Fruits Basket: Embracing a Curse

Not everyone lives with a curse in their life. Especially a deep dark secret that isolates from normal people because normal people aren't cursed anyway.

But some people are deeply cursed--like the Sohma clan.

Juunishi Chu with Tohru on a horse

In this unique and rare anime involving thirteen animals signs or juunishi from the Chinese zodiacs, meet the members of the clan who's not only singly cursed with animal transformation but thirteen members unwillingly inflicted with the zodiac curse.

Though animal transformation only happens when a normal human being embraces a member of the Sohma. Not everyone is permitted to know the secret. It should never be divulged.

Until the heroine of the story, Tohru lived with the Sohma family.

Kyoko Honda, Tohru's mom

Tohru Honda is an orphan high schooler who lived in a tent after losing her mother in a car accident. To keep her mother alive in her memory, she kept a picture of her and talked to her mom like she was still around. One day she walked around the area where her tent was built and found a house nearby where her classmate crush, Yuki Sohma lived with his older cousin, Shigure. The family adopted her into the house when her tent got buried from a landslide.

Tohru in her tent found by Shigure and Yuki

Enter the hot headed rebellious enemy of Yuki, his cousin Kyo. The two has long standing rivalry rooted since their childhood. The two always bickered whenever they were at each other's presence. 

All was well for Tohru who cooked and did other housekeeping works in the house when she accidentally hugged Shigure, Yuki and also Kyo. And--poof!

Tohru with the transformed zodiac animals--
Shigure, the dog, Yuki, the mouse and Kyo, the cat

The three male disappeared in their clothes and were replaced by three kinds of animals. A dog, a mouse and a cat.

That's when the secret was out. The Sohma family members that Tohru was living with were cursed with the Chinese animal zodiacs.

Normally, anyone who caught on with the secret gets their memory erased, but Tohru was given special consideration upon knowing the dark secret of the family. She was still allowed to live with them and living with the Sohma's made her belong to a family. She met more family members cursed with the zodiac signs.

And Akito. The dark and cruel head member of the Sohma clan who has left Yuki an ugly scar as a child. Can Tohru change Akito? Will she always accept everything about the Sohma curse?

The Sohma Clan with Tohru in their respective zodiac signs

Fruits Basket is adapted from the manga of the same title created by Natsuki Takaya. It is composed of twenty-six episode directed by Akitaro Daichi and animated and produced by Studio Deen.

Tohru with highschool friends, Arisa and Saki,
and members of the Sohma Family

It is wonderful anime to watch and to repeat watching due to the fact that it carries quite a lovely and simply unique theme deepened by the emotional depth of the story. It can be tear-jerking while funny at the same time. It's no ordinary romance dramedy that audience will lose interest in. Because of its totally different plot setting, it was able to capture the hearts of its audience gaining solid fans in the way. No wonder it's a bookseller masterpiece made by Miss Takaya. 

The opening song, "Let's Stay Together"  is a short paced melancholic lyric that flows with sweetness and sadness that is felt in the story while the ending theme, "A Small Prayer" also carries the same melancholic element but is more playful while evoking tenderness to the sound of the violin. Both music were sung by Ritsuko Okazaki.

Tohru with Yuki and Kyo

The voice actress of Tohru (Yui Horie) captured the heart of a gentle-hearted girl though she is portrayed as a naive almost foolish girl who can still smile in drastic situations. Yuki (Aya Hisakawa) has a girlish voice who speaks with much refinement. Kyo (Tomokazu Seki) is a rascal who honestly speaks his mind. Shigure (Ryotaru Okiayu) has a carefree personality who loves to pull prank on his editor and members of his family. He is the most playful character being a novelist. Momiji's voice (Ayaka Saitou) is the cutest voice among them. He speaks in a husky gentle way that explodes with cuteness.

Watch Fruits Basket and love and belong in a family concealed by a dark curse and embraced each character as they are. It will be a surprise. You won't change into an animal as they are. You will be spellbound.