If you are a fan of Shoujo anime and manga, then you have definitely heard of Fruits Basket. It is probably one of the most popular manga in this demographic to exist. Fruits Basket was initially released as a 26-episode anime series in 2001. A remake of the series was first aired in 2019 as the first season with the second season coming out the following year in 2020 and the third and final season in 2021. There is also an upcoming anime movie that is on the way, known as Fruits Basket: Prelude, set to be released in 2022.
The name of the series has been derived from a popular elementary school game in Japan, which is also alluded to in the anime series. The anime revolves around the themes of love, romance, harem, and supernatural. It narrates the story of Tohru Hona, an orphan girl who moves in with the Soma family after losing her mother and eventually her home. Soon she discovers the Soma family curse, where thirteen members of the family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac and turn into them when they are in a vulnerable position or embraced by the opposite sex.
In the landscape of anime, there are many others who follow the same themes as Fruits Basket and narrate colorful stories of equally poly-chromatic characters. In this article, I will be taking you through some of these anime like Fruits Basket and you can choose for yourself which one to include in your ‘to-watch’ list!
Contents
Anime similar to Fruit Basket
Nisekoi
Nisekoi is an anime like Fruits Basket which centers around the themes of romance, harem, and high-school love. Two awkward teenagers come together by the sheer chance of fate and are forced into an unavoidable situation. But could this be an opportunity for them to figure out their own budding feelings?
Nisekoi narrates the story of high school student Raku Ichijo, the son of a Yakuza who meets Chitoge Kirisaki, the daughter of a boss in a rival gang through a chance encounter. Raku soon finds out that he has to pair up with Chitoge in order to keep the peace between the two gangs. But Raku also possesses a locket given to him by his lost love from childhood, whose key is missing. It’s now up to Raku to find the key and unlock the message hidden inside the locket.
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War
This is an extremely popular anime like Fruits Basket, which has a rival to lovers story. The two main subjects of the show, Kaguya and Miyuki, are rival geniuses who won’t back down because of their pride. But will their romance get a chance to bloom?
The anime narrates the tale of Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane of Shuchiin Academy. While Kaguya is the daughter of a rich man, Miyuki is the top student. While they both seem to be the perfect match for each other, both of them are too haughty to confess their feelings. The show focuses on the two butting heads with each other to get the other to confess.
Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-San
Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-San is a romantic comedy Japanese cartoon-like the Fruits Basket. It is about a high-school senior getting teased and hit on by his underclassman, the beautiful Nagatoro. As much as the shy boy hates this, he also can’t help but feel drawn towards her.
Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san narrates the story of a timid and introverted high-school kid named Naoto Hachioji who gets constantly teased and bullied by Hayase Nagatoro, a junior girl. However, Nagatoro has a great intention behind this as she believes that teasing the boy would finally help him stand up to her, and in turn stand up to all the bullying that he faces from other high-school girls, after having picked on this fact prior. Eventually, Naoto comes to realize that Nagatoro’s teasing is sardonic and well-meaning and a tad bit flirtatious. It is up to the two students to realize their feelings for each other.
Ranma ½
Ranma ½ is a light-hearted yet gut-punching series. This classic anime centers around the themes of drama, action, and off-beat characters. But the most poignant aspect of this anime is that it is quite relatable to the audience.
The story is based on the myth of the cursed springs of Jusenkyo in the Qinghai Province of China, where if one falls, they will be transformed into whatever fell there thousands of years ago. While trekking the Bayankala Mountains, Ranma Saotome, and his father Genma fall into the springs with Genma falling into the spring of a drowned panda and Ranma falling into the spring of a drowned girl. Whatever follows, takes the audience on a journey full of adventure, comedy, love, and action.
Azumanga Daioh
Azumanga Daioh came out nearly at the same time as Fruits Basket anime series and shares a set of interesting characters like the latter as well. Both the shows also have strong female leads whose story arcs revolve around things independent of love and relationships, something that is not really observed a lot in the sphere of anime. However, manga like Fruits Basket and Azumanga Daioh has done a good job contradicting that.
Azumanga Daioh
Azumanga Daioh narrates the stories of high-school girls from all walks of life and their journey through day-to-day life. The anime has a flawless sense of humor and irony and topples of other comedy anime series.
Ouran High School Host Club
Ouran High School Host Club is a harem anime, but if you think about it, so is Fruits Basket in a way. The only difference is that OHSHC is a reverse harem anime which means that instead of the girls chasing the boys, it’s the boys chasing a girl. OHSHC also does a good job in representing gender-queerness through the character of Haruhi, who although dressed up as a boy is still quite assertive in her femininity.
Ouran High School Host Club narrates the story of Haruhi Fujioka, a high-school student studying in a prestigious institution with a scholarship. After one mistake, she has to take on the role of a male host to pay off the debts while at the same time, garnering the attention of multiple men (and women).
Orange
Orange is an anime where a bunch of high-school students receives weird letters claiming to be from the future, to prevent a massive tragedy from happening in their present. In this anime, one of the main characters loses a parent and ends up in a desperate situation. The emotional quotient of this anime is on par with Fruits Basket and really moves the audience to tears.
In Orange, 16-year-old high school student Naho Takamiya receives letters apparently sent by her future self that advise her to prevent a big tragedy from happening, her biggest regret. The said incident also involves a fellow student, Kakeru Naruse, who has lost his mother to suicide and is desperately alone. Soon Naho and her friends befriend him and thus begin a journey towards love, loss, heartbreaks, and friendships.
Final Thoughts
There is plenty of anime like Fruits Basket in the anime market. Since the anime amalgamates various Shoujo themes like love, romance, harem, relationships, slice-of-life, etc., you can find various manga and anime that fall under these categories. All you need to do is visit any anime streaming site and check out the anime that are grouped under these genres.
Do you know of any other anime like Fruits Basket? Drop the names in the comments!
