Spoilers for the ending of Fruits Basket !!
Summary
- Fruits Basket has a heartwarming and satisfying finale with all characters finding true happiness.
- The series reflects important shojo themes like love, self-acceptance, and friendship in a satisfying way.
- The love triangle between Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru creatively resolves without hurt feelings, showcasing unique storytelling.
For anyone looking to get into the shojo genre of anime, there is no better franchise to turn to than a 2019 reboot that went more in-depth and ran for three seasons.
Shojo is a diverse subgenre of anime that is rapidly growing more popular by the day. The subgenre was intended to appeal primarily to young girls and women, often containing romantic and fairly lighthearted plots with a female protagonist.
However, shojo's reach has expanded far beyond its initial target audience. Fruits Basket is a perfect representation of the shojo genre. With humor, lovable characters, a well-written female protagonist, and, of course, plenty of romance, the franchise embodies everything that makes shojo great. The heartwarming ending of Fruits Basket only further proves why it deserves to be called the best shojo of all time.
Fruits Basket's Ending Proves Why It Stands Out Among the Shojo Genre
The long-awaited finale of the series is truly satisfying, allowing the characters to finally achieve true joy
Fruits Basket follows a high school girl named Tohru Honda who moves in with the mysterious Sohma family and quickly discovers their stunning secret: they immediately transform into animals when hugged by the opposite gender. She quickly grows close to Kyo and Yuki, who are two of the thirteen family trapped under the Zodiac Curse. Tohru also becomes inadvertently trapped in a love triangle with Kyo and Yuki, which makes for many hilarious interactions. Fruits Basket does get serious at times, with issues such as abuse and bullying depicted throughout the series. But, in typical shojo fashion, the story concluded happily.
At the end of Fruits Basket, Tohru finally gets through to Akito, the head of the family, and convinces her to release the family from the Sohma Curse. Thankfully, the Sohmas were finally set free to live fulfilling lives without the burden of the curse. Tohru and Kyo also itted their romantic love for one another, and the neglected and bullied Cat Zodiac finally received true affection and love, for the first time in his life. The ending is not just fortunate for Tohru and Kyo, though, as in the series' final moments, everyone achieves their own form of happiness.
Creator of Massive Shoujo Series Announces New Manga
Fruits Basket author Natsuki Takaya has a new romance manga called Kakumo Chiisaki Sekai Ni Te or In Such A Small World and it's sure to be a hit.
The Finale Provides a Happy Conclusion for Every Member of the Sohma Family
The series' happy ending ties up the story perfectly and captures important shojo themes
The series concludes with beautifully touching scenes of each Sohma family member pursuing the path that will bring them fulfillment and delight. Many of the characters enter romantic relationships, pursue their dream jobs, and work on self-improvement. The protagonist, Tohru Honda, is depicted happily marrying Kyo, and the couple blissfully grows old together, even having children with one another. This sweet, romantic ending fits flawlessly into the shojo genre and feels very satisfying to watch play out. Tohru and Kyo both endured many hardships and losses, so seeing them find solace and love in each other is particularly moving.
Fruits Basket does often depict deep issues and complex topics, such as Kyo's self-hatred and guilt over past mistakes, Akito's physical and emotional abuse of Sohma family , and Tohru's grief over the loss of her mother. However, the series presents a hopeful outlook overall and the characters constantly work to better themselves and apologize for past wrongdoings if necessary. Fruits Basket's ending reflects this hope, time skipping into the future and showing the characters living joyful adult lives. After all the hardships the Sohmas went through while hiding the curse, their happy ending feels well-deserved and rewarding.
Common Shojo Tropes, Like The Love Triangle, Are Depicted Creatively
The love triangle between Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru plays out with a shocking twist
Kyo and Tohru are very much in love with one another, but thankfully, Yuki's story also received a satisfying ending, and he even found love of his own. At the end of the series, he reveals that his feelings for Tohru had never been romantic and that he saw her as more of a mother figure and close friend than a potential romantic interest. This was fantastic news, because it allowed Kyo and Tohru to date happily without any hurt feelings on Yuki's part or severed relationships within the trio. Kyo and Yuki even apologized to one another for their past feuds.
Yuki began to date a girl named Machi, whom he met in high school. By the series finale, he married her and the two built a happy family and life together. It is rare to see a love triangle work out so well for all three , as usually one party is left feeling slighted. However, Fruits Basket's creative writing and the shocking twist that Yuki never liked Tohru romantically allowed for a stress-free and cheery ending for everyone involved. Aside from just romantic relationships, Kyo and Yuki also mended their friendship and began to see each other's points of view.
Fruits Basket: Every Soma Zodiac Character & Their Animal Transformation
The Fruits Basket anime revolves around the Soma family and the 13 zodiac animals. Here's each cursed character and their transformations.
Fruits Basket's Ending Explores Other Types of Love, not Just Romantic
While the primary focus is Kyo and Tohru's romantic relationship, other relationships are portrayed too
Shojo series often focus heavily on romance, and this is a crucial aspect of Fruits Basket's story, but the ending also showcases the importance of other kinds of relationships, including friendships and family relationships. Interactions within the Sohma family are shown, such as Kyo and Yuki's mended family relationship and Akito's remorseful apology and gradual attempts to heal relationships with family she has hurt. By unpacking other kinds of relationships, not just romantic, Fruits Basket is able to stay varied and entertaining, explore a range of emotions and experiences, and appeal to a wide audience, helping it become the most popular shojo.
Fruits Basket
- Release Date
- April 6, 2019
- Directors
- Yoshihide Ibata
- Writers
- Natsuki Takaya
Cast
Laura Bailey
Eric Vale
WHERE TO WATCH
Fruits Basket (2019) is an anime adaptation following Tohru Honda, a high school girl who ends up living with the mysterious Sohma family. She discovers that twelve of the Sohma clan are cursed to transform into animals of the Chinese zodiac when embraced by the opposite sex. The series delves into the lives and challenges faced by the cursed while exploring themes of acceptance, friendship, and personal growth.
- Franchise(s)
- Fruits Basket
- Seasons
- 3
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Creator(s)
- Yûichirô Kido, Natsuki Takaya
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