Fruits Basket, based on Natsuki Takaya’s best-selling shojo manga, is one of the best shojo anime ever created. The manga was serialized in Hana to Yume magazine, which ran from 1998 to 2006. It was adapted into anime in 2001 and was rebooted 18 years later in three seasons.

For new anime watchers, shojo anime refers to anime adaptations of manga that are serialized in a shojo manga magazine aimed at teenage girls aged 12-17. They’re usually emotional, character-driven, and tagged as romance, comedy, or drama, which can belong to any genre.

The Rice Ball in a Fruit Basket

In Fruits Basket, we follow Tohru Honda, a high school girl who was orphaned after her mother’s death, and her chance encounter with Yuki Sohma, her charming, popular classmate, who finds out that she pitched her tent (her house) on his family’s property. When a landslide buries her tent, Tohru has no choice but to accept Yuki’s offer to stay with him and his relative, Shigure Sohma, who acts as his guardian, in the meantime.

After living with Yuki and Shigure, Tohru discovers their family secret when she accidentally hugs Kyo Sohma — and he turns into a cat. That is, the chosen members from their clan are possessed by the Chinese Zodiac animals, namely the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar, including the Cat, due to a promise “God” has made with the 13 animals many years ago. As part of their curse, the animal spirits within them cause their animal transformation when the opposite sex hugs them or when they feel weak or stressed.

As days go by in Shigure’s house, Tohru becomes more and more curious about the Zodiacs and their curse. All the while living her high school life, finding her place in the world, and going out of her way to save those around her. Even when the new world she steps into is filled with misery, she remains kind and loving as ever, eventually helping the Sohmas break the curse and pursuing her own happiness. 

Sparkles, Shenanigans, and the Sohmas

When I first watched Fruits Basket, I assumed it was my typical lighthearted high school rom-com. I mean, who wouldn’t when we’re introduced to a high school girl who lives in a tent, and her former neighbors who turn into animals when hugged, right in the first episode? Besides, we are taken along to the characters’ high school life, relationships, and shenanigans. But it surprisingly and gloriously delivered more than what shojo fans like me anticipated.

As we follow Tohru getting caught up in the Sohmas’ family affairs, we discover the traumatic upbringing of the Zodiacs and its heavy toll on them. Some of them are accepted and favored, but most are treated with hostility, abused, and manipulated since birth by Akito Sohma, if not their own parents. Akito is the family head and the “God” in the Chinese Zodiac. It’s painful to learn about their past and the wounds they carry, but it’s worth telling in light of Tohru’s presence in their lives.

Being the shojo main character that she is, Tohru serves as a ray of light to those around her. She has a warm, lovable personality that naturally attracts people, and she remains like that in the end. The great thing is that she’s written with imperfections, just like everybody else. We see her become lonely, selfish, angry, and afraid, too, as she deals with her own battles. Yet she still takes good care of others, remaining strong and compassionate to everyone, even Akito. Thanks to her, we were able to witness such incredible character arcs.

Tohru Honda and All That We Carry

Possessed by the Cat spirit, Kyo was loathed by the Sohma family. He’s not part of the Zodiac, and to Akito, he’s a monster given his true form. Rejected by his own, he grew up filled with rage and indignation, especially toward Yuki, who possesses the Rat spirit. But he slowly learned how to be gentle and caring when Tohru entered his life. Her love compelled him to face his past and his father, who had abandoned him, and accept the love he thinks he doesn’t deserve.

There’s also Yuki, who spent most of his childhood being abused by Akito. After meeting Tohru, he was able to face himself and find his purpose. He didn’t resent his mother, even when she sold Yuki to Akito for her own gain, and he even gave Ayama another chance to fulfill his brotherly role in his life. In the end, we were able to hear how grateful he is to Tohru for loving and supporting, or rather, “raising” him — the very thing he yearned for from his mother all this time. 

And there’s Akito, who tormented the Zodiacs for a long time. She was raised as a boy and abused by her mother, Ren, who became jealous of her because her father, Akira, loved her more than Ren. Thinking it was love, Akito grew up violent and manipulative herself. But having been reached out to by Tohru, she regrets her actions and finally lets go of the curse that binds all the Zodiacs. She also embraced and revealed her true self to them in the end.

The curse is broken, the Zodiacs are free, and Tohru and Kyo happily end up together. Tohru’s love, which has taken other forms, remains with those it reached. Including us viewers, who laughed, wept, got scared, and smiled with the characters, and were able to connect with them. It felt like we were caught up in their suffering too, and long one at that. But just like how everything in this world comes to a close, their long cycle of generational bondage ends, at last, in healing, joy, and freedom.

Final Thoughts

Fruits Basket has its flaws, and its problematic shojo tropes even made it infamous today. But it still executed its central theme very well, reminding us of the love that can save and move us forward even when all hope seems lost. It’s a timeless, wonderful show in the world of shojo. To those planning to watch, don’t let its silliness and distinct shojo style — bright colors, cheerful soundtracks, sparkles, and cute animation — fool you into thinking that shojo anime can’t get any darker or heavier. Prepare your box of tissues if you’re in for a ride.