Fruits Basket: Prelude

Before Tohru Honda ever met the Soumas, there was the story of how her parents met. At the time, Kyoko was an angry rebellious teenager, known as the Crimson Butterfly, and Katsuya, Tohru’s father, was a student teacher where her mother went to school. It is a story of understanding, love, tragedy and ultimately the important lesson that it is not whether the world needs you, it is finding the people that need you in their lives, and the difference you can make in it. Fruits Basket: Prelude is touching film, that helps finish the anime in a sweet way. The first 20 mins or so, however are recap, and while I won’t lie that it is good to rewatch those moments (I cried a few times, the show is SO GOOD!!!), I felt that it wasn’t necessarily needed, since if you’ve seen the series, you know how they play out, and it highlights that the actual story of Katsuya and Kyoko is not very substantive itself. And I will admit it does feel a bit odd to have a guy in his 20s fall in love with a girl just out of middle school, but the way that both of them care for each other, and the love that shines through with Tohru, you can tell these two truly did care very much for each other. There is also a brief scene at the end with Tohru and Kyo after they’re married, which just adds to the cuteness of their relationship. All in all, it is worth the watch, though if you prefer, you can skip the recap, and just stay for Honda’s love story. And, more than likely, it will make you want to watch Fruits Basket all over again. Which doesn’t sound bad at all.