not changed for 3 seasons.
peteygot
06/24/2022, 08:41 PM
Writing a review for this season is so hard. As an avid enjoyer of the original Fruits Basket, I'm gonna say it. They did the characters soooo dirty. So dirty that, honestly, I do not treat this as canon, nor the previous season. TLDR at end. As a short tldr of my review of S1 2019, the story was good (granted, they just copied the masterpiece og). The soundtrack and character design were painfully generic. Imo, the VA butchered Tohru from charming to annoying. I will say I really liked some of the OPs/EDs (S1ED, S2ED1, S2ED2, S3OP) and the soundtrack grew on me (but never asmuch as the OG). Keeping that in mind, the final season (and the 2nd season tbh) was just so disappointing in where they took the stories of each character. They should have spent 1 or 2 more seasons resolving everyone's stories and it would have been fine, but no. As a result, everything is forced and rushed. So here we go. Akito: The obvious one. Many reviews would agree with me, Akito gets off jack FREE with NO consequences for what she did whatsoever. She traumatized the ENTIRE Soma family, and the people who made this series thought "If we give her a brief pitiful backstory, the viewer and the Somas have no choice but to like her, right?" WRONG. It just doesn't make ANY sense for anyone to forgive her (except maybe Shigure because he always somehow loved her). For being the cause of Yuki, Kyo, Momiji, Hatori, and the other's traumas, and almost killing Rin twice??? and not even one apology after?!?!? It's unbelievable. If we're comparing the entire season dedicated to resolving this, to the ONE scene in the 2001 Furuba of Tohru accepting Akito, the 2001 scene makes LEAGUES more sense. Do they really expect us to believe Akito wanting to become friends with Tohru after how much she hated her? After all juunishi ties are cut, it would be a hit to her ego to do it. Does not make sense except for the sake of the story. Yuki: It's utter bullshit that Yuki sees Tohru as a mother. I understand that Tohru can only end up with one of them, and that it was always meant to be Kyo, but you can't tell me that throughout the whole story, Yuki only deserves a handshake from Tohru!!!!!!!!! He at least deserves a hug of friendship, wtf??? It really undermines all of the friendship that they built up until then. The romance between Yuki and Machi is extremely forced. For how deeply scarred Yuki was from being a juunishi and Akito, it doesn't make sense for him to develop a romance so quickly with someone who has no idea he had such a burden. He's the one who believes that "acceptance of yourself begins with someone else accepting you", yet Machi does nothing to accept Yuki on her own. I understand student council was Yuki's way of branching out after S1, but it should have ended in friendship with all of them, not a forced romance. Lastly, they basically did away with all of Yuki's trauma for nothing. In S1 and S2, they built up Akito as an important threat in the way of Yuki healing. Yet nothing comes of it and Yuki gets over everything way too easily. So by butchering Akito's story, they also messed up Yuki's ending. This *does* apply to other characters as well, but it isn't built up as much as Yuki, so it applies much more to him. Kyo: After the climax of the first season, you would think that Kyo is at least a little better at working out his traumas. But no, they expect the viewers to believe that Kyo magically forgot about basically killing Tohru's mom the WHOLE time until the very end. Despite being a decent twist in the story, it's unbelievable and the timing is just too perfect as the final climax. And same last paragraph as Yuki's. Momiji: The elephant in the room - there is no way he could have grown into a whole ass man in the span of what, a couple months? I get why they did this, but in the timeline, his growth is just too drastic. Also, it's hinted that Momiji liked Tohru all along and challenges Kyo a bit, but it seems forced. Up until now, he never showed any signs of liking Tohru romantically. You could say that he was hiding it, but in a show, a character would have to show signs if it was intended, so no. Tohru: Finally, Tohru. Frankly, after doing her job in the first two seasons of bringing characters to "life," she doesn't develop much. What doesn't make sense though, is that they basically have her forget her mom because she starts to really like Kyo. Yes, with time you won't think of passed loved ones as much, and as you like someone, the more you will think of them. It's natural. So it's a bit dramatic that she struggles so much with this idea. I guess it's because it's her first time? But I digress. They honestly just should have spent another season or two hashing out all of the characters' stories in order to get them right. They make a lot of story choices that don't align with what they built up in S1 and S2 and it really shows. It's such a shame. TLDR; They butchered nearly every character's story, especially Akito and Yuki. They basically undid all of the development from S1 and S2 because they were too hasty with ending the story on a good note. So much that I don't treat any of it as true canon because it doesn't really make sense logically.
Arkrayven
08/05/2021, 12:28 PM
This is possibly the most overrated anime that I, personally, have ever had the misfortune of watching all the way through to the end; and absolutely the most disappointing third season I've ever watched. Fruits Basket has always held a special place in my heart, and my wife's. She introduced me to the original 2001 anime as my first foray into the romance/slice of life genre (despite its supernatural twist), and I adored it for its simplicity and heart. That simplicity and heart are still present in the remake; but in the final season, they are taken to such extremes as to make the writing laughable.Of course, any complaints regarding the story may be the fault of the source material; but that is true for almost all anime, and still must be addressed. The biggest criticism I have of this series is something that operates on multiple levels, extending well beyond a single plot point or character arc; it pervades the entire third season. The issue is that almost no character gets their just desserts -- either in the sense of a positive reward or a negative punishment for their actions. This holds true for the vast majority of the cast that has, or has desired, to take action to change their lives -- Akito, Kureno, Shigure, Haru and Rin in particular. Even at its best moments, this utter refusal to properly implement repercussions can lead to a complete lack of catharsis; at its worst, it feels like character assassination. There are three major ways in which I felt the anime simply *refused* to consider repercussions for each characters' actions, and they all affect different parts of the plot and characterization. The first instance of this failure is in its punishments for crimes--or complete and total lack thereof. "Fruits Basket: The Final" taught me that, so long as you were feeling simultaneously anxious and entitled, you should be excused for lying, manipulation, physical and emotional abuse, sexual grooming, and no less than *five counts of attempted murder*. It posits that you can do *literally anything*, no matter how awful, to *absolutely anybody*; but so long as you did it because you felt kind of unhappy, you will be forgiven and should suffer no negative repercussions for your actions. There is absolutely no sense of responsibility, ever; no sense that "maybe you were hurting, but it was your job to make sure you didn't hurt others the same way." From start to finish, how this season treats its abusive characters is entitled, enabling, and disgusting. The second major case of this failure revolves around character agency, or lack thereof. The prior seasons posit that multiple characters are searching for a way to break the curse -- Tohru is a given, of course; but Rin and Kyo want to as well, either for their own sakes or for those around them. Unfortunately, it seems this story--despite its expansive cast and extended runtime--doesn't want to make time for people to actually improve their own lives for the better. Right up until the end, the powerless stay powerless; and when they are finally given their freedom, it's not because any of them took action -- rather, the problem resolves itself. None of them become masters of their own fate through their own power; only by chance. In a different anime, you could argue this is poetic; "nobody can save themselves, only be saved by others". While I would find that argument problematic in its own right, it is one that could be made -- in a *different* anime. In *this* anime, completely ignoring the zodiac childrens' attempts to emancipate themselves is an utter disservice to their actions, and a lack of justice for the horrors that they suffered. The third failure to anticipate repercussions is one I consider a more personal critique than the previous two; more influenced by my personal life experience and biases than writing standards. One key character changes so much midway through the season that I found them unrecognizable from their previous self. This is not poor writing or characterization, but a plot point -- they were repressing memories that changed who they were on fundamental level. I had been rooting for this character from the beginning, and they were one of my favorites; after this over-the-top reveal, and after their actions for the next several episodes, I found myself completely disinterested in them. They went from ranking among my top characters to ranking among my bottom ones in the space of two or three episodes. The character themselves acknowledges that their actions may have negative repercussions, and then goes about it anyway -- several times. After that, I found it impossible to respect them the same way; but the anime expects me to *not only* continue to respect them, but also to feel sorry for them and celebrate their "victories" (if they can even be called that). It's a tall order for a character that we never really get to see "step up" to their responsibilities during the duration of the anime. If they do end up growing beyond their weaknesses, it only ever happens off-screen. In an anime that frames itself as being about abuse, and freeing yourself from it, almost nobody is given real agency except the un-abused outsider and a (former) abuser. Almost nobody frees themselves from their situation; of those who do, two of the three were entirely accidental. Multiple different abusers are given a free pass because "it's all in the past now". And the person I was rooting for all along became an absolute disappointment to me. The anime seems to believe that, so long as you're suffering -- so long as someone says to you, "poor thing" -- you are free from all responsibility, and any and all actions are excusable. Outside of a few very isolated moments, enjoyed by a very few privileged characters, Fruits Basket is never interested in the idea that you should turn your own suffering into positive action on the behalf of others; it wants you to pity those who have suffered, without expecting anything from them and without judging their utterly horrific, selfish actions. And it is utterly disappointing in its refusal to consider that, for people who have experienced severe trauma, "doing good" and making amends should mean more than simply forgiving and forgetting.
Mtthw99
07/01/2021, 03:20 PM
Pathetic, Misogynist, self-motivation/ self-improvement... hollow series with the sick necessity to humanize inhuman characters, the whole series fetishes the idea of forgiveness in a perverse way... "everyone deserves a second chances", "Everyone has a story behind" and all that bullshit. Don't get me wrong, it is good that people can change, however my question is ¿why do we look for such a desperate way to put forgiveness in its limits? There are differences between forgiveness and reconciliation -just look at a real good series like Bojack Horseman (and how it develops in the last chapter) or the Iliad- my thought is that stupid people lovethis series because they want to idealize their own lives, to forgive and to give romantic love the place of salvation that it doesn't have in our reality, to create more psychopaths. We prefer Happiness -whatever people think it is, and please someone explain to me what does it really mean?- Over Justice. That's why this is the #1 shojou in all anime history, because of the emptiness of what society has become. Is all there is to love? Please think a lot about the view the series has about love, Tohru is just the model of a maid/slave who serves everyone like a Martyr, and in contrast all the characters always remind her to "think more about yourself"... -more bullshit- is just the way to keep things unchanging, to keep that sick relation of exploitation of others while the series messages you to be more egocentric. Don't let the series fool you, that Martyr style of Tohru is just part of the spectacle... We want to see characters like her, just to individualize with our narcissism even more that we already are. Even though the characters are very good, I have an especial affection to Haru, not only for some hilarious moments, but also because he was the only one who stood up against Akito; and Ayame, because is the funniest character in the whole series. If you like K-dramas and all those sexist series where the woman always cry and runs for the sexy boy because of the incompleteness of her life, probably you will love this series as well. Is just porn for you to jerk off and rise your motivation with live and love. Am tired of the way Japanese people see women and relations, it is just sick. PD: Most horrible and generic soundtrack that I have heard, just compare it with the 2001 version... I puke every chapter and curse out loud, asking myself how such a mediocre composer could be so popular among the anime industry.
aries418
06/29/2021, 11:43 AM
Disclaimer: I have been a fan of the Fruits Basket series for a very, very long time. I'm rather attached to these characters and greatly enjoyed the previous two seasons. As such, I due have an inherent bias about the series which may impact this review. Story: The way that things are handled here are extremely odd. Some parts of the plot are much too slow, while others progress far too quickly. It does some things well while failing miserably at others. The good: Many of the other relationships aside from the main pairing are resolved and supporting characters do get a decent amount of screentime. I feel that Momiji's arc in particular was executed well and shows his growth as a character. Prior to this season, he was mostly a cute shota type character who had a semi tragic backstory, but this does give his character a bit more depth. Yuki also shows progression and does open up a bit more to others rather than being as distant. Other characters do show growth as well and learn to be their own selves outside of being zodiac members. The bad: Most of the pitfalls the plot suffers from involve Kyo and Tooru's relationship as well as Akito's redemption arc in addition to her relationship with Shigure. Kyo and Tooru dance around their feelings for much of this season despite having their big moment where Tooru accepts Kyo for who(and what) he truly is. Then from episode eight onwards their relationship progresses very rapidly. I would have liked to see the change be a bit more gradual. And then there is the matter of Akito. The main problem with how things are handled is that the show justifies Akito's behavior(abuse, maiming family members, attempted murder, etc.) by showing her abusive relationship with her mother and explaining how she developed her god complex. Here's the thing: all of that is an explanation, not an excuse. When she realizes the error of her ways, that doesn't mean that everything is suddenly alright. The fact that the other members of the zodiac choose to forgive her almost immediately after she apologizes despite being terrorized by her for years feels extremely unrealistic and rushed. Akito is far from redeemed, and the plot does not reflect that. Finally, the dynamic of Akito's relationship with Shigure. I'm not going to sugar coat it: the way they treat each other is extremely toxic. Seeing the way this normalizes unhealthy relationships and child grooming is incredibly uncomfortable and concerning. They may get together, but I don't view that as a happy ending by any stretch of the word. Not that everyone gets a happy ending, but leaving things like this just doesn't feel right. On a happier note, the technical aspects of the show are very well done. The art is stunning and is leaps and bounds above the original series. The characters' voices all fit them very well, with the exception of Momiji. Hearing him speak with a German accent is an odd choice, but it doesn't detract from his character. Overall, I'm very conflicted about this season. It wasn't completely horrendous, but it does have many flaws that could have been executed much better. If you're attached to the characters and want to learn their fates, I think this will give you some closure. Just be aware that it isn't always easy to watch.
SIRISANRA928
06/28/2021, 11:57 PM
Fruits basket, I will never forget what I lived with you during 63 episodes. You made me laugh, you made me cry, you destroyed me, you cured me, you taught me. For me, you were a mother who raised me in the most difficult way. Takuya Natsuki, I will never forgive you, you made me fall in love with this anime to the point of madness. Which made farewell difficult and painful All I am going to write now is words that come from the bottom of my heart, My review is based on how I felt watching this masterpiece I hope youlike it Story10/10 Okay. The first part is an introduction. I can say it's the calm before the storm. A simple introduction to the characters, especially Toru, Kyo and Yuki, and each member of the Soma family. With a slight touch of drama, for example in the arc of Momiji, Otani, Hanajima, and in the last two episodes, Kyo's past is mentioned. In general, this season was fun with a funny comedy. The second season was better although the start was slow. But in in the arc visit Soma's summer house. The events were very interesting, especially episodes 9 and 10. Also, Rin's past was very touching and realistic. Adults do not care about children's feelings and do not realize that their words may be destructive to the child's psyche, In general, the story of fruits basket is interesting and funny, and it may seem like a repetitive shoujo. But it carries with it pain, emotions, sacrifice and purity Art10/10 I am really grateful to TMS Studio. Because it contributed to the revival of this work. After 18 years. I thank TMS for giving this star a chance to shine again. As I read the manga, I liked that the studio changed the design of the characters and the details of their faces. Haru and Kyo were the cutest. Not forgetting Princess Toru, In general, art touched the strings of the heart. It may fit with anime scenes of crying, laughter, happiness and depression sound 10/10 Furuba's soundtrack is its strong point. The composer managed to choose the music that matches each scene of the anime. Moments of sadness, happiness. I was really touched and sometimes I was on the verge of tears. Not forgetting the closing song I really liked it. The sound artists were frighteningly realistic! Truly the voice actress of Toru Manaka Iwami. I've never heard her name before, but she is really talented and made me addicted to Tooru's voice. I even thought of making her sound as a ringtone for my phone or an alarm clock to wake me up lol. As for Kyo's voice, it was really very beautiful and gentle and suited his personality. I like his voice a lot, especially when he cries, for example in episode 9 Charcters 10/10 Takuya Natsuki excels at writing furuba characters. What distinguishes this work most is the psychological conflict of the characters. Rin suffers from psychological trauma. Yuki is someone who I feel is a bit like me. He does not want to form relationships with people because of his childish fears, but Toru raised him and taught him how to live as a human being and how mistakes and slips can be overcome. Our lives will not be complete unless we make a mistake. The fault is not to make a mistake, but to repeat the same mistake again. I don't deny that I loved writing Kyo, the guy who looks like a normal person. But he lived a bitter life and endured great pain, and in this hidden part of his personality I felt that he resembled me. He appears to others as a normal human being, but he hides his emotions and pain. But he found the warmth that made him try to change himself for the better Rin's character was also interesting. A character who pretends to be strong. But Rin is very fragile like a bird that tries to fly despite being injured. She is the person who suffers the most from Akito's mania. Akito character will play with you. You will hate her at first but this season you will pity her, she also looks like Rin pretending to be evil but she is like a broken bough, afraid of loneliness and abandonment. But mother Toru treated every member of the Soma family. She also cured me Enjoyment10/10 Furuba provides you with a great dose of sad drama and real-life situations that can happen to anyone like bullying. Fruits basket is one of the anime that left a deep imprint in my heart. He manipulated myself making me sad, happy, angry, and depressed. One of the best anime that I will never forget. I accidentally saw furuba but didn't expect to get to the point of considering it something sacred to me. Without a doubt, it is the second best anime I have watched after Conan. Toru and Kyo pierced my heart without taking off their shoes! I will remind you even if others forget you, I will knock on your door whenever I feel lonely and want to see you. I will miss you so much. I hold back tears every time I remember that I won't receive notification of the episode's release. Sorry, but I really like this anime. I've been saving my tears in every episode but now my tank of tears has exploded. Takuya Natsuki I really will never forgive you. The fruits basket has left a huge void in my heart. Thanks to furuba, my wounds healed. But it passing left a huge hole that will not heal. Goodbye Toru, I will miss your sweet words. Kyo I will miss your shy face. Yuki I will miss your fight with the stupid cat lol. Rin, Haru, Momiji, Arisa, all of you, bye and thank you very much for raising and educating me. I thank everyone who contributed to this anime and thank you to the author for making me experience these pure feelings. Thanks and bye
