First and foremost, wow it really is interesting seeing a classic series like this done in a modern production. Fruits Basket is certainly a product of its time but we mean that in the best possible way. Seeing this sort of goofy school comedy brought to life in 2019 will bring a feeling of warm nostalgia to both fans of the series and anyone who grew up with this style of anime/manga.

That aside, Fruits Basket is still very entertaining in its own right and is already showing some of the deeper aspects of the story even in its first two episodes. Art-wise, while this isn’t a sakuga-heavy show like Nichijou, Fruits Basket has high production values with nice backgrounds, fun animation, and pleasant character designs that feel like the perfect middle ground between retro and modern. We also need to mention the voice cast which really suits the characters wonderfully, including some great talent like superstars Yuichi Nakamura and Nobunaga Shimazaki and rising seiyuu like Yuuma Uchida and Manaka Iwami. Fans of the English dub will also be happy to learn that the original cast has returned and sound as great as ever!

Overall, this new Fruits Basket adaptation feels like it’s going in the right direction to please both fans of the manga and newcomers to the series. We’re excited to see the rest and glad the legendary story is getting the faithful adaptation it deserves!

While seeing anime in the theater isn’t too unusual nowadays (although we wish they’d give us more than the usual one-or-two-time showings!) the Fruits Basket premiere is something rather rare as it was an early screening of the first two episodes of the TV series rather than a film or short. While that might sound a little strange at first, it actually worked out quite nicely! Seeing this anime on the big screen was a treat and really shows how artwork holds up even at that scale. The first episode seamlessly continued into the next one and felt perfectly natural besides the somewhat abrupt ending where it faded to black at the end of episode 2 without an ED or even a “to be continued” or whatever.

Speaking of which, we did not get to see the OP either, which was maybe slightly disappointing but not a huge letdown. Plus, it might have broken up the experience a bit much for this screening. We did, however, get some great bonus content before the show which consisted of a long, mostly uncut interview and discussion segment with some of the Japanese cast where they talked about their exposure to the series, working together, and how they personally related to the characters. This was really fun, especially all the little anecdotes they shared and gave us a greater appreciation for their performances afterward. There was also a slicker cut segment from Funimation that introduced the English staff and touched on the legacy and reverence for the series they have. Both offered a lot and let you know how much care was put into this series.

We’ll also mention some bonus physical goods that were included, a cup, lanyard, and a set of can badges/pins which were all okay but not spectacular. The lanyard will certainly make a good substitute for the default at your next anime convention! We got duplicate badges instead of the full set but can’t complain much since these types of things are rarely included in showings anyway.