I'm a huge fan of the reboot. Having not read the manga, I went in the reboot, expecting a classic which will hit me in all the right places. And to my delight, fruits basket keeps delivering unforgivable and touching moments which are well crafted and sublime. Probably the best the genre as a whole has to offer.
So ladies and gentleman this is a part critical review and part appreciation post of this shoujo masterpiece which I had the pleasure to experience.
So starting with the plot structure and characters- It takes its time. Fruits basket and it's plot moves at a leisurely pace. Which is like a double edged sword to many. It lets you sink in it's world and characters and develops them in a way where as the story progress they grow in a subtle but very organic way. They slowly come out of their shells and truly shine. This is that one quality of fruits basket, which made me fall in love with it. The fact that, it prioritizes its characters. That it focuses on building character chemistry and their relations. I know a lot of people will both agree and disagree with me, but I will say that fruits basket is one of those rare shoujo/slice of life anime which turned a seemingly cliched and tropey cast of characters into complex and 3 dimensional individuals, which the viewers care about.
Kyo is not a 2d Tsundere character, his growth feels natural and you see it with your eyes that he has changed. Same can be said for Yuki, who shines in this season. The growth of characters is very subtle, natural yet noticeable.
While watching this show, it really does feel that, with time characters grow. An feat which is really difficult to pull of. That's the special part about this show. Fruits basket uses its plot structure to its advantage. The show is pretty slow with its pacing and has a plot focusing primilarily on characterization than story progression; having Slice of life elements, which help in fleshing out character relations.
This can be a tricky way of writing to get right, but fruits basket uses it masterfully. It is written in a way where every character has a role to play and some relevance to the story. While the build up of tension in fruits basket is a wonder in itself, its the importance the show gives to its characters, that makes this show truly special. End of the day fruits basket is a character driven story with a heavy focus on themes of family, love, hate, healing and getting over negative aspects of life and moving on with a positive outlook. And the anime executes all these aspects near flawlessly.
Even if we were to talk about the actual plot that happens till the 2nd season, all I can say is that it gets a firm sense of direction in the second season and it starts picking off, albeit at a slow but steady pace. Some new mysteries are brought up, while others are solved. The buildup of tension in this anime is a treat to watch. There are only a few moments where the series antagonist appears, but all those moments are extremely uncomfortable, and scary which effectively build a sense of dread and makes you worry about the characters. The anime feels cinematic. The viewer is immersed in the world of this anime and all the scenes are meaningful, full of subtext. The character monologues are exceptionally well written and feel very personal and intimate to look at and all the scenes where the characters reflect on themselves or develop fill warm and fuzzy. The use of humor is great although questionable at times. (Looking at you shigure)
As you can see the show is filled to brim with positive aspects, however there are definitely few points I am critical of.
Coming to Art and Soundtrack- They feel warm, fresh and cinematic. The art and environments feel lush and well drawn. The Opening and Ending songs reflect the series as a whole and the use of color palate is great as well.
All in all, I get why this show is such a classic. I really love this show and while I don't whats to happen next (since I never read the manga) , I'm quite positive that what we will get will be a masterpiece in coming.
With that said I give this show a
96/100
25.5 out of 27 users liked this review