gingermemequeen
06/28/2021, 08:40 PM
Absolutely amazing. I am in awe. Back in Spring 2019, I started watching Fruits Basket for the first time. Having never seen the original, the show was completely new to me. At the time, I expected to watch what I heard was a good shoujo, but didn't expect it be outstanding by any means. Fruits Basket was lighthearted and fun, then grew more serious and dramatic as the season went on. I had no idea what the series had in store for me. I had no idea that I would be emotionally attached to these characters or intensely saddened by the franchise coming to an end,and I certainly had no idea it would become one of my favorite anime series of all time. I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1 and 2, yet there always felt like some roadblock that was preventing me from giving it a 10. Something changed this season. It was absolutely flawless. This season was the culmination of every conflict and struggle the characters had endured, and despite it being a painful journey, the series was wrapped up beautifully. Despite complaints from others that the season was moving too quickly and cutting too much, I felt the faster pace complimented this season well as the series met its climax. It's been a long time since I've had my eyes glued to the screen and have anxiously waited for the next week to come faster to watch a new episode. Every episode left me in shock and awe (and tears). The more tense nature of this season made Fruits Basket more thrilling and the pay-off much more worth it in the end. I do still intend on reading the manga though to see what was skipped as I still can't get enough of this franchise, and I'm even planning a watch of the original just for nostalgia's sake. Entering into this franchise, I merely expected a cute story about people that turned into animals, but what I got was a beautiful story about how love can transcend into the lives of so many and help heal their pain. Every character was explored in depth, the story was wonderfully written, the soundtrack was beautiful, and while I don't think the animation was top notch, I definitely felt it improved with time. I am so saddened to leave these characters behind. While the ending was satisfying, I definitely am already feeling that post-show depression that I feel with so few franchises these days. Despite crying my eyes out at every episode and jokingly complaining how much it physically hurt me to watch Fruits Basket sometimes, I would never trade the experience for the world, and I look forward to rewatching this series in the future, as it easily fell into my favorites list just from the first season alone. Definitely viewing the world a little differently now after finishing this series <3
Rebeccee
06/28/2021, 08:32 PM
Wow. Having just finished the final episode of Fruits Basket I can confidently say that this is the greatest shoujo I've ever seen, and honestly, I don't believe anything else will come close. This is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. The romance is perfect, the characters are seamless and the storylines are so engaging and entertaining. I rated this a 10 from the beginning and I am ecstatic to find that my judgement wasn't proven wrong. STORY: 10 Fruits Basket is the story of a cursed family that each have to live with the weight of sharing their identity with a zodiac animal, anda girl, Tohru, who's altruism brightens their lives. There are many storylines and arcs throughout the series and they all tie into the kindness and care that Tohru shows every character. Each new addition to the story enriches the viewers experience, as more character depth and lore is discovered with every new episode. At first, I found season 1 to drag a little since they were introducing so many characters in such such a small amount of time, so it felt a little episodic, but once the plot truly started at the end of season 1, it got really good really fast. There are aspects of the plot that are slowly uncovered with time, and some last-minute reveals, but in the end, Fruits Basket becomes a fully-cohesive and well-rounded combination of a sort of renaissance of these characters lives. They have lost so much of themselves to the expectations of who they were supposed to be, cursed or not, that by the end of the story, all of our beloved cast are ready to genuinely be free as themselves. It's truly moving. ART: 10 It's gorgeous, especially compared to the art of the original anime and the manga. It perfectly reflects that sweet, shoujo vibe of the show with all the sparkles and teary moments. The character designs are all very aesthetic as well, with everyone bringing something new to the cast. The animation is generally good but then there are these ~moments~ and suddenly it's god-tier. Overall, just lovely on the eyes. SOUND: 9 Honestly, although fitting for the show, I generally skipped the opening and ending theme songs, I didn't like them all that much. I absolutely loves the 3rd season's opening though, that was fantastic and I never skipped it once. Otherwise, the music is a little sappy at times but it fits the sappy tone of the scene so there's really no complaints on the background music. In a similar sense to the animation, there are certain scenes that the bgm enhance to a fantastic degree, so I would say the sound is quite well-done. CHARACTERS: 10 This is where Fruits Basket truly shines. We have our main protagonist, Tohru, who starts living with the other primary characters, Kyo and Yuki, in the beginning of the show. All of the main cast are characterised and developed fantastically. Tohru is established from the start as the most naive and altruistic person on earth, but as the story continues, we see that Tohru is observant and dutiful, as well as selfish in her own way. Although selfishness is a trait that is generally seen as a flaw, for Tohru, it's liberating to be able to care for herself and what she desires. Seeing her declare what she wants and actively try to achieve it made me so proud of how far she's come. When it comes to Kyo's character, it's a lot more tragic. Emotionally abused and abandoned by his family for being the outsider of the zodiac curse (the cat), Kyo is desolate and shuns the world and the people around him, with the exception of his adopted father. When Tohru comes into his life, he makes friends and genuinely begins to enjoy his life. But what's oddly remarkable is how the creator doesn't act like years upon years of trauma can be fixed by making friends. Kyo got help from his relationships, especially with Tohru of course, but he is still damaged, and having him reject his own happiness because he feels he doesn't deserve it was extremely unexpected and emotional. But even more emotional is Kyo beginning to accept that he deserves the support that he's surrounded with. Now onto Yuki. Oh my god did I hate Yuki in season 1 lmao. He was clearly in a love triangle with Tohru and Kyo but he seemed so shallow and nice. Too nice. And he was pursuing Tohru as well, which I just despised them together, they had no chemistry. So when he started working on himself and making his own friends, realising that Tohru is more of a maternal figure than a romantic partner and making amends with the family that genuinely cares for him.... yeah honestly Yuki's my favourite character. To witness a bland, lifeless person like Yuki become so emotive and fight for what he wants: it hits different. I've already gone on too long about the main characters so I won't ramble on regarding the side-cast. They're fantastic. There are many that stand out (personally, Momiji + Yuki's friends) but each and every one, even Yuki's weird stalker, have their own personalities and stories. They're all people, no matter how small their role in the story, and it's fantastic. Getting attached to such a large cast is no small feat. The mangaka most certainly outdid herself. ENJOYMENT: 10 Although a little sappy at times, this show stole my heart. I laughed, I cried, I screamed. Fruits Basket invokes it all. I've been on the edge of my seat every week to watch this and have had a rollercoaster of emotions every single time. This show is an absolute wonder to watch. OVERALL: 10 Every character is phenomenal, every plot point has a purpose and the whole show ties together to create a masterpiece of classic shoujo in a modern anime form. Right now, this is the highest rated anime on MAL, and although it probably won't stay that way, it absolutely deserves that spot. If you're still on the fence at this point, just do yourself a favour and watch it. You won't regret it my friend.
-Normie-
06/28/2021, 06:39 PM
"It’s not always easy to see the good in people. In some people, you might even doubt that it’s there at all. But if you can somehow, find a way to believe…sometimes that’s all it takes to help someone, to give them the strength to find the good in themselves." - Tohru Honda 6/28/21: Fruits Basket's Final Season, with a score of 9.18, reaches No.1 on MAL. Triumph. This is my first review on MAL so apologies in advance if the quality or tone is not up to par with more seasoned reviewers/critics. I decided to take the time to do a review because this is aseries I fell in love with two years ago. It has become my favorite anime of all time and has cemented a place in my heart that will likely remain as the days (and eventual years) go by. Fruits Basket (2019) ends its two-year journey at the top of MAL and in the hearts of those who came along for the ride. In this final season, we received answers to burning questions and payoffs that can send an anime-only to the moon. From Akito, Tohru, Kyoko, and everything in between, there was never a shortage of developments and revelations that rewarded fans with the best of payoffs and a fulfilling watch. In short, there were many powerful moments in this season (a Fruits Basket norm at this point) that made every Fruba Monday an absolute pleasure and privilege. The pacing (which seemed to be a concern early) was not a problem in my opinion as it mostly covered 2-3 chapters per episode. The art and animation looks as beautiful as always and TMS delivers on concluding a beloved Shojou filled with amazing writing, messages, and characters. Interpersonal relationships are at the core of what Fruits Basket is as a piece of art. Over the course of three seasons, we have met many characters. Each has their own distinct identity as well as their own relationships with other characters that are a large part of who they are. Through these relationships, we see different types of love (or lack thereof) at work. With a range of platonic, parental, and romantic love, we get an array of relationships where none seem unnatural. And even though these are "supernatural" beings afflicted by a curse that turns them into animals, the dynamics are very real. This can be thanked in large part to the writing of Takaya and visual aids/cues that are often paired with scenes as the characters convey how they feel or tell their story. This is what can make art transformative. This is what makes Fruits Basket "real." The thread that connects all these characters is one Tohru Honda. Her presence in the series takes center stage as her kindness and acceptance (another theme of Fruits Basket) of those she meets allows them to accept their own weaknesses and begin their own growth as well. We have seen this play out in two seasons, as Tohru's encounters with the Sohma Family have helped those she meets become better people and build the strength to face their own problems. That said, the final season is where we see Tohru come to terms with her own weaknesses and the realization that she too must grow. This was welcomed by me as one of the few criticisms I have heard about the series is that Tohru is "an unrealistic Mary Sue who is just too nice." This final season changes that line of thinking, I promise. Tohru's arc this season was beautiful and powerful. It enhanced an already great character and is a microcosm of everything the series represents and tries to get across. To close, everyone who worked on this project deserves their flowers. Natsuki Takaya, thank you for creating a true masterpiece. The anime/manga medium is better off with works such as Fruits Basket enriching the lives of readers/watchers. TMS Entertainment, many thanks for giving this community a reboot for the ages. The passion in this project is tangible and is reflected in the quality of every single episode of its 63 episode run. Truly a show that just got better and better week by week, episode by episode. The voice actors/actresses, thank you for making these characters authentic and consistently delivering compelling performances. I can say with confidence that there are no bad characters in Fruits Basket and the VA's performances (and Takaya's writing) are major factors for that belief. I have told some and I will share with those reading, I find Tohru Honda to be the most inspiring anime character I have had the pleasure of watching. Seeing her flaws this season just made me appreciate her even more than I already did. She truly represents what the series can be at its best and is someone we can all strive to take a thing or two from. Thank you for your time and attention. Thank you Fruits Basket. Masterpiece.
IWatchAnime07
06/28/2021, 03:34 PM
First time writing a review here we go. Story: 9 I have to say, out of all the shoujo manga and animes I have read/watched, Furuba has one of, if not, the best story of all time. The story is not very focused on the romance aspect, but more on the character developments, more on that later. Even though it's technically Tohru's story, it feels more like a story about the Soma family and how one girl changed all of them. Contrasting to Fruits Basket: Another, the sequel, which is mostly focused on how the Soma family changed one girl. Because the story is focused on characterdevelopments and not romance, there is no need for forced misunderstandings, and it feels less full of tropes. Overall the story of Fruits Basket is one of the best-written slices of life stories out there. Art: 9 Comparing to action and adventure anime, a slice of life like Fruits Basket is usually not expected to have budget animation like Demon Slayer, so as long as the characters look good, I have no problem with the art. I have to say, Fruits Basket is one of the anime in which I enjoyed the anime art style more than the manga one since the manga art style could use some refinement and is inconsistent some of the times. Sound: 8 Masaru Yokoyama did a good job with the compostitons. While certainly not as memorable as Sawano or Jun Maeda (I think it's because I have a Key bias), the tracks are consistent and it fits the mood well. The voice acting is very good in this show, they fit the characters well and they don't feel out of place. Character: 9 As I mentioned before, the characters and their developments are the highlights of the story. Tohru is by far one of my favourite shoujo manga protagonists because she's not annoying and actually very sweet and thoughtful. I can proudly say that I've been a Kyoru stan ever since the first season and I actually felt bad because I thought the main couple is Tohru and Yuki, but I was glad I was wrong. I am not a big fan of Akito and I have still not forgiven her for what she did. I have seen people with massive problems with the age gap between some couples and that's understandable, but I have no problems with that because there are real-life couples with an age gap much bigger than the ones presented in the show. Enjoyment: 10 I got so attached to all the characters and want the best for them, I'm happy that it's a happy ending. Overall: 10 Fruits Basket will always be my favourite shoujo manga and anime. As someone who was not old enough to catch the first season when it aired back in 2001, my first encounter with it was in 2018, when I was searching for animes similar to CLANNAD and someone brought it up. It didn't stand out to me since the clip was very low quality, so I ignored it when the remake was announced. I watched the first season around the time the first half of season two was airing, and I binged the entire thing. After season two finished I read the manga. The art is not outstanding but I still had a good time reading it, and since this is an anime review I won't talk about the manga here. Anyway, when season 3 was announced was stoked, and it has met every single one of my expectations. I am glad that I followed the reconmmendations of my friend and what a journey it has been!
mythical_k
06/28/2021, 01:17 PM
Spoiler Warning: Well, that's that, thank you for everything Fruits Basket, back then, I didn't want to watch it because it was a romance anime, but now, I don't regret it one bit. Fruits Basket was a well-written and beautiful romance story not only on that but the development in character arcs wrapped up nicely as well. The plot of the third season reached its peak, combine how Tohru met the other Zodiacs and how she was able to help them overcome their struggles and their trauma, eventually leading to a satisfying ending to their character arcs. Even Tohru's character arc wrapped up and was able toend up with Kyo after his character arc reached its conclusion. As for the main villain Akito, she got the development she needed, and while I still hate her for her actions in the previous seasons, seeing her accepting what will happen in the future felt nice, and an emotional end to a generational curse that's been going on. In short, everyone got a nice ending to their character arcs and they all end up together with the ones they love. The story was at its climax, leaving off from the cliffhanger from season two while continuing the blossoming romance blooming between various characters, and eventually seeing more development occurring between them. I love how everyone was finally able to continue moving forward even after all the suffering that they've been through while seeing how them being free gave them mixed feelings, but accepted the fact that things will change as time goes on. It reached the point where seeing just how they're finally able to live happily and be free was emotional like we also went through that pain. Although the pacing was a bit off at times, it still flowed well with the story. As for the characters themselves, seeing them finally at the end of their character arcs made this finale what it is. Not only for the Zodiacs but for Tohru too. Tohru proved that she isn't the perfect character that she was portrayed, but also has her flaws, giving her the development she needed. While Kyo was able to overcome his past obstacles and was able to accept himself for who he is while realizing that he was in love with Tohru. It was amazing seeing how after so much pain and suffering they went through, they finally get to end up together while accepting their new beginnings. Although I still won't forgive Akito, seeing her finally realizing her mistakes and deciding to change felt satisfying to watch, it won't justify her actions. What makes each of these characters endearing is the confirmation that they'll be there for each other even if the times get tough and was reassuring to hear. The music itself was one of the best I've heard all spring. The opening not only had a nice buildup with some detailed visuals, but it's very catchy, fitting into what will occur in the final season. Out of all the music, the ending was one of the best endings I've heard in anime. I've listened to the whole song, and even though it sounds happy, it sounds sad knowing that Fruits Basket was bound to end, and seeing them being able to be free was so beautiful I felt like tearing up. The soundtrack fits into the tense and relieving moments this season had, fitting into the finale of the series. Overall, this season not only made it the best season of Fruits Basket, but it made the entire series one of the best in all of romance anime. Not only did it feature many characters going completing their character arcs, many romances being official, but it taught us many lessons that we should apply in the real world too. Nothing lasts forever, we have to let go of the past and look into the future, that's the main lesson in the entire series. Once again, I loved Fruits Basket so much, and I'm glad that I got to watch it and see it join the top 10 of MyAnimeList. Until we meet again Fruits Basket.
icedmocha_
06/28/2021, 12:33 PM
