Review of Fruits Basket

As far as anime series go, if you're looking for a short, sweet sampling of the amazing manga series, this anime is the way to go. If you don't know of Fruits Basket, then you must have been hiding under a rock for the last several years. The story surrounds a girl named Tohru Honda, who, in the aftermath of her mother's death, finds herself living with Shigure Sohma, and his two younger cousins Yuki Sohma and Kyo Sohma, all members of the enigmatic Sohma family who, upon being hugged by a member of the opposite sex, transform into animals of the Chinese Zodiac. At first,Tohru enjoys her time with the Sohmas, only learning as the days pass that there is a dark, tragic secret behind the Sohma's curse.

Although only a part of the beautiful manga series, as the anime ended prematurely, the part that is translated into motion is beautiful. The story is done in a tactful, gentle progression that, although filled with humor, gradually shows you that the world you are looking into is really filled with angst and suffering, almost to an Evangelion-esque level. Although I wish they could have proceeded to later story arcs in the series, they do manage to pull off a convincing story almost independent of the manga.

Although somewhat aged by today's standards, the artwork is still stunningly beautiful. It has a whimsical feel to it, much like Ouran Host Club, but still can pull off some surprisingly dark images, like later on in the series. The characters are all beautiful looking, which is important in a shojo series like this.

The voice acting is astounding in both English and Japanese. I have rarely seen a dub of this caliber before, except maybe Cowboy Bebop. In particular, Tohru and Kyo's voices are extremely good, maybe even superior to the original cast!

I overall loved the series, and, although I wished they could make a few more seasons to cover the rest of the manga series, I am satisfied for now. ^_^