Momiji Sohma from Fruits Basket
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Tag Archives: fruits basket
Can Rewatching A Show Make You Dislike It?
I seldom rewatch shows. I usually remember what happened. Of course, there is the entertainment factor in rewatching a show. I’m actually very hesitant about this. Why?
To tell you the truth, I’m a little worried that rewatching a show will change my perception of that show… in a negative way. I am more likely to pick at its flaws the second time around. I might come to a realization that the show wasn’t as good as I remembered it to be.
Maybe I’m overthinking this. I have experienced this though. I’ll explain.
When I was in elementary school, I really liked the anime, Fruits Basket. I admired Tohru Honda and wanted to be like her.
In 2019, the anime got a remake. Technically, I didn’t “rewatch” the show because I watched the remake. However, the remake was true to the manga and it was well-done. When I watched it, I realized I didn’t really like Tohru Honda. I didn’t like that she didn’t ask for help when she wanted it. I didn’t like how she was always rescued by others.
Then, my perception of Fruits Basket changed.
So… Can rewatching a show make you dislike it? I think that it’s possible. I know it won’t happen every time, but do I really want to take that risk? I think I would rather be able to look back to a show with fond memories.
Do you rewatch shows? Has this ever happened to you?
Foolish or Not? The Most Foolish Traveler in The World
There are parallels between the story told by Momiji in Fruits Basket, The Most Foolish Traveler in The World, and Oscar Wilde’s short story, The Happy Prince.
The Most Foolish Traveler in The World: About a traveler who is tricked by a goblin and gives up his legs, his arm, more and more, and finally his eyes. The only thing left is the traveler’s head. The goblin gives the traveler a “present,” a piece of paper with the word “FOOL” on it. Because the traveler cannot see, he is so happy to receive a present for the first time.
The Happy Prince: About a statue of the late Happy Prince who learns that there are many poor people suffering. He asks a swallow to give the townspeople the ruby from his tilt, the sapphire from his eyes, and the gold leaf from his body. The swallow, who delayed his flight in order to deliver these gems, dies from the cold weather. The townspeople then think that the statue is shabby and melt it. The swallow is dead and the Happy Prince is heartbroken, but they are taken to heaven for their good deeds in the end.
It’s interesting how one story has the word “foolish” in the title while the other has the word “happy.” You could argue that both stories have a happy ending. The traveler is happy to receive a present for the first time, and the swallow and Happy Prince go to paradise.
So, was the traveler foolish? Was the Happy Prince foolish? Was the swallow foolish?
My thoughts: I think that the traveler was foolish. How long will his happiness last? What will happen after the story ends? He cannot walk, cannot see, and does not have other people to help him. The goblin won’t help him, that’s for sure. It’s good to receive presents from people, but at what cost? If one action of “kindness” from the goblin costed you everything, that kindness was conditional. It’s fake.
I think the Happy Prince statue was foolish. Even though the story has a happy ending, he begged the swallow to deliver the gems even though winter was approaching. He is responsible for the swallow’s death. The Happy Prince “died” with a broken heart. The same townspeople that he helped are the ones who melted him in the furnace. They were going to replace him with a statue of the mayor. Sure, the townspeople were unaware of the Happy Prince’s good deeds but does that really matter? If you’re only going to keep the “shabby” statue because he helped you first, I question what’s going on.
Although… I like these stories. While I think that the traveler and the Happy Prince were foolish, they are rare to come by. I would like to meet someone like the traveler some day.
What do you think?
Spring 2019 Anime Closing Thoughts
Spring 2019 Anime Impressions post here.
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1. Fruits Basket (2019)
Episodes watched: 7/?
The 2001 adaptation of Fruits Basket was one of my favourite anime in my childhood. I completed the manga several years ago, and I was so excited for this adaptation. I’ve put it on hold, but I know that I will continue it once the events go further into the deeper and “darker” sides of the story.
As a child, I looked up to Tohru. I wanted to be kind like her. Now that I am 22 years old, my opinion of Tohru has changed. This may sound harsh, but I don’t like how she pretends that everything is fine, when things are not. It feels dishonest and frankly, fake to me. I don’t like how Yuki, Kyo and her other friends constantly protect her. I think that while we can certainly count on our friends, we should be more independent. This is why I’ve put Fruits Basket on hold…
2. Kimetsu no Yaiba
Episodes watched: 12/26
I’ll be continuing this one in the Summer 2019 season. I still think that Tanjiro is an inspiring character (Read this post if you want more information). Nezuko is so adorable.
