Review of Fruits Basket

Just this morning, I realised I call my favourite friends "cute" a lot, which can be really annoying after a while. But, the main protagonist, Tohru, from Fruits Basket made me realise that calling people "cute" means that I actually care about them. It's just these little feel-good moments and quotes from this anime that I think makes the simple story behind Fruits Basket a truly meaningful experience to watch. Story: 7/10 To be honest, the story is pretty average. An orphaned girl named Tohru turns up at a house where people turn into animals from the Chinese zodiac when touched by the opposite gender because ofa curse. And literally the rest of the anime is about her trying to retain and understand the secret behind the Sohma family curse. Most of the episodes are about how she makes the family get along, particularly the other two boys Yuki and Kyo. Although the story may be simple, it does give a good backdrop within which the characters themselves can expose themselves and develop.

Character: 10/10
Let's start with Tohru. She's your average high school girl, but for some reason, she just knows what to say at the right time. She acts as the glue for the Sohma family (which is pretty much all made up of boys, hint hint nudge nudge, slight romance coming up...); and although sometimes I find her altruism frustrating, it offsets the rest of the characters. I actually learnt a lot from her words, she's almost like a mom, despite her having lost her mom. But really, I do see her as the ultimate model mother figure of the anime, she even cooks and cleans for the family! And most importantly, she cares about every single character, which is why everyone seems to love her.

Then we have the two protagonist boys, Yuki and Kyo, who are almost opposites. For example, Yuki turns into a mouse whilst Kyo turns into a cat. Opposite enough? On top of that, Kyo is hot-tempered whilst Yuki is has a softer character, and both like to fight with each other. But, when Tohru enters the Sohma house as a result of the Sohma family secret, Tohru makes it her mission to make them understand each other better, which slowly starts to happen. The interesting thing we discover as the anime progresses is that deep inside, the Sohma family all share a longing to be accepted and loved, which is why sometimes I found myself realising that this anime has a lot to teach about people and their inner selves. I was constantly drawn in by the lesson learnt each episodes; and although Tohru can seem like she's preaching a little bit when she starts talking like a mom, she still delivers some very deep and insightful comment about people and their behaviour.

Sound: 9/10
I always felt like crying when I heard the opening theme music, it is so beautiful! And on top of that, the background music is generally quite gentle and suits the anime well.

Art: 8/10
The art is neither fantastic nor lacking, again, I think the colours and cute drawings suit this shouju style anime. And just putting it out there: Yuki is sooo adorable!

Overall Enjoyment: 8/10
Although the story itself didn't mean much to me at all, the things that the characters expressed really hit home. The characters' emotions and Tohru's little "life lessons" are what make this anime so memorable to me. Once you've watched this, sometimes you might find yourself wondering what your close friend was feeling yesterday and what you could do to make them feel better today.

If you're looking for a little pick-me-up, I would suggest Fruits Basket, it really is adorable and positively memorable!