The Beginning Of The End

Nerdom has proudly followed Tohru and the Sohma's through ever step of their new journey, and this week we finally took our first steps towards the finish line.

Monday the season premier of Fruits Basket: The Final dropped, and you know what else dropped? My freaking heart. Just knowing that we are drawing to the end of this incredible story has me close to tears. Seriously though, it was really interesting to see this premier right after reviewing the My Hero Academia [MHA] premier last week because of how wildly different I felt about them. But let's back up a bit for those who might not know what I'm even talking about.

Fruits Basket [also known as Fruba], originally a manga created by Natsuki Takaya, was published from July 1998 to November of 2006 as a 23 volume series. It was during its latter years that it found its way into my hands and into my heart. Due to its massive popularity in both Japan and the U.S., in 2001 it got its first anime adaptation. This adaptation followed the original art style but was widely rejected by fans due to it not following the original manga series storyline. The anime only lasted one season and ended after 26 episodes, bringing a tragic end to an incredible opportunity. Fast forward a whole DECADE LATER and Takaya makes some sudden announcements fans never saw coming. During the Japanese anniversary of the manga's release she tells the world that not only would the series receive a short sequel but that a new anime adaptation would be created in honor of the original series, and would indeed follow that original storyline. And just like that, my deepest nerd dreams were realized. There were many delays due to the authors health issues, as well as, the dedicated team working on these gifts wanting to get it right and not take any short cuts. The sequel series Fruits Basket: Another was published as a three volume series over the course of 2015 to 2019. Then finally, in April of 2019, Fruits Basket: Season 1 aired.

The original story follows our main character Tohru Honda, a high school girl recently orphaned and wanting to make her way in the world on her own. She's suffered deep tragedy and rejection, but yet she's still smiling... Fate isn't done with her yet however, as she is thrust into the mysterious world of the Sohma family who has many secrets- including but not limited to, the fact that they are cursed with the animal spirits of the Chinese zodiac. What is the curse? Can it be broken? What has this family actually been going through? Can they be healed? A red string of fate seems to tie them all together as you follow Tohru and the Sohma's through their journey's of trauma, and hopefully in the end- redemption.

This story is so near and dear to my heart, it tackles many many difficult topics and Tohru serves as a beacon of hope to guide us home. I first read this series as it was still being released in the U.S. and honestly it changed my life. I have since read it over a dozen times throughout the years, and let me just say (with zero shame) that it still makes me cry, every single time. Thankfully, this anime adaptation has done justice to those feelings. This adaptation came to us with a gorgeous new art style that brought the characters to life while still respecting the original work. It has a beautiful score and it follows the manga extremely closely. When the first season aired, I hadn't started the blog yet but overloaded my social media with all my thoughts. When the second season aired, in April of 2020, I was finally able to bring those thoughts here. I even did a mid-season review, but was sadly on hiatus during the finale. Now here I am again, for the last premier the show will have, and let me tell you it's bitter sweet. After watching its creation, its growth, it get nominated for awards and then finally win! I now have to watch it end, but I know it will be worth it to see this anime reach its well deserved completion, righting a horrible wrong from 20 years ago.

Alright, enough being emotional, let's get back to what I was saying at the beginning of this article. This premier was much different from the MHA premier because, well, it's not a shonen! MHA's premier was an introduction episode and for all intents and purposes was filler. Fruba made a splash by doing minimal rewinding, trusting that its viewers knew what was going on, picking up from the last season. We get to see the end of the shocking conversation between Tohru and Kureno Sohma, and what happens to Tohru after the confrontation, taking us through to the next day. A single day might not seem like a lot but there are a lot of moving parts here and we get to see where all our leads are at this point. To be honest it went a lot further than I was anticipating for the first episode, but I'm eternally grateful for that. This pacing makes it clear to me that they are not going to pull their punches and drag the season out. They are hitting us full force with this emotional conclusion whether we are ready or not.

Another huge surprise for this episode was the new opening and ending sequences. The opening sequence was much different in musical style, art style, and overall execution from all of the openings that have come before it. Once again, I am not disappointed but thoroughly surprised. The opening was definitely the creators way of tipping their hats to all the fans that have followed from the original series, depicting and hinting to powerful scenes leading up to conclusion of the series. It was beautiful for those who don' know what's coming and very precious to those who do. I will even say, it is hands down my favorite opening of the series so far. I sat there with the stupidest grin on my face as I listened to my family (who did not read the original series) comment and speculate on what the opening could mean. Likewise, the ending sequence, was the other side to the same coin. Though much more light hearted, it pointed directly towards the hearts of people who know what's waiting for them at the end. It does make me wonder though...Dare I say it? Are they are shooting for the best sequence category for the next anime awards? Both the opening and ending sequences are the only ones the series has had that directly ties to the story, which is actually pretty unique for a sequence and we don't typically see. Either way, both had me very emotional and I was extremely thankful for all the thought that went into their creation.

I am fully prepared to cry my eyes out as we continue on, and am getting ahead of myself by hoping very much that the end of this series is accompanied by the announcement of the sequel manga series being made into the anime's sequel as well. If nothing else, this anime's creation has taught me to wish for great nerdy things and there is a decent chance it will come true. Regardless of the sequel, I am proud of what the author and her team have done to bring all of this to us and so incredibly thankful that I get to experience the story all over again in a brand new way, while also knowing that other people are getting to experience it too. I highly recommend that you check it out, because at the end of the day there is room for each and every one of us in Tohru's fruit basket.

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Thank you so much for tuning into this sweet, sweet edition of Nerdom. I have been over the moon thinking about this story and am so excited to share the journey with all of you. I hope you're having a great week, make sure to finish strong! I will be back Sunday with The Mess but in the meantime, stay safe, stay nerdy, and stay messy otaku!