Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Fruits Basket: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie Review

Fruits Basket is a must-see anime.

Fruits Basket: Season 1, Part 1 is an entertaining romantic-drama featuring breathtaking animation and a compelling story. The series airs on TV Tokyo in Japan and is distributed by Funimation Entertainment domestically. The series is an adaption of the beloved manga by creator Natsuki Takaya. From acclaimed animation studio TMS Entertainment (Dr. Stone, Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine), Fruits Basket is a charming gem that will please fans of Shojo anime.

Tohru Honda (Manaka Iwami) has been struggling day-to-day with a series of issues. The young girl finds herself facing a myriad of problems that take her on a unique life journey. She soon finds that living in a tent is her only option – after the unexpected tragedy of losing her beloved mother. The sweet young girl discovers that she is now on land belonging to the mysterious Soma family – and before long she finds herself living with Yuki Soma (Nobunaga Shimazaki), Shigure Soma (Yuichi Nakamura), and Kyo Soma (Yuma Uchida). She discovers a surprising secret that only the Soma's know: when hugged by members of the opposite sex, the Soma's transform in to animals! Oh my!

The series has exceptional animation which is one of the greatest highlights of the production. The background art work is superb and enormously detailed. There is something charming about the distinctive designs of the layouts and the decidedly impressive character designs. Fruits Basket succeeds with regards to animation: showcasing the vast talents of the team of animators. With animation supervised by art director Yoko Kamiyama (an animator on Mary and the Witch's Flower and Napping Princess, making their debut as head of animation), Fruits Basket maintains a consistently great animation style that soars from episode to episode.

A charming shojo classic reinvented.

Another component of the production which greatly impresses me is the score music composed by Masaru Yokoyama (Freezing, Memoirs of a Murderer). Every episode has a beautiful and organic musical backdrop that keeps the series charming and laid-back. The tunes are relaxing and cheerful – the compositions add a layer of sophistication to the entire production. Composer Yokoyama adds wonderment to the series at every turn.

Featuring top-notch screenwriting by Taku Kishimoto (Silver Spoon, Bunny Drop), Fruits Basket is a decidedly charming series that is easy to watch. The series is wonderfully charming and the characters are likable and full of surprises. Unlike some shojo anime series, Fruits Basket seems like an anime that can appeal easily to both girls and boys. The series wears its heart on its sleeve and there is something beautiful about that.

Under the chief direction of Yoshihide Ibata (Kill la Kill, Attack on Titan), Fruits Basket remains a joy from start to finish. The series excels through the filmmaking – and carries audiences on a fantastical journey. The animation is so well produced – and every nuance of the series is well thought-out. The production is commendable and Ibata brings everything together in a satisfying way. Anime fans who appreciate a slice-of-life series with fantasy elements will appreciate what Fruits Basket has to offer.

Fruits Basket: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Fruits Basket: Season 1, Part 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series looks outstanding in high-definition. The animation style is exquisite: clean and dynamic. The color reproduction is also fantastic and helps to bring the fantastical world of the series to life from episode to episode. If there are any minor imperfections, it is in the fact that the series has occasional softness (which seems inherent in the animation style) and a very slight amount of banding – so slight that most viewers won't be bothered by it. The set looks great and fans will be enormously pleased with the results.

Fruits Basket: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes several lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English Subtitles). The lossless, high-resolution audio adds to the experience. Dialogue remains crisp, clear, and easy to understand throughout the entire presentation. Background music is beautiful and adds to the series sense of wonder. The sound effects are frequently charming (with the sounds of birds and others natural ambiance added). Fans will be pleased with the results regardless of choosing to watch in the original Japanese language version or via the English dub.

Fruits Basket: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

Episode 4 Audio Commentary

Episode 7 Audio Commentary

Disc Two:

Fruits Basket Tell-All (HD, 14:37) features a discussion with members of the Fruits Basket English dub production team, including Caitlin Glass (ADR Director), Eric Vale (Yuki Soma), and Justin Cook (Hatsuharu Soma).

Fruits Basket: Inside the Episode -

Fruits Basket: Inside the Episode – Episode 1 (HD, 5:23)

Fruits Basket: Inside the Episode – Episode 4 (HD, 5:16)

Fruits Basket: Inside the Episode – Episode 7 (HD, 5:20)

Fruits Basket: Inside the Episode – Episode 10 (HD, 6:12)

Fruits Basket: Inside the Episode – Episode 13 (HD, 5:08)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:44)

Fruits Basket: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fruits Basket: Season 1, Part 1 is an entertaining introduction to the world of the characters and the fantastical story of the universe. The animation is stellar throughout the set and manages to make a huge impression. The characters are at the heart of the story – adding a sense of romance, drama, and comedic fun to the production. Fans of shojo anime will be enormously pleased with the first set. The Blu-ray release features a strong video-audio presentation and an assortment of supplemental features. Highly recommended.