Fruits Basket
By: Natsuki Takaya and Yuya Aoki (Illustrator)
Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama
Rating: General
Length: 26 Episodes/9 Volumes
Year released: 2001
Reviewing: 26 Episodes - Anime
Overall Rating: 88.8%
"Anyone can doubt easily, Tohru, try to believe. Be a person who believes. That will certainly become an encouragement to someone." - Kyoko Honda


Reviewer: Chibiwonton

Synopsis
When the young highschool girl Honda Tohru lost her mother from a car accident, she had no choice but to live under a tent in a forest. One normal schoolday, she came across a house in the middle of the forest that happens to be the residence of the Soumas', including the most popular 'prince' in school, Souma Yuki. Under certain circumstances, Tohru was invited to live with the Soumas', hence started to uncover the secrets of the Souma family. Meeting new people constantly, Tohru will soon discover the true secret behind the curse of the juunishi (Chinese Zodiac).

Story/Plot: 9
The idea of transforming into juunishi by the embrace of the opposite sex is very amusing and original. I particularly loved the amount of humor, drama and emotions all packed into this anime. Although there isn't really a huge storyline behind this series, the plot development was progressed very well overall. Watching each episode guarantees a life lesson for everyone, if not something that everyone can connect themselves with the characters. If you are looking for a sentimental story, Fruits Basket is the anime you're looking for.

Characters: 10
I would think the goal of this anime would not be the storyline, but the development of characters instead. It's true that they throw in a lot of new characters in almost every second episode, but the development of Tohru, Yuki, and Kyou is consistent throughout the whole series. You can almost associate yourself with the main characters and feel sympathy for them. Each and every one of them are incredibly unique, but packed with their own mysterious darkness that is slowly revealed, especially their feelings towards the juunishi curse.

Art: 8
One thing that caught my attention was the hugeness of Tohru's eyes that made me go "WOW". It's a very kawaii anime in general, especially the characters in their juunishi form. The artwork is very average, not too fancy or too plain, just perfectly fit for the anime! (If you understand what I mean *sweatdrops*)

Music: 8.5
Simply beautiful, the prettiest music I've heard in a while. There are bouncy music for the comedy moments, music box melodies for the soft moments, and emotional music for the tear-jerking moments. The opening and ending theme are both very emotional, highly recommended if you are looking for soothing music.