I'm going to be writing a review for Fruits basket with my own personal opinion and will avoid spoilers of the anime and manga! Story - 10 I really loved and enjoyed the story of Fruits basket and how its told from the beginning till the end! And the pacing of the story is really good since it doesn't go too fast and neither too slow. I really loved the stories for each individual character and how it is told. I really think all three seasons of Fruits basket covered up the story perfectly from the beginning till the end. Art - 10 The art of Fruits basket isreally beautiful and it makes some moments of the anime just stand out better from the way they've done it. It makes me re-watch some of the beautiful moments just because of the art of Fruits basket! Sound - 9 The music selection is beautiful from the openings, ending and the themes of the OST! Some of the music of Fruits basket like for example the ending theme for the final season of Fruits basket is something I would listen to on repeat for hours without getting bored of it! Character- 10 I really love how all the characters are getting development throughout each season and they go in depth of it which makes me personally feel like I'm connected to the characters. Enjoyment- 10 I really enjoyed watching Fruits basket from the beginning till the end. Every week whenever Fruits basket whether it was the first or the last season I would sit by my screen waiting for the episode to come out and honestly each episode never failed to disappoint me (<- In my opinion) And I would even enjoy re-watching an episode and just don't get bored of it. Overall - 10 I overall really love Fruits basket and I enjoyed the journey of watching the anime and would recommend watching Fruits basket and giving it a shot! I really did enjoy watching this masterpiece of an anime and hopefully you would do as well! And I really think Fruits basket has an amazing anime adaptation and I enjoyed every bit of it! Fruits basket is definitely one of my favorite anime! 10 out of 10 for me! :)
StaticSoul
06/28/2021, 12:11 PM
This is no ordinary Shoujo anime. There have been many amazing anime released throughout the years, titles that put a smile on your face just by reading them, no matter how old you are or how many anime you've seen, I believe there is always that one anime that has this enormous significance for each and every anime fan, Fruits Basket is that anime for me. Fruits Basket is a story about grief, change, relationships, farewells, new comings, it's a story that covers many deep dark themes while having a wholesome overtone that makes most people turn away from due to a fear of itbeing brim full of Shoujo tropes. I can assure you that this is an anime that has something for every anime fan, it's a story of turning a new leaf in life yet not dismissing your past, showing us that you can shape your future by learning to accept your upbringing, your past failures, for they shape who you are. It leaves you with the melancholic feeling of a rainy spring day while simultaneously embedding you with the cheery emotions of seeing the first clear sky of summer. ===== SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT. ===== Unlike the very heartwarming yet mysterious feel of the first season and the calm yet brief moments of intensity brought by the 2nd season, the final season of Fruits Basket gives you an overdrive of a multitude of emotions ranging from the utter bittersweet happiness of Momiji breaking his curse to the utter awe and fear of Akito stabbing Kureno to the grieving and sadness brought by Kyoko's dying words. I geniunely feel like the emotional rollercoaster that this season brought forth was the result of genius writing from Natsuki Takaya and the way TMS decided to adapt it. We see Akito's complete 180 turn going from a selfish and sinister yet misguided and mistreated control freak who was lead to believe that she was special and the world was made to fulfill her needs and hers alone to a sincere and geniunely lovable character who finally embraces her true identity and femininity. This development wasn't abrupt either, Akito had been manipulated her whole life, by her parents, by the curse, by the Soma caretakers to the point where she'd mustered up a God Complex, and for her to finally be reached, to be seen, to be heard by somebody who deeply cared about her, not of out fear or inferiority, but as somebody who geniunely related to her situation, it was simply so contradictory to what her past life had taught her that she was utterly destroyed. Tohru and Kyo finally find true happiness after all the years of being haunted by their pasts, we finally see Kyo's true involvement in Tohru's life before they'd even met and his involvement in Kyoko Honda's death, We also finally get to see Tohru shed her skin and show her true self, the imperfections she hides and it wasn't sudden nor surprising at all, Tohru's always felt like she never deserved pity or sympathy from others due to her pure self hatred which was also the case with Kyo, We see Kyo's self hatred play a continous blockage role throughout the series and ironically enough, he's the one who makes Tohru love herself again. Forgiveness, their relationship is built on forgiveness, the love and inner peace forgiveness can bring, not just forgiving others, but more so, forgivng one's self. Although Yuki had been able to overcome his past in the previous season, his development kept on going, in this season he plays more of a support role as we see with how he handled Tohru and Kyo's falling out though we do also see him and Machi finally come together after so long, we've already seen the similarities these two lovers have whether it be how they view the world or the process in which they'd overcome their pasts, a perfect couple and a perfect ending to Yuki's beautiful development. There are of course many many more revelations throughout this season to pretty much all the characters which is a result of Natsuki Takaya's ability to juggle with so many stories; Rin and Hatsuharu's love story is so spectacular in the way they function. The contrast between Hatsuharu's calm and soothing nature and Rin's dissociation and unstability worked wonderfully and I couldn't hold back tears when he hugged her and welcomed her back. We see Momiji, Kisa and Hiro finally grow up, Momiji accepting his family situation, Hiro becoming a big brother and Kisa becoming more and more social, it's surreal to see how they've blossomed and how far they've come. I have seen many people talking about the ambiguities surrounding how exactly the curse was broken and to me it's very simple: The curse is a bond between the god and the animals, this bond ties them all to the God emotionally, physically and mentally. However, once you create an outer bond that's stronger than the curse's bond, it shatters, for example Kyo's bond with Tohru, Hiro's bond with Hinata and Kisa, Yuki's bond with Machi etc. I believe that this symbolizes how really life relationships work, when you enter a toxic relationship with somebody, it's often difficult to break it off, but when you have a stronger, healthy relationship with others and you're not just reliant on that one toxic relationship, therefore it becomes easier to break away from. The ending is one of if not the most conclusive endings I've ever seen to any animanga, we see everybody living their happily ever after, Rin, Haru, Kagura, Momiji, Hatori, Shigure, Akito, Tohru, Uotani, Everybody. After so much suffering the simple thought of them continuing to live peacefully brings tears to my eyes. I'm so grateful for what this anime has given me over the years and I'm proud of TMS for adapting it to perfection. True love isn't about looks or money, it's about how well you can love your partner, embracing their past, admiring their present and what they'll be in the future, true happiness to Tohru comes from the kindness of those around her why can't it be the same source of happiness for us? Farewells are heartbreaking but they often times they're just a brand new beginning, you don't have to cry when bidding farewell, although it may be a grievance, the people you bid farewell to will never truly be gone if you keep them in your heart. Another showering spring ends and brings upon us a shining new summer chapter in our lives. Thank you for all the memories Natsuki Takaya, this anime truly changed my life.
Shiizu-Chann
06/28/2021, 10:20 AM
Fruits Basket is a masterpiece of the romance drama genre. At first Fruits Basket seemed like a fun reverse harem anime with a ditsy dense girl and her hot handsome boyfriends, but after watching a little I realized Fruits Basket has so much more to offer. At times it felt like I was the character rather than watching the character. The way this anime was able to make me feel what the characters felt and relate to them so much is amazing. This anime put me to tears every episode and it'll have a lasting impact I'll never forget. (This review is about all threeseasons, and there's a small spoiler section so the rest of the review is spoiler free.) Fruits Basket has it all, Romance, drama, slice of life, hot husbandos and cute waifus, emotional rollercoasters, cute ships, intense and mysterious story-line, deep character growth, heart agonizing moments, complex portrayals of many common feelings and emotions, and a beautiful story. - Story (10) : Fruits Basket's story can be seemingly simple yet perplexed at the same time. Tohru and the Soumas striving to break the curse, understand and accept their feelings and grow, all while facing and overcoming their pasts in order to work towards a beautiful future. Fruits Basket entangles itself in mystery while exploring many complex feelings we all have as we grow. The anime focuses on the characters and their relationships as they change, grow, and even break apart. This anime will make you feel what the characters are feeling. It brings you to tears and rips at your heart with sadness, depression, guilt, and hopelessness. Then it proceeds to warm your body with happiness, love, kindness, care, and the compassion it portrays. It's true emotional rollercoaster on par with that of many others like Violet Evergarden or Clannad Afterstory. - *MINOR SPOILERS* - (Analysis of each Season. Skip to the next section below if you don't want to know what each season focuses on.) Season 1 of Fruits Basket primarily introduces us to the world, the Souma Family, and let's us learn fragments of our characters. It does well to introduce us to everything while giving minimal information about the deep backgrounds of the characters. Overall it was enjoyable, and it really set the stage for the following seasons. Season 2 takes this a step forward by diving deeper into the characters, and it gets a lot more darker. The real issue with this season is that it can feel like the pacing is incredibly slow and the story really goes nowhere. I even dropped the second season at episode 6 to watch something else, but I decided to give it a second chance, and it was more than worth it. The slow build up definitely payed off. The second half of the season more than redeems the first half for the lack of plot progression. Things really get deep after the first part of the second season, and we begin to learn about Akito and the relationships he and the Soumas have with one another. Some of them face their pasts, others breakdown because of it, and others struggle to change and overcome it. The second season provided us with much needed information about our characters and it really shows us their struggles. This was far more emotionally moving than the first season. I was really able to understand and even relate to many of the characters here, and ending of the Second season left me speechless. Season 3 or the Final Season of Fruits Basket now stands on the solid built foundations of the previous seasons and takes a giant leap towards the sky. After the way they ended the 2nd season I was dying to watch the next season, and this season goes beyond all expectations I had. Each episode tugs at my heart and throws my emotions all over the place, then it leaves me hurting as I desperately wait for the next episode. Each episode just gets so much more better. It's truly remarkable how much of an impact this anime can have on you. This season wraps up the story of Fruits Basket spectacularly. This is the climax we have all been waiting for. Fruits Basket has truly become a masterpiece ~ - Art (9) : Fruits Basket's art is well above the standard of your average anime. With a cute easy on the eyes style, it's everything you want in slice of life romance drama anime. The most notable aspect of Fruits Basket's art is the way it beautifully portrays heart moving emotion in all of it's scenes. Even without a ground-breaking revolutionary art style, Fruits Basket manages to provide us with extravagant impactful scenes. - Sound (10) : Fruits Basket's sound is one of the aspects of the anime which makes it outstanding. The sounds and music intensify the emotion within the scenes and helps to create truly amazing moments in the anime. The openings, endings, and sound tracks within all seasons were spectacular, and lovely to listen to. I also absolutely love the final season's opening "Pleasure"! - Character (10) : The whole premise of this anime is character development. Fruits basket provides you with a large diverse set of characters, many of which all of us can relate to and truly understand. Fruits Basket manages to realistically develop its characters extremely well, providing them with fascinating backstories, while giving them all significant purpose in the whole grand scheme of the anime. Each of our characters faced many things in the past which haunts them, and breaks them to the ground, so seeing how they struggle and overcome these is amazing. It's simply beautiful, the amount of depth these characters have. The characters go through so much, just watching it made me feel like I was on an emotional rollercoaster. - Enjoyment : Fruits Basket provides you with everything you'll ever want from the romance drama genre. The storytelling is spectacular, the art is great, the sound is beautiful, and the characters are phenomenal. This is one of those animes that'll have a large lasting impact on you, as well as teach you many lessons about life. The cruelty of fate can be overcome through hard work, and eventually we'll all be able to live closer to our ideal lives. I love this anime so much and I'm very glad to have watched it. Fruits Basket will be one of those animes which I'll never forget how deeply it impacted me. I really wish there were more drama romances like this with emotionally moving, tear jerking and heart mellowing moments, filled with extreme character growth.
Drokster
06/28/2021, 10:07 AM
Warning: The following review contains SPOILERS, proceed at your own risk. With that out of the way, let’s get started. “As long as you live things will keep happening. As long as you’re alive wishes will keep being made.” - Tohru Honda My personal journey through Fruits Basket can definitely be called a weird one. When news about a remake of this beloved Shoujo series got around, a large portion of the anime community was understandably thrilled. Having zero knowledge about the series, I was definitely curious what the fuss was about and decided to venture into the world of Fruits Basket. What I found was aworld so beautifully crafted, with an interesting premise and many promising characters. Even though this is the case, slowly but surely I started to lose interest in the series due to its initial formulaic setup, whereby nearly every episode acts as a character introduction for a new Zodiac member. And with things becoming hectic in real life, I ended up forgetting about the series and stopped midway through the first season. That was roughly 2 years ago. Recently, I realised that the Final Season is topping the MAL charts and I thought to myself, “Wow, is the show really that good?”. Once again, my interest in the series piqued and I finally decided to set time aside to finish watching the series. And indeed, it really was that good. Slice of life as a genre has always been my personal favourite, with series like Kaguya-sama Love is War and Clannad AS being in my Top 3. And now I can confidently say, Fruits Basket is one of the greats in the genre. What sets the series aside from other shows, is the amount of effort and care dedicated into crafting characters and building character relationships. We are introduced to the many Soma members early on, with the first half of the first season essentially used to introduce us to a wide range of characters. Each episode we watch as Tohru in one way or another form a personal connection with the members of the Soma family, which becomes the backbone of the series. As stand alone episodes, the quality was undoubtedly there, but what it lacked was a clear direction of where the series is headed. However, this was no doubt purposefully done to allow us as the audience to have an emotional connection with the big cast of characters early on. Some of the characters that I found most interesting are as follows - Kyou, Tohru, Yuki, Akito, Saki and Shigure, but I’ll be focusing on the main trio and their journey throughout the series. xxxx CHARACTER SPOILERS xxxx Let’s begin with our main heroine, Tohru Honda. Acting as the heart of the story, she represents the ray of sunshine that descends upon the Soma family. Her righteous personality can be so entrancing at times, that it may seem that she has no flaws. She was initially portrayed as a flat, one-trait character, in fact the majority of the cast is. But do not be deceived, for she is in fact one of the best written characters in the show, and is deserving of the title of main heroine. In the Final Season, the layers of facades were peeled back and we are introduced to the real Tohru, a girl with her own sets of insecurities. With the passing of her beloved mom, she was unable to move on. While she deceives herself and those around her, saying that everything is fine and putting up a smile, deep down she is continuously burdened by the trauma. In the memory of her late mother, she swore to always put her mom first in her heart. This sentiment that she has for her mom may seem lovely at first, but it ends up being an unhealthy coping mechanism, with Tohru being over reliant on her late mother. Watching her develop and mature as a person in the Final season is a really heartwarming sight. Now with Kyou being the No.1 in her heart, it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love her mom. The love between her and her mother is unbreakable, and that is a fact that will forever be unchanged. Her mom wants her to find happiness even in her absence, and that’s what Tohru will do. To see the people that she helped along the way return the favour, and guide her to overcome this barrier that she imposed upon herself, I can’t help but be genuinely touched by the show. It is a perfect portrayal of what goes around, comes around. While not perfect, Tohru shows how far kindness can go, and how even the little things can rub off on someone and change them for the better. Moving on, when we were first introduced to Yuki, he was renowned in the school for being the Prince due to his elegant looking face. Nothing could be further away from the truth. Being tormented by Akito since young, Yuki was an empty shell. Withdrawn from the people around him, lacking the courage to stand up for himself and unable to bring himself out of the darkness, Yuki was in a very pitiful and depressing state initially. And then comes Tohru, the ray of sunshine. Her entrancing personality was able to show Yuki the possibility, that just maybe, he too is able to love himself. I remember there was this one scene of Yuki in Season 1 episode 18 that really stuck with me. Yuki: “Learn to love yourself?” What does that mean? How are we supposed to find something good about ourselves? The whole reason why we hate ourselves is because we can only see the parts we hate. So forcing ourselves to find “good points” feels hollow, like we’re making things up. It’s not like that. That’s not how it works. I think it’s only when someone says they love you that you’re able to start loving yourself.” It is true that we are the only ones capable of helping ourselves, but sometimes, to even find the courage, the motivation to do so may seem to be a nigh impossible task. Others shouldn't be directly providing everything for the individual, instead what others are capable of doing is providing the environment, providing the platform for him/her to once again take courage and rise up. I find this to be a satisfying conclusion for Yuki’s character to come to, and is in fact quite wise of him. Yuki’s character growth throughout the Final season was just amazing to watch. Being able to look forward by overcoming his past ordeals, stepping out of his comfort zone when he joined the student councils, are amazing feats considering the short time span for all these events to occur. Lastly, my personal favourite character of the series - Kyou. While the moments shared between Tohru and Yuki were very heartfelt, the moments between Tohru and Kyou were just on another level. From the very first season, it was already hinted quite explicitly that these two are essentially destined for each other. With Tohru’s favourite animal being the cat, and Kyou being the one ostracised from the rest of the Soma family, it only fits for the story to put these two together. That said, I do feel for people that believed that Yuki and Tohru should have gotten together, because the story often portrays a sort of rivalry happening between Kyou and Yuki as they fight over Tohru. But alas, it is ultimately revealed that Yuki sees her as a Mother like figure, essentially mother zoning her, which I find to be relatively