Thoughtful anime has great messages for older tweens.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
Verbal and physical conflict is loud and often violent with the characters hitting, punching, and kicking each other. When they're in their vengeful animal form, they use their unique qualities in spats as well.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
The show deals thoughtfully with tough issues like death, depression, and most prominently, the emotions of feeling different from your peers. The Sohma family members hide a big secret that could prove harmful in the wrong hands, but their relationship with Tohru reminds them (and viewers) of the inherent good in most people. Through the characters' evolution, viewers see strong examples of empathy, self-control, inner strength, and deep spiritualism. Occasionally teen girls are snarky with each other.
Positive Role Models
a lot
A mixed bag. Some struggle to control feelings of anger and self-consciousness, and the effort makes them act out against those who love them. Others are better role models, exhibiting patience and kindness even when it's not necessarily deserved. Tohru is the best of the bunch, approaching an uncertain situation with a willingness to embrace differences and ultimately changing many hearts through her generosity.
Educational Value
none
The show intends to entertain, but it also exposes kids to some concepts of the Chinese Zodiac and related legends.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Fruits Basket is a heartwarming anime series with strong themes of friendship, inner strength, and spiritualism. Although it explores some pretty weighty issues like the death of a parent, suicide, and depression, its overwhelmingly positive messages point to trusting relationships as the key to happiness. There's a lot of conflict between the characters because of a family secret, and conflict often evolves into physical fighting with little result. You'll also hear some language ("hell," "suck," "shut up") and name-calling when tempers flare. Ultimately, though, this thoughtful show expertly illustrates the importance of self-acceptance and respecting differences in others.
Misleading ratings - more swearing and discussion of mature relationship and sex related topics than expected
Although overall this is an anime show with positive messages and tame content, it has more mature themes than the current rating is letting on. There are several swear works including da__ and bas____. There's an entire episode that discusses a "pleasure district" and costumes made for men's pleasure and talks around the subject of sex even if not explicitly showing it or discussing it. My kids (9 and 11) both really enjoyed the story and the characters, but ultimately it led to some conversations and questions that I was not ready for based on the review.
Fruits Basket starts out as a light hearted novel with simple family feuds with the fantastical twist of "If I get hugged by someone of the opposite sex I turn into my zodiac animal, isn't that funny and awkward!". The first couple of novels are just exploring the normal dramas of teenage relationships with school mates and family but it does evolve into something more dark as it progresses. Some of the family members face abuse (mental and physical), some get abandoned or shunned, and there is some dips into incest as only other family members do not trigger the transformation. Over all its a amazing story and worth the read but I think the age range on here is too low.
ETA : I now see this is for the anime which did not nearly have as much content as the manga, take my rating as strictly for the books. 3
What's the Story?
FRUITS BASKET opens to the story of recently orphaned Tohru Honda (voiced by Laura Bailey) stumbling upon the closely guarded secret of the Sohma family, whose 13 members bear a curse that can turn them into embodiments of the Chinese zodiac animals when they're stressed or if they touch a member of the opposite gender. When she promises to keep their secret, they invite her to live with them as a housekeeper, which allows her to get to know them -- and their alter egos -- better over time. She's drawn to Kyo (Jerry Jewell), a fiery teen who embodies the resentfulness of his animal form, the cat whom legend says was left off the Zodiac because of the rat's trickery. Meanwhile Yuki (Eric Vale), the rat, harbors feelings for her as well, which complicates matters in the Sohma home. Determined to help her adoptive family, Tohru sets out to break the curse that holds them hostage.
This series is a surprisingly warm-and-fuzzy addition to the anime genre, thanks to overwhelmingly positive themes about strong relationships built on trust and mutual respect. Flashy, loud, and often weighted down by blatant marketing (Pokemon and Bakugan, anyone?), anime is an acquired taste, and it doesn't strike a chord with everyone. But because of Tohru's generosity and kindness, the guarded Sohmas come to appreciate long-avoided companionship in an unexpected way, which eventually proves life-saving to everyone involved.
Despite its exceptional attributes, some of Fruits Baskets' content still demands a tween's maturity, particularly in the periodic language and the often-violent feelings that surround the characters' circumstances. But if yours tune in, they'll also witness an evolving teen relationship that favors patience and devotion over physical infatuation, and several emotional journeys out of despair and loss, all tied together by a strong underlying spiritualism.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about coping with feelings of sadness or loss, like Tohru does in Fruits Basket. Have your kids ever dealt with issues like these? How does confiding in someone help? To whom do they go for a sympathetic ear when it's needed?
Tweens: Do you feel much pressure to conform to how your peers dress or act? Are you ever self-conscious about the qualities that set you apart from them? How does it feel to be different from the pack?
Conflict is a constant presence in the characters' lives. How do your kids resolve differences with siblings or friends? Is violence ever the right answer?
How do the characters in Fruits Basket demonstrate empathy? Why is this an important character strength?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
