[Review] Fruits Basket by Lucas Bland

Fruits Basket is a series conceived in the late 90s that became an instant hit. Due to its popularity it received an anime adaptation in 2001. Despite its age and origin the fandom is still very alive and to this day it’s one of the most popular shoujo manga (manga intended for female readers). Since its popularity never died down, it was also announced to get a complete reboot for the series that started airing in 2019. This reboot wasn’t like any ordinary reboot, they adapted the entirety of season 1 while also finishing the series with season 2 and 3. The original anime only had one season. Typically, reboots are only done for shorter series with less animation constraints. So for the animators to go so far as to finish the whole series while also redoing episodes that were already finished was insane at the time.

Fruits Basket is praised for its approach on human emotion, personalities, and the dynamics of relationships. Tohru is a first year in high school who’s hardworking, empathetic, and stubborn. Due to her living conditions, she ends up staying with the Sohma Family. The Sohmas are a rich family with many extended family members that are held in high regard. Despite a privileged upbringing, many of these family members have their own internal struggles and conflicts. Some of the Sohmas are classmates with Tohru, so they see her often and interactions are far from dry. Whether it’s problems like feeling like a bother, envying other people, losing a loved one, or being treated like an exclusion from the circle, Tohru Honda is not shy when it comes to her willingness to help the Sohmas who offered her a place to stay.

To some readers, including the Sohmas, they feel that Tohru sometimes crosses the line when it comes to offering help or getting into people’s personal lives. Due to this strong critique, readers often see Tohru as a non-character, someone who’s bland with boring interests and aspirations. Even though I sympathize with how they view her, I disagree. While boring characters with motivation that comes from seemingly nowhere seem uninteresting, I see Tohru more as a force of hope and improvement who brings out the best in others. The importance of her character isn’t something inside projecting outward, it’s the resilience she brings out from other people, and the acceptance she shows for them. Tohru’s importance is how through interactions with others, you can help change and shape their lives for the better.

As Tohru and the Sohmas move through life in a stride more consistent with an old rollercoaster, the path they take is still of utmost importance towards improvement. Even if the ride along the way is precarious. While this story covers more sensitive themes that some question if it should be allowed in school, it’s important that these themes are more talked about in our community. Misunderstandings in regards to these problems the Sohma’s face are common and Fruits Basket does a more than outstanding job to represent them. If you’re someone that enjoys stories about the untold and the unspoken, then this is a definite read. As you start to read this book or enjoy the newly adapted series, I hope you can enjoy it and appreciate it for what it is.