# Fruits Basket (2001)

> An orphaned high school girl moves into a house full of cousins cursed to transform into Chinese Zodiac animals, and her warmth begins to undo the family's pain.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/33973

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 26
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, comedy, drama, fantasy
- Network: TV Tokyo, TV Aichi, TVQ, TV Osaka, TVh, TSC
- Cast: Yui Horie, Kotono Mitsuishi, Aya Hisakawa, Tomokazu Seki, Kaori Nazuka, Akemi Okamura, Reiko Yasuhara, Ayaka Saito
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328738/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: whimsical, cozy, sweet, melancholic, bittersweet, warm

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate the 2001 anime highly for its warm heroine, comedic household dynamics and emotionally affecting handling of the Sohma curse.

## Synopsis

Fruits Basket (2001) is a Japanese anime series produced by Studio Deen and broadcast on TV Tokyo and affiliated stations, adapted in one 26-episode season. Orphaned high school girl Tohru Honda (voiced by Yui Horie) accepts an invitation to live with her classmate Yuki Sohma (Aya Hisakawa) and his hot-tempered cousin Kyo (Tomokazu Seki), discovering that the wealthy Sohma family is bound by a curse that turns members into animals of the Chinese zodiac when embraced by the opposite sex. Each episode is built from everyday household routines, school life, and bizarre family complications, as Tohru wins over relatives and friends and slowly becomes the anchor of a fractured clan. The engine is her quiet determination to understand each cursed person rather than fix them. The tone pairs sweet, breezy comedy with melancholic, sometimes harrowing revelations about abuse and generational cruelty. Set in contemporary Japan, the show has the cozy texture of a slice of life story with a supernatural undercurrent. Fans of Ouran High School Host Club, Kaichou wa Maid-sama! and Inuyasha will find resonance in its blend of romance, magic and emotional depth.

## Shows like Fruits Basket

- [Tsugumomo (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62042)
- [Hanasaku Iroha: Blossoms for Tomorrow (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/38768)
- [Witch Watch (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/176004)
- [ItaKiss (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/33110)
- [The Helpful Fox Senko-san (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/74269)
- [Inu X Boku Secret Service (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/41123)
- [Ouran High School Host Club (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/980)
- [Marmalade Boy (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/32661)
- [Engaged to the Unidentified (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/65860)
- [Clannad (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/22886)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt