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One of the most popular anime and manga series of all time is none other than creator, author, and illustrator Natsuki Takaya’s Fruits Basket shojo manga series. The supernatural rom-com series was famed for its blending of elements of these two genres with stereotypical slice-of-life tropes and plot points.
With a sequel and spin-off manga series also being written by Takaya, it’s clear that the Fruits Basket anime series is one of the most popular of its kind and of its time. However, this last point is a little confusing given the plethora of anime adaptations there are for the series and the different time periods in which they were released.
In any case, this best-selling manga series dominates in the anime and manga industries regardless of when and where it’s being made and who it’s being made by. Thankfully, there is an easy way to discern how many Fruits Basket anime adaptations there are, as well as the approach taken for said adaptations.
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Fruits Basket manga series made into two anime series and one anime film across 20+ year period
The Fruits Basket anime was first adapted into a 26-episode television anime series produced by Studio Deen and directed by Akitaro Daichi. This is likely the adaptation most fans are familiar with from childhood, since the series was heavily exported to international markets outside of Japan.
This original series was a canonical adaptation of Takaya’s manga, but was far from a complete one at just 26 episodes. While it may have been a near-complete adaptation at the time, the manga series went far beyond what the first anime series could’ve possibly adapted. This left much of the story untapped as a result.
At least, this was the case until April 2019, where a second television anime adaptation for the series premiered. This version was produced by TMS Entertainment and directed by Yoshihide Ibata, and had the advantage of having the full series to work with. Likewise, it fully adapted the Fruits Basket manga series into a television anime.
The 2019 version also serves as a reboot of the 2001 version, rather than a continuation which picks up where the original left off. The two do share some commonalities, however, with all original voice actors who could reasonably return to their roles doing so for the 2019 series.
While exciting, this also led to some confusion on whether or not the 2019 series was indeed a reboot of the 2001 adaptation, which it certainly is.
These two adaptations were then followed by the Fruits Basket: Prelude anime compilation film, which premiered theatrically in Japan in February 2022. The film was later released in the United States and Canada in June 2022, and in the United Kingdom in July 2022. The film consists of a recap of the 2019 anime adaptation, as well as a prequel story focusing on protagonist Tohru Honda’s late parents, and an original epilogue story written by Takaya.
Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
