WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fruits Basket (2019), now streaming on Funimation.
After nearly two decades, Fruits Basket received a three-season reboot of its original 2001 anime. And now that it's concluded, we can safely say that the 2019 reboot greatly improves and expands upon its predecessor. One of the main reasons is that the new version set out to cover the full extent of the manga, which the original didn't, finally giving anime viewers the chance to see all the characters and scenes that were left out of the prematurely-ended 2001 series.
But that's not the only reason. Here's how the 2019 reboot successfully surpassed the '00s version of Fruits Basket, offering a complete story with a rewarding ending.
The Fruits Basket Reboot Has Improved Art and Animation
When the 2019 reboot of Fruits Basket was first announced, fans immediately noticed the drastic change in art and animation. It's far more detailed than its predecessor, featuring elegant hairstyles and sharp jawlines. The artwork in the 2001 series used smaller and rounder heads for its characters, with much larger eyes. The eye colors have also changed to be more accurate to the characters' original designs, with Tohru's blue eyes being updated to brown and Yuki's nearly purple eyes switched to gray.
While the reboot's character designs are more accurate to the manga's original art, the improved artwork doesn't only apply to the characters. Backgrounds have become elaborate and beautiful, evoking emotions in viewers and setting the mood of a scene with flawless lighting and ambiance. Meanwhile, the animation style and movement in the reboot appear more natural and effortless. Fruits Basket fans also praised the reboot's creative and unexpected animation tactics, like viewing a scene from Tohru's perspective with her bangs obstructing the top of the screen.
The Fruits Basket Reboot Has Deeper Character Development
With the reboot comprising of three seasons instead of one, Fruits Basket had much more time to explore each character's development. The 2001 series concluded before any of the Sohmas had a chance to change and develop because its single-season was still busy introducing all the Zodiac members. Many Sohmas and their backstories are introduced and then never seen again while others, notably Kureno, were never animated or included in the original at all. Other key figures were also excluded, like Machi and Kakeru, who were essential to Yuki's character arc.
Thanks to a full and completed cast in the 2019 version, the series was now able to stay true to the manga's original storyline and character arcs. Viewers see several romantic developments that aren't addressed in the original, like Yuki and Machi, Uotani and Kureno, and Akito and Shigure. Not only does the reboot offer an army of new couples and ships for fans to enjoy, but it also explores improved relationships between the Sohma family as they come to terms with whether they'll forgive Akito and stay together after their bonds break. One of the most satisfying developments is Yuki and Kyo's matured relationship after they fight it out one last time, coming to a mutual understanding of how they truly view and envy each other.
The Fruits Basket Reboot Is a Completed Story With a Satisfying Conclusion
With a longer series to cover the full extent of the manga's original story, viewers are finally treated to a complete and satisfying ending after nearly two decades of waiting. The 2001 series ended with a web of loose ends and an incomplete plot that left more questions than answers. While it did end with Kyo's curse and true form, the reboot moves past this arc after Season 1, providing two more seasons worth of content that occurs after the original conclusion.
Fruits Basket viewers also learn the origin of the Zodiac curse and discover that Akito is both their god and a woman. Each Sohma is shown becoming freed from their curse as their bonds break one by one, making room for a future of their own design. The reboot also covers all the canon romantic relationships before the series' ending, warming the heart of delighted viewers who get to see their favorite couples animated. Most importantly, the 2019 reboot of Fruits Basket offers a satisfying and definitive conclusion to Tohru and Kyo's touching love story.
