English Dub Review: Fruits Basket “I Mean… You Know, Right?”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Yuki tries to tell Machi about his curse, but is unable to get the words out before Kimi interrupts.

Shigure taunts Akito, asking if she intends to just stay in her room until the world conforms to her desires. Kureno’s arrival puts an end to the interaction, but Akito remains bitter. Shigure thinks to himself that the world marches on, and people do, too.

At school, girls are falling over themselves about someone tall and handsome. When the mysterious figure asks Tohru to walk home together, it’s revealed to be Momiji, post growth spurt.

Our Take:

Mikaela Krantz has her work cut out for her with Momiji’s voice change, and she absolutely nails it. Lending a touch of maturity to this cheerful character without faltering on his accent or childish preferences (“Oh, idea! Let’s get ice cream on the way.”) is no small order, but the performance makes this episode great.

Shigure’s dark side comes out more obviously in this episode as well, and John Burgmeier delivers stunningly in his performance to match. Swinging wildly between the dark and edgy, almost menacing tones while taunting Akito, and his “normal” upbeat self make you realize there’s some sinister depth to this dog (and highlight the variety that undoubtedly makes this role one of Burgmeier’s faves.)

Overall, the storyline is about as expected. The normal attempts at revealing secrets, stunning moments of meaningful eye contact, and of course, plenty of angst about the curse and whether or not anyone can truly love the members of the Zodiac.

But what really stands out to me is how…relaxed? The overall vibe of this anime is. While other slice of life series can be calm to the point of being dull, this one has enough intrigue to feel exciting at times. But never stressful. It’s just, I dunno, nice?

It’s always been a go-to escapist story for me (and tons of other fans, I’m sure.) But even moments as simple as Yuki, Haru, AND Momiji all recognizing Tohru’s feelings about the ice cream cake and reassuring her it’s not an unattainable luxury are truly heartwarming.

Sure, yes, there’s the curse stuff. And Ayame’s whole deal. And Kyo’s interactions with Kisa and Hiro are uncomfortable for a minute, but ultimately the Sheep and Cat can get along, at least for a bit.

But the fantasy of having people care about you, understand you, and who go out of their way to make you happy? That’s the dream, man. And this rendition of Fruits Basket delivers it better, and more beautifully, than any other show.