Review of Fruits Basket Vol. 1

Introduction

There comes a point in most young lives when people learn the art of conversation. You see it in children most of all. Young children never converse, they state, they demand, they pronounce, but conversation is yet to be attempted. Primary schools are a litany of "I did," or "I want, or "my dad`s better than your dad". The first step to maturity usually involves asking a question, and more importantly listening to the answer. It`s when we can put ourselves in someone else`s shoes, can empathise, that we begin to form relationships. Of course, some people never reach this stage in their personal development and go on to become politicians, but Fruits Basket is firmly aimed at people who have reached that stage in their emotional growth. Of course this is no reason that the rest of us can`t enjoy it as well. The story follows Tohru Honda, a young girl who enters the ultimate dysfunctional family, and through sheer force of personality and good nature begins to heal the fractures in their relationships.

Fruits Basket has an unusual premise. The Sohma family live under a curse, a simple hug from someone of the opposite sex 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 Tohru Honda. After the death of her mother she is informally adopted by the Sohmas and she becomes their housekeeper when she inadvertently discovers their secret. This is the first volume of Fruits Basket and contains six episodes that introduce us to this magical world.

Episode 1
After her mother`s untimely death in a car accident, Tohru Honda has been living in a tent while her grandfather`s house is remodelled, and working hard to support herself through high school. She doesn`t know that she has pitched her tent on Sohma land, unstable land at that. After a landslide, cousins Yuki and Shigure Sohma offer to take the trespasser on as a housekeeper, but when Kyo shows up, Tohru gets an abrupt introduction to the Sohma curse.

Episode 2
Tohru learns of the rivalry between Kyo and Yuki first hand, but her stay with the Sohmas may be curtailed if head of the family Akito judges her to be a risk. Meanwhile Shigure has convinced Kyo to move in with them and transfer to Yuki and Tohru`s school, much to Yuki`s consternation.

Episode 3
The volatile Kyo is finding it hard to fit in at school, especially when his abrasive personality keeps surfacing. Still he tries to learn how to communicate with people, and begins with apologising to Tohru. It`s just a shame that she mistakes him for a molester. Yuki also begins to open up to Tohru, and takes her to see his secret base.

Episode 4
Kagura Sohma shows up, having heard that childhood sweetheart Kyo has returned. Considering her violent expression of passion, Kyo is understandably terrified. When Kagura thinks that Tohru is a rival for Kyo`s affections, she has a hard time convincing Kagura otherwise.

Episode 5
The work on Tohru`s grandfather`s house has been completed and it`s time for her to leave the Sohmas. After being accepted so warmly, she`s a little surprised at the casual farewells. But Yuki, Kyo and Shigure feel a little emptiness in their lives once Tohru has left.

Episode 6
Tohru`s friends Hana and Uo finally learn where she has been living the past few months, and decide that it`s up to them to make sure that Tohru`s is living in a happy environment. When they invite themselves over, it becomes even harder keeping the Sohma family secret.

Video

Fruits Basket gets a 4:3 regular transfer that is perfectly adequate. The transfer is clear and sharp, with only the mildest of artefacts around fine details, and you`ll have to look for it to notice anything. The animation is nice and clean, following the modern trend of accomplishing the cel animation completely on computer, rather than resorting to inks and paints. The character animations are simplified but stylised, and it all works in the context of the show. This is a 2-layer disc, coded for Regions 2 and 4.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 2.0 English and Japanese. The dialogue is clear for both tracks, although as usual I opted for the original language track. There are two subtitle tracks, one that reflects the English dub, and one translated from the original Japanese. On occasion the dialogue gets a little fast for the subtitles to keep up, but that`s what freeze frame was invented for. I spot checked the English dub and found it to be perfectly fine, with the actors chosen well to suit their characters. I love the music for Fruits Basket, it has a mellow gentle feel that really suits the story and the characters well.

Features

MVM do a sterling job authoring their discs, and this is no exception, boasting a jacket picture that displays when the disc isn`t spinning, multi angle credit sequences in English and Japanese, 7 character profiles and a Textless opening sequence.

In addition to the usual light features found on most anime discs, the first volume of Fruits Basket also contains a 26-minute Behind The Scenes Featurette, made to promote the series before it started airing on Japanese TV. It`s filled with interviews with the cast and crew, including director Akitaroh Daichi. You can see the animators at work, learn about the original manga, see the ADR process, as well as see some clips from the first episode. In addition you can see a brief interview with Ritsuko Okazaki who recorded the touching theme song for Fruits Basket, and who passed away in 2004 at a tragically young age.

Conclusion

It`s been a while but I finally got around to reviewing the first disc of Fruits Basket. Fruits Basket was one of the first anime that I reviewed for the site, and at the time I thought little of the disc itself and concentrated on the contents. In retrospect, and having seen several more titles, I realise that Fruits Basket represents great value for money, with each disc containing at least six episodes and running up to 170 minutes in length. On top of that, each disc contains substantial extra material to complement the series. To cap it all, the entire series of 26 episodes was released on just four discs. Astounding really, when you consider that the average anime disc will run between 75 and 100 minutes, and a 24 episode series such as Kiddy Grade is released on as many as 8 discs. Of course value for money is utterly pointless if the show isn`t entertaining, but I must admit that over time I have grown even fonder of Fruits Basket.

This first volume introduces us to the main characters, but in the context of the series, I realise that the way that it sets them out and fills in their backgrounds gives added emotional weight to rest of the series. What we learn of them certainly resonates in later episodes, making this first disc essential, despite the standalone nature of most of the episodes .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. Unashamedly optimistic, she sees the best in everyone, and it`s her hopeful and trusting nature that brings out the best in those around her. To balance this, she is filled with self-doubt, and doesn`t seem to have a perception of her own self worth. 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. Also prominent in these episodes is the elder Sohma cousin, Shigure, who provides a little emotional anchor in all the mayhem, and we also learn of the importance of Tohru`s friends Hana and Uo. However the story focuses on the central three and the other characters are gradually introduced as the series progresses.

By parts touching and funny, wittily scripted and at times sharp, 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. Fruits Basket is a sweet, gentle tale with a touch of the fantastic that is undeniably heart-warming. An animation that is simultaneously moving and entertaining is rare in my experience, and Fruits Basket is great at tugging at the heartstrings while making you laugh out loud. This first disc sets the scene for a great series that I cannot recommend highly enough.