A laboured recap and unsettling romance frustrates a potentially engrossing plot in a coda that might be offputting to newcomers and the fanbase alike
A coda to a hugely popular manga and anime series, Fruits Basket: Prelude steps away from the supernatural elements of its preceding iterations while aiming to retain their emotional lyricism. The first half-hour of this “prelude” functions as a recap of the series; this lengthy prologue revisits how Tohru Honda, a sensitive orphaned girl, falls in love with Kyo, a teenage boy who is cursed to transform into a cat when touched by a member of the opposite sex. These events, absorbing enough when told over the course of the series, are a bit of a slog when conjured up in this clipped format. Simply checking off the high points of their relationship is going to be confusing for newcomers and all too familiar for ardent fans.
A coda to a hugely popular manga and anime series, Fruits Basket: Prelude steps away from the supernatural elements of its preceding iterations while aiming to retain their emotional lyricism. The first half-hour of this “prelude” functions as a recap of the series; this lengthy prologue revisits how Tohru Honda, a sensitive orphaned girl, falls in love with Kyo, a teenage boy who is cursed to transform into a cat when touched by a member of the opposite sex. These events, absorbing enough when told over the course of the series, are a bit of a slog when conjured up in this clipped format. Simply checking off the high points of their relationship is going to be confusing for newcomers and all too familiar for ardent fans.
- 7/18/2022
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
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