3. Carole and Tuesday
Episodes watched: 12/24
I’ll be continuing this show into the Summer season. The art took a while to get used to, but I fell in love with the music from the start. The song Carole and Tuesday picked in episode 12 moved me…
4. Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Part 2
Episodes watched: 10/10
Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 was more focused on titan action, and it was pretty intense to watch. The end of it was on learning the history and there were some interesting reveals. I really enjoyed the intense moments of this season!
5. Dororo (Continuing from last season)
Episodes watched: 13/24
I used to really enjoy Dororo, but now I’ve put it on hold. The beginning was interesting and then it became repetitive. The story-telling is good, so I will most likely go back to it one day. I hear the ending is amazing, so that’s motivating to hear.
6. The Rising of the Shield Hero (Continuing from last season)
Episodes watched: 25/25
I’ve blogged about Shield Hero and you can read my closing thoughts here.
Spring 2019 Anime Impressions
Sigh. Now that I am not on Twitter, I feel less connected with you guys. I miss you all.
Sorry that this post took a super long time to publish. I feel quite unmotivated.
1. Fruits Basket (2019)
Episodes Watched: 3
Synopsis: Tohru Honda’s father passed away when she was young and her mother passed away in a traffic accident. With no family members to take her in, she lives by herself in a tent.
Yuki and Shigure Sohma discover that Tohru is living in a tent and offer her a room in their residence in exchange for meals and cleaning. On the day she moves in, a boy named Kyo Sohma barges in the house and wants to battle Yuki. Attempting to stop the fight, she discovers the Sohma family secret. The 13 members of the family turn into a zodiac animal when hugged by the opposite sex! Yuki turns into a rat, Shigure turns into a dog and Kyo turns into a cat.
Thoughts: Fruits Basket continues to be one of my favourite shows from this season. I am excited to see what it can accomplish from where the 2001 anime left off. You can read my first episode impressions post here.
2. Kimetsu no Yaiba
Episodes Watched: 3
Synopsis: Tanjirou’s mother and siblings are murdered by the demons that lurk in the woods. The only surviving sibling is Nezuko, who has turned into a demon. Unlike other man-eating demons, Nezuko is capable of human emotions. Determined to avenge his family and turn Nezuko back into a human, Tanjirou trains to be a demon slayer.
Thoughts: The first episode was graphic, but that was it. I hope there will be more graphic scenes in the future. There was great character development in the third episode. I’m enjoying Demon Slayer a lot and I’m excited to see what it will deliver.
3. Carole & Tuesday
Episodes Watched: 1
Synopsis: Tuesday ran away from home to pursue her dream in music. She meets Carole, who also has a passion for music. They become good friends and together, they make their mark into the music industry dominated by AI in this metropolis on Mars.
Thoughts: I’m definitely going to continue this anime and the main reason is the music. I am in love with the song, Loneliest Girl (Humming version). It’s very calming. The technology in their world is pretty interesting.
4. Kono Oto Tomare! (Dropped)
Episodes Watched: 2
Synopsis: Takezou is the sole member of his high school’s koto club, as the old members have graduated. In order to keep the club, Takezou must get more students to join. Chika, a delinquent, shows up and says that he wants to join the club!
Thoughts: It’s not amazing, but it’s good. I thought the first two episodes were extremely predictable, but I appreciate the koto more now.
5. Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu (Dropped)
Episodes Watched: 1
Synopsis: Hitori Bocchi is starting middle school but does not have any friends. Her only friend is going to a different school, and she told Bocchi that she must become friends with everyone in her class. Bocchi, who feels extremely anxious when interacting with people, finds it challenging to make new friends.
Thoughts: I thought the premise was interesting, but I found this show boring. It’s cute, but I guess I’m not the target demographic for this show. I’m more drawn towards driven characters.
