With its unique plot and likable characters, Fruits Basket has firmly cemented itself as one of the best and most popular shojo anime of all time. After a highly successful manga series in the Hana To Yume manga magazine and a 2001 anime, the story of Tohru and the Sohmas returned with a new anime adaptation in 2019.
What many fans of the series don't know, is that Takaya Natsuki, the creator of Fruits Basket, has published a spin-off manga series that also serves as a sequel to the original story. While Fruits Basket Another didn't receive as many accolades as its predecessor, there are many details that fans might want to know before giving it a read.
10 It's Set Approximately 22 Years After Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket Another is a sequel, but the story doesn't pick up immediately after the end of Fruits Basket. There are 22 long years between both series. This means that most of the original cast of characters are adults and even have children of their own in the sequel.
Fans were certainly waiting to see their favorites all grown up and happy, but many have expressed their disappointment at not getting a slice-of-life story following Tohru, Kyo, and the others as young adults situated in between both series.
9 There's A Completely New Protagonist
Tohru Honda is probably one the most iconic protagonists in shojo anime, but Fruits Basket Another gives the spotlight to a completely new character. Sawa Mitoma is an introverted sixteen-year-old girl who has closed herself off to others due to her abusive mother and a few traumatic episodes in her childhood. Things seem to be looking up for her when Sawa joins the student council and meets other students who welcome her with open arms.
Unfortunately for Sawa and fans of the original series, she's not as good a protagonist as Tohru despite sharing similar looks and wholesome auras. Sawa does go through the classic Fruits Basket healing period that helps her change for the better, but in the end, Tohru's magic is irreplaceable.
8 It's Relatively Short
With only 13 chapters spread across three volumes, Fruits Basket Another is on the shorter side as far as spin-offs go. The sequel began online serialization in HanaLaLa in 2015 before being transferred to Manga Park and being acquired for publishing in English by Yen Press two years later.
Fruits Basket Another doesn't overstay its welcome and functions more as a thirteen-chapter-long introduction to a bunch of new characters than an actual story. The plot is flimsy and inconsequential enough that it can be skimmed for information on the Fruits Basket characters' future.
7 The New Generation Of The Sohmas Is Here
Fruits Basket Another has the new generation of Sohma children taking over and replacing the main cast. Virtually every couple that was going strong at the end of Fruits Basket got married and had children. Having all the new Sohmas pop in and cause trouble is the entire point of the new series.
As expected, the sequel focuses on Kyo and Tohru's oldest son, Hajime, and Yuki and Machi's only child, Mutsuki, as president and vice-president of the student council respectively. There are plenty more Sohma cousins like Rin and Haru's twins and Momiji's daughter who push themselves into the story in one way or another.
6 The Original Cast Is Gone. Well, Mostly.
It makes sense for the original cast to take a backseat now that their children are the protagonists, but that doesn't mean that fans don't miss them. While most of the Fruits Basket characters don't make direct appearances in the story, a few of them have faceless cameos in their kids' memories, providing the audience with a few details on their future life.
From the Fruits Basket Another bonus chapters, readers find out that Kyo still has his dojo and that Yuki and Machi have become tidier and like going on walks when there's fresh snow on the street. Similar to these tiny cameos, Tohru and Kyo's son made a small appearance in the last chapter of Fruits Basket as an adult himself.
5 The Sohmas Are Still A Big Deal At School
Most of Fruits Basket Another is set in Kaibara Municipal High School, the same school Tohru, Kyo, and the other Sohmas attended. Hanajima's younger brother Megumi and the ex-head of the student council, Makoto Takei, are now teachers, and former Prince Yuki Club founder Motoko Minagawa's daughter, Ruriko Kageyama, is now the president of the Sohma Fan Club.
Hajime Sohma, being the oldest of the Sohma kids at school, has the biggest number of admirers but his cousin Mutsuki isn't far behind. All in all, it seems Kaibara High hasn't changed much since their parents graduated.
4 Akito And Shigure's Son Plays A Key Role
Shiki Sohma, Akito and Shigure's only son, is an important character within the thin plot of Fruits Basket Another. He's a very reserved and quiet kid with a good heart. He also has a lot of affection for his parents and cousins whom he's extremely close to and frequently hangs out with.
Shiki also shares a mysterious past with the new character Sawa Mitoma and ultimately befriends her years later when they reunite around the middle of the story. The last few chapters hint at a possible romance between them in the future, but it's left up in the air for readers to interpret.
3 The Sohma Kids Know About The Curse
It's hinted pretty heavily during the first few chapters, and confirmed later towards the end of the series, that at least Hajime, Mutsuki, and Shiki are aware of the Sohma Curse.
Their parents told them the story when they were still young children eliciting different reactions from the Sohma kids. Hajime thought it was a joke at first but later accepted it. Mutsuki immediately thought things made sense and thanked Yuki for telling him. Shiki just felt sad for how his mother was atoning for her sins. Thankfully, the curse is a thing of the past, and the kids have been spared its terrible misfortune.
2 Akito Is Keeping Her Distance
Akito is the only character from the original cast that gets a semi-detailed future in Fruits Basket Another. Readers learn from Shiki's conversation with Sawa in the last chapter that Akito has been staying away from the other Sohmas as a self-punishment for everything she did in the past. She doesn't join family reunions, leaving the main state whenever a group of Sohmas come to visit.
Akito has completely changed and has become a kind and loving mother that encourages her son to befriend his cousins and try new things. Shiki also comments that they've been learning about the world together, and Tohru even makes a small appearance with her baby daughter in one of his memories, though her face isn't shown.
1 The Chain Of Healing Continues
Fruits Basket's story is all about mending old wounds and learning to move on, a theme that has crossed over to Fruits Basket Another, albeit in a different way. This time, the Sohmas are the healing source, welcoming Sawa into their circle and helping her battle her demons with their supportive friendship and sunny personalities. Thanks to their constant encouragement, she's able to break out of her shell and smile more, allowing others to see behind her wall of anxiety.
Ultimately, Fruits Basket Another proves that the chain of healing started by Tohru in the original series will continue to spread to those around the Sohmas, replacing the curse that kept them lonely and segregated from one another with her infectious positivity.
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