Fruits Basket: The Final

Many Shoujo Anime features a compelling romance to draw viewers to them. Not all of them hit the nail on the head, but when it makes contact, it's difficult to withdraw your heart from it. In this regard, stories that originated a decade or two ago seem to hold a special place in fans’ memories. Old is gold, and when they get remade as new Anime, veterans rejoice and hope for the best for their favorite titles.

“Fruits Basket: The Final,” also known as “Fruits Basket 3rd Season”, “Fruits Basket (2019) 3rd Season”, “Fruits Basket: The Final Season” or simply “Furuba,” is a 13 episode TV Anime series that aired from the 6th of April until the 29th of June, in Spring 2021.

It was produced by TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, Nihon Ad Systems, Hakusensha, Avex Pictures, and TMS Music, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studio TMS Entertainment. The primary staff includes Ibata Yoshihide as Director, WARPs UP on Theme Song Performance, Aketagawa Jin as Sound Director, and GENIC also on Theme Song Performance. It featured all the genres of Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, and Supernatural, and was targeted at the Shoujo demographic. The show received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older.

The Fruits Basket Manga ran for 23 Volumes from the 18th of July 1998 until the 20th of November 2006. The main theme was School, spawned from the genius of Author and Artist Takaya Natsuki and was serialized in Hana to Yume. In recognition of its brilliance, the series received the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award within the Shoujo Manga category and even the "Best Manga" Award at the 2007 American Anime Awards. Additionally, Tokyopop published it in English from February 2004 until July 2009.

The prequel series was “Fruits Basket (2019) 2nd Season”, a 25 episode TV Anime series from Spring 2020. The Final season of Fruits Basket is also adapted from the source Manga of the same title. A movie which will serve as an omnibus to the 2019 three-season Anime series, titled “Fruits Basket: Prelude” (“Kyouko to Katsuya no Monogatari” or “The Story of Kyoko and Katsuya”) by the original creator that takes place before and after the TV series is set to release in February 2022.

The Story began hundreds of years ago when the original Chinese Zodiac spirits and their lone God swore to always stay together for all of eternity. United by this one fateful promise, all the possessed family members of the Souma lineage would always return to each other’s side, no matter the circumstances.

By the time the series protagonist entered the fray, these destined bonds had already started to shackle the Soumas from their freedom, evolving into an undesirable and heavy burden—an actual curse. The clan head and current “God,” Akito Souma, is thoroughly convinced that he shares a special connection with the other Zodiacs. While he blindly and desperately clings to this fantasy, the rest of the family remains isolated, trapped, emotionally burdened, and suppressed by fear of punishment.

Tooru Honda had already grown attached to the Soumas by this season and is determined to break the very chains that bind them. Her strengthened companionship with the Soumas and her friends encourages her to keep moving forward to lift the curse of the Zodiacs. Her path is not easy, as confounding revelations leave her struggling to find the needed tenacity to continue her endeavors. While time slowly withers away around her, she contends with an ever uncertain future, all in hopes of someday reaching the tranquility that lies beyond all the mayhem and commotion.

Fruits Basket is one of the best Shoujo series to be spawned, serving as a much-needed addition for the revival of the Shoujo demographic in present times. A few decades back, Shoujo Anime and Manga dominated the realm, becoming no less than cultural phenomena. This genre offers more slow and down-to-earth tales of life, especially for viewers seeking a break from the fast-paced Action and Adventure.

Furuba is an irreplaceable artifact of a bygone era of storytelling. The core themes and problems addressed are ever so applicable to real life, so much so that it hurts. Viewers see the characters experience love, romance, grief, loss, letting go of their painful pasts, and simply learning to be themselves. The overarching narrative about breaking past familial bonds and moving on from trauma is so magnificently done that it leaves audiences in tears. The true beauty lies in the many valuable life lessons it bestows. In earnest, the story-telling, character depths, calming visuals, soothing audio, and moral values of this series are superb and not to be missed.

The Characters of Furuba deal with love in some form, which is the story’s core: familial, platonic, or romantic. Throughout the series, viewers are introduced to a vibrant cast of characters dealing with the complications of love in one way or another. Troubling ex relationships, parents who can’t even remember their child, abusive parents, etc. All of them build up practical and realistic relationships between each other and aid in their growth, romantically and non romantically. Granted, a few exaggerations and Anime tropes are coming into play for relationship building, but they are primarily organic and realistic.

The romances build up slowly and steadily throughout the series and are executed in a way that seems so natural and not difficult to miss. They are not “in-your-face” either. The final season simply takes every aspect to its absolute peaks; the tension, stakes, and action are nothing short of amazing. Any viewer who enjoyed the prequels would feel blown away by the sudden increase in quality.

Overall, all the characters are so rich and well written. Each of them possesses their own character arcs, shows significant growth progressively, and reap the fullest of their development. Even the support characters are so beloved. Viewers grow with the cast and ultimately come to love them so much.

The Art and Animation of Furuba aren't really groundbreaking, except for maybe some of the most critical scenes. The strength lies in the coloring and special effects, though. So many locations are done so beautifully because of the fantastic colors and lighting, especially in pivotal moments. The special effects come into play during the dramatic shape-shifting scenes, which aren’t really that abundant. Overall, the Art is nostalgic, soothingly colored, and finely lined. The Animation is pretty fluid, too, leaving little room for complaints.

The Sounds and Music of Furuba are praiseworthy. The Opening theme is “Pleasure" by WARPs UP, and the Ending theme is "Haru Urara” by GENIC, both of which are nice and fitting. The sound quality is top-notch, with no hitches whatsoever. The Voice Acting is incredible. All the characters are portrayed perfectly with full-fledged emotions and leave nothing desired. The OSTs are lovable, fitting, and enhancing each scene to another level.

Fruits Basket: The Final can be easily enjoyed by hardcore Shoujo romance fans and casual Anime fans alike. It is a perfect and satisfying conclusion to an immortal series, something rarely seen in Anime. You are assured a gripping climax, enjoyable developments, realistic resolutions for all parties, and beloved romances blooming.

This series is a must-watch for all Romance genre fans and will surely stand the test of time as one of the best Shoujo series to ever have graced us with its presence! Fruits Basket: The Final is highly recommended, whether or not you’re a fan of the Genres, Themes, or Demographic.