Hailed as one of the most popular shoujo series to date, Fruits Basket follows the Sohmas, a family living under a curse that makes certain members transform into animals of the zodiac. When Tohru Honda befriends Yuki and Kyo, the boys' lives are transformed as she helps them discover their self-worth.
The story was adapted into an anime in 2001, but many elements of the original manga were changed, and the story was never completed after only one season was produced. In 2019, a new reboot of the show emerged, with the promise of following the manga's storyline as closely as possible. Season one has succeeded in achieving this goal on many different levels. Still, some elements of the new show don't line up directly with the manga. Here are five similarities and five differences between the manga and the 2019 anime that fans with a watchful eye might have noticed.
10 Different: Art Style
At first glance, the most noticeable difference between the Fruits Basket anime and manga is the way that the characters are drawn. In particular, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo all have smaller eyes in the anime than in the manga. This makes the characters look more mature, which suits the tone that the rebooted show is exploring.
There are also some color differences, such as Tohru's navy blue school uniform being white in the anime. Finally, the backgrounds of the 2019 anime are much more solidly defined and detailed as opposed to the manga's common use of blank backdrops that made the setting feel less defined.
9 Same: Rivalry Between Yuki and Kyo
Yuki and Kyo still go head to head in the 2019 anime just as they did in the manga. Their first fight in front of Tohru shows the tension between these two characters as they begin their combat seemingly out of the blue, leaving Tohru startled and Shigure's home wrecked.
Later, both the anime and manga establish where their rivalry comes from. It stems from their interactions as animals of the zodiac, where the rat (Yuki) tricked the cat (Kyo) into missing the banquet that would allow the cat to become one of the zodiac animals.
8 Different: The Very First Scene
While the Fruits Basket manga opens with Tohru finding Shigure's house in the woods, the anime decided to create an even earlier scene involving the animals of the zodiac. In this short sequence, viewers see the 12 zodiac animals sitting around a glowing circle. In the center of the circle, a white-haired figure holds a cat, who sheds a single tear.
The voice speaking in this scene describes it as the "original memory, forgotten by everyone." The ambiguous, mystical feel of this scene creates a depth of mystery and a more serious tone that sets the viewer up for what is in store later on in the show.
7 Same: Tohru's Best Friends
Just like the manga, Tohru's two friends, Arisa and Hana, still stand out as two of the best friends an anime protagonist could have. Not only do they deeply care about and want what's best for Tohru, but both the manga and anime do an excellent job of giving their character backstories.
While every main character of Fruits Basket is well developed, it's refreshing to see such care given to establishing minor characters of a shoujo story. This makes ex-gang member Arisa and psychic Hana even more lovable and shows that the world of Fruits Basket is one where everybody is driven and shaped by their own life influences.
6 Different: Akito's Introduction
In the manga, Tohru first sees Akito as the antagonist is leaning out a window of a building on the Sohma estate. The 2019 reboot changes this first glimpse, however. While at school, Tohru sees a black car with the window rolled down, and she makes eye contact with Akito as the car passes by. Manga readers will also notice the figure of another man sitting in the car. This character will be important later in the story, and showing a glimpse of him here gives him an early appearance that does not occur in the manga.
5 Same: Emotional Storyline
One of the major critiques of the 2001 anime was that it focused too heavily on portraying the story as a comedy by cutting down on the emotional drama. Because the new reboot promises to cover the entire manga, the show will feature many more moving scenes than its 2001 predecessor.
Already, fans can see the serious tone of the show following in the footsteps of the manga. From Momiji's tragic backstory involving his mother to Yuki's psychological trauma brought on by Akito, the dark edge in the first season of the new Fruits Basket sets the tone well for what manga fans know is in store later.
4 Different: Nakoto's Introduction
In the manga, Yuki's fan club of adoring female students is first introduced without their leader, Nakoto, who appears later on in the story. The anime decided to introduce Nakoto right away, however, as she and her gang question Tohru about her interactions with their silver-haired prince.
Nakoto is also more active in other moments of the 2019 anime than she was in the manga. The original source has a random student suggest that Yuki should wear a dress to attract customers during the culture festival. Consequently, in the new show, Nakoto steps up to make this suggestion. These changes make sense for the plot of the story, as Nakoto should have a bigger role to play as the leader of her club.
3 Same: Shigure's Questionable Behavior
People who have only seen the 2001 anime were surprised to see Shigure's darker side in the 2019 version. Manga readers, however, know that Shigure isn't just the funny, dad-like character that he appears to be on the surface.
Shigure has a strange relationship with Akito that he keeps secret from the others in his family, and he has made concerning comments on having to somehow betray Tohru one day. Just like the manga, the 2019 anime effectively introduced this shady side in a way that sends shivers down viewers' spines and has developed this complex character to be both loved and mistrusted by viewers.
2 Different: Tohru's Last Words To Her Mom
One of the first heart-wrenching scenes of Fruits Basket is when Tohru explains what happened to her mother, who died in a car accident not too long ago. In the manga, Tohru tells her mom to stay safe whenever she heads out to work. Tohru feels incredibly guilty because the one day that she didn't say this was the day her mom died.
In the 2019 anime, however, the phrase Tohru forgets to say is changed to "see you when you get back." This change is very small, but it's still incredibly impactful to viewers since it implies that Tohru expected her mother to come home later that day, only to have that reality come crashing down around her.
1 Same: The Hat
Another key element of the manga that was never addressed in the 2001 anime is the story behind Tohru's battered blue hat, which is one of her few most treasured possessions. The manga and the 2019 anime both offer many glimpses of the hat early on so that fans wonder about its significance. Then, the story delves into Tohru's past, when a mysterious boy protected her from bullies and then put the hat on her head before running away. The fact that the new reboot devotes so much attention to even the smallest details of the manga certifies how true to the source material the show strives to be.