Fruits Basket (2019 version)

Fruits Basket is about Tohru Honda, a girl who ends up staying with three members of the Sohma clan (most of the clan aren’t related) after they find her homeless and living in a tent.  Tohru finds out that thirteen of the Sohmas are part of the Zodiac curse, meaning that every time they hug someone that’s not their gender (like a boy hugging a girl) they transform into the Zodiac animals; but the Zodiac curse is not as cute as it looks.  The Sohmas have suffered for who they are, some of them even being rejected by their own parents.  The two Sohmas the anime mostly focuses on are the quiet, soft-spoken Yuki and the temperamental, mysterious Kyo.  This show, which was my very first anime, is a remake of the original Fruits Basket anime (which only lasted a season), and both anime are based off of the Fruits Basket manga.  Fruits Basket was a beautiful ride from beginning to end!  The character/character development was amazing and I loved getting to see Tohru and the Sohmas evolve over time.  The animation is gorgeous, the music is wonderful and the writing/themes are pretty great too.  A couple of my favorite characters are Hatsuharu (so underrated!), Kyo, Hattori, Kisa and Hanajima (I see a bit of myself in each of them!).  I liked Yuki at the beginning of the show but for some reason liked him less as the show went on; and don’t even get me started on the very frustrating Shigure.  But the best part about the show is the theme of the characters’ trauma and how they address it.  Nearly all of the characters have been traumatized in some way.  Several of them have been abandoned by their own parents, others have grown up being bullied for being different and hating themselves for being different and for having the curse; and while the characters vary in personality (some being loveable right away, others taking some time to warm up to), some of the ones who seem mean at first actually have a lot of inner turmoil going on which makes them lash out at others.  Seeing these characters face their trauma and make peace with it is very powerful to see.  There are also so many great lines in this show that it makes me want to quote the entire show.  Of course, some of the mental health themes may be triggering for some people; so, if you struggle with mental health challenges, I would caution you to research the show before watching it.  Overall, Fruits Basket is a beautiful, gorgeous, light/dark and well-written anime, and I’d definitely recommend this as a first anime for people to watch!