Nearly a decade ago, one of the best fantasy romance series premiered, but it deserves just as much attention as the genre’s biggest hits. For years, streaming services have dictated the new generation of television, from influencing season lengths to prioritize smaller episode batches to changing the prevailing storytelling method for second-screen viewing. Yet, while the age of streaming leaves much to be desired by and large, the romance sector is better than ever. From iconic Netflix love stories like Bridgerton and Nobody Wants This to iconic straight-to-streaming romantic comedy movies, the genre is arguably at an all-time high.
Practically every sub-genre has thankfully benefited from romance’s ongoing success, but romantic fantasy— now marketed mainly as “romantasy”— is undeniably leading the pack. Of course, there is still a place for classic formulas like Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, a forbidden romance set in an alternate history of Regency Era England. Nevertheless, otherworldly love stories have always had a certain allure, dating back to epoch-making titles like the Twilight franchise.
Unfortunately, some of the most intriguing series often get overlooked despite checking all the typical boxes for a successful mainstream hit, including the 2019 adaptation of Fruits Basket. Based on a bestselling manga and widely regarded as one of the greatest anime ever made, Fruits Basket combines the interspecies romance of Twilight with the social stratification of Queen Charlotte, all wrapped up in delightfully whimsical packaging. Truly, even the staunchest anime hater would agree that Fruits Basket is one of the best on-screen fantasy romances of the past two decades.
Fruits Basket Is Close To Being A Perfect Anime
Fruits Basket may not be a BookTok certified romantasy novel, but the supernatural coming-of-age series has an instantly captivating hook. After a comedy of errors forces orphan Tohru Honda to move in with her neighbors, she uncovers the long-harbored secret of the most popular student at her school: aloof heartthrob Yuki— and the rest of the illustrious Sohma clan— are bound by an ancient curse that transforms them into animals from the Chinese zodiac.
While there are some pragmatic rules the curse follows, there’s one main trigger that forms the crux of Fruits Basket‘s first conflict. Rather than an emotional or environmental stressor, members of the Sohma family will immediately turn into their respective animal if they are hugged by someone of the opposite gender. Unsurprisingly, the unassuming Tohru quickly reveals the zodiacs of her three housemates: Yuki is the rat, his father figure Shigure is the dog, and his frenemy Kyo is the cat— ironically not an animal in the Chinese zodiac.
According to legend, the cat was robbed of its spot in the zodiac chart due to the rat’s nefarious schemes, which perfectly encapsulates the hostile feud established between Yuki and Kyo from the get-go. Their relationship is fire and ice, yin and yang, or any other age-old dichotomy, but Tohru takes it upon herself to mend the tense rift between them while she safeguards their family secret. Unbeknownst to the sunny protagonist, however, there’s a master manipulator lurking in the shadows that will give anything to keep the Sohmas divided.
Even if you’re totally unfamiliar with the Chinese zodiac, the core narrative of Fruits Basket is incredibly accessible, making it a beginner-friendly anime that never throws too much at its audience. Regardless, the series is filled to the brim with meticulous plot details, nuanced character development, and enthralling worldbuilding that makes the anime as immersive as it is entertaining.
The 2019 Fruits Basket Remake Is The Superior Version
Furthermore, the 2019 iteration of Fruits Basket is by far the best adaptation of the source material. In 2001, an anime dropped with a mere 26 episodes to cover dozens of manga chapters, though it wildly diverged from the canon storytelling by the end. Similarly, certain characters were omitted or drastically changed, while the overall tone veered heavily into slapstick comedy rather than the more grounded approach taken by the shōjo manga.
The Fruits Basket manga originally ran from 1998 to 2006.
Comparatively, Fruits Basket (2019) is one of the best anime reboots of all time. The entirety of the original story is adapted throughout the show’s three seasons, while every character— from the central family to the side characters in Tohru’s circle— are full of life and beautifully developed. The main love story unfolds as a swoonworthy slow-burn romance, and the overarching plot is perfectly paced. Irrefutably, it’s one of the most beloved modern anime, but Fruits Basket also deserves to join the ranks of Queen Charlotte and Twilight as a ubiquitous and universally acclaimed romance series.
- Release Date
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April 6, 2019
- Directors
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Yoshihide Ibata
- Writers
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Natsuki Takaya
- Franchise(s)
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Fruits Basket
Cast
