Review of Fruits Basket

I was highly reccomended this anime by a friend, and while I can't hate it, it was underwhelming. Pros: It's meant to be endearing, and it is... it's sweet and lighthearted (mostly), and comedic with hints of romance. The characters are fairly likable, and there are a few moments of genuinely touching character development. Further, the overwhelming innocence it exudes makes it diffcult to hate, as demonstrated perfectly by the opening soundtrack. Cons: The story is painfully mediocre, frustratingly so, particularly since the premise is both intriguing and original. The Chinese Zodiac is used more for comedy than plot, and there is little more than meetsthe eye, initally. If you want answers about the Zodiac, you're going to be disappointed. There isn't an overarching story, and more character development goes to the side characters, than the main, who are more or less the same, beginning and end. Tooru despite being the centre of Fruits Basket, doesn't have noticable change to her character in the entire series... she's nice at the start... and still nice at the end. Furuba promises originality, but there's there's nothing surprising or fantastic, instead it was often cliche and, frankly, boring.

There's potential in Fruits Basket, but it's mostly squandered, it's no masterpiece, but it's passable. That's not to say there's nothing worth watching... pick your poison, it's the kind of saccharine slife of life you could watch with your Grandmother, but don't expect too much.