True to Form (Fruits Basket: The Clearing Sky (DVD))

Member Name: 87degrees

Product:	Fruits Basket: The Clearing Sky (DVD)
Date:	29/04/06 (232 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, entertaining, moving

Disadvantages: They only made one series

As I've reviewed the first three volumes of this series, I figured I ought to carry on and review the forth. Some of the sections about the series in general are very similar in this review to the previous ones. If you've read my other reviews on Fruits Basket, you might want to skip a couple of sections. Also, if you're not interested in reading any of the sections, just skip them. Despite comments on the previous reviews, I'm going to leave the character information in (which is as much my opinion as general info) because there may be people who are interested. It's a lot easy to not read something that's in here than to read something I haven't written. I'd rather get complaints about too much information than too little. If you just want an overall impression of my opinion, just read the 'overall' section, but the rest is here if you want it.

This series is based on Manga by Natsuki Takaya and, for the most part, sticks closely to that storyline. It's directed by Akitaro Daichi. Originally in Japanese, the DVD can be watched either subtitled or dubbed. I prefer dubbed, since it's always easier to enjoy a TV show if you're not reading what everyone's saying. This DVD contains episodes twenty to twenty-six and brings the series to a close.

I'm not a great watcher of Anime, so I can't really compare it to other series. All I can say is that this is good enough to grab someone who wouldn't normally watch animated shows. That's probably a good recommendation in itself.

~~~ Overall ~~~
Though there are still humorous moments on this DVD, the last three episodes are a great deal more serious. I was moved to tears at several points the first time I watched them. I found, after watching The Curse of the Cat, I simply had to watch the last two, because I needed to know how things resolved. The series is brought suddenly to a very dramatic end.

Though this DVD also contains the one episode I didn't like that much, Prince Yuki Fan Club, it contains three episodes that are brilliantly touching. The slow build of the show works wonderfully, because it means that the viewer, like Tohru, isn't expecting the revelation about Kyo, though there have been hints that are really noticeable until a second viewing, once the ending is known.

A brilliant end to a brilliant series. There are still some loose ends that don't get tied off, and I think the creators were hoping to come back for a second series. I hope the same, but since the first was made in 2001, I don't think that's likely.

If you're fond of Anime, this is a great series to watch. It's also good if you're new to Anime. This was the first Anime series I watched and I love it, but it was recommended to me by friends who are part of an Anime society, and they love it. So really, it's good for newcomers and oldtimers alike.

~~~ The Plot ~~~
After Tohru Honda's mother was killed in a car accident, she decided to live in a tent so that she wouldn't be a burden. She doesn't realise it, but pitches her tent on the estate of the large and powerful Sohma family.

When Shigure and Yuki Sohma discover her, they invite her to live with them as their housekeeper, since neither of them is able to cook or clean. But the Sohma's have a secret. When they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex, or when their bodies are under a great deal of stress, they transform into the animals of the zodiac.

This DVD begins partway through the series, when Tohru has already been living with the Sohma's for some time and has gotten to know new members of the family. She already knows their secret and is determined to keep it. As the series progresses, she gets to meet new zodiac animals. This section of the story brings the story to an end, revealing some drastic secrets and allowing Tohru to have a true confrontation with the mysterious Akito.

~~~ The Zodiac ~~~
This is the story of the zodiac, as it is told in the series. God invited the animals to a party, but the rat told the cat that it was on a different day. So, all the animals went to the party, with the rat riding there on the back of the cow, except for the poor cat. Because he was tricked, he never became a part of the zodiac.

The zodiac animals are the dog, rat, cow, snake, rabbit, boar, dragon, tiger, sheep, monkey, horse and rooster. Of these, the horse and rooster never appear on the series. There are thirteen Sohmas who turn into a specific animal.

