Jan 10, 2022
Fruits Basket is by far the most meaningful piece of media I've consumed, surpassing both March Comes In Like A Lion and Clannad After Story. I genuinely feel that I cannot describe how incredible Fruits Basket is in words or numbers, but I will use the best I know of.
When I finished Fruits Basket, I thought "How did a mere human being write this?", but at the same time, "Only a human could write this."
Although in the beginning it appears to set up a ridiculous premise with tropes common in anime, you realize that's not what was happening at all when they begin to
...
be subverted with motivations that actually make a lot of profound, in-depth sense.
In a story about recovering from trauma and coping with depression, I'm astounded by the author's insight into human emotion. The characters motivations, insecurities, and reactions are remarkably realistic and thoroughly explored, making them significantly more relatable than your average cast, potentially seeming as if they could actually exist.
Everyone loves a good anime about hard work, believing in yourself, and friendship, but Fruits Basket portrays a much more realistic approach, or rather includes the gritty details present when applying that approach in reality. You might not be able to find anything you like about yourself. Even if you find hope, it might not stay. Your dream or your reason for living might become out of reach, permanently. You might be abandoned by the people you wished cared about you. But hope will come again. Just like the happy times eventually end, the sad times end too. You can find a new reason for living or a new dream. Even if everyone doesn't stay together, after goodbye comes hello. Just as there are people who will reject you, there are people who will want you. Even if you can't love yourself, it's ok, you don't need to be disappointed in yourself for it. Everyone knows loving yourself is the best way, but just like with any other skill, not everyone can immediately perform it perfectly. It takes time, effort, and often help. It's ok to take that help, let others love you even when you don't love yourself. Then maybe eventually, you'll learn to see yourself through their eyes. It's important to not become complacent in relying on others and strive for your best, but you shouldn't reject them either. It's impossible to go through life never hurting others, and never being hurt by them, but that's how we learn and grow, putting one foot in front of the other even so.
And so, so much more.
Credit: Some of these lines are direct quotes from Fruits Basket.
(I do recommend reading the manga since the final season left a lot out, but it still gets the point across. For me personally, the complete Fruits Basket experience all three pieces of media it has: the manga for actually having the whole plot, plus the lighting and facial expressions Takaya was praised for; the 2001 adaption for the soundtrack and pulling off darker tones despite the extra comedy, and the 2019 adaption for finally bringing some scenes to life through animation.)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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