hilarious. Thankfully, the story also gave Yuki a happy ending, with him finding love in Machi, creating a believable and cute chemistry between the two. AHEM, back to Kyou. As a standalone character, Kyou’s character journey is an art form. Being born with the ‘accursed’ cat spirit, people are unable to distinguish Kyou as a person from the spirit, causing him to receive a heavy amount of hatred and spite. All of the Zodiac members suffer the same fate, but it is especially so for Kyou. With his mom committing suicide, it scarred Kyou emotionally and mentally, as the people around him force him to acknowledge that it is HIS fault for the suffering of those around him. The tragic circumstances as a kid caused him to develop 2 major traits. The 1st of which being self hatred, thinking that he is not deserving of any form of love. The 2nd being an unhealthy coping mechanism, in the form of burdening Yuki with his hatred, deeming him the one that caused all his misfortune. Time and time again, he was met with situations where he inevitably hurt those around him due to circumstances he can't control. Even the toughest of will would have a hard time going through what he went through, which is why it is completely understandable for him to harbor such a deep rooted hatred for himself. However, that is not the narrative being told through Kyou. While it is easy to wallow in sorrow, to cry and loathe your own unfortunate circumstances, is it really going to change anything? Sure, it is understandable and even acceptable for us to blame tragic situations for how we turned out to be, but doing so we are ultimately unable to confront our demons and move on. The important aspect of Kyou’s journey is coming to acceptance of his own tragic past, acknowledging that while he may have a part to play in causing the suffering of others, he ultimately shouldn’t constraint himself to the past, that he should learn to forgive himself. Sometimes, the simplest solution is often the hardest. By no means is moving on an easy task, the many characters in Fruits Basket have proven that throughout the span of 63 episodes. Even so, we should not be afraid and limit ourselves to our own tragedy, after all there is no harm in trying to move on and live our lives to the fullest. Kyou’s unhealthy coping mechanism was also ultimately resolved in the Final Season. Deep down he always knew and understood that his way of coping wasn’t good for him in the long run. In spite of the fact that he knew that Yuki wasn’t the cause of his misery, he continued to put him on a villainous pedestal, because it is easier that way. To know and understand something is different from accepting it. Kyou was initially unable to accept the fact that he was wrong, that Yuki isn’t the villain that he makes out to be. However, he got a wake up call in Tohru, the girl he has an unyielding love for. He was ultimately able to accept it, able to move on, and able to live his life to the fullest. It is interesting to note that Kyou's and Tohru's character arcs are not so dissimilar. Both had the same issues of having a bad way to cope with past traumas, and both managed to overcome them in the end. Kyou’s character journey in this series is no doubt my favourite, given the depth of his character and the amount of dedication and passion put into writing his arc. But of course, characters can only be portrayed properly with proper visuals. Animated by TMS entertainment, the visuals are just stunning. While there may not be any jaw dropping Sakuga moments, the frames in this show are just inherently pleasing to look at. It is hard to find a single frame where the characters are off model, or the background looks bland. The beautiful visuals bring life to the wonderful characters of Fruits Basket, and I am so glad it got such a premium treatment. Throughout the series you can feel the effort the animators from TMS entertainment put into animating Fruits Basket, and I have to say their hard work definitely paid off. And to no one's surprise, the beautiful visuals are accompanied by equally beautiful music. The OSTs in Fruits Basket really reminded me of the melodic tunes from Clannad. If I have to choose, my personal favourite would probably be ‘I will protect you’ and ‘Spring will come when the snow melts away’, with them playing in a lot of the significant moments of the show, sending goosebumps throughout my body and tears to flow out. The Opening is also incredible. On top of the amazing shots of the characters in the background, the banger song ‘Pleasure’ really suits the vibe of the series. Not to forget the amazing voice actors that gave it their best to give us the most authentic experience this anime can give. There were moments where the characters shined through the collective efforts of the voice actors, going above and beyond to deliver their lines. The production value in this show is just crazy. With the amazing production values aside, I do have some critics for the show. For starters, there are many scenes that involve showing the tragic past of the characters, which may be a bit overused for some people. For example, we are given multiple iterations of Yuki’s traumatic time with Akito. While it hammers home the point of Yuki being continuously tied to the past, this way of showing it may instead turn the audience off, given that they have already seen essentially the same scenes several times. This can also be seen as a way of over dramatising the characters’ inner turmoil which in turn gives the opposite effect of undermining the problem the characters face. That said, I personally did not have much of a problem with it myself, but it is something I undoubtedly noticed. Furthermore, due to the nature of the story, some of the characters are not fully realised. For example, we barely got any screen time of Souma Ritsu, the person that represents the Monkey, only seeing his character growth in one episode in Season 1. Given his importance as one of the Zodiac members, I thought it was a shame that he didn’t play a bigger role in the story. That said, I rather them focus on the main trio instead of giving these characters with minor roles to play more screen time, so I guess it was a fair trade off. Nonetheless, my point still stands that some of the characters introduced have wasted potential and could have been utilised far more efficiently. Overall, Fruits Basket was a really wonderful ride, and the Final season was amazing. It's unapologetically genuine characters were a breath of fresh air in the current pool of anime shows. While Akito has always been a thorn in this beautiful story, even she can change. The idea of Fruits Basket is that we should never be tied down by unhealthy restrictive bonds, and instead choose a path to take for ourselves. Whether it is school, your job or your love life, you are free to choose as long as you don’t harm others along the way. It was a surreal experience and I am so glad that I sat through it all :) A solid 9.5/10
Ethan_07
06/28/2021, 10:02 AM
Fruits Basket is a horrible anime. Over the span of 53 episodes, dragging three seasons of joyous and disheartening events, this is the best they can do? One question. Why? Why not just create love rectangles, add some dramatic shouting, slapping, running, crying scenes of all the characters confronting each other, at the end of 11th episode and just be done with it? Just expose all the inner feelings and hidden truths in one final showdown. That's it. Let's throw whatever conflicts they have, mesh them together and let it be resolved by themselves. Let them break their characters. No one cares. We just want ahappy ending, with whatever means necessary. But, no. Fruits Basket doesn't want this. The character developments are tediously pulled and widened across these three years, seemingly reaching an endless abyss before what is known as the 'finale'. The ensemble cast of zodiac members, are one by one, meticulously portrayed, represented by their own quirks and words. They are, each of them, shaped to be a person. A person united with each other by a curse—and a gift—until a carefree girl barged into their little worlds. Merrily, kind-hardheartedly, courageously, she cared for them, weaving their stories into her perspectives. Into ours. She helped a rat out of his depression and identity crisis; she helped a horse out of her parental abuse and emotional trauma; she helped every zodiac member that she can, even if she's not obligated to. But, she needed to. Because only then she can help herself. Fruits Basket is a very pretentious anime, in this sense. Every shoujo story needs a villain. Dread a villain. A love rival. Fruits Basket has it both: a villainous love rival, who controls the zodiac members at her will and disposal—Akito. The sound of her name itself invokes seas of rage. She appears as the children-book villain that gloats about her supreme, and ceases the main protagonists' wills to live, trapping them, while doing heinous evil deeds to leave emotional and physical scars. She's good at what she does: everyone hates her. So, why? Why does Fruits Basket redeem such character? She is evil. Evil needs to stay evil. There's no other alternative. She's done unfathomable things. She needs not exist. Not as one that we can resonate to. But, no. Fruits Basket doesn't care. Even if it's perfectly reasonable under the theme of selflessness and kindness that is depicted by Tohru over the plot. Even if the portrayal of acceptance of oneself has fully been embraced by each and every one of the zodiac members, including Mr. Tsundere Cat. Even if Tohru believes second chances to a fault, and accept good as they are, but most importantly—evil as they are. Even if Akito wanted to only protect her little world, with her only means. Tohru doesn’t care. She thrives on her belief, because it is the only thing that she holds on dearest to. Her world would collapse once she stops believing. If she ever does. Because she, amongst them all, is the loneliest. She craves people's kindness, as much as she’s given it away herself. It is the overwhelming affection and tenderness that she shows to others, that contradicts her genuine feelings. She creates a world for others to save themselves, but she herself is lost inside it. Because even though we don’t show it, everyone, anyone wants to be cared for. It’s inside our core. That’s why we connect, make bonds. That’s why we empathize with characters, and resonate with their emotions, actions. That’s why we stay strong, even if we are weak. And that is why Fruits Basket is also highly manipulative. Sad, melancholic music tracks don't do the tricks for them. Nope. They don't want that. They adapt a much heart-wrenching, orchestral music that elevates the emotional drama, to bring out people's desire to connect, to emphasize that we're experiencing that scene at that moment, to let us know that we are not alone. It's horrifying how influential music and songs can be, until you are relishing it in that particular moment. The sound director, Aketagawa Jin has done a truly intricate, endearing job at this. I cannot think of how many times the music has brought me on the brink of tears; I hate being manipulated like this. Now, don’t even get me started on those cute chibi style changes. And, accompanied by the elegant piano play, with their wholehearted interaction, comes this wave of warm, lingering feelings. It's a feeling particularly enhanced by the clever use of color tone and the crafty dialogues that are as bare as they get. The ingenious scene transitions using black and white and space, the deceptive teary eyes under a heavy downpour, and the silence that allows tension to creep in. These are all not supposed to be felt, but it added much more merits to the whole story itself. Making it much more manipulative, heartfelt. Overall, Fruits Basket is a horrible, very pretentious and highly manipulative anime. If the zodiac members can be portrayed as different forms and shapes of snowflakes, then Tohru would be the spring. The snow captures, traps all the insecurities, pride, identity, trauma, anxiety and nightmare that they can't let go of; waiting to be melted away by their own passion, convictions, ideals, actions, and acceptance. Waiting for spring. Because spring will come, when the snow melts away. And to Natsuki Takaya, for creating a heart-breaking story like this, I'll never forgive you. Ever.
Marinate1016
06/28/2021, 10:01 AM
Fruit’s Basket is not only one of the best stories ever told in the medium, it also could serve as the catalyst needed for a revival of the shoujo genre. When I was a kid, shojo dominated. Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, etc., were cultural phenomena. This really fuelled my passion for the genre/demographic tremendously. While other people my age preferred the action packed episodes of YYH and DBZ, I enjoyed the slower and more down to earth Kodomo no Omocha. In many ways, Furuba is a blast from the past, a relic of a bygone era of storytelling. The core themes and issues addressed in Furubaare so applicable to daily life, it almost hurts. Love, grief, letting go of the past and becoming your own person, etc. The overarching narrative spanning 60+ episodes of breaking familial bonds and moving on from trauma was so beautifully done that here at the end of that journey, I’m left in tears. For me, the mark of a true masterpiece is something that teaches me valuable life lessons. I lost my father to cancer at 15. I turned to animanga and light novels and have found many important things since then. The one thing that I still struggle with is letting go of the past. This remake arrived at the perfect time for me, and I could not be happier with the story-telling, character depth and educational aspects of this series. It wouldn’t be a Furuba review if we didn’t talk about love. Love is at the core of Furuba’s story. Familial, platanoic and romantic. Over 3 amazing seasons, we are introduced to a variety of characters who are in one way or another dealing with some complications of love. Whether it’s an ex, parent who can’t remember their kid, abusive parents, etc. The story does an amazing job of building nuanced and realistic relationships between characters. This applies to both the romantic sort and non romantic sort. Obviously, there are some exaggerations and anime-y logic going on with some of the relationship building, but for the most part, the relationships in Furuba feel organic and realistic. The romantic ships are built up over the course of over 60 episodes and are done in such a way where you can’t have been oblivious to them forming, but they’re also not too in your face, at least until the second half of this season. In this season, it felt like everything was turned up to the max. The tension, stakes and action were amazing in Furuba Final. I would say that if you found S1 and S2 good, you’ll be blown away by the jump in quality we got this time around. Fruits Basket has always felt a little soapy, but this season felt like a straight up Mexican Telenovela. And I loved every minute of it. There’s so many rich and well written characters in Furuba, it’s almost cheating. There’s legitimately 15-20 characters that could have “stans” They all receive their own mini arcs and grow over the course of the series, and we see the fruits(pun intended) of that development in the final season. You know you’ve done something right as an author when people have side characters as their favourite characters. Looking back on where everyone started in episode 1 back in 2019, and where they’ve ended up here in the final season is truly beautiful. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on how we, as an audience, have grown along with this cast we love so much. Fruits Basket as a series, and by extension Fruits Basket Final, can be enjoyed by both hardcore shojo romance fans, as well as casual anime watchers. It has everything you’d look for in a conclusion to a series. A gripping climax, satisfying development and resolution for all parties, and ships sailing. Fruits Basket Final is essential viewing for any romance fan and will stand the test of time as one of the best stories the medium has ever produced. Fruits Basket Final gets 10 out of 10.
KANLen09
06/28/2021, 09:59 AM
After 20 years of hardcore Fruits Basket fans clamoring to see the ACTUAL ending adapted since the departure of the original 2001 series, we finally got it. And for the past 2 years (since Spring 2019) signalling the start of the complete re-adaptation of the classic Chinese Zodiac spirit story and plot, mangaka and overall series supervisor Natsuki Takaya has finally fulfilled her dream with the help of her production team at TMS and 8Pan...albeit with one serious problem that it has to negate to make the experience a great one. To all of you who have been following and watching the readaptation of the classicShoujo manga in recent memory, I will not try to play bootlick with you and state the "5 formula aspects" that everyone does, especially in sequel shows where most, of not all characters reprise their roles with the same effects and such. Only new ones are accepted that's exclusive to the aforementioned sequel, and I don't care about overstating the same things as per prior seasons before it, so it's best that I keep it short. The ultimatum of Fruits Basket: The Final, much so of just completing the entire adaptation of the manga, is pacing the sequence of events in a way that does not feel jarring, yet feeling natural. Seeing as though the Final season (a.k.a Season 3) is only 13 episodes long, with all the various chapter adaptations done before in the prior 2 seasons, the only thing I was worried about are the chapter adaptations due to time constraints and the stuffing of the many left unadapted chapters that the first 2 seasons have set up incredibly well due to them being continuous 2-cours. By definition, a longer production schedule meant that the production team can take the adapted material slowly and padding it at a steady pace. Season 3, or The Final however, has like the final stretch of some 30-40 chapters (including the chapters that are split-adapted) to go, and that worries me a lot if we are able to be like mangaka Natsuki Takaya, to come out of Fruits Basket fully satisfied with the results. As much as they tried to cramp as much of the reminder as they can (and subsequently go anime-original with the re-arranging of manga chapters), it honestly still feels like a bit of Season 2 with tonal changes, only being more abrupt this time since time is the sole limiting factor here. Nonetheless, all the kinks are sorted out with the FruBa community getting a lot more toxic than before, I'd say that Fruits Basket is the new legend that has achieved how it is done in the modern age of adaptations, that it should've been the gold standard back then with loose adaptations and simpler artwork of the 2000s (that isn't so much nice to watch anymore, except for nostalgia reasons). Another ultimatum is the obvious continuation to closure of the Chinese Zodiac story and plot of the Soma Family. The 4 central leads: cat Kyo, outsider Tohru, rat Yuki, and self-proclaimed "God" Akito has gone through the past 2 seasons / 50 episodes of content that anyone should be very familiar with their circumstances, and The Final has to exacerbate that in order for not just these 4 to get to where they eventually are in their journey of reconciliation and freedom. It hasn't been the easiest for the Soma Family's 12 Zodiac animals, much less Tohru still going out of her way to save the unwanted cat Kyo, to rebut against the Soma "God"-complex that is Akito, and eventually coming into terms with her past and present conditions. Yuki is pretty much the same with the student council's outcast that is Machi, as is Kyo also recognizing that all that Tohru has done for him to contain his anger and "monster" self since Season 1, to forge a path for himself together with her. The Soma god that is Akito presents the biggest change as she goes from one that is liberal with her words in complete anger, to eventually having to notice that she cannot keep them by her side forever. And the symbolism of the breaking of bonds within the Soma Family signifies the long-awaited change in her and between the cunning fox of a "headmaster" that is Shigure awaiting to show her true self to him. In essence, everyone got their closures, including the past hidden pairings like Rin and Hatsuharu. The final nail in the straw that is TMS Entertainment and subsidary 8Pan's production, really has seen better days, and this being the final of 3 years since the start of the re-adaptation, the production values still do hold up well, there's just nothing to say about it other than praises for the modern age. Even the OST, which since Season 2, has a K-Pop and J-Pop mix to it (which is more prevalent these days), and yeah, nothing else to say than that it's standard songs that rhyme well with the core theme of Fruits Basket. In my very honest opinion, I can see why fans who've read Fruits Basket hold this series to a very high regard, and I respect mangaka Natsuki Takaya for her efforts to create one of the most classic Shoujo series out there that fans old and new have been smearing around. With the Final signalling the TRUE end of the legendary work after 20 long years, we can finally bid goodbye to Fruits Basket and its notoriety of a massive reputation that's truly well deserved of an unorthodox formula undertaken to showcase why this series is still popular to this day, even in the future. What a journey of 3 years, consisting of 136 chapters in 63 episodes of a classic manga's near-COMPLETE adaptation, Owari in a great conclusion.

