Fruits Basket: The Final

Hundreds of years ago, the Chinese zodiac spirits and their god swore to stay together eternally. United by this promise, the possessed members of the Souma family shall always return to each other under any circumstances. Yet, when these bonds shackle them from freedom, it becomes an undesirable burden—a curse. As head of the clan, Akito is convinced that he shares a special connection with the other Soumas. While he desperately clings to this fantasy, the rest of the family remains isolated and suppressed by the fear of punishment.

Tooru Honda, who has grown attached to the Soumas, is determined to break the chains that bind them. Her companionship with the family and her friends encourages her to move forward with lifting the curse. However, due to confounding revelations, she struggles to find the tenacity to continue her endeavors. With time slowly withering away, Tooru contends with an uncertain future in hopes of reaching the tranquility that may lie beyond all this commotion.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Souma, Kyou Main

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Honda, Tooru Main

Iwami, Manaka Japanese

Souma, Yuki Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga Japanese

Souma, Akito Main

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Souma, Hatsuharu Supporting

Furukawa, Makoto Japanese

Souma, Momiji Supporting

Han, Megumi Japanese

Souma, Shigure Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Souma, Ayame Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Souma, Hatori Supporting

Okitsu, Kazuyuki Japanese

Hanajima, Saki Supporting

Satou, Satomi Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer, Inserted Song Performance

Takemura, Ippei Producer

Yazaki, Fumi Producer

Yamauchi, Mirai Producer

Reviews

Jun 28, 2021

Marinate1016

Recommended

Fruit’s Basket is not only one of the best stories ever told in the medium, it also could serve as the catalyst needed for a revival of the shoujo genre.

When I was a kid, shojo dominated. Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, etc., were cultural phenomena. This really fuelled my passion for the genre/demographic tremendously. While other people my age preferred the action packed episodes of YYH and DBZ, I enjoyed the slower and more down to earth Kodomo no Omocha. In many ways, Furuba is a blast from the past, a relic of a bygone era of storytelling. The core themes and issues addressed in Furuba ... are so applicable to daily life, it almost hurts. Love, grief, letting go of the past and becoming your own person, etc. The overarching narrative spanning 60+ episodes of breaking familial bonds and moving on from trauma was so beautifully done that here at the end of that journey, I’m left in tears. For me, the mark of a true masterpiece is something that teaches me valuable life lessons. I lost my father to cancer at 15. I turned to animanga and light novels and have found many important things since then. The one thing that I still struggle with is letting go of the past. This remake arrived at the perfect time for me, and I could not be happier with the story-telling, character depth and educational aspects of this series.

It wouldn’t be a Furuba review if we didn’t talk about love. Love is at the core of Furuba’s story. Familial, platanoic and romantic. Over 3 amazing seasons, we are introduced to a variety of characters who are in one way or another dealing with some complications of love. Whether it’s an ex, parent who can’t remember their kid, abusive parents, etc. The story does an amazing job of building nuanced and realistic relationships between characters. This applies to both the romantic sort and non romantic sort. Obviously, there are some exaggerations and anime-y logic going on with some of the relationship building, but for the most part, the relationships in Furuba feel organic and realistic. The romantic ships are built up over the course of over 60 episodes and are done in such a way where you can’t have been oblivious to them forming, but they’re also not too in your face, at least until the second half of this season. In this season, it felt like everything was turned up to the max. The tension, stakes and action were amazing in Furuba Final. I would say that if you found S1 and S2 good, you’ll be blown away by the jump in quality we got this time around. Fruits Basket has always felt a little soapy, but this season felt like a straight up Mexican Telenovela. And I loved every minute of it.

There’s so many rich and well written characters in Furuba, it’s almost cheating. There’s legitimately 15-20 characters that could have “stans” They all receive their own mini arcs and grow over the course of the series, and we see the fruits(pun intended) of that development in the final season. You know you’ve done something right as an author when people have side characters as their favourite characters. Looking back on where everyone started in episode 1 back in 2019, and where they’ve ended up here in the final season is truly beautiful. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on how we, as an audience, have grown along with this cast we love so much.

Fruits Basket as a series, and by extension Fruits Basket Final, can be enjoyed by both hardcore shojo romance fans, as well as casual anime watchers. It has everything you’d look for in a conclusion to a series. A gripping climax, satisfying development and resolution for all parties, and ships sailing. Fruits Basket Final is essential viewing for any romance fan and will stand the test of time as one of the best stories the medium has ever produced.

Fruits Basket Final gets 10 out of 10.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Marinate1016 (383)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jun 29, 2021

aries418

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

Disclaimer: I have been a fan of the Fruits Basket series for a very, very long time. I'm rather attached to these characters and greatly enjoyed the previous two seasons. As such, I due have an inherent bias about the series which may impact this review.