~~~ The Characters ~~~
I think Takaya put a lot of work and thought into his characters. They all have their own backgrounds and histories, which explain current actions. Each character is different, with their own traits and mannerisms. There are quite a lot of characters in the series, so it's quite an achievement that they're all so distinctive, though there are often family resemblences between the Sohmas. Some of the characters have such extreme personality traits that they aren't quite believable, but it's as though they're charicatures of normal people. Some of the characters are nice, others aren't, but you can understand the motives for all of them and they all work well together. One of the great things is that the characters aren't static. They change over the course of the series just as normal people would and it works really well.

Tohru Honda is perpetually cheerful, despite all the tragedy that has occurred in her life. She is determined to make the best of a situation and to see the best in other people. She always tries to think of other people, to such an extent that she often fails to do what's most important to her. Amazingly, this attitude doesn't get annoying. Instead, it serves to make more crucial those few moments when she is sad. She was very fond of her mum and keeps a photo, which she talks to as though it were a person.

Yuki Sohma, the rat, is amazingly good looking and considered the prince of the high school. He's liked by so many girls that they've set up a Prince Yuki Fan Club. Despite all this attention, he lacks self-confidence because he was abused as a child. He is afraid that if anyone learns the truth about him, they will be appalled.

Shigure Sohma, the dog, is a cheerful person and, like Tohru, inclined to look for the best in a situation. In the Manga, some of his lines can come across as dark and creepy, even sinister, but the way they are played in the series are much more joking, making him a very likeable character. His is a writer and has a tendency to torment his editor. Shigure is definitely my favourite character. He has a sense of humour and a lot of funny moments that the actors and animators combine to play to perfection. There are some more serious moments for him on this DVD, and they work extremely well because he's normally so cheerful. It gives extra weight to the important moments.

Kyo Sohma, the cat, is left out of the Sohma family just as the cat was left out of the zodiac. He yearns to be accepted and hates Yuki, blaming him for the fact that the cat was left out. He longs to beat Yuki and spends a great deal of time training martial arts to do just that. There's some great interaction between Kyo and Yuki, and some nice touches that show just how alike the two are (even though they won't admit it). The characters play off each other wonderfully. The way they act with each other changes gradually over the series, so you don't really notice it happening, but it allows for them to act in the finale in ways I wasn't quite expecting.

Uotani (Uo), used to be a gang member, until Tohru and her Mum helped her to see what a mess she was and helped her get out of it all. Because of this, she is fiercely defensive of Tohru and threatens to beat up anyone who Tohru doesn't like.

Hanajima (Hana), is a psychic who senses electrical waves coming from people. She senses something strange about the Sohmas, but doesn't know what it is. Because she's weird, she was an outcast at school until Tohru made friends with her. As with Uo, this makes her want to protect Tohru against any dangers. I don't like the characters of Hana and Uo as much as some of the others, but their unusual friendship has clearly been laid down at the start of the series in preparation for the finale.

Kagura Sohma, the boar, is madly in love with Kyo and determined that they'll marry, whatever Kyo might think of the matter. She has a very changeable personality, going from sweet and gentle to incredibly violent in a matter a seconds. This tends to happen a lot when Kyo is around and she gets extremely jealous of the fact Tohru gets to live with him.

Momiji Sohma, the rabbit, is a little boy who looks and acts much younger than he is, though he can occasionally show great perception. He is very fond of Tohru. He seems cheerful, but like Tohru, he has great sadness in his past.

Hatsuharu Sohma, the ox, has two very different personalities. White Haru is kind and caring, Black Haru is violent and prone to anger over the slightest thing. He can easily flip between the two sides of his personality. He studies martial arts and would like to beat Kyo, but he is extremely fond and protective of Yuki. I think it says a lot about how different the two sides are, that I really like Black Haru and think he has some great moments, but find White Haru much weaker as a character.

Hatori Sohma, the dragon, actually transforms into a sea horse. He is the family doctor and has the ability to erase people's memories, making him sometimes seem menacing, but really he is a kind soul. He has had a great love, Kana, but her memory has been erased so all he can do is remember her.

