Search - Fruits Basket - The Complete Series on DVD

They're ANIMALS!

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 10/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
Imagine if you moved in with a new family and friends... and found out they turn into animals when you hug them.

That's what Tohru Honda has to deal with in "Fruits Basket," the adaptation of Natsuki Takaya's hit manga. And the manga adaptation is a delightful one -- while the ending gets changed, it's still charming, quirky, slapsticky and sprinkled with darker moments.

Tohru is living in the woods, with only her late mother's photo for company. Exploring one day, she wanders down to a large house, and bumps into the owners: flirtatious Shigure Sohma, and his gorgeous cousin Yuki -- the school's mysterious "Prince." After Tohru becomes ill and her tent is destroyed, Yuki and Shigure take her into their home as their new housekeeper... especially since the place is a pigsty.

But Yuki and Shigure are keeping some strange secrets. When Kyo Sohma bursts in to fight Yuki, Tohru tries to stop him -- and the three turn into a dog, cat, and rat. Turns out the Sohma family is cursed with the spirits of the Chinese zodiac, and become those animals whenever they're hugged by a member of the opposite sex. Surprisingly, the mysterious family head Akito allows Tohru to stay with Yuki and Shigure, as long as the volatile Kyo also stays.

And soon Tohru becomes even more wrapped up in the Sohma family, and befriends many members of the zodiac. She, Yuki and Kyo must deal with crazed fanclubs, flamboyant brothers, school festivals, New Year's loneliness, Valentine's day woes, trips to the hot springs, visits to Tohru's mother's grave, and Yuki's band of loyal stalkers.

But Tohru also learns more about the curse -- the traumatic pasts that Momiji, Yuki and Kyo keep hidden, the little "tiger" girl who is bullied into silence, and Hatori's tragic romance. And finally Tohru discovers the horrific secret that Kyo is hiding, and the true role of the angry, violent Akito...

It takes a little while for "Fruits Basket" to get going, but after a few episodes it finds its footing and charges ahead like Kagura. Just don't expect it to really have an ending -- it doesn't end so much as stop, on a particularly moving story about Kyo and Tohru.

There's lots of romantic tension, slapstick fight scenes (usually involving Kyo and somebody else), quirky comedy (Ayame's kooky cosplay shop), and amusingly tongue-in-cheek dialogue ("Sometimes it feels like the whole world is conspiring to destroy my house!").

But while the anime is somewhat more lighthearted than the manga, there's also a melancholy side to the story, centering on a curse that is ruining its victims' lives. In the midst of the comedy, we get glimpses of Tohru's tragic past, the families torn apart by the curse, and the Sohmas' isolation from the rest of the world.

Tohru herself is the most lovable character of the bunch -- she has a lot of sorrow over her mother's death and the unkindness of some of her relatives, but she compensates with optimism and friendliness. She borders on Pollyannishness occasionally, but is balanced out somewhat by her oddball friends.

And the Sohmas rule as far as quirkiness is concerned -- there's the quiet "Prince" Yuki, the volatile loner Kyo, and the charmingly kooky Shigure. The rest of the family is even more eccentric -- the flamboyant, charming Ayame, Yuki's prodigal brother who is trying ineptly to mend fences. Not to mention the volcanic Haru, the tragic Hatori, and half-German, deceptively cheerful Momiji.

"Fruits Basket" is by turns hilarious and bittersweet, with plenty of wacky antics, sad backstories and quirky characters. Delightful from beginning to end."

Great Anime in an Awesome Thin Pack

Rebecca Lee | Greensboro, NC, USA | 12/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of my favorite series to date.
I had the stupidly expensive box set that came before this one, but when I found out that Funimation was finally doing thin packs, I sold my other box and rushed to order this one. I was not disappointed! Not only does the new box have new art featured on the DVD cases, but the box is nice and sturdy. Not cheap like the box before this one.
The anime is fantastic. It has a great English cast for dub fans and awesome subtitles for sub fans! I've watched them both and they are fantastic. Don't miss out on this lovely box set!"

A hidden gem!

Russell J. LEBAR | O' Fallon, MO USA | 12/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This series has a humorous side that is hilarious most of the time but occasionally annoying. However, the serious side more than makes up for these shortcomings. If you are looking for a complex plot or lots of action then pass on this series. If you like an emotional, character driven story then this one is for you. Almost every episode has affirmations, tidbits of wisdom and touching scenes. And that's because the series is really about the healing process people who have suffered from tragedies, abuse, etc. go through on the road to recovery and even how to live life. This is one of those hidden little gems that, once found, sparkle so brightly in the sunlight."