Story: The way that things are handled here are extremely odd. Some parts of the plot are much too slow, while others progress far too quickly. It does some things well while failing miserably at others.

The good: Many of the other relationships aside from the main pairing are resolved and supporting characters do get a decent amount of screen ... time. I feel that Momiji's arc in particular was executed well and shows his growth as a character. Prior to this season, he was mostly a cute shota type character who had a semi tragic backstory, but this does give his character a bit more depth. Yuki also shows progression and does open up a bit more to others rather than being as distant. Other characters do show growth as well and learn to be their own selves outside of being zodiac members.

The bad: Most of the pitfalls the plot suffers from involve Kyo and Tooru's relationship as well as Akito's redemption arc in addition to her relationship with Shigure. Kyo and Tooru dance around their feelings for much of this season despite having their big moment where Tooru accepts Kyo for who(and what) he truly is. Then from episode eight onwards their relationship progresses very rapidly. I would have liked to see the change be a bit more gradual.

And then there is the matter of Akito. The main problem with how things are handled is that the show justifies Akito's behavior(abuse, maiming family members, attempted murder, etc.) by showing her abusive relationship with her mother and explaining how she developed her god complex. Here's the thing: all of that is an explanation, not an excuse. When she realizes the error of her ways, that doesn't mean that everything is suddenly alright. The fact that the other members of the zodiac choose to forgive her almost immediately after she apologizes despite being terrorized by her for years feels extremely unrealistic and rushed. Akito is far from redeemed, and the plot does not reflect that.

Finally, the dynamic of Akito's relationship with Shigure. I'm not going to sugar coat it: the way they treat each other is extremely toxic. Seeing the way this normalizes unhealthy relationships and child grooming is incredibly uncomfortable and concerning. They may get together, but I don't view that as a happy ending by any stretch of the word. Not that everyone gets a happy ending, but leaving things like this just doesn't feel right.

On a happier note, the technical aspects of the show are very well done. The art is stunning and is leaps and bounds above the original series. The characters' voices all fit them very well, with the exception of Momiji. Hearing him speak with a German accent is an odd choice, but it doesn't detract from his character.

Overall, I'm very conflicted about this season. It wasn't completely horrendous, but it does have many flaws that could have been executed much better. If you're attached to the characters and want to learn their fates, I think this will give you some closure. Just be aware that it isn't always easy to watch.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by aries418 (14)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

May 15, 2024

Skotthildur213

Not Recommended

Funny

This show should not be listed as a shoujo anime, this is a trauma dump at its worst.
The story is trying to humanize a character that is literally the worst human being ever. Akito is abusive and is basically keeping a human sex slave. Not to mention the adult men who are sleeping with or are in love with underage girls. I know that adult men with high school girls are very common in shoujo anime but all the other stuff is not. I hate it!
And just add all the characters are one dimensional And Tohru has not changed for 3 seasons.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Skotthildur213 (2)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

best romance shoujo anime [2025 updated]

by rrachelzh

24 Entries · 2 Restacks

Best work from the most popular anime studios (acording to mal)

by PokerFacecat

38 Entries · 11 Restacks

Hikikomoris, NEETs, and Shut-ins

by bellabunbun

41 Entries · 40 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for November

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases* for November. Week 1: November 1 - 7 Anime Releases Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei! (incl. S...read more

Nov 13, 2022 4:58 PM by Aiimee | Discuss (7 comments)

'Fruit Basket: Prelude' Compilation Movie Announced for February 2022

The official website of the Fruit Basket television anime announced a compilation film subtitled Prelude on Friday, revealing a key visual (pictured). The film will ...read more

Oct 30, 2021 1:00 AM by Vindstot | Discuss (23 comments)

	Who the most attractive character in the story? ( 1 2 ) Deanomac2010 - Dec 17, 2024	62 replies	by simperemo123 »» Jan 6, 1:32 AM
	Poll: Fruits Basket: The Final Episode 5 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - May 3, 2021	172 replies	by IKONIK_SHADES »» Nov 26, 2024 3:34 PM
	Poll: Fruits Basket: The Final Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jun 28, 2021	322 replies	by KoniginElle »» Aug 8, 2024 12:16 AM
	Poll: Fruits Basket: The Final Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Jun 21, 2021	165 replies	by KoniginElle »» Aug 4, 2024 10:13 PM
	Poll: Fruits Basket: The Final Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Jun 14, 2021	212 replies	by KoniginElle »» Aug 3, 2024 12:03 AM