Akito Sohma is the head of the Sohma family and bears the full weight of the zodiac curse. He doesn't appear much, but is mentioned often. He is obvious as a presence that the Sohma family think about often with fear and respect. The Sohma's must act as he wishes and he likes to see them suffer for the suffering he is going through. He's been so mysterious throughout the series that it is brilliant when his motives are finally revealed. There are some amazing scenes with him in the last three episodes.

Ayame Sohma, the snake, is Yuki's older brother. Because of a large age gap and the fact that, when he was little, Yuki was often kept separate due to illness, they have never been close. He is determined to breach the gap, but doesn't really know how. Hugely confident, he believes he is absolutely wonderful and has no doubt that Yuki will come to see this too. He is a very entertaining character because of his huge ego and there are some very funny moments when he's around. I occasionally wonder if his character might be a bit too extreme, but it works when combined with the others.

Kisa Sohma, the tiger, is a sweet little girl who's extremely fond of Tohru. Because she looks different, due to the curse, she was bullied at school until she retreated inside herself. She was too little to cope with the way her school mates seemed to hate her and was afraid that those she loved would come to hate her too. I don't like Kisa's character as much as most of the others, probably because she is so dependent on the others. She never stands up for herself which I find makes her a weaker character.

Hiro Sohma, the sheep, is a very dislikeable character. He likes Kisa and is extremely jealous of the time she's spending with Tohru. Because of this, he is extremely mean to Tohru. Still, he spends time with Tohru because he knows Kisa likes it and he wants her to be happy. I really don't like Hiro's character. The episode he's in is still entertaining, but that doesn't change the fact that Hiro is unpleasant.

Ritsu Sohma, the monkey, is extremely nervous. He has a tendancy to apologise for everything, in a very loud manner than tends to just make things worse. He finds it easier to be confident when he wears girl's clothes, which just means he has to apologise more. Ritsu is over the top. I know that's meant to be a part of the character, but I think it would be better if it was toned down.

Kazuma Sohma isn't a zodiac member, but his grandfather carried the curse of the cat before Kyo. He therefore understands Kyo better than others and thinks of him as a son. He is master of a karate dojo and taught Kyo, Yuki, Kagura and Hatsuharu. I wish this character had shown up more in the series. There's a lot of depth to him and it's a shame that season two was never made, because it would have been a great chance to explore this guy.

~~~ The Animation ~~~
Most of the animation is in the usual Anime style, but there are also moments that are animated in a more caricaturist way. These caricatures are drawn in less detail and are generally used for a humorous effect. For example, members of the Yuki fan club might be being rude to Tohru, then they'd see Hana. The next thing shown would be a few shots of the caricature Hana chasing away the fan club girls. The two styles can be combined, such as the normal style Ayame saying that Shigure speaks like a poet. The caricature of Shigure then appears in the corner holding books going, "Novelist! Novelist!"

There are also the animal forms for the members of the zodiac. These are also used for humour and effect. For example, the main view would be focused on one character, say Yuki, but Shigure is in the room and says something funny. The focus would stay on Yuki, but a little dog's head would appear in the corner inside a speech bubble, while Shigure says the line.

The different styles blend together incredibly well. There are moments when some of the styles are combined, such as an image of Kyo in human form, but with cat ears. This technique is extremely good at demonstrating emotion, as well as being interesting to watch.

~~~ The Episodes ~~~
Each episode is a little over twenty minutes. They manage to pack a lot of plot into a short time though.

~ Ayame's Secret Life ~
Yuki decides to try and reach out to his brother, and so agrees to go and look at Ayame's store, but he asks Tohru to come with him. The store turns out to be selling costumes for people to fulfil their fantasies. Yuki is therefore rather concerned when the shop assistant insists that Tohru tries something on, only partly in order to give the brothers time to bond. There are a lot of funny moments in this episode, but it's nice because it gets to show Ayame's serious side as well.

