Fruits Basket: The Final

Fruit’s Basket is not only one of the best stories ever told in the medium, it also could serve as the catalyst needed for a revival of the shoujo genre.

When I was a kid, shojo dominated. Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, etc., were cultural phenomena. This really fuelled my passion for the genre/demographic tremendously. While other people my age preferred the action packed episodes of YYH and DBZ, I enjoyed the slower and more down to earth Kodomo no Omocha. In many ways, Furuba is a blast from the past, a relic of a bygone era of storytelling. The core themes and issues addressed in Furuba ... are so applicable to daily life, it almost hurts. Love, grief, letting go of the past and becoming your own person, etc. The overarching narrative spanning 60+ episodes of breaking familial bonds and moving on from trauma was so beautifully done that here at the end of that journey, I’m left in tears. For me, the mark of a true masterpiece is something that teaches me valuable life lessons. I lost my father to cancer at 15. I turned to animanga and light novels and have found many important things since then. The one thing that I still struggle with is letting go of the past. This remake arrived at the perfect time for me, and I could not be happier with the story-telling, character depth and educational aspects of this series.

It wouldn’t be a Furuba review if we didn’t talk about love. Love is at the core of Furuba’s story. Familial, platanoic and romantic. Over 3 amazing seasons, we are introduced to a variety of characters who are in one way or another dealing with some complications of love. Whether it’s an ex, parent who can’t remember their kid, abusive parents, etc. The story does an amazing job of building nuanced and realistic relationships between characters. This applies to both the romantic sort and non romantic sort. Obviously, there are some exaggerations and anime-y logic going on with some of the relationship building, but for the most part, the relationships in Furuba feel organic and realistic. The romantic ships are built up over the course of over 60 episodes and are done in such a way where you can’t have been oblivious to them forming, but they’re also not too in your face, at least until the second half of this season. In this season, it felt like everything was turned up to the max. The tension, stakes and action were amazing in Furuba Final. I would say that if you found S1 and S2 good, you’ll be blown away by the jump in quality we got this time around. Fruits Basket has always felt a little soapy, but this season felt like a straight up Mexican Telenovela. And I loved every minute of it.

There’s so many rich and well written characters in Furuba, it’s almost cheating. There’s legitimately 15-20 characters that could have “stans” They all receive their own mini arcs and grow over the course of the series, and we see the fruits(pun intended) of that development in the final season. You know you’ve done something right as an author when people have side characters as their favourite characters. Looking back on where everyone started in episode 1 back in 2019, and where they’ve ended up here in the final season is truly beautiful. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on how we, as an audience, have grown along with this cast we love so much.

Fruits Basket as a series, and by extension Fruits Basket Final, can be enjoyed by both hardcore shojo romance fans, as well as casual anime watchers. It has everything you’d look for in a conclusion to a series. A gripping climax, satisfying development and resolution for all parties, and ships sailing. Fruits Basket Final is essential viewing for any romance fan and will stand the test of time as one of the best stories the medium has ever produced.

Fruits Basket Final gets 10 out of 10.

Disclaimer: I have been a fan of the Fruits Basket series for a very, very long time. I'm rather attached to these characters and greatly enjoyed the previous two seasons. As such, I due have an inherent bias about the series which may impact this review.

Story: The way that things are handled here are extremely odd. Some parts of the plot are much too slow, while others progress far too quickly. It does some things well while failing miserably at others.

The good: Many of the other relationships aside from the main pairing are resolved and supporting characters do get a decent amount of screen ... time. I feel that Momiji's arc in particular was executed well and shows his growth as a character. Prior to this season, he was mostly a cute shota type character who had a semi tragic backstory, but this does give his character a bit more depth. Yuki also shows progression and does open up a bit more to others rather than being as distant. Other characters do show growth as well and learn to be their own selves outside of being zodiac members.

The bad: Most of the pitfalls the plot suffers from involve Kyo and Tooru's relationship as well as Akito's redemption arc in addition to her relationship with Shigure. Kyo and Tooru dance around their feelings for much of this season despite having their big moment where Tooru accepts Kyo for who(and what) he truly is. Then from episode eight onwards their relationship progresses very rapidly. I would have liked to see the change be a bit more gradual.

And then there is the matter of Akito. The main problem with how things are handled is that the show justifies Akito's behavior(abuse, maiming family members, attempted murder, etc.) by showing her abusive relationship with her mother and explaining how she developed her god complex. Here's the thing: all of that is an explanation, not an excuse. When she realizes the error of her ways, that doesn't mean that everything is suddenly alright. The fact that the other members of the zodiac choose to forgive her almost immediately after she apologizes despite being terrorized by her for years feels extremely unrealistic and rushed. Akito is far from redeemed, and the plot does not reflect that.

Finally, the dynamic of Akito's relationship with Shigure. I'm not going to sugar coat it: the way they treat each other is extremely toxic. Seeing the way this normalizes unhealthy relationships and child grooming is incredibly uncomfortable and concerning. They may get together, but I don't view that as a happy ending by any stretch of the word. Not that everyone gets a happy ending, but leaving things like this just doesn't feel right.

