Fruits Basket | |||
---|---|---|---|
Cover of the English release of Fruits Basket volume 1 |
|||
フルーツバスケット (Furūtsu Basuketto) |
|||
Genre | Drama, Fantasy, Romance | ||
Manga | |||
Author | Natsuki Takaya | ||
Publisher | ![]() |
||
English publisher | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||
|
|||
Demographic | Shōjo | ||
Magazine | ![]() Shōjo Stars |
||
Original run | January 1999 – November 2006 | ||
Volumes | 23 | ||
TV anime | |||
Director | Akitaro Daichi | ||
Studio | Studio Deen | ||
Licensor | ![]() ![]() |
||
Network | ![]() |
||
English network | ![]() |
||
|
|||
Original run | 5 July 2001 – 27 December 2001 | ||
Episodes | 26 | ||
Anime and Manga Portal |
Fruits Basket (フルーツバスケット Furūtsu Basuketto?), sometimes abbreviated Furuba (フルバ?), is a Japanese manga series by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese magazine Hana to Yume, published by Hakusensha, from 1999 to 2006. The series was also adapted into a 26-episode anime series, directed by Akitaro Daichi. The series tells the story of Tohru Honda, an orphan girl who, after meeting Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure Sohma, learns that thirteen members of the Sohma family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac and are cursed to turn into their animal forms if they embrace anyone of the opposite sex.
The word "Fruits" in the title is always plural; the spelling originates from the transcription of the English word "fruit" into Japanese, where because there is no "tu" sound, "tsu" is used instead. The title comes from the name of a popular game played in Japanese elementary schools, which is alluded to in the series.
The name spellings used in this article correspond to those given in the official Region 1 DVD and English manga releases. Romanization style names are given in Western order, with the family name last.
Contents |
Fruits Basket follows the life of high-school student Tohru Honda, who was recently orphaned when her mother, Kyoko Honda, died in a car accident. After that, Tohru lived with her grandfather, but when his house needs remodeling, Tohru resorts to living in a tent in a forest and holds down a job to support herself. Despite suffering many hardships, Tohru remains optimistic.
One day, Tohru comes upon a house in the forest that is the home of her classmate Yuki Sohma and his cousin Shigure Sohma. When the Sohmas discover that Tohru is living in a tent, they are quite surprised by her inner strength. The entire area is Sohma property, and Tohru asks to be allowed to stay in her tent (affectionately dubbed "her castle"). Feeling sorry for her and desperate to end their bachelor days of filthy living conditions, the Sohmas offer her their spare room in exchange for cooking and housework. After a landslide buries her tent, including her mother's picture and school clothes, she has no option but to accept. Soon after she moves in, Kyo Sohma comes to challenge Yuki.
Tohru soon discovers the Sohma family's secret, and the reason why Yuki is so private and secretive at school: thirteen members of the family are possessed by the 12 animal spirits of the Chinese Zodiac (jyūnishi in Japanese) plus the spirit of the cat who was, according to legend, left out of the Zodiac. They transform into animals when hugged by the opposite sex or when put under a great deal of emotional or physical stress (such as being sick). When she promises to keep their secret, the Sohmas allow Tohru to keep her memories rather than hypnotically erasing them, a fate that had previously befallen anyone not "Inside" the Sohma family who had discovered the secret.
The story follows the lives of Tohru and the Sohma family, as they deal with each other and a society where neither quite fits in, as well as the feared Akito Sohma, head of the Sohma family. Soon, after living with the Sohma family she began to like, then love, all of the Sohmas, and sets out to break the zodiac curse.