~ Sophist Boy has Captured the Prince ~
A new zodiac member, Hiro, turns up and is immediately mean to Tohru. The reason becomes clear: he is in love with Kisa and jealous that Kisa is now so fond of Tohru. When Kisa was having trouble at school, he was worried and is angry that Tohru was able to help when he couldn't. I really don't like Hiro, which means I don't like this episode as much as some of the others. It stills has it's good points though.

~ Prince Yuki Fan Club ~
Motoko, president of the Prince Yuki Fan Club, is running out of time. She will graduate soon and must win his heart before then. Not one of the better episodes, but it has its moments. I'd have to say that this is my least favourite episode in the whole series, but it comes on a disk with three brilliant ones, so you have to take what you can get.

~ Is the Rumoured Ri that Mother's Daughter? ~
Ritsu Sohma causes chaos when he turns up at the house, especially since he's wearing a dress. He wants to be as confident as Ayame, but spends most of his time apologising because he thinks of himself as worthless. He is searching for a reason to live, and Tohru may help him find one. I think this episode would be better if they toned Ritsu down somewhat. It's entertaining with a few very funny moments, but Ritsu can get annoying.

The last three episodes are amazing. They follow immediately on from each other and I had to see them back to back because I couldn't wait to see how things resolved. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil things.
~ The Curse of the Cat ~
~ True Form ~
~ Let's Go Home ~
Kazuma Sohma arrives and decides it's time to reveal Kyo's greatest secret to Tohru. Kyo, Tohru and Yuki all run out into the woods. Uo and Hana find Tohru crying on her mother's grave, saying that she can never go back to the Sohmas. These episodes are wonderful. I can't stress that enough. I don't just mean in terms of plot and acting, but also in terms of animation and directing. The most crucial seen in The Curse of the Cat is shown mostly through the windows of the house, which is a great way of demonstrating the fact that most people can only watch. There are a lot of 'camera angles' (what can you call it in animation?) that give the episodes a feel that's very different from any of the others. I think everything about these three episodes is done to perfection.

~~~ Special Features ~~~
As with the other volumes, there are character profiles and the option to watch the opening credit song without the text that is usually on it. I don't think much of these as special features. There's nothing special on the character profiles and, while I like the opening song, I don't find the credits that much of an intrusion on it so I don't see the point of this song.

There's Fruits Basket Room 3, fifteen minutes long, where the voice actress for Tohru, Yui Horie, interviews the voice actor for Shigure, Ryotaru Okiayu, about the show in a light-hearted manner. This is in Japanese and subtitled, which is very off putting for me. I watched this once and doubt I will again, but if you don't mind subtitles you might enjoy it.

There's an image gallery including posters and promotional drawings. These are played as a slideshow with some music in the background and a bit of writing against each one saying where the picture's from. Again, I've watched this once but probably won't again.

~ Recommendations~
I would definitely recommend watching Fruits Basket, but I wouldn't suggest this DVD. If you're just starting on this series, start with the first DVD. Though its possible to watch episodes without having seen the ones before them, the story makes a lot more sense when seen right from the beginning. You wouldn't get anything like the effect from the climax without the gradual developement of the characters through the show. The final three episodes wouldn't be anywhere near as good without everything else that came first.

At the time of writing, there's a copy up on Amazon, second-hand, for £7.81, new for £19.99. It's selling new from HMV at £19.99 and from MVC at £16.99.

However, if you want value for money, though, you can buy the complete series as one collection, which is on ebay for £9.99 (at the time of writing). If you think you'd like the series, the cheapest way to get it is to buy the whole lot together as the box set. There's a three DVD box set, which has all the episodes, or there's a box set which has all four of the DVD volumes listed on dooyoo, with the special features. I don't think much of the special features and think it's a better idea to go for the three DVD box set.

Summary: Finale of a series about a girl living with a family who turn into animals.