Sweet, Romantic, Heart-warming, Full of Inspirational "Moral

Mir | North Miami Beach, FL USA | 04/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm nearly fifty, and I can tell you that if you are female and have some "young-at-heartness" about you, you can LOVE this anime series.

This looks to qualify as a reverse harem situation (one main female protagonist with two to several possible suitor/protective male characters). As in other reverse harem tales, the female is a catalyst for the emotional growth of the males, a feminine nucleus of insight that changes the world of those around her. In this one, Tohru is just such a character--a generous, guileless, industrious, uncomplaining, highly optimistic orphan who refuses to let her woes become a burden to anyone if she can help it. Her memories of her mother make her want to be the best she can be. Bit by bit, she learns to rely on others, which is hard for her, even as she shows others about their own "remarkable" qualities and uniqueness. She is so compassionate, that her own ability to show caring and mercy will, we assume, one day lift this terrible curse.

There are many "ooh aww" moments, when we feel our hearts touched by the sorrows and vulnerabilities of these characters, and I was entranced. I reverted emotionally to the fragile, but vibrant times of being young and insecure and afraid, but also eager to learn and grow. It's a lovely series.

So, what is it about. Other reviewers have covered it well: A pretty teen gal who is temporarily living on a tent in the woods due to her family home being renovated and her being unwilling to burden her two best friends with her presence for weeks, well, she comes into contact with a remarkable set of males living in a constantly-being-wrecked (and comically so) home. The males are part of a clan that includes a curse related to the Asian zodiac (you know, rat, horse, dog, etc). When embraced by a female, the males who are cursed transform into their animal forms. Poof! She is invited to stay with them to live, as her tent collapses due to the ground being weak and rain-sodden.

In this home live the rat (silver-haired Yuki, an adored-from-afar prince archetype, super-pretty and able to charm whomever he chooses with his looks), the dark-haired dog (Shigure, an adult male novelist who likes to wisecrack and be melodramatic, but who also tends to be in the middle of the shenanigans between rat and cat), and red-headed Kyo the Cat, an animal tricked in folklore into being left out of the zodiac due to the rat's ancient trickery.

The animosity between rat and cat is ongoing and a main part of the narrative drive. Tohru, who cares for them both, wants to see them develop something more than constant fighting/arguing/enmity.

As expected, there is pressure from a "villainous" character in the form of clan leader/God Akito and comedy in the gender-bending tradition (a seemingly bisexual brother, as well as other yaoi situations; a cross-dressing relative, a cute-boy archetype, a somber dark-haired male of secret power, etc). There are plenty of school scenes, where the cursed boys and Tohru and her misfit pals (the former gang-girl, the "electric" psychic goth gal) have to try to get along with those who adore them or hold them in contempt. (Prince Yuki even has a fan club.)

The storylines that show us the background of haunted Hatori the melancholy doctor and the dread secret of Kyo the Cat were heartbreaking and made me cry, but also uplifting in the healing that Tohru could bring to such woeful characters. On the lighter side, the episode with the visit of the cute rabbit-Momiji loli-boy that includes Yuki in a girly dress was quite funny. As was the one where Tohru's friends visit and transformational mayhem ensues as they keep accidentally embracing the boys.

Tohru, the impossibly sweet and adorable girl who can heal with her goodness, is much better voiced in the Japanese, as is Ayame, Yuki's flamboyantly narcissistic brother. In the English, Ayame sounds like a mocking version of a gay man. It's not the pleasantest voice acting bit. Momiji is also much cuter in the Japanese. I did like the voices of Kyo and Yuki in the English and Shigure is less over-the-top in English, too, which I prefer.

This is a series that makes you want to be a better person to others, more accepting, and that's a good lesson for the young. It also makes you want to hold your head up despite woes and tribulations. To work hard and be stoic, but not excessively so that your friends aren't allowed to aid you. It has good lessons, excellent animation, delightful humor, romance, mystery, touching scenes, nice music, and magic.

The manga continued way past the point of this series, and I've read there will not be more anime (ie, to show the rest of the story.) If you want to know how it ends (ie, is the curse lifted, and who will get Tohru), the manga is available to read free online. Just google it up.

A big thumbs up for the anime of Fruits Basket."