Fruits basket consists of 26 episodes made from July 5,
2001 to December 27, 2001
Creator – Natsuki Takaya Production Company – TV Tokyo Director - Akitaro Daichi
Fruits Basket begins with Tohru Honda, a seemingly regular first-year
highschool student. However, unlike most other highschool students in
Tokyo, she is an orphan and lives in a tent. After her mother was
killed in a car accient, Tohru was sent to live with her paternal
grandfather. She decided that in order to avoid being a
burden on her retired grandfather, she would get a part-time job and
pay her own way through school. When her grandfather is forced to move
in with some of his family who are undergoing house renovations,
unknown to anyone, Tohru moves into a
tent until he can provide her with a place to stay. As the story
begins, she seems
content with this lifestyle, going to school and work, then coming home
to her tent
and talking to her mother's picture. However, what Tohru does not
realize is that she had set up her home on the property of Shigure
Souma, until the morning she passes by his house on her way to
school. This particular morning, Tohru notices Shigure's house and
moves in for a closer look. When she gets up to the house she sees
twelve small painted figurines in the shape of the animals of the
Chinese Zodiac, or Juunishi. At this point Shigure comes
outside, as does his cousin and Torhu's revered classmate, Yuki
Souma. Soon after their first meeting, Shigure and Yuki run into Tohru
in her makeshift home and, after a good laugh from Shigure, she
accompanies them back to their house and explains her situation. At
this point, a small landslide destroys Tohru's tent, and she is invited
to move into Shigure's house in exchange for keeping the house and
cooking. Immediately after this, another cousin, Kyou Souma who is
itching for a fight, makes his
grand entrance (through the ceiling of Tohru's new bedroom). In order
to stop Yuki and Kyou from
fighting, Torhu grabs Kyou from behind and, needless to say, she is a
little surprised when he changes into a cat. She then slips, and is
caught by Yuki and Shigure who immediately transform into a mouse and a
dog. From this point on, Tohru Honda becomes one of the few who knows
the secret of the Souma family; that certain members are victim to the
Juunishi's curse and transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac
when embraced by a member of the oppoiste sex or when their body is
very weak. Throughout the rest of
the story, Tohru manages to touch the hearts of each of the Juunishi
family members and teach them all about love, kindness, loyalty and
selflessnes.
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