Review of Fruits Basket
*This review contains very little to no spoilers:* I have always considered myself to be a fan of zodiac signs, both regular ones, and Chinese ones. And finding Fruits basket; an anime based on zodiac signs, that was a blessing, I knew I just had to watch it. And guess what? I did! And I ~loved it~ Let me tell you 12 reasons why I loved this anime... (just like 12 zodiac signs, get the reference?) 1- The story: Yeah sure, this is a typical cheesy shoujo anime with that typical cheesy love triangle. But the aspect of adding zodiac signs was very creative and made the plotmuch more intriguing and fun!
2- The art: Am I the only one who liked the art style? I found it extremely cute and simple and I loved how each character had their own unique design. It was just amazing!
3- The characters: From sweet naive Tooru to arrogant but caring Kyo and mysterious-friendly Yuki. All the characters were so lovable (Of course you can't forget Shigure, Kisa, Kagura, Hatsaharu, Momiji, Hatori or the rest of the Soumas) Akito, however, can go rot in hell; where he belongs.
4- The music: I found both the opening and the ending songs so catchy and calming- it was different from the other more energetic anime openings and yet, I could not help but love it.
5- Shigure: Yes, he deserves his own point- he is my freaking favorite character. The way he handles stressful situations was hilarious and how he always tries to interfere in other people business was just so ~Shigure~ (not to mention his hilarious bromance with Ayame!)
6- The comedy: How is it that an anime about a girl who lives alone in a tent funny? Maybe because that's not the main point of the anime and it's because she lives with three guys who turn into animals. Yeah it's probably the latter (thank you Nigahiga.)
7- The character development: I love how each of the characters were not who you first thought they would be and that the smile or the frown on their face had a deeper meaning. you get to explore each of the characters past and understand their feelings. I loved that so much and it makes the anime so much better.
8- Zodiac signs: I mentioned this before, and I will mention it again- I love Zodiac signs and the role they played in this anime. It's not every day I find an anime about them, so as you can tell, I am very pleased!
9- Tooru's -Mothers- quotes: Ok can we talk about that riceball quote? How could a quote about a riceball make my self-esteem higher? Tooru had such a way with words and I loved those random inspirational things she would say In the middle of episodes!
10- Tooru's friends: I loved how supportive and protective Tooru's friends were, they stuck with her through thick and thin! and It was hilarious trying to keep the ~secret~ from them.
11- The length: As you can tell- I am running out of ideas. Ok, so the length of the Anime was just the right amount of episodes to get into the story and although I wish it was longer, so we could have met the other two zodiac members and solve other plotholes, I don't think this show could handle another 20 episodes (Maybe they should have made a second season?)
12- The Zodiac animals: The cute drawings of the zodiac animals were so heartwarming- Not to mention I loved trying to put together which zodiac animal could the character be. It was a blast!
And for Kyo's sake, I will conclude this long review with number
13- The whole emotional ride: From the hilarious and joyful beginning to the sad heartwarming ending this anime kept me hooked the whole time. I loved it! And I suggest you watch it as soon as possible.