Fruits Basket: The Final フルーツバスケット The Final

2021 spring | Episodes: 13 | Score: 9.0 (253748)

Updated every Tuesdays at 01:30 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Streaming: Crunchyroll | Bahamut Anime Crazy | Starzplay | iQIYI

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Iwami, Manaka

Sakamoto, Maaya

Shimazaki, Nobunaga

Uchida, Yuuma

Tomari, Asuna

News

Reviews

OnSuS
01/16/2025, 06:14 AM
I personally found Fruits Basket to be the worst anime I've ever watched. Despite its popularity, it just didn’t captivate me at all. The plot felt slow and predictable, with too much focus on drama and not enough on exciting action or complex character development. I couldn’t connect with the main characters, and the romantic elements felt forced rather than genuine. The themes of family curses and emotional healing seemed overly repetitive, and the emotional moments didn’t hit as hard as they were meant to. Overall, I found the whole experience pretty boring and felt like I wasted my time watching it.
RaChuckie
09/29/2024, 05:49 PM
What an amazing anime. I loved it so much the only complaint I have is that I finished it far too quickly. I related a lot to a few characters in this series it's a bittersweet anime. It's definitely going to get a few tears out of you but oh it's Definitely worth a watch. I usually look up trailers for animes before I watch them and I wasn't that interested from the trailer but wow just wow. I feel like the story was good it had some sad difficult moments but it also had moments where you got to know the characters it didn't feel like the anime hadforced filler episodes as I've seen in a lot of other animes you have a few boring episodes here and there. But I really feel like throughout the whole anime I did not get bored even if it was a backstory a flashback or a somewhat of a filler episodes you were always learning something new and relevant to the story which was nice to see. This anime was so well written and so well produced and I loved the scenery and style.
Skotthildur213
05/15/2024, 04:55 AM
This show should not be listed as a shoujo anime, this is a trauma dump at its worst. The story is trying to humanize a character that is literally the worst human being ever. Akito is abusive and is basically keeping a human sex slave. Not to mention the adult men who are sleeping with or are in love with underage girls. I know that adult men with high school girls are very common in shoujo anime but all the other stuff is not. I hate it! And just add all the characters are one dimensional And Tohru has not changed for 3 seasons.
peteygot
06/24/2022, 08:41 PM
Writing a review for this season is so hard. As an avid enjoyer of the original Fruits Basket, I'm gonna say it. They did the characters soooo dirty. So dirty that, honestly, I do not treat this as canon, nor the previous season. TLDR at end. As a short tldr of my review of S1 2019, the story was good (granted, they just copied the masterpiece og). The soundtrack and character design were painfully generic. Imo, the VA butchered Tohru from charming to annoying. I will say I really liked some of the OPs/EDs (S1ED, S2ED1, S2ED2, S3OP) and the soundtrack grew on me (but never asmuch as the OG). Keeping that in mind, the final season (and the 2nd season tbh) was just so disappointing in where they took the stories of each character. They should have spent 1 or 2 more seasons resolving everyone's stories and it would have been fine, but no. As a result, everything is forced and rushed. So here we go. Akito: The obvious one. Many reviews would agree with me, Akito gets off jack FREE with NO consequences for what she did whatsoever. She traumatized the ENTIRE Soma family, and the people who made this series thought "If we give her a brief pitiful backstory, the viewer and the Somas have no choice but to like her, right?" WRONG. It just doesn't make ANY sense for anyone to forgive her (except maybe Shigure because he always somehow loved her). For being the cause of Yuki, Kyo, Momiji, Hatori, and the other's traumas, and almost killing Rin twice??? and not even one apology after?!?!? It's unbelievable. If we're comparing the entire season dedicated to resolving this, to the ONE scene in the 2001 Furuba of Tohru accepting Akito, the 2001 scene makes LEAGUES more sense. Do they really expect us to believe Akito wanting to become friends with Tohru after how much she hated her? After all juunishi ties are cut, it would be a hit to her ego to do it. Does not make sense except for the sake of the story. Yuki: It's utter bullshit that Yuki sees Tohru as a mother. I understand that Tohru can only end up with one of them, and that it was always meant to be Kyo, but you can't tell me that throughout the whole story, Yuki only deserves a handshake from Tohru!!!!!!!!! He at least deserves a hug of friendship, wtf??? It really undermines all of the friendship that they built up until then. The romance between Yuki and Machi is extremely forced. For how deeply scarred Yuki was from being a juunishi and Akito, it doesn't make sense for him to develop a romance so quickly with someone who has no idea he had such a burden. He's the one who believes that "acceptance of yourself begins with someone else accepting you", yet Machi does nothing to accept Yuki on her own. I understand student council was Yuki's way of branching out after S1, but it should have ended in friendship with all of them, not a forced romance. Lastly, they basically did away with all of Yuki's trauma for nothing. In S1 and S2, they built up Akito as an important threat in the way of Yuki healing. Yet nothing comes of it and Yuki gets over everything way too easily. So by butchering Akito's story, they also messed up Yuki's ending. This *does* apply to other characters as well, but it isn't built up as much as Yuki, so it applies much more to him. Kyo: After the climax of the first season, you would think that Kyo is at least a little better at working out his traumas. But no, they expect the viewers to believe that Kyo magically forgot about basically killing Tohru's mom the WHOLE time until the very end. Despite being a decent twist in the story, it's unbelievable and the timing is just too perfect as the final climax. And same last paragraph as Yuki's. Momiji: The elephant in the room - there is no way he could have grown into a whole ass man in the span of what, a couple months? I get why they did this, but in the timeline, his growth is just too drastic. Also, it's hinted that Momiji liked Tohru all along and challenges Kyo a bit, but it seems forced. Up until now, he never showed any signs of liking Tohru romantically. You could say that he was hiding it, but in a show, a character would have to show signs if it was intended, so no. Tohru: Finally, Tohru. Frankly, after doing her job in the first two seasons of bringing characters to "life," she doesn't develop much. What doesn't make sense though, is that they basically have her forget her mom because she starts to really like Kyo. Yes, with time you won't think of passed loved ones as much, and as you like someone, the more you will think of them. It's natural. So it's a bit dramatic that she struggles so much with this idea. I guess it's because it's her first time? But I digress. They honestly just should have spent another season or two hashing out all of the characters' stories in order to get them right. They make a lot of story choices that don't align with what they built up in S1 and S2 and it really shows. It's such a shame. TLDR; They butchered nearly every character's story, especially Akito and Yuki. They basically undid all of the development from S1 and S2 because they were too hasty with ending the story on a good note. So much that I don't treat any of it as true canon because it doesn't really make sense logically.
Arkrayven
08/05/2021, 12:28 PM
This is possibly the most overrated anime that I, personally, have ever had the misfortune of watching all the way through to the end; and absolutely the most disappointing third season I've ever watched. Fruits Basket has always held a special place in my heart, and my wife's. She introduced me to the original 2001 anime as my first foray into the romance/slice of life genre (despite its supernatural twist), and I adored it for its simplicity and heart. That simplicity and heart are still present in the remake; but in the final season, they are taken to such extremes as to make the writing laughable.Of course, any complaints regarding the story may be the fault of the source material; but that is true for almost all anime, and still must be addressed. The biggest criticism I have of this series is something that operates on multiple levels, extending well beyond a single plot point or character arc; it pervades the entire third season. The issue is that almost no character gets their just desserts -- either in the sense of a positive reward or a negative punishment for their actions. This holds true for the vast majority of the cast that has, or has desired, to take action to change their lives -- Akito, Kureno, Shigure, Haru and Rin in particular. Even at its best moments, this utter refusal to properly implement repercussions can lead to a complete lack of catharsis; at its worst, it feels like character assassination. There are three major ways in which I felt the anime simply *refused* to consider repercussions for each characters' actions, and they all affect different parts of the plot and characterization. The first instance of this failure is in its punishments for crimes--or complete and total lack thereof. "Fruits Basket: The Final" taught me that, so long as you were feeling simultaneously anxious and entitled, you should be excused for lying, manipulation, physical and emotional abuse, sexual grooming, and no less than *five counts of attempted murder*. It posits that you can do *literally anything*, no matter how awful, to *absolutely anybody*; but so long as you did it because you felt kind of unhappy, you will be forgiven and should suffer no negative repercussions for your actions. There is absolutely no sense of responsibility, ever; no sense that "maybe you were hurting, but it was your job to make sure you didn't hurt others the same way." From start to finish, how this season treats its abusive characters is entitled, enabling, and disgusting. The second major case of this failure revolves around character agency, or lack thereof. The prior seasons posit that multiple characters are searching for a way to break the curse -- Tohru is a given, of course; but Rin and Kyo want to as well, either for their own sakes or for those around them. Unfortunately, it seems this story--despite its expansive cast and extended runtime--doesn't want to make time for people to actually improve their own lives for the better. Right up until the end, the powerless stay powerless; and when they are finally given their freedom, it's not because any of them took action -- rather, the problem resolves itself. None of them become masters of their own fate through their own power; only by chance. In a different anime, you could argue this is poetic; "nobody can save themselves, only be saved by others". While I would find that argument problematic in its own right, it is one that could be made -- in a *different* anime. In *this* anime, completely ignoring the zodiac childrens' attempts to emancipate themselves is an utter disservice to their actions, and a lack of justice for the horrors that they suffered. The third failure to anticipate repercussions is one I consider a more personal critique than the previous two; more influenced by my personal life experience and biases than writing standards. One key character changes so much midway through the season that I found them unrecognizable from their previous self. This is not poor writing or characterization, but a plot point -- they were repressing memories that changed who they were on fundamental level. I had been rooting for this character from the beginning, and they were one of my favorites; after this over-the-top reveal, and after their actions for the next several episodes, I found myself completely disinterested in them. They went from ranking among my top characters to ranking among my bottom ones in the space of two or three episodes. The character themselves acknowledges that their actions may have negative repercussions, and then goes about it anyway -- several times. After that, I found it impossible to respect them the same way; but the anime expects me to *not only* continue to respect them, but also to feel sorry for them and celebrate their "victories" (if they can even be called that). It's a tall order for a character that we never really get to see "step up" to their responsibilities during the duration of the anime. If they do end up growing beyond their weaknesses, it only ever happens off-screen. In an anime that frames itself as being about abuse, and freeing yourself from it, almost nobody is given real agency except the un-abused outsider and a (former) abuser. Almost nobody frees themselves from their situation; of those who do, two of the three were entirely accidental. Multiple different abusers are given a free pass because "it's all in the past now". And the person I was rooting for all along became an absolute disappointment to me. The anime seems to believe that, so long as you're suffering -- so long as someone says to you, "poor thing" -- you are free from all responsibility, and any and all actions are excusable. Outside of a few very isolated moments, enjoyed by a very few privileged characters, Fruits Basket is never interested in the idea that you should turn your own suffering into positive action on the behalf of others; it wants you to pity those who have suffered, without expecting anything from them and without judging their utterly horrific, selfish actions. And it is utterly disappointing in its refusal to consider that, for people who have experienced severe trauma, "doing good" and making amends should mean more than simply forgiving and forgetting.
Mtthw99
07/01/2021, 03:20 PM
Pathetic, Misogynist, self-motivation/ self-improvement... hollow series with the sick necessity to humanize inhuman characters, the whole series fetishes the idea of forgiveness in a perverse way... "everyone deserves a second chances", "Everyone has a story behind" and all that bullshit. Don't get me wrong, it is good that people can change, however my question is ¿why do we look for such a desperate way to put forgiveness in its limits? There are differences between forgiveness and reconciliation -just look at a real good series like Bojack Horseman (and how it develops in the last chapter) or the Iliad- my thought is that stupid people lovethis series because they want to idealize their own lives, to forgive and to give romantic love the place of salvation that it doesn't have in our reality, to create more psychopaths. We prefer Happiness -whatever people think it is, and please someone explain to me what does it really mean?- Over Justice. That's why this is the #1 shojou in all anime history, because of the emptiness of what society has become. Is all there is to love? Please think a lot about the view the series has about love, Tohru is just the model of a maid/slave who serves everyone like a Martyr, and in contrast all the characters always remind her to "think more about yourself"... -more bullshit- is just the way to keep things unchanging, to keep that sick relation of exploitation of others while the series messages you to be more egocentric. Don't let the series fool you, that Martyr style of Tohru is just part of the spectacle... We want to see characters like her, just to individualize with our narcissism even more that we already are. Even though the characters are very good, I have an especial affection to Haru, not only for some hilarious moments, but also because he was the only one who stood up against Akito; and Ayame, because is the funniest character in the whole series. If you like K-dramas and all those sexist series where the woman always cry and runs for the sexy boy because of the incompleteness of her life, probably you will love this series as well. Is just porn for you to jerk off and rise your motivation with live and love. Am tired of the way Japanese people see women and relations, it is just sick. PD: Most horrible and generic soundtrack that I have heard, just compare it with the 2001 version... I puke every chapter and curse out loud, asking myself how such a mediocre composer could be so popular among the anime industry.
aries418
06/29/2021, 11:43 AM
Disclaimer: I have been a fan of the Fruits Basket series for a very, very long time. I'm rather attached to these characters and greatly enjoyed the previous two seasons. As such, I due have an inherent bias about the series which may impact this review. Story: The way that things are handled here are extremely odd. Some parts of the plot are much too slow, while others progress far too quickly. It does some things well while failing miserably at others. The good: Many of the other relationships aside from the main pairing are resolved and supporting characters do get a decent amount of screentime. I feel that Momiji's arc in particular was executed well and shows his growth as a character. Prior to this season, he was mostly a cute shota type character who had a semi tragic backstory, but this does give his character a bit more depth. Yuki also shows progression and does open up a bit more to others rather than being as distant. Other characters do show growth as well and learn to be their own selves outside of being zodiac members. The bad: Most of the pitfalls the plot suffers from involve Kyo and Tooru's relationship as well as Akito's redemption arc in addition to her relationship with Shigure. Kyo and Tooru dance around their feelings for much of this season despite having their big moment where Tooru accepts Kyo for who(and what) he truly is. Then from episode eight onwards their relationship progresses very rapidly. I would have liked to see the change be a bit more gradual. And then there is the matter of Akito. The main problem with how things are handled is that the show justifies Akito's behavior(abuse, maiming family members, attempted murder, etc.) by showing her abusive relationship with her mother and explaining how she developed her god complex. Here's the thing: all of that is an explanation, not an excuse. When she realizes the error of her ways, that doesn't mean that everything is suddenly alright. The fact that the other members of the zodiac choose to forgive her almost immediately after she apologizes despite being terrorized by her for years feels extremely unrealistic and rushed. Akito is far from redeemed, and the plot does not reflect that. Finally, the dynamic of Akito's relationship with Shigure. I'm not going to sugar coat it: the way they treat each other is extremely toxic. Seeing the way this normalizes unhealthy relationships and child grooming is incredibly uncomfortable and concerning. They may get together, but I don't view that as a happy ending by any stretch of the word. Not that everyone gets a happy ending, but leaving things like this just doesn't feel right. On a happier note, the technical aspects of the show are very well done. The art is stunning and is leaps and bounds above the original series. The characters' voices all fit them very well, with the exception of Momiji. Hearing him speak with a German accent is an odd choice, but it doesn't detract from his character. Overall, I'm very conflicted about this season. It wasn't completely horrendous, but it does have many flaws that could have been executed much better. If you're attached to the characters and want to learn their fates, I think this will give you some closure. Just be aware that it isn't always easy to watch.
SIRISANRA928
06/28/2021, 11:57 PM