6. Dororo (Continuing)
Episodes Watched: 11
Synopsis: Lord Daigo watches over his land as it is wilting due to the lack of rain. He makes a deal with the demons and gives up his newborn baby – who is born without limbs, skin, sight, hearing or smell, in exchange for prosperous land. The baby is thrown away on a boat, but is saved by a man who specializes in prosthetics. The man becomes the baby’s caretaker and teaches him how to fight. He names the child Hyakkimaru.
As Hyakkimaru becomes older, it is discovered that whenever he kills a demon, a part of his body is regrown. Hyakkimaru sets off to kill the remaining demons to regain his body.
Thoughts: Dororo is my favourite ongoing series right now. I was initially hesitant about watching it because I am not a fan of Osamu Tezuka’s manga. However, this is a superb adaptation and they’ve changed the art into a modern style. The music is fantastic. I like anime with excellent storytelling and Dororo does it so well. I recommend this anime.
7. Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Part 2
Episodes Watched: 0
Synopsis: A continuation of season 3 of Attack on Titan.
Thoughts: You can bet that I’ll be watching this very soon, as the first episode was just released.
Fruits Basket (2019): First Episode Impressions
As someone who watched the Fruits Basket (2001) anime and read the manga when I was in grade five, this reboot brings me a lot of joy. Fruits Basket was easily one of my top 5 anime. The 2001 anime didn’t cover the entire story, which is why this new adaptation is so special to me. Not only does it cover the rest of the story, it also starts from the beginning. Most of the voice actors that voiced the English dub in the 2001 anime have returned to voice their respective characters in the 2019 adaptation. You can read my review on the Fruits Basket (2001) anime in this post.
Synopsis: Tohru Honda’s father passed away when she was young and her mother passed away in a traffic accident. With no family members to take her in, she lives by herself in a tent.
Yuki and Shigure Sohma discover that Tohru is living in a tent and offer her a room in their residence in exchange for meals and cleaning. On the day she moves in, a boy named Kyo Sohma barges in the house and wants to battle Yuki. Attempting to stop the fight, she discovers the Sohma family secret. The 13 members of the family turn into a zodiac animal when hugged by the opposite sex! Yuki turns into a rat, Shigure turns into a dog and Kyo turns into a cat.
Fruits Basket is a really sweet anime. The first thing that stood out to me about this reboot was the art. It’s gorgeous! Natsuki Takaya, the creator of Fruits Basket, had creative control in this anime. She is the Executive Supervisor, so you’ll know that this reboot will stay true to the original manga.
The first episode was stunning to look at and I enjoyed watching the first episode a lot. I’m so excited to watch the rest of this series!
Nostalgic Anime: Fruits Basket
As you may know, there will be a new Fruits Basket anime in 2019, which will cover the entirety of the manga. Growing up, Fruits Basket was one of my favourite anime so there’s a lot of nostalgia.
The creator, Natsuki Takaya, had some issues with the production of the series, specifically with the voice acting, character designer and animation director. I personally loved the imagery, music and voice actors so it will be interesting to see the changes in the 2019 anime. I’m excited for the new anime, but right now I’m going to write about the 2001 anime.
Synopsis: Tohru Honda is living in a tent due to unfortunate family circumstances, and she is found by her classmate Yuki Sohma and his cousin Shigure. After hearing her story, they allow her to live with them. Another person named Kyo starts living with them and Tohru learns something about the Sohmas. When hugged by the opposite sex, members of the Sohma family turn into animals of the zodiac. Yuki is the rat, Shigure is the dog, and Kyo is the cat. Tohru learns about the realities of the curse and meets the other members of the zodiac.
It is a beautiful and sweet anime, but my complaint is that the series stops so abruptly. The anime only shows around one-third of the manga and the curse is still an issue. I’ve read the manga and it becomes a little dark because there is a shocking reveal. I got a completely different feeling when I read the manga, but I enjoyed the sweetness and simplicity of the anime. Both anime and manga are good, but the non-ending in the anime is frustrating. Nonetheless, it’s wonderful in its own way and is still worth checking out.
The opening song can sort of put you to sleep, but it sounds so nice. I love the music in the anime a lot and Fruits Basket will always have a special place in my heart.
Fruits Basket Fan art
I recently did a Yuki x Tohru drawing, but I didn’t like it. I re-did it and I like this one better.
Wretched and Divine 