On a happier note, the technical aspects of the show are very well done. The art is stunning and is leaps and bounds above the original series. The characters' voices all fit them very well, with the exception of Momiji. Hearing him speak with a German accent is an odd choice, but it doesn't detract from his character.

Overall, I'm very conflicted about this season. It wasn't completely horrendous, but it does have many flaws that could have been executed much better. If you're attached to the characters and want to learn their fates, I think this will give you some closure. Just be aware that it isn't always easy to watch.

This is possibly the most overrated anime that I, personally, have ever had the misfortune of watching all the way through to the end; and absolutely the most disappointing third season I've ever watched.

Fruits Basket has always held a special place in my heart, and my wife's. She introduced me to the original 2001 anime as my first foray into the romance/slice of life genre (despite its supernatural twist), and I adored it for its simplicity and heart. That simplicity and heart are still present in the remake; but in the final season, they are taken to such extremes as to make the writing laughable. ... Of course, any complaints regarding the story may be the fault of the source material; but that is true for almost all anime, and still must be addressed.

The biggest criticism I have of this series is something that operates on multiple levels, extending well beyond a single plot point or character arc; it pervades the entire third season. The issue is that almost no character gets their just desserts -- either in the sense of a positive reward or a negative punishment for their actions. This holds true for the vast majority of the cast that has, or has desired, to take action to change their lives -- Akito, Kureno, Shigure, Haru and Rin in particular. Even at its best moments, this utter refusal to properly implement repercussions can lead to a complete lack of catharsis; at its worst, it feels like character assassination. There are three major ways in which I felt the anime simply *refused* to consider repercussions for each characters' actions, and they all affect different parts of the plot and characterization.

The first instance of this failure is in its punishments for crimes--or complete and total lack thereof. "Fruits Basket: The Final" taught me that, so long as you were feeling simultaneously anxious and entitled, you should be excused for lying, manipulation, physical and emotional abuse, sexual grooming, and no less than *five counts of attempted murder*. It posits that you can do *literally anything*, no matter how awful, to *absolutely anybody*; but so long as you did it because you felt kind of unhappy, you will be forgiven and should suffer no negative repercussions for your actions. There is absolutely no sense of responsibility, ever; no sense that "maybe you were hurting, but it was your job to make sure you didn't hurt others the same way." From start to finish, how this season treats its abusive characters is entitled, enabling, and disgusting.

The second major case of this failure revolves around character agency, or lack thereof. The prior seasons posit that multiple characters are searching for a way to break the curse -- Tohru is a given, of course; but Rin and Kyo want to as well, either for their own sakes or for those around them. Unfortunately, it seems this story--despite its expansive cast and extended runtime--doesn't want to make time for people to actually improve their own lives for the better. Right up until the end, the powerless stay powerless; and when they are finally given their freedom, it's not because any of them took action -- rather, the problem resolves itself. None of them become masters of their own fate through their own power; only by chance. In a different anime, you could argue this is poetic; "nobody can save themselves, only be saved by others". While I would find that argument problematic in its own right, it is one that could be made -- in a *different* anime. In *this* anime, completely ignoring the zodiac childrens' attempts to emancipate themselves is an utter disservice to their actions, and a lack of justice for the horrors that they suffered.

The third failure to anticipate repercussions is one I consider a more personal critique than the previous two; more influenced by my personal life experience and biases than writing standards. One key character changes so much midway through the season that I found them unrecognizable from their previous self. This is not poor writing or characterization, but a plot point -- they were repressing memories that changed who they were on fundamental level. I had been rooting for this character from the beginning, and they were one of my favorites; after this over-the-top reveal, and after their actions for the next several episodes, I found myself completely disinterested in them. They went from ranking among my top characters to ranking among my bottom ones in the space of two or three episodes. The character themselves acknowledges that their actions may have negative repercussions, and then goes about it anyway -- several times. After that, I found it impossible to respect them the same way; but the anime expects me to *not only* continue to respect them, but also to feel sorry for them and celebrate their "victories" (if they can even be called that). It's a tall order for a character that we never really get to see "step up" to their responsibilities during the duration of the anime. If they do end up growing beyond their weaknesses, it only ever happens off-screen.

In an anime that frames itself as being about abuse, and freeing yourself from it, almost nobody is given real agency except the un-abused outsider and a (former) abuser. Almost nobody frees themselves from their situation; of those who do, two of the three were entirely accidental. Multiple different abusers are given a free pass because "it's all in the past now". And the person I was rooting for all along became an absolute disappointment to me. The anime seems to believe that, so long as you're suffering -- so long as someone says to you, "poor thing" -- you are free from all responsibility, and any and all actions are excusable. Outside of a few very isolated moments, enjoyed by a very few privileged characters, Fruits Basket is never interested in the idea that you should turn your own suffering into positive action on the behalf of others; it wants you to pity those who have suffered, without expecting anything from them and without judging their utterly horrific, selfish actions. And it is utterly disappointing in its refusal to consider that, for people who have experienced severe trauma, "doing good" and making amends should mean more than simply forgiving and forgetting.