Fruits basket, I will never forget what I lived with you during 63 episodes. You made me laugh, you made me cry, you destroyed me, you cured me, you taught me. For me, you were a mother who raised me in the most difficult way. Takuya Natsuki, I will never forgive you, you made me fall in love with this anime to the point of madness. Which made farewell difficult and painful All I am going to write now is words that come from the bottom of my heart, My review is based on how I felt watching this masterpiece I hope youlike it Story10/10 Okay. The first part is an introduction. I can say it's the calm before the storm. A simple introduction to the characters, especially Toru, Kyo and Yuki, and each member of the Soma family. With a slight touch of drama, for example in the arc of Momiji, Otani, Hanajima, and in the last two episodes, Kyo's past is mentioned. In general, this season was fun with a funny comedy. The second season was better although the start was slow. But in in the arc visit Soma's summer house. The events were very interesting, especially episodes 9 and 10. Also, Rin's past was very touching and realistic. Adults do not care about children's feelings and do not realize that their words may be destructive to the child's psyche, In general, the story of fruits basket is interesting and funny, and it may seem like a repetitive shoujo. But it carries with it pain, emotions, sacrifice and purity Art10/10 I am really grateful to TMS Studio. Because it contributed to the revival of this work. After 18 years. I thank TMS for giving this star a chance to shine again. As I read the manga, I liked that the studio changed the design of the characters and the details of their faces. Haru and Kyo were the cutest. Not forgetting Princess Toru, In general, art touched the strings of the heart. It may fit with anime scenes of crying, laughter, happiness and depression sound 10/10 Furuba's soundtrack is its strong point. The composer managed to choose the music that matches each scene of the anime. Moments of sadness, happiness. I was really touched and sometimes I was on the verge of tears. Not forgetting the closing song I really liked it. The sound artists were frighteningly realistic! Truly the voice actress of Toru Manaka Iwami. I've never heard her name before, but she is really talented and made me addicted to Tooru's voice. I even thought of making her sound as a ringtone for my phone or an alarm clock to wake me up lol. As for Kyo's voice, it was really very beautiful and gentle and suited his personality. I like his voice a lot, especially when he cries, for example in episode 9 Charcters 10/10 Takuya Natsuki excels at writing furuba characters. What distinguishes this work most is the psychological conflict of the characters. Rin suffers from psychological trauma. Yuki is someone who I feel is a bit like me. He does not want to form relationships with people because of his childish fears, but Toru raised him and taught him how to live as a human being and how mistakes and slips can be overcome. Our lives will not be complete unless we make a mistake. The fault is not to make a mistake, but to repeat the same mistake again. I don't deny that I loved writing Kyo, the guy who looks like a normal person. But he lived a bitter life and endured great pain, and in this hidden part of his personality I felt that he resembled me. He appears to others as a normal human being, but he hides his emotions and pain. But he found the warmth that made him try to change himself for the better Rin's character was also interesting. A character who pretends to be strong. But Rin is very fragile like a bird that tries to fly despite being injured. She is the person who suffers the most from Akito's mania. Akito character will play with you. You will hate her at first but this season you will pity her, she also looks like Rin pretending to be evil but she is like a broken bough, afraid of loneliness and abandonment. But mother Toru treated every member of the Soma family. She also cured me Enjoyment10/10 Furuba provides you with a great dose of sad drama and real-life situations that can happen to anyone like bullying. Fruits basket is one of the anime that left a deep imprint in my heart. He manipulated myself making me sad, happy, angry, and depressed. One of the best anime that I will never forget. I accidentally saw furuba but didn't expect to get to the point of considering it something sacred to me. Without a doubt, it is the second best anime I have watched after Conan. Toru and Kyo pierced my heart without taking off their shoes! I will remind you even if others forget you, I will knock on your door whenever I feel lonely and want to see you. I will miss you so much. I hold back tears every time I remember that I won't receive notification of the episode's release. Sorry, but I really like this anime. I've been saving my tears in every episode but now my tank of tears has exploded. Takuya Natsuki I really will never forgive you. The fruits basket has left a huge void in my heart. Thanks to furuba, my wounds healed. But it passing left a huge hole that will not heal. Goodbye Toru, I will miss your sweet words. Kyo I will miss your shy face. Yuki I will miss your fight with the stupid cat lol. Rin, Haru, Momiji, Arisa, all of you, bye and thank you very much for raising and educating me. I thank everyone who contributed to this anime and thank you to the author for making me experience these pure feelings. Thanks and bye
gingermemequeen
06/28/2021, 08:40 PM
Absolutely amazing. I am in awe. Back in Spring 2019, I started watching Fruits Basket for the first time. Having never seen the original, the show was completely new to me. At the time, I expected to watch what I heard was a good shoujo, but didn't expect it be outstanding by any means. Fruits Basket was lighthearted and fun, then grew more serious and dramatic as the season went on. I had no idea what the series had in store for me. I had no idea that I would be emotionally attached to these characters or intensely saddened by the franchise coming to an end,and I certainly had no idea it would become one of my favorite anime series of all time. I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1 and 2, yet there always felt like some roadblock that was preventing me from giving it a 10. Something changed this season. It was absolutely flawless. This season was the culmination of every conflict and struggle the characters had endured, and despite it being a painful journey, the series was wrapped up beautifully. Despite complaints from others that the season was moving too quickly and cutting too much, I felt the faster pace complimented this season well as the series met its climax. It's been a long time since I've had my eyes glued to the screen and have anxiously waited for the next week to come faster to watch a new episode. Every episode left me in shock and awe (and tears). The more tense nature of this season made Fruits Basket more thrilling and the pay-off much more worth it in the end. I do still intend on reading the manga though to see what was skipped as I still can't get enough of this franchise, and I'm even planning a watch of the original just for nostalgia's sake. Entering into this franchise, I merely expected a cute story about people that turned into animals, but what I got was a beautiful story about how love can transcend into the lives of so many and help heal their pain. Every character was explored in depth, the story was wonderfully written, the soundtrack was beautiful, and while I don't think the animation was top notch, I definitely felt it improved with time. I am so saddened to leave these characters behind. While the ending was satisfying, I definitely am already feeling that post-show depression that I feel with so few franchises these days. Despite crying my eyes out at every episode and jokingly complaining how much it physically hurt me to watch Fruits Basket sometimes, I would never trade the experience for the world, and I look forward to rewatching this series in the future, as it easily fell into my favorites list just from the first season alone. Definitely viewing the world a little differently now after finishing this series <3
Rebeccee
06/28/2021, 08:32 PM
Wow. Having just finished the final episode of Fruits Basket I can confidently say that this is the greatest shoujo I've ever seen, and honestly, I don't believe anything else will come close. This is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. The romance is perfect, the characters are seamless and the storylines are so engaging and entertaining. I rated this a 10 from the beginning and I am ecstatic to find that my judgement wasn't proven wrong. STORY: 10 Fruits Basket is the story of a cursed family that each have to live with the weight of sharing their identity with a zodiac animal, anda girl, Tohru, who's altruism brightens their lives. There are many storylines and arcs throughout the series and they all tie into the kindness and care that Tohru shows every character. Each new addition to the story enriches the viewers experience, as more character depth and lore is discovered with every new episode. At first, I found season 1 to drag a little since they were introducing so many characters in such such a small amount of time, so it felt a little episodic, but once the plot truly started at the end of season 1, it got really good really fast. There are aspects of the plot that are slowly uncovered with time, and some last-minute reveals, but in the end, Fruits Basket becomes a fully-cohesive and well-rounded combination of a sort of renaissance of these characters lives. They have lost so much of themselves to the expectations of who they were supposed to be, cursed or not, that by the end of the story, all of our beloved cast are ready to genuinely be free as themselves. It's truly moving. ART: 10 It's gorgeous, especially compared to the art of the original anime and the manga. It perfectly reflects that sweet, shoujo vibe of the show with all the sparkles and teary moments. The character designs are all very aesthetic as well, with everyone bringing something new to the cast. The animation is generally good but then there are these ~moments~ and suddenly it's god-tier. Overall, just lovely on the eyes. SOUND: 9 Honestly, although fitting for the show, I generally skipped the opening and ending theme songs, I didn't like them all that much. I absolutely loves the 3rd season's opening though, that was fantastic and I never skipped it once. Otherwise, the music is a little sappy at times but it fits the sappy tone of the scene so there's really no complaints on the background music. In a similar sense to the animation, there are certain scenes that the bgm enhance to a fantastic degree, so I would say the sound is quite well-done. CHARACTERS: 10 This is where Fruits Basket truly shines. We have our main protagonist, Tohru, who starts living with the other primary characters, Kyo and Yuki, in the beginning of the show. All of the main cast are characterised and developed fantastically. Tohru is established from the start as the most naive and altruistic person on earth, but as the story continues, we see that Tohru is observant and dutiful, as well as selfish in her own way. Although selfishness is a trait that is generally seen as a flaw, for Tohru, it's liberating to be able to care for herself and what she desires. Seeing her declare what she wants and actively try to achieve it made me so proud of how far she's come. When it comes to Kyo's character, it's a lot more tragic. Emotionally abused and abandoned by his family for being the outsider of the zodiac curse (the cat), Kyo is desolate and shuns the world and the people around him, with the exception of his adopted father. When Tohru comes into his life, he makes friends and genuinely begins to enjoy his life. But what's oddly remarkable is how the creator doesn't act like years upon years of trauma can be fixed by making friends. Kyo got help from his relationships, especially with Tohru of course, but he is still damaged, and having him reject his own happiness because he feels he doesn't deserve it was extremely unexpected and emotional. But even more emotional is Kyo beginning to accept that he deserves the support that he's surrounded with. Now onto Yuki. Oh my god did I hate Yuki in season 1 lmao. He was clearly in a love triangle with Tohru and Kyo but he seemed so shallow and nice. Too nice. And he was pursuing Tohru as well, which I just despised them together, they had no chemistry. So when he started working on himself and making his own friends, realising that Tohru is more of a maternal figure than a romantic partner and making amends with the family that genuinely cares for him.... yeah honestly Yuki's my favourite character. To witness a bland, lifeless person like Yuki become so emotive and fight for what he wants: it hits different. I've already gone on too long about the main characters so I won't ramble on regarding the side-cast. They're fantastic. There are many that stand out (personally, Momiji + Yuki's friends) but each and every one, even Yuki's weird stalker, have their own personalities and stories. They're all people, no matter how small their role in the story, and it's fantastic. Getting attached to such a large cast is no small feat. The mangaka most certainly outdid herself. ENJOYMENT: 10 Although a little sappy at times, this show stole my heart. I laughed, I cried, I screamed. Fruits Basket invokes it all. I've been on the edge of my seat every week to watch this and have had a rollercoaster of emotions every single time. This show is an absolute wonder to watch. OVERALL: 10 Every character is phenomenal, every plot point has a purpose and the whole show ties together to create a masterpiece of classic shoujo in a modern anime form. Right now, this is the highest rated anime on MAL, and although it probably won't stay that way, it absolutely deserves that spot. If you're still on the fence at this point, just do yourself a favour and watch it. You won't regret it my friend.
-Normie-
06/28/2021, 06:39 PM
"It’s not always easy to see the good in people. In some people, you might even doubt that it’s there at all. But if you can somehow, find a way to believe…sometimes that’s all it takes to help someone, to give them the strength to find the good in themselves." - Tohru Honda 6/28/21: Fruits Basket's Final Season, with a score of 9.18, reaches No.1 on MAL. Triumph. This is my first review on MAL so apologies in advance if the quality or tone is not up to par with more seasoned reviewers/critics. I decided to take the time to do a review because this is aseries I fell in love with two years ago. It has become my favorite anime of all time and has cemented a place in my heart that will likely remain as the days (and eventual years) go by. Fruits Basket (2019) ends its two-year journey at the top of MAL and in the hearts of those who came along for the ride. In this final season, we received answers to burning questions and payoffs that can send an anime-only to the moon. From Akito, Tohru, Kyoko, and everything in between, there was never a shortage of developments and revelations that rewarded fans with the best of payoffs and a fulfilling watch. In short, there were many powerful moments in this season (a Fruits Basket norm at this point) that made every Fruba Monday an absolute pleasure and privilege. The pacing (which seemed to be a concern early) was not a problem in my opinion as it mostly covered 2-3 chapters per episode. The art and animation looks as beautiful as always and TMS delivers on concluding a beloved Shojou filled with amazing writing, messages, and characters. Interpersonal relationships are at the core of what Fruits Basket is as a piece of art. Over the course of three seasons, we have met many characters. Each has their own distinct identity as well as their own relationships with other characters that are a large part of who they are. Through these relationships, we see different types of love (or lack thereof) at work. With a range of platonic, parental, and romantic love, we get an array of relationships where none seem unnatural. And even though these are "supernatural" beings afflicted by a curse that turns them into animals, the dynamics are very real. This can be thanked in large part to the writing of Takaya and visual aids/cues that are often paired with scenes as the characters convey how they feel or tell their story. This is what can make art transformative. This is what makes Fruits Basket "real." The thread that connects all these characters is one Tohru Honda. Her presence in the series takes center stage as her kindness and acceptance (another theme of Fruits Basket) of those she meets allows them to accept their own weaknesses and begin their own growth as well. We have seen this play out in two seasons, as Tohru's encounters with the Sohma Family have helped those she meets become better people and build the strength to face their own problems. That said, the final season is where we see Tohru come to terms with her own weaknesses and the realization that she too must grow. This was welcomed by me as one of the few criticisms I have heard about the series is that Tohru is "an unrealistic Mary Sue who is just too nice." This final season changes that line of thinking, I promise. Tohru's arc this season was beautiful and powerful. It enhanced an already great character and is a microcosm of everything the series represents and tries to get across. To close, everyone who worked on this project deserves their flowers. Natsuki Takaya, thank you for creating a true masterpiece. The anime/manga medium is better off with works such as Fruits Basket enriching the lives of readers/watchers. TMS Entertainment, many thanks for giving this community a reboot for the ages. The passion in this project is tangible and is reflected in the quality of every single episode of its 63 episode run. Truly a show that just got better and better week by week, episode by episode. The voice actors/actresses, thank you for making these characters authentic and consistently delivering compelling performances. I can say with confidence that there are no bad characters in Fruits Basket and the VA's performances (and Takaya's writing) are major factors for that belief. I have told some and I will share with those reading, I find Tohru Honda to be the most inspiring anime character I have had the pleasure of watching. Seeing her flaws this season just made me appreciate her even more than I already did. She truly represents what the series can be at its best and is someone we can all strive to take a thing or two from. Thank you for your time and attention. Thank you Fruits Basket. Masterpiece.
IWatchAnime07
06/28/2021, 03:34 PM
First time writing a review here we go. Story: 9 I have to say, out of all the shoujo manga and animes I have read/watched, Furuba has one of, if not, the best story of all time. The story is not very focused on the romance aspect, but more on the character developments, more on that later. Even though it's technically Tohru's story, it feels more like a story about the Soma family and how one girl changed all of them. Contrasting to Fruits Basket: Another, the sequel, which is mostly focused on how the Soma family changed one girl. Because the story is focused on characterdevelopments and not romance, there is no need for forced misunderstandings, and it feels less full of tropes. Overall the story of Fruits Basket is one of the best-written slices of life stories out there. Art: 9 Comparing to action and adventure anime, a slice of life like Fruits Basket is usually not expected to have budget animation like Demon Slayer, so as long as the characters look good, I have no problem with the art. I have to say, Fruits Basket is one of the anime in which I enjoyed the anime art style more than the manga one since the manga art style could use some refinement and is inconsistent some of the times. Sound: 8 Masaru Yokoyama did a good job with the compostitons. While certainly not as memorable as Sawano or Jun Maeda (I think it's because I have a Key bias), the tracks are consistent and it fits the mood well. The voice acting is very good in this show, they fit the characters well and they don't feel out of place. Character: 9 As I mentioned before, the characters and their developments are the highlights of the story. Tohru is by far one of my favourite shoujo manga protagonists because she's not annoying and actually very sweet and thoughtful. I can proudly say that I've been a Kyoru stan ever since the first season and I actually felt bad because I thought the main couple is Tohru and Yuki, but I was glad I was wrong. I am not a big fan of Akito and I have still not forgiven her for what she did. I have seen people with massive problems with the age gap between some couples and that's understandable, but I have no problems with that because there are real-life couples with an age gap much bigger than the ones presented in the show. Enjoyment: 10 I got so attached to all the characters and want the best for them, I'm happy that it's a happy ending. Overall: 10 Fruits Basket will always be my favourite shoujo manga and anime. As someone who was not old enough to catch the first season when it aired back in 2001, my first encounter with it was in 2018, when I was searching for animes similar to CLANNAD and someone brought it up. It didn't stand out to me since the clip was very low quality, so I ignored it when the remake was announced. I watched the first season around the time the first half of season two was airing, and I binged the entire thing. After season two finished I read the manga. The art is not outstanding but I still had a good time reading it, and since this is an anime review I won't talk about the manga here. Anyway, when season 3 was announced was stoked, and it has met every single one of my expectations. I am glad that I followed the reconmmendations of my friend and what a journey it has been!
mythical_k
06/28/2021, 01:17 PM
Spoiler Warning: Well, that's that, thank you for everything Fruits Basket, back then, I didn't want to watch it because it was a romance anime, but now, I don't regret it one bit. Fruits Basket was a well-written and beautiful romance story not only on that but the development in character arcs wrapped up nicely as well. The plot of the third season reached its peak, combine how Tohru met the other Zodiacs and how she was able to help them overcome their struggles and their trauma, eventually leading to a satisfying ending to their character arcs. Even Tohru's character arc wrapped up and was able toend up with Kyo after his character arc reached its conclusion. As for the main villain Akito, she got the development she needed, and while I still hate her for her actions in the previous seasons, seeing her accepting what will happen in the future felt nice, and an emotional end to a generational curse that's been going on. In short, everyone got a nice ending to their character arcs and they all end up together with the ones they love. The story was at its climax, leaving off from the cliffhanger from season two while continuing the blossoming romance blooming between various characters, and eventually seeing more development occurring between them. I love how everyone was finally able to continue moving forward even after all the suffering that they've been through while seeing how them being free gave them mixed feelings, but accepted the fact that things will change as time goes on. It reached the point where seeing just how they're finally able to live happily and be free was emotional like we also went through that pain. Although the pacing was a bit off at times, it still flowed well with the story. As for the characters themselves, seeing them finally at the end of their character arcs made this finale what it is. Not only for the Zodiacs but for Tohru too. Tohru proved that she isn't the perfect character that she was portrayed, but also has her flaws, giving her the development she needed. While Kyo was able to overcome his past obstacles and was able to accept himself for who he is while realizing that he was in love with Tohru. It was amazing seeing how after so much pain and suffering they went through, they finally get to end up together while accepting their new beginnings. Although I still won't forgive Akito, seeing her finally realizing her mistakes and deciding to change felt satisfying to watch, it won't justify her actions. What makes each of these characters endearing is the confirmation that they'll be there for each other even if the times get tough and was reassuring to hear. The music itself was one of the best I've heard all spring. The opening not only had a nice buildup with some detailed visuals, but it's very catchy, fitting into what will occur in the final season. Out of all the music, the ending was one of the best endings I've heard in anime. I've listened to the whole song, and even though it sounds happy, it sounds sad knowing that Fruits Basket was bound to end, and seeing them being able to be free was so beautiful I felt like tearing up. The soundtrack fits into the tense and relieving moments this season had, fitting into the finale of the series. Overall, this season not only made it the best season of Fruits Basket, but it made the entire series one of the best in all of romance anime. Not only did it feature many characters going completing their character arcs, many romances being official, but it taught us many lessons that we should apply in the real world too. Nothing lasts forever, we have to let go of the past and look into the future, that's the main lesson in the entire series. Once again, I loved Fruits Basket so much, and I'm glad that I got to watch it and see it join the top 10 of MyAnimeList. Until we meet again Fruits Basket.
