Fruits Basket - Season 1

For all of you who were not completely satisfied with the older version from 2001, and were bitching about it (especially the ending) deviating from the original manga series in certain parts (which had not been finished at the time, and the anime’s creators had simply taken it in their own direction), here comes the second attempt! Come and see that life does not have to be like a box of chocolates, and it may be more accurate to say that life is like a basket of fruits. You never know what you are going to get, every fruit has its own origin and history, it could be sweet, or unripe, or even rotten, and so a basket of fruits is filled with a lot of surprises, just like life itself, sometimes good, sometimes bad... This time it is really well done, which made me downgrade the rating of the original anime series because this new version is objectively better! I am not going to say it looks better, each adaptation has its own art style, and usually, the older anime series had more attention to detail. However, I dare to say that this adaptation is better paced, has a better atmosphere, and a better overall feel. The ending of the first season especially adapts basically the same part of the original version, is much more poignant, and makes more sense - in other words, yes, this is how it should have been. Of course, the manga artist had already finished writing the rest of it, so the new anime series could be nicely divided into at least two seasons and adapted in a better way, so they have it much easier than the animation studio in 2001 and I found it more enjoyable. It really is quite enjoyable, because the narratives are not monochromatic, they are intricate and complex, just as life itself is. Yes, OK, so sometimes some things are exaggerated, excessive, and unrealistic, although it does not happen much, or spoil the realism of the anime series in general. I like the characters in the show, some of them seem uncomplicated at first glance although they have complicated pasts, so they are not really what they seem to be, others seem innocent even though in the end they are the biggest manipulators (Shigure) and then there is Tohru. I know a lot of people were bitching about this incredibly naive girl back in 2001 even though I just adored her. She is like Forrest Gump (simple, and most of her wisdom comes from her mom!) crossed with a naive, clumsy puppy, who does not give up, says what she thinks, and can actually be a real help to everyone around her. Believe me, if you had someone like Tohru around, you would be just as happy as the main protagonists in this show. Like Tohru, I like the two main protagonists, they are interesting characters, and they are certainly glamorous bishis (it is adapted from a shoujo manga series after all), however, they have charisma and are mysterious - they are just the kind of gentlemen that even someone like me would find interesting. I also enjoyed most of the supporting characters too, whether from the Sohma family or just Tohru's friend. In addition, the soundtrack is full of wonderful music... Anyway, enough already, I do not think I need to say any more, it is clear that I was really excited about and very entertained by the new adaptation of "Fruits Basket" (I also found the original adaptation entertaining) and that is why after the first season I am going to award it 9/10, and I am going to be eagerly awaiting for the adaptation of the other parts of the original manga series that we have not seen yet… (07/04/2020) (moins) (plus)