Onigiri Fest: The Animation

I expressed delight in part one, discontent in part two, and part three, well, it’s a bit of both… slightly veering to the delightful side. It is time for the anime adaptation. Now, we are off to the last leg of the FuruBa pimpage.

Like I mentioned previously, SPOILER ALERT.

The first anime DVD I purchased was Fruits Basket. I thought they were R2s when, in fact, they were pirated HK bootlegs. I was young and naive. Nevertheless, thinking about that incident made me realize how influential FuruBa was to my, now, ever-increasing anime-related expenditures. This series prompted me to make my first anime purchase.

To say that I enjoyed the anime is an understatement. I absolutely adored the show. Without prior knowledge of either the manga or the storyline, almost each episode delighted this audience.

Music.

Ritsuko Okazaki = music deity.

The first few bars of For Fruits Basket instantly pulled this blogger into focus. I knew I was about to watch something special. And my instincts proved me right.

The late Ritsuko Okazaki understood the spirit of FuruBa. The OP/ED themes perfectly summed up the manga. For Fruits Basket, the opening sequence, captured the warmth, melancholy, and longing of the core characters. The ED theme, Chiisana Inori, centered on the child-like playfulness of the series. Then, Serenade, the ending track for episode 25, a simple solo, subtly highlighted the penultimate episode’s final scene.

Okay, I am a Ritsuko Okazaki whore. However, she was a damn fine musician.

Voice Actors.

Should I even bother? You know, I would only exalt high praises. For the Japanese cast, at least.

Seriously though, I love the cast, especially the VAs for Tohru, Kyo, and Shigure. I am often annoyed with the popular high-pitched voices but for some reason, I am smitten with Yui Horie. I can never think of anyone to play Tohru. Seki Tomokazu fits the character Kyo perfectly. Do you remember those lines while embracing our heroine? He said them, in almost a whisper, with the barest hint of tremble. One can hear the emotion in his words. Then, when he finally whispered, “Tohru… Tohru…” It makes me weep, every time.

As for Shigure, Okiayu Ryotaro’s performance sold me the character. I love that smidge of impish and teasing demeanor you can constantly hear in his voice. In addition, he can bring on the drama, as seen on the 25th episode.

I have managed to hear bits and pieces of the American cast. Note that I am extremely partial to the original voice actors. First, I have to say that I hated Laura Bailey’s performance. The Kyo VA made me think of the uber-Americanized shounen series. And no, it’s not a good thing. As for most of the cast, it’s meh. Shigure dude had his moments but I can appreciate the one for Yuki. I think he had the right idea for the character. However, my favorite in this cast is definitely the one who voiced Kyoko. I really love her. No, I’m not being sarcastic. I really love it. It’s an excellent piece of voice work.

Favorite episodes.

Well, again, I have to vote for the Hatori-Kana ep. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Then, there’s the one-two punch of Momiji’s mom and Kyoko’s death anniversary ep. The end scene of the antepenultimate episode was astonishing. Since I had no idea what was about to happen, I was genuinely surprised and astounded.

As for the comedic bits, I’m very partial to anything with Ayame.

Deviations.

Except for the final arc, the anime closely followed the manga, with a couple of notable changes. As I’ve mentioned before, the Hatori-Kana chapters were heartbreaking. However, the anime made a greater impact with the brilliant storyboarding. (Have I mentioned how much I love the director?) The studio also rearranged the appearance of Ritsu. I believe that he was to appear after the big “true cat for’ arc. Since his chapters act as a stand-alone episode, the shuffle does not affect the storyline at all.

Of course, the finale played differently from the manga. The series offered to tie up loose ends with slight success. Since I had not read the manga before I watched the anime, I was mostly satisfied with the finale except for a few of things. One, the appearance of Akito. How in the world did he know the precise moment to pop into the scene? It was very odd. Two, Tohru did not run directly to Kyo. I remember being disappointed that this utterly unselfish girl had that moment of hesitation. Three, the series left audience mystified by the unanswered origin of the 12shi.

The perspective changed once I snagged the manga. It answered my queries. Akito’s visit was an apparent attempt for more angst. I love that my instinct about Tohru was correct, though. And I realized that it wouldn’t be for few more years before the 12shi origin would be revealed. As for the other details, the inconsistencies became clearer. Shigure’s profuse apology was not in character. Yuki’s action — running for Kyo — (though somewhat logical in the anime) was not truly needed. It also made me rethink about the awful coincidence of a strolling Hana and Uo. Then, there’s the easy acceptance of Akito. Oh, wait. Psycho dude also did that in the manga.

Even with the slight alterations, I still think the anime was able to produce an excellent adaptation.

Second Season.

I demand a second season of Fruits Basket! We have to introduce Kureno and Rin to the non-manga reading public. Although, I don’t think I’d like to unleash the YukixMachi mix. Ugh. It gives me the creeps. But if it means that that will give me the uber-romantic and almost epic angst of Kyo and Tohru, I’d grudgingly approve.

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What?! You’re still reading this post? It’s unbearably long and somewhat pointless… As a treat (or maybe more torture), I’ll tell you a short story of how close I was to a full second season of FuruBa.

I remember it as clear as day. I was at work, sitting in a corner in front of a computer. The after dinner break provided a lull in the lab. I surfed the internet. Anime RSS aggregators were yet to be in vogue. Searching for new content, I wandered aimlessly from one anime blog to another.

Lo and behold, my eyes saw an announcement so great that I positively shrieked in delight, “Omigod! A second season of Fruits Basket is on its way.” I was ecstatic but unsatisfied with the information. Alas, the site provides neither details nor news source. I promised to compose an email requesting the whole scoop the next day.

When I sat down in front of my PC at home, I immediately searched again for the delightful page. However, what I saw was not a pretty sight. After re-reading the entire post, it finally dawned on me. I mean, Tohru in battle-mode?? Huh? Something was wrong. (P.S. I didn’t know the meaning of “Fukushuu” [revenge] before.)

Ugh. Damn you, Jeff. If I only realized it was the 1st of April… Yes, I am still harboring bitter resentment.

Moral of the story: Life is bound to disappoint, never trust Jeff Lawson, and I need to take reading comprehension classes.