icedmocha_
06/28/2021, 12:33 PM
I'm going to be writing a review for Fruits basket with my own personal opinion and will avoid spoilers of the anime and manga! Story - 10 I really loved and enjoyed the story of Fruits basket and how its told from the beginning till the end! And the pacing of the story is really good since it doesn't go too fast and neither too slow. I really loved the stories for each individual character and how it is told. I really think all three seasons of Fruits basket covered up the story perfectly from the beginning till the end. Art - 10 The art of Fruits basket isreally beautiful and it makes some moments of the anime just stand out better from the way they've done it. It makes me re-watch some of the beautiful moments just because of the art of Fruits basket! Sound - 9 The music selection is beautiful from the openings, ending and the themes of the OST! Some of the music of Fruits basket like for example the ending theme for the final season of Fruits basket is something I would listen to on repeat for hours without getting bored of it! Character- 10 I really love how all the characters are getting development throughout each season and they go in depth of it which makes me personally feel like I'm connected to the characters. Enjoyment- 10 I really enjoyed watching Fruits basket from the beginning till the end. Every week whenever Fruits basket whether it was the first or the last season I would sit by my screen waiting for the episode to come out and honestly each episode never failed to disappoint me (<- In my opinion) And I would even enjoy re-watching an episode and just don't get bored of it. Overall - 10 I overall really love Fruits basket and I enjoyed the journey of watching the anime and would recommend watching Fruits basket and giving it a shot! I really did enjoy watching this masterpiece of an anime and hopefully you would do as well! And I really think Fruits basket has an amazing anime adaptation and I enjoyed every bit of it! Fruits basket is definitely one of my favorite anime! 10 out of 10 for me! :)
StaticSoul
06/28/2021, 12:11 PM
This is no ordinary Shoujo anime. There have been many amazing anime released throughout the years, titles that put a smile on your face just by reading them, no matter how old you are or how many anime you've seen, I believe there is always that one anime that has this enormous significance for each and every anime fan, Fruits Basket is that anime for me. Fruits Basket is a story about grief, change, relationships, farewells, new comings, it's a story that covers many deep dark themes while having a wholesome overtone that makes most people turn away from due to a fear of itbeing brim full of Shoujo tropes. I can assure you that this is an anime that has something for every anime fan, it's a story of turning a new leaf in life yet not dismissing your past, showing us that you can shape your future by learning to accept your upbringing, your past failures, for they shape who you are. It leaves you with the melancholic feeling of a rainy spring day while simultaneously embedding you with the cheery emotions of seeing the first clear sky of summer. ===== SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT. ===== Unlike the very heartwarming yet mysterious feel of the first season and the calm yet brief moments of intensity brought by the 2nd season, the final season of Fruits Basket gives you an overdrive of a multitude of emotions ranging from the utter bittersweet happiness of Momiji breaking his curse to the utter awe and fear of Akito stabbing Kureno to the grieving and sadness brought by Kyoko's dying words. I geniunely feel like the emotional rollercoaster that this season brought forth was the result of genius writing from Natsuki Takaya and the way TMS decided to adapt it. We see Akito's complete 180 turn going from a selfish and sinister yet misguided and mistreated control freak who was lead to believe that she was special and the world was made to fulfill her needs and hers alone to a sincere and geniunely lovable character who finally embraces her true identity and femininity. This development wasn't abrupt either, Akito had been manipulated her whole life, by her parents, by the curse, by the Soma caretakers to the point where she'd mustered up a God Complex, and for her to finally be reached, to be seen, to be heard by somebody who deeply cared about her, not of out fear or inferiority, but as somebody who geniunely related to her situation, it was simply so contradictory to what her past life had taught her that she was utterly destroyed. Tohru and Kyo finally find true happiness after all the years of being haunted by their pasts, we finally see Kyo's true involvement in Tohru's life before they'd even met and his involvement in Kyoko Honda's death, We also finally get to see Tohru shed her skin and show her true self, the imperfections she hides and it wasn't sudden nor surprising at all, Tohru's always felt like she never deserved pity or sympathy from others due to her pure self hatred which was also the case with Kyo, We see Kyo's self hatred play a continous blockage role throughout the series and ironically enough, he's the one who makes Tohru love herself again. Forgiveness, their relationship is built on forgiveness, the love and inner peace forgiveness can bring, not just forgiving others, but more so, forgivng one's self. Although Yuki had been able to overcome his past in the previous season, his development kept on going, in this season he plays more of a support role as we see with how he handled Tohru and Kyo's falling out though we do also see him and Machi finally come together after so long, we've already seen the similarities these two lovers have whether it be how they view the world or the process in which they'd overcome their pasts, a perfect couple and a perfect ending to Yuki's beautiful development. There are of course many many more revelations throughout this season to pretty much all the characters which is a result of Natsuki Takaya's ability to juggle with so many stories; Rin and Hatsuharu's love story is so spectacular in the way they function. The contrast between Hatsuharu's calm and soothing nature and Rin's dissociation and unstability worked wonderfully and I couldn't hold back tears when he hugged her and welcomed her back. We see Momiji, Kisa and Hiro finally grow up, Momiji accepting his family situation, Hiro becoming a big brother and Kisa becoming more and more social, it's surreal to see how they've blossomed and how far they've come. I have seen many people talking about the ambiguities surrounding how exactly the curse was broken and to me it's very simple: The curse is a bond between the god and the animals, this bond ties them all to the God emotionally, physically and mentally. However, once you create an outer bond that's stronger than the curse's bond, it shatters, for example Kyo's bond with Tohru, Hiro's bond with Hinata and Kisa, Yuki's bond with Machi etc. I believe that this symbolizes how really life relationships work, when you enter a toxic relationship with somebody, it's often difficult to break it off, but when you have a stronger, healthy relationship with others and you're not just reliant on that one toxic relationship, therefore it becomes easier to break away from. The ending is one of if not the most conclusive endings I've ever seen to any animanga, we see everybody living their happily ever after, Rin, Haru, Kagura, Momiji, Hatori, Shigure, Akito, Tohru, Uotani, Everybody. After so much suffering the simple thought of them continuing to live peacefully brings tears to my eyes. I'm so grateful for what this anime has given me over the years and I'm proud of TMS for adapting it to perfection. True love isn't about looks or money, it's about how well you can love your partner, embracing their past, admiring their present and what they'll be in the future, true happiness to Tohru comes from the kindness of those around her why can't it be the same source of happiness for us? Farewells are heartbreaking but they often times they're just a brand new beginning, you don't have to cry when bidding farewell, although it may be a grievance, the people you bid farewell to will never truly be gone if you keep them in your heart. Another showering spring ends and brings upon us a shining new summer chapter in our lives. Thank you for all the memories Natsuki Takaya, this anime truly changed my life.
Shiizu-Chann
06/28/2021, 10:20 AM
Fruits Basket is a masterpiece of the romance drama genre. At first Fruits Basket seemed like a fun reverse harem anime with a ditsy dense girl and her hot handsome boyfriends, but after watching a little I realized Fruits Basket has so much more to offer. At times it felt like I was the character rather than watching the character. The way this anime was able to make me feel what the characters felt and relate to them so much is amazing. This anime put me to tears every episode and it'll have a lasting impact I'll never forget. (This review is about all threeseasons, and there's a small spoiler section so the rest of the review is spoiler free.) Fruits Basket has it all, Romance, drama, slice of life, hot husbandos and cute waifus, emotional rollercoasters, cute ships, intense and mysterious story-line, deep character growth, heart agonizing moments, complex portrayals of many common feelings and emotions, and a beautiful story. - Story (10) : Fruits Basket's story can be seemingly simple yet perplexed at the same time. Tohru and the Soumas striving to break the curse, understand and accept their feelings and grow, all while facing and overcoming their pasts in order to work towards a beautiful future. Fruits Basket entangles itself in mystery while exploring many complex feelings we all have as we grow. The anime focuses on the characters and their relationships as they change, grow, and even break apart. This anime will make you feel what the characters are feeling. It brings you to tears and rips at your heart with sadness, depression, guilt, and hopelessness. Then it proceeds to warm your body with happiness, love, kindness, care, and the compassion it portrays. It's true emotional rollercoaster on par with that of many others like Violet Evergarden or Clannad Afterstory. - *MINOR SPOILERS* - (Analysis of each Season. Skip to the next section below if you don't want to know what each season focuses on.) Season 1 of Fruits Basket primarily introduces us to the world, the Souma Family, and let's us learn fragments of our characters. It does well to introduce us to everything while giving minimal information about the deep backgrounds of the characters. Overall it was enjoyable, and it really set the stage for the following seasons. Season 2 takes this a step forward by diving deeper into the characters, and it gets a lot more darker. The real issue with this season is that it can feel like the pacing is incredibly slow and the story really goes nowhere. I even dropped the second season at episode 6 to watch something else, but I decided to give it a second chance, and it was more than worth it. The slow build up definitely payed off. The second half of the season more than redeems the first half for the lack of plot progression. Things really get deep after the first part of the second season, and we begin to learn about Akito and the relationships he and the Soumas have with one another. Some of them face their pasts, others breakdown because of it, and others struggle to change and overcome it. The second season provided us with much needed information about our characters and it really shows us their struggles. This was far more emotionally moving than the first season. I was really able to understand and even relate to many of the characters here, and ending of the Second season left me speechless. Season 3 or the Final Season of Fruits Basket now stands on the solid built foundations of the previous seasons and takes a giant leap towards the sky. After the way they ended the 2nd season I was dying to watch the next season, and this season goes beyond all expectations I had. Each episode tugs at my heart and throws my emotions all over the place, then it leaves me hurting as I desperately wait for the next episode. Each episode just gets so much more better. It's truly remarkable how much of an impact this anime can have on you. This season wraps up the story of Fruits Basket spectacularly. This is the climax we have all been waiting for. Fruits Basket has truly become a masterpiece ~ - Art (9) : Fruits Basket's art is well above the standard of your average anime. With a cute easy on the eyes style, it's everything you want in slice of life romance drama anime. The most notable aspect of Fruits Basket's art is the way it beautifully portrays heart moving emotion in all of it's scenes. Even without a ground-breaking revolutionary art style, Fruits Basket manages to provide us with extravagant impactful scenes. - Sound (10) : Fruits Basket's sound is one of the aspects of the anime which makes it outstanding. The sounds and music intensify the emotion within the scenes and helps to create truly amazing moments in the anime. The openings, endings, and sound tracks within all seasons were spectacular, and lovely to listen to. I also absolutely love the final season's opening "Pleasure"! - Character (10) : The whole premise of this anime is character development. Fruits basket provides you with a large diverse set of characters, many of which all of us can relate to and truly understand. Fruits Basket manages to realistically develop its characters extremely well, providing them with fascinating backstories, while giving them all significant purpose in the whole grand scheme of the anime. Each of our characters faced many things in the past which haunts them, and breaks them to the ground, so seeing how they struggle and overcome these is amazing. It's simply beautiful, the amount of depth these characters have. The characters go through so much, just watching it made me feel like I was on an emotional rollercoaster. - Enjoyment : Fruits Basket provides you with everything you'll ever want from the romance drama genre. The storytelling is spectacular, the art is great, the sound is beautiful, and the characters are phenomenal. This is one of those animes that'll have a large lasting impact on you, as well as teach you many lessons about life. The cruelty of fate can be overcome through hard work, and eventually we'll all be able to live closer to our ideal lives. I love this anime so much and I'm very glad to have watched it. Fruits Basket will be one of those animes which I'll never forget how deeply it impacted me. I really wish there were more drama romances like this with emotionally moving, tear jerking and heart mellowing moments, filled with extreme character growth.
Drokster
06/28/2021, 10:07 AM
Warning: The following review contains SPOILERS, proceed at your own risk. With that out of the way, let’s get started. “As long as you live things will keep happening. As long as you’re alive wishes will keep being made.” - Tohru Honda My personal journey through Fruits Basket can definitely be called a weird one. When news about a remake of this beloved Shoujo series got around, a large portion of the anime community was understandably thrilled. Having zero knowledge about the series, I was definitely curious what the fuss was about and decided to venture into the world of Fruits Basket. What I found was aworld so beautifully crafted, with an interesting premise and many promising characters. Even though this is the case, slowly but surely I started to lose interest in the series due to its initial formulaic setup, whereby nearly every episode acts as a character introduction for a new Zodiac member. And with things becoming hectic in real life, I ended up forgetting about the series and stopped midway through the first season. That was roughly 2 years ago. Recently, I realised that the Final Season is topping the MAL charts and I thought to myself, “Wow, is the show really that good?”. Once again, my interest in the series piqued and I finally decided to set time aside to finish watching the series. And indeed, it really was that good. Slice of life as a genre has always been my personal favourite, with series like Kaguya-sama Love is War and Clannad AS being in my Top 3. And now I can confidently say, Fruits Basket is one of the greats in the genre. What sets the series aside from other shows, is the amount of effort and care dedicated into crafting characters and building character relationships. We are introduced to the many Soma members early on, with the first half of the first season essentially used to introduce us to a wide range of characters. Each episode we watch as Tohru in one way or another form a personal connection with the members of the Soma family, which becomes the backbone of the series. As stand alone episodes, the quality was undoubtedly there, but what it lacked was a clear direction of where the series is headed. However, this was no doubt purposefully done to allow us as the audience to have an emotional connection with the big cast of characters early on. Some of the characters that I found most interesting are as follows - Kyou, Tohru, Yuki, Akito, Saki and Shigure, but I’ll be focusing on the main trio and their journey throughout the series. xxxx CHARACTER SPOILERS xxxx Let’s begin with our main heroine, Tohru Honda. Acting as the heart of the story, she represents the ray of sunshine that descends upon the Soma family. Her righteous personality can be so entrancing at times, that it may seem that she has no flaws. She was initially portrayed as a flat, one-trait character, in fact the majority of the cast is. But do not be deceived, for she is in fact one of the best written characters in the show, and is deserving of the title of main heroine. In the Final Season, the layers of facades were peeled back and we are introduced to the real Tohru, a girl with her own sets of insecurities. With the passing of her beloved mom, she was unable to move on. While she deceives herself and those around her, saying that everything is fine and putting up a smile, deep down she is continuously burdened by the trauma. In the memory of her late mother, she swore to always put her mom first in her heart. This sentiment that she has for her mom may seem lovely at first, but it ends up being an unhealthy coping mechanism, with Tohru being over reliant on her late mother. Watching her develop and mature as a person in the Final season is a really heartwarming sight. Now with Kyou being the No.1 in her heart, it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love her mom. The love between her and her mother is unbreakable, and that is a fact that will forever be unchanged. Her mom wants her to find happiness even in her absence, and that’s what Tohru will do. To see the people that she helped along the way return the favour, and guide her to overcome this barrier that she imposed upon herself, I can’t help but be genuinely touched by the show. It is a perfect portrayal of what goes around, comes around. While not perfect, Tohru shows how far kindness can go, and how even the little things can rub off on someone and change them for the better. Moving on, when we were first introduced to Yuki, he was renowned in the school for being the Prince due to his elegant looking face. Nothing could be further away from the truth. Being tormented by Akito since young, Yuki was an empty shell. Withdrawn from the people around him, lacking the courage to stand up for himself and unable to bring himself out of the darkness, Yuki was in a very pitiful and depressing state initially. And then comes Tohru, the ray of sunshine. Her entrancing personality was able to show Yuki the possibility, that just maybe, he too is able to love himself. I remember there was this one scene of Yuki in Season 1 episode 18 that really stuck with me. Yuki: “Learn to love yourself?” What does that mean? How are we supposed to find something good about ourselves? The whole reason why we hate ourselves is because we can only see the parts we hate. So forcing ourselves to find “good points” feels hollow, like we’re making things up. It’s not like that. That’s not how it works. I think it’s only when someone says they love you that you’re able to start loving yourself.” It is true that we are the only ones capable of helping ourselves, but sometimes, to even find the courage, the motivation to do so may seem to be a nigh impossible task. Others shouldn't be directly providing everything for the individual, instead what others are capable of doing is providing the environment, providing the platform for him/her to once again take courage and rise up. I find this to be a satisfying conclusion for Yuki’s character to come to, and is in fact quite wise of him. Yuki’s character growth throughout the Final season was just amazing to watch. Being able to look forward by overcoming his past ordeals, stepping out of his comfort zone when he joined the student councils, are amazing feats considering the short time span for all these events to occur. Lastly, my personal favourite character of the series - Kyou. While the moments shared between Tohru and Yuki were very heartfelt, the moments between Tohru and Kyou were just on another level. From the very first season, it was already hinted quite explicitly that these two are essentially destined for each other. With Tohru’s favourite animal being the cat, and Kyou being the one ostracised from the rest of the Soma family, it only fits for the story to put these two together. That said, I do feel for people that believed that Yuki and Tohru should have gotten together, because the story