Review of Fruits Basket Vol. 2

Introduction

I have had many reactions to the anime I have seen. Some films have been thought provoking, some have been exciting, some have been atmospheric, and some have been downright gory. There has been the occasional piece of dross, but for the most part anime is great entertainment. I hadn`t encountered a piece that could be described as simply charming, until now.

Fruits Basket has an unusual premise. The Sohma family live under a curse, a simple hug from someone outside the family changes them into an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. They also have other related abilities and quirks that have resulted in the Sohma Clan becoming insular and wary of outsiders. Into this family comes a young girl, Tohru Honda. After the death of her mother she is informally adopted by the Sohmas and becomes their housekeeper after she inadvertently discovers their secret. Volume 2 contains episodes 7-12 and we see the young members of the Sohma family making their way warily through high school. It`s not too bad a place to start as we are still being introduced to the Sohma clan.

Video

Fruits Basket gets a 4:3 regular transfer that is perfectly adequate. The animation style does take a little getting used to. If you are used to cel animation, in other words progressive images painted on cels of plastic and photographed on painted backgrounds to give the illusion of motion, then Fruits Basket will look more than a little odd. This is cel animation as rendered in CGI. The paints and plastic sheets have been done away with, and the computer perfection results in an image that is perfectly static except only for those elements that are moving. It takes a second or two to get used to, but then the simplistic and stylised characterisation work their magic, and the technical aspects of the animation fade away. On the whole the effect is accomplished with panache and results in an effective and atmospheric story.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 2.0 English or Japanese. While you can change languages on the fly, if you choose from the language select screen, then some sort of seamless branching comes into play and you`ll see the opening and end credits in the language of your choice. The English dubbing is Ok, but for dramatic intent, I`ll choose the original dub as always. Subtitles are provided in a nice shade of yellow. Fruits Basket really has a mellow soundtrack that suits the feel of the programme well.

Features

As I have come to expect from the MVM anime discs, you get a nice jacket picture displayed when the disc isn`t spinning, but Fruits Basket comes with a nice selection of other extras as well.

There is an interview with Akitaroh Daichi that lasts 14 minutes. He talks about his take on Fruits Basket and how he pursued the adaptation from the original manga.

There are 7 character profiles in text for the prominent characters on this disc. There is also a chance to see the opening credits minus the titles, though with both English and Japanese versions of the song.

Fruits Basket Room No 1, is a 15-minute interview between Yui Horie (voice of Tohru Honda) and Aya Hisakawa (voice of Yuki Sohma), and it`s very light hearted.

Eyecatch Gallery No. 1 is a 17-minute piece that looks at the eyecatches that herald the adverts and the kaching wipes that are placed between scenes. Usually they are a blink and miss them affair, but here you can take a leisurely look at ones from Episodes 1 through 12. They are presented as a slideshow with a commentary in Japanese from Yui Horie with English subtitles. It may be worth turning the subtitles off, as they can obscure some of the images.

Conclusion

The original manga that Fruits Basket is based on was targeted at an audience of young girls, but Fruits Basket has a more general appeal that certainly worked on this cynical male. The Sohma curse is certainly interesting, but the story is more one of interpersonal relationships and rounded characters. Sibling rivalries, teenage crushes, broken hearts and little tragedies are all handled with a simple sensitivity and light touch. This is all leavened with melodrama and comedy that will have you laughing out loud.

It`s a wonderful gathering of distinct characters that goes a long way to making Fruits Basket special. The story revolves around the central triangle of Tohru, Kyo and Yuki. Tohru Honda is one of those characters that charm her way into the affections of those around her, melting frozen hearts and warming the coldest days. She`s a character that in western hands would be sickeningly saccharine, but in Fruits Basket is handled perfectly. Yuki is the introspective thoughtful one who is popular at school, whose alter ego is the rat. Kyo is his arch rival, the cat who got left out of the Zodiac, who`s brash and outspoken, yet it is Tohru who can get these two to stop fighting for a moment and notice the wider world. The story focuses on these three and the other characters are gradually introduced as the series progresses.

By parts touching and funny, Fruits Basket is a refreshing anime that certainly proves the wide variety in the medium. Once you get caught in the story, you`ll forget the stylised animation and become immersed in the characters. This disc comes with a decent selection of extras and six episodes that will have you wanting more.