In many places, the anime episodes are very similar to the corresponding manga chapters.[1] However, the anime does make some changes to the story. Several events are combined, and some events, such as Tohru's first meeting with Momiji and all references to Tohru's baseball hat, never happen in the anime at all. The anime series also added more instances of Sohma members being accidentally transformed by Tohru. For example, in episode six when Tohru's friends Hanajima and Uotani visit the Sohma house, the anime has a lengthy series of accidental transformations,[2] while in the manga, no transformations occurred during their visit.[3] Much of the events surrounding the revealing of Kyo's true form are greatly changed in the anime, including adding an extended chase sequence, Tohru meeting Akito in the woods, her meeting with Hanajima and Uotani at her mother's grave, and Yuki having also chased after Kyo,[4] none of which happen in the manga.[5]
While the anime keeps most of the characters exactly the same as in the manga series, it does make some changes. In the manga, Momiji is half-German and half-Japanese and regularly speaks German, particularly when he first meets Tohru, while in the anime his bi-racial status is never mentioned and no German is spoken.[6] Shigure's darker tones are toned down in the anime, with many remarks he makes in the manga that hint at a hidden agenda are left out, along with most of his early scenes with Akito.[6] In the anime, Akito is biologically male and will die at a young age because of the curse,[7] while in the manga, Akito is biologically female but brought up as male.[8]
The title of the series is taken from a children's game, Fruits Basket (フルーツバスケット fu-ru-u-tsu-ba-su-ke-t-to?, where the 'tsu' represents the 't' in "fruit", making it plural in an incorrect way), in which the participants sit in a circle, and the leader of the game names each person after a type of fruit; when the name of a child's fruit is called, that child gets up and has to find a new seat. When the protagonist, Tohru Honda first plays this game in kindergarten, she is assigned "Onigiri" (rice ball), by her cruel classmates, but she does not mind because she thinks onigiri are delicious. Once the game is finished, and all of the children but Tohru are called, Tohru realizes that onigiri are not a type of fruit at all, and she realizes that she does not belong. Tohru comes to associate this game with the Sohma family, and that she does not fit in among them any more than an onigiri does in a basket of fruit. In volume 1 of the manga, after Yuki and Kyo bring Tohru home from her grandfather's house, she begins to feel like she belongs with the Sohma family. After this, she imagines herself as a child hearing "Onigiri" called in the game, symbolizing that she has finally found her place.[41]
Natsuki Takaya named most of the twelve Sohmas cursed by zodiac animals after an archaic names of month in the former Japanese lunisolar calendar that corresponds to their zodiac animal.[42] The exceptions are Kureno and Momiji, whose names were swapped by mistake;[43] Kyo, who as the cat is not part of the official zodiac; and Yuki.[44]
The Fruits Basket manga series is one of the top manga series in both Japan and in the US. More than 18 million copies have been sold in Japan making it the second best selling shōjo manga series in Japan.[45] It is Tokyopop's best selling manga series, with more than 2 million copies sold as of 2006.[46][47] The fifteenth volume of the English release rose to the 15th position on the USA Today Top 150 Bestselling Books, which is the highest position ever achieved by a volume of manga in the United States.[45] The eighteenth volume debuted at the top of the Nielsen BookScan sales list, while the nineteenth volume was the second bestselling graphic novel in March 2008.[48][49] Despite a slow manga market, Fruits Basket remained the second highest overall selling manga series among the Bookscan companies in 2007.[50]
Critics have praised the overall story in Fruits Basket as being intellectual, with even the relatively light-hearted first volume giving hints at something darker in the background that makes the reader "question everything that happens."[51] Some felt the series was getting close to overloading readers with angst in later volumes, and questioned the credulity of the sheer number of bad parents in the series. As one reviewer noted: "in the world of Fruits Basket, good parents are as common as penguins in the Sahara—every single one is either neglectful, smothering, unfeeling, abusive, misguided, or dead."[52] Takaya manages to balance the series' comedic elements with the more dramatic and heartbreaking moments, making it a captivating and engaging story.[53]
As this title progresses the fact that this title was one of the more popular series in Japan becomes clear. The characters get a lot of love. You get to experience them when things are good, as well as when they are struggling. The pacing is perfect. There is a good mix of comedy, fun filler, drama and action (something for everyone). In addition Fruits Basket is easy to relate to. With all the different personalities and the different signs of the zodiac, there is always someone to associate with. There are few titles that can do all that well, Fruits Basket puts all of these aspects together and makes a tasty treat...
—Eduardo M. Chavez, AnimeOnDVD.com[54]
Takaya's artwork is considered to be more than artistically appealing, with Takaya's skills in detailed art, shadowing, and shading allowing her to convey the character's moods and emotions without the character having any dialog at all.[52]
The real strength of Natsuki Takaya's artwork isn't that that it looks good—though it definitely does, from its beautiful characters to the intricately rendered textures of their clothing—but how well it communicates mood and emotions. Not content to rely on facial expressions, though she does them well, Takaya is particularly apt at using shading and shadows to indicate character's mental states... The details of character's emotions—the disparity between Tohru's private emotions and her public front, the punishing intensity of Kyo's feelings for Tohru—are not only discernable but tangible, all without a word being spoken.
—Carl Kimlinger, Anime News Network[52]
The Fruits Basket anime adaptation has also been well received, ranking third in Anihabara's list of top televised anime series in Japan for February 2002.[55] In the June 2002 issue of Animage magazine, the series was first in a list of the best twenty anime series in Japan.[56] In 2006, five years after the series finished airing in Japan, it was 93rd in TV Asahi's list of Japan's 100 favorite animated TV series.[57]
Though it only covers part of the manga, critics felt the ending brought the story to a good stopping point while making it clear that there was much left for the Sohma and Tohru to deal with, including the curse and Tohru's future choice between Kyo and Yuki.[58][59] Though some felt the plot was lacking in development, they also praised the series for the strength of its character relationships.[59]
The entire series of Fruits Basket proves to be a true emotional roller coaster, hiding truly deep and heartfelt drama behind a candy coating of fun and humor. Deep down, it explores many aspects of emotion as the various characters search for their place in the world, gaining strength from each other.
