Fruits Basket - The Complete Series
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DVD details
Brand: FUNIMATION PRODUCTIONS, LTDDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language); English (Original Language); English (Dubbed)
Format: Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 650 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-11-20
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Funimation Prod
DVD Reviews of Fruits Basket - The Complete Series
DVD Review: Sweet, Romantic, Heart-warming, Full of Inspirational "Morals", and Funny, too! Not just for teenage girls, either
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm nearly fifty, and I can tell you that if you are female and have some "young-at-heartness" about you, you can LOVE this anime series.
This looks to qualify as a reverse harem situation (one main female protagonist with two to several possible suitor/protective male characters). As in other reverse harem tales, the female is a catalyst for the emotional growth of the males, a feminine nucleus of insight that changes the world of those around her. In this one, Tohru is just such a character--a generous, guileless, industrious, uncomplaining, highly optimistic orphan who refuses to let her woes become a burden to anyone if she can help it. Her memories of her mother make her want to be the best she can be. Bit by bit, she learns to rely on others, which is hard for her, even as she shows others about their own "remarkable" qualities and uniqueness. She is so compassionate, that her own ability to show caring and mercy will, we assume, one day lift this terrible curse.
There are many "ooh aww" moments, when we feel our hearts touched by the sorrows and vulnerabilities of these characters, and I was entranced. I reverted emotionally to the fragile, but vibrant times of being young and insecure and afraid, but also eager to learn and grow. It's a lovely series.
So, what is it about. Other reviewers have covered it well: A pretty teen gal who is temporarily living on a tent in the woods due to her family home being renovated and her being unwilling to burden her two best friends with her presence for weeks, well, she comes into contact with a remarkable set of males living in a constantly-being-wrecked (and comically so) home. The males are part of a clan that includes a curse related to the Asian zodiac (you know, rat, horse, dog, etc). When embraced by a female, the males who are cursed transform into their animal forms. Poof! She is invited to stay with them to live, as her tent collapses due to the ground being weak and rain-sodden.
In this home live the rat (silver-haired Yuki, an adored-from-afar prince archetype, super-pretty and able to charm whomever he chooses with his looks), the dark-haired dog (Shigure, an adult male novelist who likes to wisecrack and be melodramatic, but who also tends to be in the middle of the shenanigans between rat and cat), and red-headed Kyo the Cat, an animal tricked in folklore into being left out of the zodiac due to the rat's ancient trickery.
The animosity between rat and cat is ongoing and a main part of the narrative drive. Tohru, who cares for them both, wants to see them develop something more than constant fighting/arguing/enmity.
As expected, there is pressure from a "villainous" character in the form of clan leader/God Akito and comedy in the gender-bending tradition (a seemingly bisexual brother, as well as other yaoi situations; a cross-dressing relative, a cute-boy archetype, a somber dark-haired male of secret power, etc). There are plenty of school scenes, where the cursed boys and Tohru and her misfit pals (the former gang-girl, the "electric" psychic goth gal) have to try to get along with those who adore them or hold them in contempt. (Prince Yuki even has a fan club.)
The storylines that show us the background of haunted Hatori the melancholy doctor and the dread secret of Kyo the Cat were heartbreaking and made me cry, but also uplifting in the healing that Tohru could bring to such woeful characters. On the lighter side, the episode with the visit of the cute rabbit-Momiji loli-boy that includes Yuki in a girly dress was quite funny. As was the one where Tohru's friends visit and transformational mayhem ensues as they keep accidentally embracing the boys.
Tohru, the impossibly sweet and adorable girl who can heal with her goodness, is much better voiced in the Japanese, as is Ayame, Yuki's flamboyantly narcissistic brother. In the English, Ayame sounds like a mocking version of a gay man. It's not the pleasantest voice acting bit. Momiji is also much cuter in the Japanese. I did like the voices of Kyo and Yuki in the English and Shigure is less over-the-top in English, too, which I prefer.
This is a series that makes you want to be a better person to others, more accepting, and that's a good lesson for the young. It also makes you want to hold your head up despite woes and tribulations. To work hard and be stoic, but not excessively so that your friends aren't allowed to aid you. It has good lessons, excellent animation, delightful humor, romance, mystery, touching scenes, nice music, and magic.
The manga continued way past the point of this series, and I've read there will not be more anime (ie, to show the rest of the story.) If you want to know how it ends (ie, is the curse lifted, and who will get Tohru), the manga is available to read free online. Just google it up.
A big thumbs up for the anime of Fruits Basket.
Description of Fruits Basket - The Complete Series
"Fruits Basket is universally endearing and endlessly entertaining. Cute sweet mysterious and mind-blowingly funny." --- Anime InsiderTohru Honda is a cheerful 16-year-old who just happens to live with the Sohma family. And by the way--they are cursed. What happens when Tohru finds discovers the family secret? You've got to watch to find out!Contains all 4 volumes of the Fruits Basket series: A Great Transformation? (v.1) What Becomes of Snow? (v.2) Puddles Of Memories (v.3) The Clearing Sky (v.4)System Requirements:Run Time: 650 minutes Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM Rating: NR UPC: 704400010408 Manufacturer No: 1-4210-1106-9Bestsellers in DVD
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