Fruits Basket

This article is about the manga and anime franchise. For the children's game, see Fruit Basket Turnover. For the basket of fruits, see Gift basket.

Fruits Basket
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Tohru Honda
フルーツバスケット
(Furūtsu Basuketto)
Genre
Manga
Written byNatsuki Takaya
Published byHakusensha
English publisher
ImprintHana to Yume Comics
MagazineHana to Yume
DemographicShōjo
Original run18 July 1998 – 20 November 2006
Volumes23 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed byAkitaro Daichi
Written byHiguchi Tachibana
StudioStudio Deen
Licensed by
Original networkTV Tokyo
English network
Original run 5 July 2001 – 27 December 2001
Episodes26 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
Directed byYoshihide Ibata
Written byTaku Kishimoto
Music byMasaru Yokoyama
StudioTMS/8PAN
Licensed by
  • Crunchyroll
Original networkTV Tokyo, TVO, TVA, AT-X
English network
Original run 6 April 2019 – 29 June 2021
Episodes63 (List of episodes)
Manga
Fruits Basket: The Three Musketeers Arc
Written byNatsuki Takaya
Published byHakusensha
English publisher
  • NA: Yen Press
MagazineHana to Yume
DemographicShōjo
Original run20 April 2019 – 5 July 2019
Manga
Fruits Basket: The Three Musketeers Arc 2
Written byNatsuki Takaya
Published byHakusensha
English publisher
  • NA: Yen Press
MagazineHana to Yume
DemographicShōjo
Original run20 April 2020 – 5 August 2020
Anime film
Other
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Fruits Basket (Japanese: フルーツバスケット, Hepburn: Furūtsu Basuketto), sometimes abbreviated Furuba or Fruba (フルバ), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume, published by Hakusensha, from 1998 to 2006. The series' title comes from the name of a popular game played in Japanese elementary schools, which is alluded to in the series.

Fruits Basket tells the story of Tohru Honda, an orphan girl who, after meeting Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure Sohma, learns that 13 members of the Sohma family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac and are cursed to turn into their animal forms when they are weak, stressed, or when they are embraced by anyone of the opposite gender who is not possessed by a spirit of the zodiac. As the series progresses, Tohru learns of the hardships and pain faced by the afflicted members of the Sohma family, and through her own generous and loving nature, helps heal their emotional wounds. As she learns more about Yuki, Kyo, and the rest of the mysterious Sohma family, Tohru also learns more about herself and how much others care for her.

Takaya began a sequel titled Fruits Basket Another in September 2015, and the spin-off series The Three Musketeers Arc in April 2019. The original manga was first adapted into a 26-episode anime television series in 2001, produced by Studio Deen and directed by Akitaro Daichi. A second anime television series adaptation, by TMS Entertainment and directed by Yoshihide Ibata, premiered from April 2019, with its first season airing from April to September 2019, its second season airing from April to September 2020, and its third and final season airing from April to June 2021. The reboot anime series was initially a co-production of Funimation, who released the series through a partnership with Crunchyroll, although the series would later be completely moved under the latter. A compilation film titled Fruits Basket: Prelude premiered theatrically in Japan in February 2022, and was released theatrically in the United States and Canada in June 2022 and in the United Kingdom in July 2022.

By December 2018, the manga had over 30 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series, as well as one of the best-selling shōjo manga series of all time. It has been described in academic works as "a classic fan favorite in shoujo manga around the world".[6]

  1. ^ Alverson, Brigid (6 February 2017). "8 Reasons Fruits Basket Is the Most Irresistible Romantic Comedy You'll Ever Read". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  2. ^ Divers, Allen (11 March 2003). "Fruits Basket DVD 1 – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Watch Fruits Basket Sub & Dub". Funimation. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  4. ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (3 May 2019). "The Fruits Basket Reboot Does A Classic Manga Justice". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  5. ^ Loo, Egan (7 May 2007). "Fruits Basket's Final Tally in Japan: 18 Million Sold". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  6. ^ Arivett, Erika (April 2022). "Year of the Cat: Abuse, Healing, and Intergenerational Trauma in Natsuki Takaya's Fruits Basket". The Journal of Popular Culture. 55 (2): 476–497. doi:10.1111/jpcu.13123. ISSN 0022-3840. S2CID 247993065. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.