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.
Synopsis: Tanjirou’s family is massacred by a demon and his surviving sibling Nezuko is turned into a demon. In his journey to avenge his family and turn Nezuko back into a human, Tanjirou trains to become a demon slayer.
I find Tanjirou’s journey very inspiring. His training to become a demon slayer was intense – he trained for over a year, every day in dangerous conditions. He failed many times, but never gave up. He didn’t have to become a demon slayer. He could have given up but he persevered.
In the end, he passed the test and became a demon slayer. He became so OP! It was an exciting moment in the anime for both him and me as the viewer. I felt very proud and at the same time, inspired by his achievements.
Real life struggles and challenges may not pale in comparison to Tanjirou’s struggles, but the journey of working hard to achieve a goal is similar. Whether it’s obtaining good grades in school, getting accepted into your desired program, finding a good job, finding successes in blogging, or obtaining a driver’s license, these are all valid and wonderful goals.
Td;lr Tanjirou’s progress and successes in him obtaining his sword after thousands of hours of training was inspiring. I feel that I can accomplish the goals I’ve set to achieve in my own life.
I know this is a corny post, guys. I really do. But anime characters are inspiring, dammit. When people say that “it’s just a cartoon” that’s when they fail to see the impact that a “cartoon” show can have on another person’s life.
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.
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!
Wretched and Divine 