Fruits Basket is back with a whole new retelling of the heartwarming story. Here is one fans review of episodes 1-3 titled See You After School, They’re All Animals, and Rich Man Poor Man.

Fruits Basket has become one of the most well loved anime series of all time. Its story has resonated with many an anime fan for years and for many, myself included, it is the anime that gets people into anime. So fans have been excited and eager for this reboot when it was announced. Well now it is here and, as a fan, I’m excited to see the full story as portrayed in the manga.

For those, though, who are new to the story of Fruits Basket, it is the heartwarming story of the orphan and homeless teen girl named Tohru Honda. Tohru runs into a very special family, the Sohma family, who take her in after they find her in a tent on their land. After striking a deal with Shigure and Yuki Sohma (she will clean their house and cook in exchange for a free place to stay), she learns of their greatest secret: whenever someone of the opposite sex hugs one of them, they turn into a member of the Zodiac. Enter Kyo Sohma, who turns into the cat. As you quickly learn, the cat is not apart of the zodiac, but always wishes he could fit in. Tohru’s new life with her strange, new family begins and we get to experience this wonderful story that will make you laugh and cry.

One of the biggest differences (and most obvious) is the art style of this reboot. To put it quite simply, it is absolutely stunning. The colors and the crispness of the details in this are so well done and I feel like the characters still looked like their former counterparts, but are more realistically drawn.

The second biggest difference is the music in this. The soundtrack in the first three episodes is sweet and beautiful. It focuses more on the dramatic elements of the story versus the comedic which is something I noticed in several areas. I just adored how well the music accentuated certain scenes like the scene when Tohru is telling Shigure her heart wrenching regret of not waking up to tell her mother goodbye on her mother’s last day. I thought the music added a delicate beauty to the anime with more use of the piano versus the older anime which used more drums to accentuate the comedy. Check out the official trailer below which uses music from the anime:

I also loved how they integrated certain elements in like the transitions and character introductions. The transitions between story elements are so smooth. My favorite transition was the use of the bell in the beginning when Tohru first meets Shigure. With the use of the bell sound they transition from the present time with Shigure to the past where we see Tohru’s mother retells the story of the Chinese zodiac. Loved the transition between present day Tohru and her memory of her mother telling her the zodiac story by using the use of sound tinkling of the bell charm. Also loved how Kyo is seen through the window in episode 1 as Shigure and Yuki bring Tohru’s stuff to her room. I thought it was a nice and indirect way to introduce one of the main characters.

For the most part, most of reboot is very similar to the original, but there are some really refreshing new additions. I love how they focus on the dramatic elements of the story. It’s so much more heartwarming. One of the biggest differences I’m seeing is that there are more flashbacks for characters, one of which was a flashback to Yuki and Kyo’s past. I also loved all the extra flashback scenes we get with Tohru and her mother, and I hope we will get to see more.

I think one of the more ingenious additions that is so minor and so telling at the same time is the mention of how Tohru’s grandfather is growing senile. That was one of the biggest issues I had with the original is how her grandfather never checked up on her to make sure she was okay while he was with his daughter’s family. He never checked in to see if she found accommodations which I found to be odd since she is still only 15. Well in the reboot, there is one flashback scene that is very short, but so telling. In it, Tohru is following her grandfather around as he calls her Kyoko (her mother) and she has to keep reminding him that she is Tohru. This would explain so much. If he has something like Dementia, he could have easily forgotten about Tohru and her situation or assumed she is fine because he thinks she is Kyoko. It’s little touches like this that I really appreciate. Little additions like this really flesh out the world of Fruits Basket so much more.

The only other big difference is the sequence of events and the introduction of other members of the Chinese zodiac as seen in episode 3 (but shhh! I won’t say whom for spoiler purposes). I liked how the flow of events are going in this. There is just enough of a difference that this reboot can be fresh and new for someone like me who has seen the original anime.

Overall, I think this is a really fantastic reimagining of the classic. I love the original anime, but I am loving this version just as much if not more. If you have not seen it yet, I suggest checking it out. Fruits Basket comes out every Friday on Crunchyroll and Funimation Now!