Fruits Basket - The Final Season Review [Spoilers!]

It's not always easy to see the good in people … But if you can somehow, find a way to believe - sometimes that's all it takes to help someone.

• Kyouko Honda

The final season of Fruits Basket was a heartfelt conclusion to the series, which was truly an amazing experience for me. Here, in this review, I will write about all the things which made this season a great finale, taking into account my personal account of it. I will try my best to make this review as good as possible.

Warning! This review will contain major spoilers!

Firstly, I would like to discuss the character of Akito Soma, the main antagonist and the God of the Zodiac. By the end of the previous season, we came to know that Akito is indeed a girl, who was raised as a boy by her mother, Ren Soma. This season proves to be a major character arc for Akito, as we get reminded of the past she faced and how she became the way she is now. Honestly, I came to hate this character a lot, like we are supposed to, but I believed Fruits Basket will not be cruel to its characters. This is what happened, and I was impressed to see how good the show tackled Akito's issues, showing us the human part of a God, which I liked. It showed us that even a character such as Akito should be forgiven, because she was made into this way by other people and circumstances - even God can be afraid to be alone. We also get to see, finally, the mythological story of the God's banquet and the animals of the Zodiac, and this too, was really heart touching, especially when we got to see the story and the ideals of the Cat - everything comes to an end someday, and we must accept it, hoping we might see the ones we love. The mystery of the breaking of the curse is shown, but the fact that the bonds broke on their own was somewhat a letdown for me, as I believed there was some greater mystery to it.

While watching the earlier seasons of the show, I started to like the character of Kyo more than Yuki, and finally, to my surprise, I was very happy to see Kyo and Tohru get together, being able to express their feelings to each other at last. I appreciate the show hiding Kyo's secrets - of meeting Tohru and her mother before - and the timing was just right to make us realize his importance. Now, Yuki's arc was also great, as he is also able to get someone he loves - Machi, who is also a character I liked since the previous season. Yuki, by the end of this show, had become a completely different person, which even surprised him. All thanks to Tohru, whom he accepts to be a mother he never had, he was able to change a person like Machi who is somewhat similar to him in many respects. I am very happy with the romantic choices of the show, as they felt very satisfactory to me.

And now, let's talk about our main character, Tohru Honda. This season highlighted her life beautifully, as we get to see her as a rather imperfect character now, who wanted to be happy and selfish like everyone else. Her determination helped almost every character in the show, and thus shows us the importance of being kind, loving and forgiving. She is the soul of the show, which works because of her. I really loved her character a lot, and pray to find someone like her in my life someday too - we all need a Tohru in our lives, am I wrong?

The conflicts and plot points are resolved in a very good way in the finale. Every one of the characters finds their own happiness, and it is indeed a heartwarming experience - even Shigure who seemed like a scheming man, is able to get what he desired the most and had waited for so long for it. The show succeeds in giving us a brilliant human tale, presented with just the right amount of fantasy to not break the main purpose. It shows us the importance of human connections, and the flaws we all have, and instead of criticizing the flaws, it takes a better approach of making us understand our imperfections so that we may correct them instead of resenting them in the future. Also, the character of Isuzu shows us that it is okay to be angry, as we all do sometimes. It shows us the excellent storytelling of the Shoujo genre overall, and I am a fan of the same now.

The musical score was good, using the ones we had heard in the previous seasons, and it complemented the scenes in a great manner. The animation was similar to the previous ones, which in my opinion was just average - it was not bad I must say, but also not great either. Though I must say that some scenes were pretty well done.

In conclusion, I will say without doubt that Fruits Basket was an experience which will remain close to my heart for a long time, as the show has given me just a little more hope for the future, honestly. I was able to relate with many of the characters from the show, and it has taught me some great lessons in life. This is why I will recommend it to you as well, if you are looking for a warm tale which will restore your faith in the human condition, like an antidote to all the negativities of daily life. It is an excellent slice of life-romance anime which has made me find again, my love for anime which I cherish.

Thank you very much for your time in reading this. I would love to know your opinions about the show or this review, so feel free to let me know! Have a great day/night and keep watching anime!

You can read my previous season reviews of Fruits Basket here: Season 1, Season 2.

Written by: Sekhar08
November 23, 2021