Warning: Spoilers for Fruits Basket (2019) and Fruits Basket (2001)The slice-of-life shoujo anime, Fruit basket (2019), written by pen name Takaya Natsuki and animated by TMS Entertainment Co., Ltd., is a reboot of the existing Fruit basket (2001) Anime. The modernized animation is a fresh appeal for the viewer’s curiosity, and the return of selected English cast members resonates in nostalgia for fans of the 2001 dubbed version.
with the end of Fruit basket (2019) expanding the story to the rest of the Sōma family’s individual paths and stating the relationship of Sōma Kyō and Honda Tōru, the difference between the two anime is wide. Fruit basket(2001)’s ending changes Sōma Akito’s sex and Tōru’s response to Kyō’s true form. Despite adapting only seven volumes of the manga and having an original ending, it is responsible for many current fans of the series. However, the reboot of Fruit basket Adapts all twenty-three of his volumes. Viewers can experience the entire story through the reboot.
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A comparative look at the 2001 and 2019 versions of Fruit basket
A Slapstick comedy or a domestic drama?
Fruit basket (2019) differs from the original in its Faith as a manga adaptation and its deeper tone. The original characters, like Sōma Shigure, are portrayed differently. Instead of Shigure remaining a layered and mysterious character in the original, he is a simple forward. This does not allow the story to progress as told in the manga and therefore the reboot.
Fruit basket (2019) allows Shigure’s manipulative side to come out. He lets Toru live with him in hopes that she breaks the Soma curse by falling in love with the cat Zodiac, Kyō, so he can have Akito for himself. Whereas Fruit basket (2001) emphasizes its humor, the reboot focuses on the story’s conflict more seriously. When Hanajima Saki and Uotani Arisa sleep in the original, Kyō, Yuki and Shigure end up transforming through comedic sequences of running into Arisa, Tōru and Saki.
When Kyō transforms back, Shigure and Tōru grab Yuki’s clothes to throw at him. Shigure ends up throwing the clothes and Toru, dropping her on top of him and causing his transformation. None of this happens in the reboot. Instead, Arisa talks about her and Saki’s value in their friendship with Tōru to Kyō, Yuki, and Shigure.
Fruit basket (2019) maintains the delicate balance between drama and comedy
The character designs in Fruit basket (2019) also stay true to the manga more than Fruit basket (2001). The 2001 version depicts characters like Sōma Yuki and Sōma Hatori with different eye colors. Instead of Yuki’s silver eyes, he is given violet and Hatori has black eyes instead of indigo.
The Fruit basket Anime reboot follows the manga more than the original with a darker tone. Although there are comedic moments in the 2019 version, it is not a rom-com anime like Fruit basket (2001) describes. Still, in contrast to their differences, both anime have their merits and can be enjoyed by viewers.