Fruits Basket (Final)

Review Time! I have seen the final season, so time for an updated review! Tohru Honda is a rather unlucky girl. Having been orphaned and homeless, she nevertheless soldiers on in her tent in the forest. That is, until she is found by the men of the Soma household, who cordially invite her to stay with them. It isn’t long, however, that she discovers they have a secret: when hugged by someone of the opposite sex, they turn into a certain animal of the Zodiac, and it is a curse that has been going on for centuries! While she adjusts to her new life in the Soma household, she soon finds a new sense of belonging with the Somas, in particular the cousins Yuki (soft-spoken, dignified, but with a lot of repressed feelings) and Kyo (brash, short-tempered, insulting, but deeply hurt). She also finds out about the malicious nature of the family head, Akito, who sees our dear sweet Tohru as a meddlesome outsider, one to be manipulated or destroyed. But don’t worry: Tohru has more than enough strength of character to see her through, all with a smile on her face! Fruits Basket, the 2019 version, is an amazing anime, with lots of laughs, tons of emotional moments, an utterly lovable main character, an interesting look at abuse and emotional manipulation and sweet romance at the end of it. Tohru is so precious, so kind and so caring, and yet thinks very little of herself, downplaying any impact she has on the Soma family. Yet we see her, time and again, be the one that helps out this deeply troubled family, and in turn, finds a place to call her own as well. Learning about all the secrets of the Soma family is also often heartbreaking, as many of them simply want to live their lives, but are constantly thwarted by one truly evil character: Akito. Akito is an exceptional example that you don’t need to be physically intimidating in order to be abusive: all you need is a little power, some blaming shifting, a pinch of gas lighting and just enough affection, and you can wreck havoc on an entire family! And the worst of it: they are your family! While Kyo and Tohru might seem like an odd pairing at first, by the end these two are so cute together that they made my list of best couples! This was such a joy to watch: it made me laugh, it made me smile, at times it almost brought me to tears, but ultimately, I loved this show right to the last episode! But best of all: I got to see our sweet Tohru smile!