I have finished watching all 26 episodes of "Fruits Basket" {Released on DVD in 2007} and based on the Manga series by Natsuki Takaya.
I think that "Fruits Basket" is a wonderful anime. It does have certain differences from the Manga which are well outlined in the Wikipedia article on the latter. But this is common in anime adaptations of Manga. "Fruits Basket" Anime ends about a third through the entire Manga series, but does so in such a way that the viewer is very much aware that the end of a crucial stage in the development of the characters has been reached, leaving the way open for further growth. Thus, we experience a real satisfaction and catharsis at the end of Episode 26.
One major theme is the situation of the outsider in society. Tohru is presented at the opening as a complete exile, living in a tent, her only solace coming from a photograph of her dead mother. She is adopted into the Sohma household, but that family is also outside society. The members live under a curse which prevents them from having fulfilled relationships with others outside their group. Even within the family exiles and outcasts are present. The sinister Akito, pays a terrible price for being the undisputed ruler of the Sohmas. Yuki yearns for the love of a mother and normal acceptance by others. Kyo is rejected by nearly everyone in the Sohma family and thus develops an aggressive anger which only further isolates him. In school, Tohru is under the protection of the gentle Hanajima who nonetheless is feared and avoided by other girls because of her strange psychic powers.
Tohru, a young teenager, is presented as sweet, loving and sacrificial. As the anime develops, these characteristics will be constantly tested in varying ways. In one case she befriends a child who is mute owing to mockery by bullies at school. In another she must relate to a brat who has developed a nasty personality as a defence mechanism because of his Mother's rejection. {In fact, one criticism of FB is the extraordinary number of parents who reject, neglect, dislike, or simply dump their children.} Incidents like these add a remarkable strength and resilience to Tohru's character. She is no goody-goody who solves problems by being a doormat. A the end she goes through successive cauldrons of emotional crises which put her in some physical danger. Yet she must face these if she is to validate her self and the promise she made to her dead mother. Hence, we have the typical Shoujo process of moral and psychological growth and empowerment.
The final episode is so moving, so emotional, and so beautiful that it will remain long in the memory and the heart.
I think that "Fruits Basket" is a wonderful anime. It does have certain differences from the Manga which are well outlined in the Wikipedia article on the latter. But this is common in anime adaptations of Manga. "Fruits Basket" Anime ends about a third through the entire Manga series, but does so in such a way that the viewer is very much aware that the end of a crucial stage in the development of the characters has been reached, leaving the way open for further growth. Thus, we experience a real satisfaction and catharsis at the end of Episode 26.
One major theme is the situation of the outsider in society. Tohru is presented at the opening as a complete exile, living in a tent, her only solace coming from a photograph of her dead mother. She is adopted into the Sohma household, but that family is also outside society. The members live under a curse which prevents them from having fulfilled relationships with others outside their group. Even within the family exiles and outcasts are present. The sinister Akito, pays a terrible price for being the undisputed ruler of the Sohmas. Yuki yearns for the love of a mother and normal acceptance by others. Kyo is rejected by nearly everyone in the Sohma family and thus develops an aggressive anger which only further isolates him. In school, Tohru is under the protection of the gentle Hanajima who nonetheless is feared and avoided by other girls because of her strange psychic powers.
Tohru, a young teenager, is presented as sweet, loving and sacrificial. As the anime develops, these characteristics will be constantly tested in varying ways. In one case she befriends a child who is mute owing to mockery by bullies at school. In another she must relate to a brat who has developed a nasty personality as a defence mechanism because of his Mother's rejection. {In fact, one criticism of FB is the extraordinary number of parents who reject, neglect, dislike, or simply dump their children.} Incidents like these add a remarkable strength and resilience to Tohru's character. She is no goody-goody who solves problems by being a doormat. A the end she goes through successive cauldrons of emotional crises which put her in some physical danger. Yet she must face these if she is to validate her self and the promise she made to her dead mother. Hence, we have the typical Shoujo process of moral and psychological growth and empowerment.
The final episode is so moving, so emotional, and so beautiful that it will remain long in the memory and the heart.