often portrays a sort of rivalry happening between Kyou and Yuki as they fight over Tohru. But alas, it is ultimately revealed that Yuki sees her as a Mother like figure, essentially mother zoning her, which I find to be relatively hilarious. Thankfully, the story also gave Yuki a happy ending, with him finding love in Machi, creating a believable and cute chemistry between the two. AHEM, back to Kyou. As a standalone character, Kyou’s character journey is an art form. Being born with the ‘accursed’ cat spirit, people are unable to distinguish Kyou as a person from the spirit, causing him to receive a heavy amount of hatred and spite. All of the Zodiac members suffer the same fate, but it is especially so for Kyou. With his mom committing suicide, it scarred Kyou emotionally and mentally, as the people around him force him to acknowledge that it is HIS fault for the suffering of those around him. The tragic circumstances as a kid caused him to develop 2 major traits. The 1st of which being self hatred, thinking that he is not deserving of any form of love. The 2nd being an unhealthy coping mechanism, in the form of burdening Yuki with his hatred, deeming him the one that caused all his misfortune. Time and time again, he was met with situations where he inevitably hurt those around him due to circumstances he can't control. Even the toughest of will would have a hard time going through what he went through, which is why it is completely understandable for him to harbor such a deep rooted hatred for himself. However, that is not the narrative being told through Kyou. While it is easy to wallow in sorrow, to cry and loathe your own unfortunate circumstances, is it really going to change anything? Sure, it is understandable and even acceptable for us to blame tragic situations for how we turned out to be, but doing so we are ultimately unable to confront our demons and move on. The important aspect of Kyou’s journey is coming to acceptance of his own tragic past, acknowledging that while he may have a part to play in causing the suffering of others, he ultimately shouldn’t constraint himself to the past, that he should learn to forgive himself. Sometimes, the simplest solution is often the hardest. By no means is moving on an easy task, the many characters in Fruits Basket have proven that throughout the span of 63 episodes. Even so, we should not be afraid and limit ourselves to our own tragedy, after all there is no harm in trying to move on and live our lives to the fullest. Kyou’s unhealthy coping mechanism was also ultimately resolved in the Final Season. Deep down he always knew and understood that his way of coping wasn’t good for him in the long run. In spite of the fact that he knew that Yuki wasn’t the cause of his misery, he continued to put him on a villainous pedestal, because it is easier that way. To know and understand something is different from accepting it. Kyou was initially unable to accept the fact that he was wrong, that Yuki isn’t the villain that he makes out to be. However, he got a wake up call in Tohru, the girl he has an unyielding love for. He was ultimately able to accept it, able to move on, and able to live his life to the fullest. It is interesting to note that Kyou's and Tohru's character arcs are not so dissimilar. Both had the same issues of having a bad way to cope with past traumas, and both managed to overcome them in the end. Kyou’s character journey in this series is no doubt my favourite, given the depth of his character and the amount of dedication and passion put into writing his arc. But of course, characters can only be portrayed properly with proper visuals. Animated by TMS entertainment, the visuals are just stunning. While there may not be any jaw dropping Sakuga moments, the frames in this show are just inherently pleasing to look at. It is hard to find a single frame where the characters are off model, or the background looks bland. The beautiful visuals bring life to the wonderful characters of Fruits Basket, and I am so glad it got such a premium treatment. Throughout the series you can feel the effort the animators from TMS entertainment put into animating Fruits Basket, and I have to say their hard work definitely paid off. And to no one's surprise, the beautiful visuals are accompanied by equally beautiful music. The OSTs in Fruits Basket really reminded me of the melodic tunes from Clannad. If I have to choose, my personal favourite would probably be ‘I will protect you’ and ‘Spring will come when the snow melts away’, with them playing in a lot of the significant moments of the show, sending goosebumps throughout my body and tears to flow out. The Opening is also incredible. On top of the amazing shots of the characters in the background, the banger song ‘Pleasure’ really suits the vibe of the series. Not to forget the amazing voice actors that gave it their best to give us the most authentic experience this anime can give. There were moments where the characters shined through the collective efforts of the voice actors, going above and beyond to deliver their lines. The production value in this show is just crazy. With the amazing production values aside, I do have some critics for the show. For starters, there are many scenes that involve showing the tragic past of the characters, which may be a bit overused for some people. For example, we are given multiple iterations of Yuki’s traumatic time with Akito. While it hammers home the point of Yuki being continuously tied to the past, this way of showing it may instead turn the audience off, given that they have already seen essentially the same scenes several times. This can also be seen as a way of over dramatising the characters’ inner turmoil which in turn gives the opposite effect of undermining the problem the characters face. That said, I personally did not have much of a problem with it myself, but it is something I undoubtedly noticed. Furthermore, due to the nature of the story, some of the characters are not fully realised. For example, we barely got any screen time of Souma Ritsu, the person that represents the Monkey, only seeing his character growth in one episode in Season 1. Given his importance as one of the Zodiac members, I thought it was a shame that he didn’t play a bigger role in the story. That said, I rather them focus on the main trio instead of giving these characters with minor roles to play more screen time, so I guess it was a fair trade off. Nonetheless, my point still stands that some of the characters introduced have wasted potential and could have been utilised far more efficiently. Overall, Fruits Basket was a really wonderful ride, and the Final season was amazing. It's unapologetically genuine characters were a breath of fresh air in the current pool of anime shows. While Akito has always been a thorn in this beautiful story, even she can change. The idea of Fruits Basket is that we should never be tied down by unhealthy restrictive bonds, and instead choose a path to take for ourselves. Whether it is school, your job or your love life, you are free to choose as long as you don’t harm others along the way. It was a surreal experience and I am so glad that I sat through it all :) A solid 9.5/10
Ethan_07
06/28/2021, 10:02 AM
Fruits Basket is a horrible anime. Over the span of 53 episodes, dragging three seasons of joyous and disheartening events, this is the best they can do? One question. Why? Why not just create love rectangles, add some dramatic shouting, slapping, running, crying scenes of all the characters confronting each other, at the end of 11th episode and just be done with it? Just expose all the inner feelings and hidden truths in one final showdown. That's it. Let's throw whatever conflicts they have, mesh them together and let it be resolved by themselves. Let them break their characters. No one cares. We just want ahappy ending, with whatever means necessary. But, no. Fruits Basket doesn't want this. The character developments are tediously pulled and widened across these three years, seemingly reaching an endless abyss before what is known as the 'finale'. The ensemble cast of zodiac members, are one by one, meticulously portrayed, represented by their own quirks and words. They are, each of them, shaped to be a person. A person united with each other by a curse—and a gift—until a carefree girl barged into their little worlds. Merrily, kind-hardheartedly, courageously, she cared for them, weaving their stories into her perspectives. Into ours. She helped a rat out of his depression and identity crisis; she helped a horse out of her parental abuse and emotional trauma; she helped every zodiac member that she can, even if she's not obligated to. But, she needed to. Because only then she can help herself. Fruits Basket is a very pretentious anime, in this sense. Every shoujo story needs a villain. Dread a villain. A love rival. Fruits Basket has it both: a villainous love rival, who controls the zodiac members at her will and disposal—Akito. The sound of her name itself invokes seas of rage. She appears as the children-book villain that gloats about her supreme, and ceases the main protagonists' wills to live, trapping them, while doing heinous evil deeds to leave emotional and physical scars. She's good at what she does: everyone hates her. So, why? Why does Fruits Basket redeem such character? She is evil. Evil needs to stay evil. There's no other alternative. She's done unfathomable things. She needs not exist. Not as one that we can resonate to. But, no. Fruits Basket doesn't care. Even if it's perfectly reasonable under the theme of selflessness and kindness that is depicted by Tohru over the plot. Even if the portrayal of acceptance of oneself has fully been embraced by each and every one of the zodiac members, including Mr. Tsundere Cat. Even if Tohru believes second chances to a fault, and accept good as they are, but most importantly—evil as they are. Even if Akito wanted to only protect her little world, with her only means. Tohru doesn’t care. She thrives on her belief, because it is the only thing that she holds on dearest to. Her world would collapse once she stops believing. If she ever does. Because she, amongst them all, is the loneliest. She craves people's kindness, as much as she’s given it away herself. It is the overwhelming affection and tenderness that she shows to others, that contradicts her genuine feelings. She creates a world for others to save themselves, but she herself is lost inside it. Because even though we don’t show it, everyone, anyone wants to be cared for. It’s inside our core. That’s why we connect, make bonds. That’s why we empathize with characters, and resonate with their emotions, actions. That’s why we stay strong, even if we are weak. And that is why Fruits Basket is also highly manipulative. Sad, melancholic music tracks don't do the tricks for them. Nope. They don't want that. They adapt a much heart-wrenching, orchestral music that elevates the emotional drama, to bring out people's desire to connect, to emphasize that we're experiencing that scene at that moment, to let us know that we are not alone. It's horrifying how influential music and songs can be, until you are relishing it in that particular moment. The sound director, Aketagawa Jin has done a truly intricate, endearing job at this. I cannot think of how many times the music has brought me on the brink of tears; I hate being manipulated like this. Now, don’t even get me started on those cute chibi style changes. And, accompanied by the elegant piano play, with their wholehearted interaction, comes this wave of warm, lingering feelings. It's a feeling particularly enhanced by the clever use of color tone and the crafty dialogues that are as bare as they get. The ingenious scene transitions using black and white and space, the deceptive teary eyes under a heavy downpour, and the silence that allows tension to creep in. These are all not supposed to be felt, but it added much more merits to the whole story itself. Making it much more manipulative, heartfelt. Overall, Fruits Basket is a horrible, very pretentious and highly manipulative anime. If the zodiac members can be portrayed as different forms and shapes of snowflakes, then Tohru would be the spring. The snow captures, traps all the insecurities, pride, identity, trauma, anxiety and nightmare that they can't let go of; waiting to be melted away by their own passion, convictions, ideals, actions, and acceptance. Waiting for spring. Because spring will come, when the snow melts away. And to Natsuki Takaya, for creating a heart-breaking story like this, I'll never forgive you. Ever.
Marinate1016
06/28/2021, 10:01 AM
Fruit’s Basket is not only one of the best stories ever told in the medium, it also could serve as the catalyst needed for a revival of the shoujo genre. When I was a kid, shojo dominated. Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, etc., were cultural phenomena. This really fuelled my passion for the genre/demographic tremendously. While other people my age preferred the action packed episodes of YYH and DBZ, I enjoyed the slower and more down to earth Kodomo no Omocha. In many ways, Furuba is a blast from the past, a relic of a bygone era of storytelling. The core themes and issues addressed in Furubaare so applicable to daily life, it almost hurts. Love, grief, letting go of the past and becoming your own person, etc. The overarching narrative spanning 60+ episodes of breaking familial bonds and moving on from trauma was so beautifully done that here at the end of that journey, I’m left in tears. For me, the mark of a true masterpiece is something that teaches me valuable life lessons. I lost my father to cancer at 15. I turned to animanga and light novels and have found many important things since then. The one thing that I still struggle with is letting go of the past. This remake arrived at the perfect time for me, and I could not be happier with the story-telling, character depth and educational aspects of this series. It wouldn’t be a Furuba review if we didn’t talk about love. Love is at the core of Furuba’s story. Familial, platanoic and romantic. Over 3 amazing seasons, we are introduced to a variety of characters who are in one way or another dealing with some complications of love. Whether it’s an ex, parent who can’t remember their kid, abusive parents, etc. The story does an amazing job of building nuanced and realistic relationships between characters. This applies to both the romantic sort and non romantic sort. Obviously, there are some exaggerations and anime-y logic going on with some of the relationship building, but for the most part, the relationships in Furuba feel organic and realistic. The romantic ships are built up over the course of over 60 episodes and are done in such a way where you can’t have been oblivious to them forming, but they’re also not too in your face, at least until the second half of this season. In this season, it felt like everything was turned up to the max. The tension, stakes and action were amazing in Furuba Final. I would say that if you found S1 and S2 good, you’ll be blown away by the jump in quality we got this time around. Fruits Basket has always felt a little soapy, but this season felt like a straight up Mexican Telenovela. And I loved every minute of it. There’s so many rich and well written characters in Furuba, it’s almost cheating. There’s legitimately 15-20 characters that could have “stans” They all receive their own mini arcs and grow over the course of the series, and we see the fruits(pun intended) of that development in the final season. You know you’ve done something right as an author when people have side characters as their favourite characters. Looking back on where everyone started in episode 1 back in 2019, and where they’ve ended up here in the final season is truly beautiful. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on how we, as an audience, have grown along with this cast we love so much. Fruits Basket as a series, and by extension Fruits Basket Final, can be enjoyed by both hardcore shojo romance fans, as well as casual anime watchers. It has everything you’d look for in a conclusion to a series. A gripping climax, satisfying development and resolution for all parties, and ships sailing. Fruits Basket Final is essential viewing for any romance fan and will stand the test of time as one of the best stories the medium has ever produced. Fruits Basket Final gets 10 out of 10.
KANLen09
06/28/2021, 09:59 AM
After 20 years of hardcore Fruits Basket fans clamoring to see the ACTUAL ending adapted since the departure of the original 2001 series, we finally got it. And for the past 2 years (since Spring 2019) signalling the start of the complete re-adaptation of the classic Chinese Zodiac spirit story and plot, mangaka and overall series supervisor Natsuki Takaya has finally fulfilled her dream with the help of her production team at TMS and 8Pan...albeit with one serious problem that it has to negate to make the experience a great one. To all of you who have been following and watching the readaptation of the classicShoujo manga in recent memory, I will not try to play bootlick with you and state the "5 formula aspects" that everyone does, especially in sequel shows where most, of not all characters reprise their roles with the same effects and such. Only new ones are accepted that's exclusive to the aforementioned sequel, and I don't care about overstating the same things as per prior seasons before it, so it's best that I keep it short. The ultimatum of Fruits Basket: The Final, much so of just completing the entire adaptation of the manga, is pacing the sequence of events in a way that does not feel jarring, yet feeling natural. Seeing as though the Final season (a.k.a Season 3) is only 13 episodes long, with all the various chapter adaptations done before in the prior 2 seasons, the only thing I was worried about are the chapter adaptations due to time constraints and the stuffing of the many left unadapted chapters that the first 2 seasons have set up incredibly well due to them being continuous 2-cours. By definition, a longer production schedule meant that the production team can take the adapted material slowly and padding it at a steady pace. Season 3, or The Final however, has like the final stretch of some 30-40 chapters (including the chapters that are split-adapted) to go, and that worries me a lot if we are able to be like mangaka Natsuki Takaya, to come out of Fruits Basket fully satisfied with the results. As much as they tried to cramp as much of the reminder as they can (and subsequently go anime-original with the re-arranging of manga chapters), it honestly still feels like a bit of Season 2 with tonal changes, only being more abrupt this time since time is the sole limiting factor here. Nonetheless, all the kinks are sorted out with the FruBa community getting a lot more toxic than before, I'd say that Fruits Basket is the new legend that has achieved how it is done in the modern age of adaptations, that it should've been the gold standard back then with loose adaptations and simpler artwork of the 2000s (that isn't so much nice to watch anymore, except for nostalgia reasons). Another ultimatum is the obvious continuation to closure of the Chinese Zodiac story and plot of the Soma Family. The 4 central leads: cat Kyo, outsider Tohru, rat Yuki, and self-proclaimed "God" Akito has gone through the past 2 seasons / 50 episodes of content that anyone should be very familiar with their circumstances, and The Final has to exacerbate that in order for not just these 4 to get to where they eventually are in their journey of reconciliation and freedom. It hasn't been the easiest for the Soma Family's 12 Zodiac animals, much less Tohru still going out of her way to save the unwanted cat Kyo, to rebut against the Soma "God"-complex that is Akito, and eventually coming into terms with her past and present conditions. Yuki is pretty much the same with the student council's outcast that is Machi, as is Kyo also recognizing that all that Tohru has done for him to contain his anger and "monster" self since Season 1, to forge a path for himself together with her. The Soma god that is Akito presents the biggest change as she goes from one that is liberal with her words in complete anger, to eventually having to notice that she cannot keep them by her side forever. And the symbolism of the breaking of bonds within the Soma Family signifies the long-awaited change in her and between the cunning fox of a "headmaster" that is Shigure awaiting to show her true self to him. In essence, everyone got their closures, including the past hidden pairings like Rin and Hatsuharu. The final nail in the straw that is TMS Entertainment and subsidary 8Pan's production, really has seen better days, and this being the final of 3 years since the start of the re-adaptation, the production values still do hold up well, there's just nothing to say about it other than praises for the modern age. Even the OST, which since Season 2, has a K-Pop and J-Pop mix to it (which is more prevalent these days), and yeah, nothing else to say than that it's standard songs that rhyme well with the core theme of Fruits Basket. In my very honest opinion, I can see why fans who've read Fruits Basket hold this series to a very high regard, and I respect mangaka Natsuki Takaya for her efforts to create one of the most classic Shoujo series out there that fans old and new have been smearing around. With the Final signalling the TRUE end of the legendary work after 20 long years, we can finally bid goodbye to Fruits Basket and its notoriety of a massive reputation that's truly well deserved of an unorthodox formula undertaken to showcase why this series is still popular to this day, even in the future. What a journey of 3 years, consisting of 136 chapters in 63 episodes of a classic manga's near-COMPLETE adaptation, Owari in a great conclusion.

Fruits Basket: The Final フルーツバスケット The Final

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Fruits Basket: The Final フルーツバスケット The Final

North American Anime & Manga Releases for November

'Fruit Basket: Prelude' Compilation Movie Announced for February 2022

'Fruits Basket' Side Story 'Kyouko to Katsuya no Monogatari' Announced for 2022

Spring 2021 Simulcast List [Update 4/19]

Spring 2021 Preview

PV Collection for Mar 8 - 14

'Fruits Basket: The Final' Unveils Additional Cast Pair

Final 'Fruits Basket' Anime Season Airs in 2021