—Allen Divers, Anime New Network[58]
In April 2005 Funimation Entertainment started a project calling for convention attendees to help them fold 1000 origami paper cranes. In Japanese folklore, folding 1000 paper cranes would grant someone a wish. When they had at least 1000 cranes, Funimation sent the cranes and pictures of the events to Studio Deen and Hakusensha to try to convince the company to produce a second season of the Fruits Basket anime.[60] Fans successfully folded the minimal of 1000 cranes by the end of the 2005 convention season, however at this time, there is still no sign that a second season of the anime series will be forthcoming.[61]
The Fruits Basket manga received the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award in the shōjo manga category[46] and the "Best Manga" award at the 2007 American Anime Awards.[62]
In 2001, the Fruits Basket anime won a Animage Anime Grand Prix award.
The 136 chapters of Fruits Basket were originally serialized in Japan by Hakusensha in Hana to Yume from January 1999 to November 2006. These were collected in 23 tankōbon volumes, with the final volume published in Japan on March 19, 2007.[45]
The series is licensed in English in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop[63] and in Singapore by Chuang Yi.[64] The Singapore edition is licensed to be imported to Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment.[65] As of November 2008, 21 volumes have been released in North America and all 23 in Singapore. In addition, Tokyopop released a box set containing the first four volumes in October 2007,[66] and started re-releasing earlier volumes in "Ultimate Editions" combining two sequential volumes in a single larger hard-cover volume with new cover art. The first Ultimate Edition release met with mixed reviews, however, because they exactly reproduce the first two volumes without correcting changed page numbers or prior errors.[67] As of June 2008, three Ultimate Editions have been released, covering the first six volumes of the series.[66]
Chuang Yi also publishes in Singapore a Simplified Chinese edition as well as English. In Europe, Fruits Basket is licensed in French by Delcourt, in Spanish by Norma Editorial, in Italian by Dynit, in Dutch by Glénat, in German and Swedish by Carlsen Comics, in Finnish by Sangatsu Manga, and in Polish by Japonica Polonica Fantastica. In Latin America, Editorial Vid has released the complete series in Mexico in Spanish, and Editora JBC began releasing a Portuguese translation in Brazil in April 2005.[66]
Directed by Akitaro Daichi, the twenty-six episode Fruits Basket anime series was animated and produced by Studio DEEN. It premiered on TV Tokyo on July 5, 2001, with the final episode airing on December 27, 2001. The series aired in France on France 4 and in Spain on Buzz Channel. FUNimation aired the series, in dubbed English, on their anime television channel as well as on Colours TV.[68]
The series was released in Japan in nine individual DVD volumes by King Records, with each volume containing three episodes except for the first volume, which contained two.[69] The first volume was released on September 29, 2001, with subsequent volumes released on a monthly basis until the final volume was released on May 22, 2002. A series box set was released on April 25, 2007, containing all twenty-six episodes, as well a message card from Natsuki Takaya, a 60-page deluxe booklet, and a bonus Fruits Basket CD soundtrack.[70]
The series is licensed for Region 1 DVD release by FUNimation Entertainment, which released it in the form of four individual volumes containing 6-7 episodes and a complete series box set. On November 20, 2007, FUNimation re-released the series as part of their lower priced Viridian line, with the new release containing the complete series in a thin-packed box set.[71] In the United Kingom, FUNimation originally distributed the series through MVM Entertainment, but then changed distributors in November 2006 to Revelation Films.[72] Revelation re-released the four individual volumes under their label. They also released the series box set on January 22, 2007.[73] In Region 4, the series was released as a complete series box set by Madman Entertainment on October 15, 2003.[74]
In 1999 the magazine Hana to Yume released a special Fruits Basket drama CD which had a four chapter original story and short talk sections between each section. Released before the anime came out, this CD had a completely different seiyū cast. The CD was a promotional item with a limited run and is now unavailable.[75]
Natsuki Takaya has created one art book and two fan books for Fruits Basket. The art book, containing 101 pages of illustrations, was published by Hakusensha on April 16, 2004.[76] The first fan book, Fruits Basket Fan Book - Cat (フルーツバスケットファンブック〈猫〉 Furūtsu Basuketto Fan Bukku (Neko)?), which contained 192 pages of story summaries, character biographies, and activities, was published in Japan on May 19, 2005.[77] Tokyopop released it in English on September 11, 2007.[78] The second fan book, Fruits Basket Fan Book - Banquet (フルーツバスケットファンブック/宴 Furūtsu Basuketto Fan Bukku /En?), was published in Japan on March 19, 2007 and contained 187 pages.[79]
Fruits Basket has also resulted in the creation of a variety of merchandise, including plushies of the various zodiac animals, wall calendars, clothing items, key chains, wall scrolls, buttons, figurines, and school supplies. A collectible card game based on the series was also created and published by Score Entertainment which can be used for playing Dai Hin Min as well as other games.[80]
In 2008, the all-male theatrical troupe Gekidan Studio Life announced it would be producing a theatrical adaptation of Fruits Basket, using only performers who would be making their stage debuts. The production is expected to run for two weeks at the Galaxy Theater in Tokyo starting February 25, 2009.[81]
Manga
Anime
|