Description
“Fruits Basket (2019)” is a reboot adaption of the manga written by Natsuki Takaya. The first variation of this series was directed by Akitaro Daichi in 2001 while the manga was still being published. The story follows an orphan teenager named Tohru Honda who lives on her on in a tent on a hillside which is coincidentally the property of her classmate Yuki Sohma and his cousin Shigure. They invite Tohru to live with them, and she soon learns that the Sohma family is possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac and turn into their animal counterparts if hugged by anyone of the opposite sex.
About the Mangaka
Natsuki Takaya first debuted in the manga industry with her story “Born Free” in 1992. She has made other mangas mostly in the shoujo genre such as “Phantom Dream”,”Tsubasa: Those with Wings”, “Twinkle Stars” etc, but “Fruits Basket” is really what push her into the limelight. Natsuki actually didn’t enjoy the first version of the “Fruits Basket” manga that was made, she found that the director (Akitaro Daichi) and her had two different vision for how the story should be depicted, often getting into disagreements with him. The anime thankfully remade to be as accurate as possible to the manga and follow Natsuki’s wishes with even some of the old cast returning to reprise their old roles
Characters
Tohru Honda
Tohru Honda is the protagonist of this series, she is an only child and she attends Kaibara Municipal High School. She loves to cook and considers herself a great housekeeper, after school she works as a janitor to pay her tuition fees because she doesn’t want to seem like a burden to her relatives. Tohru is extremely kind, open minded and compassionate. She sees the good in everyone she meets and is willing to help them no matter the situation. She can be a bit stubborn when it comes to helping her friends because she tries to mask her trauma and insecurities by helping others. Overtime, Tohru slowly starts to gain confidence in herself and let herself feel worthy of the things she has in life.
Yuki Sohma
Yuki Sohma is the younger brother of Ayame Sohma and is the Rat of the Chinese Zodiac. To his classmates he is known by the nickname “Prince Charming” since Yuki is depicted as attractive, reserved and very accomplished. However, due to his abusive family and broken household, Yuki has immense self esteem issues and often feels isolated. There is a fan club at his school named after him, the “Prince Yuki Fan Club” but that makes him feel further isolated. Yuki lives with his cousins Shigure and Kyo Shoma and Tohru Honda up on the hillside. Once Yuki starts to get to know Thoru more, her kindness influences him to find the courage to stand up to his own weaknesses and eventually becomes class president and becomes more social.
Kyo Sohma
Kyo is the adopted son of Kazuma Sohma, who he was taken in by after the death of his mother. Kyo is cursed by the spirit of the Cat, who would’ve been a part of the Chinese Zodiac if the rat had not tricked him into missing the race. He lives with two cousins Yuki and Shigure Sohma and Thoru Honda on the hillside. Kyo is short tempered, stubborn and sarcastic, but he is also viewed as a charismatic and often wears his emotions on his sleeve. He doesn’t often show that side of him because of his trauma, and often tends to make insensitive remarks towards people instead. He gets into a lot of verbal altercations with people, even the ones he cares about because that the defensive mechanism he uses to hide the pain and suffering he’s been through. With Tohru’s influence she reaches to him by being paient and tries to understand him instead of using forced pity which slowly grows Kyo into a calmer, gentler and mature person.