Anirban Bhattacharya
‘Fruits Basket’ is an anime about a girl named Tooru, who loses her mother to an accident. She decides to move in with her grandfather but since his house is undergoing renovations, she has nowhere to go. Instead of asking her friends or relatives for help, she decides to take care of herself. Tooru starts living out of a tent in the woods. But one day, she finds out that her tent has been buried in a landslide. She then comes across two boys, Yuki and Shigure. Yuki is a popular boy in her school while his cousin Shigure is an author. They decide to take her in until her grandfather’s house is ready. Now, in a new household, she finds out that her hosts change into animals of the zodiac when hugged by someone from the opposite gender. This curse isn’t as funny as it sounds and stems from a dark past. Will her kind and good nature be enough to adjust in this cursed household?
The anime has been quite popular and is extremely entertaining. If you are done watching it and are looking for something similar, then we’ve got you covered. Here’s the list of best anime similar to ‘Fruits Basket’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these anime like ‘Fruits Basket’ on Netflix, Crunchyroll or Hulu.
6. Ouran Koukou Host Club (2006)
‘Ouran Koukou Host Club’ is one of the most popular romantic harem comedies. The series has a huge fanbase and even after being more than a decade old, you will find people still recommending this series and for good reasons. It is highly entertaining and as far as romantic comedies go, it is one of the best out there. Today, the anime gets a spot on this list as it has some similarity with ‘Fruits Basket’. Both the series feature a female lead who suddenly finds herself in the company of handsome male characters. She now has to deal with this new lifestyle.
Haruhi Fujioka, the female protagonist of the anime, is an intelligent and hard-working student. This lands her a scholarship at the prestigious Ouran High School, a place for elites. Commoners like Haruhi are a rare find in such a place where only students from upper-class families attend. One day, Haruhi stumbles upon a host club while searching for a quiet place to study. This club is a place for rich male students, who court and entertain the female students of the academy. Haruhi tries to leave but ends up breaking a vase worth 8 million Yen. Of course, she does not have that kind of money lying around and thus cannot pay for it. So, now she is an errand boy for the club and does their bidding. Soon, her status is changed, thanks to her masculine appearance. She is now a host and must crossdress to entertain other girls.
5. Kobato. (2009)
When it comes to the main character, ‘Kobato.’ is similar to ‘Fruits Basket’ in many ways. Both characters have a high amount of optimism. They are good-natured and want to help others. Also, both shows deal with supernatural and magical elements and the female protagonists in these anime have to deal with them. Hanato Kobato is the protagonist and titular character of ‘Kobato.’. She is a mysterious girl who has come to Earth to accomplish a mission. She wants to collect and fill a bottle with ‘Konpeito’. One can only obtain ‘Konpeito’ by healing the suffering heart of a person. Though this does look like a tough task, it might not be so for Hanato since she is quite sincere in helping people. But there is one condition: she cannot fall in love with the person whose heart she heals. Well, you can hear the romance bell ringing now, can’t you? This is one of the most entertaining anime I have ever watched.
4. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge (2006)
If you are a shoujo fan, then this anime should be on your checklist. It consists of 25 episodes, which is quite within the bingeing length. This anime contains a female protagonist who finds herself in the surrounding of handsome male characters and has to live with them. Yes, the premise is quite similar to ‘Fruits Basket’. Though this series does not deal with supernatural or magical themes like ‘Fruits Basket’, it is funny and dramatic like the latter.
Nakahara Sunako is a girl who is sort of different; she is not your everyday girl; she is weird, gloomy, lonely, and loves scary things and horror movies. Nakahara lives in a huge mansion with her aunt who wants her to be more ladylike. Actually, Nakahara sort of goes through a trauma during her childhood. She decides to confess to a guy she has a crush on but he not only rejects her but labels her ugly. This makes Nakahara allergic to all things beautiful. This allergy is no joke as it affects her physically, as in getting nosebleeds in the vicinity of something beautiful.
Her aunt decides to make a lady of her. She enlists the help of four handsome high school boys. She strikes a deal with them. If they are able to turn Nakahara into a lady befitting to live in the mansion, they can continue living in the mansion for free or they will have to vacate the premises or pay a huge fine. The boys soon get to work and are able to change her appearance; but how will they change what she likes and her overall personality? The anime tries to tell us about beauty and self and what really matters most.
3. Mahoutsukai no Yome (2017)
‘Mahoutsukai no Yome’ is a visual delight for any magic loving anime fan. The series looks really great on screen. The story is really entertaining and over the course of 24 episodes, the series will take you through various twists and turns. If magic and supernatural stuff are what pull you to ‘Fruits Basket’, you should check out ‘Mahoutsukai no Yome’. Both series have a female lead who goes through a sudden transition in life and has to live in a new place. In both the anime, this new place deals with magic and supernatural stuff.
The protagonist of the series is Chise Hatori. She is 15 years old and has been abandoned by everyone. She is a Sleigh Beggy, who are humans that have a natural affinity to magical creatures. They are important for sorcerers and thus she is sold at an auction for 5 million pounds. Chise doesn’t really care since she is okay as long as there is a roof over her head. The man who buys her wears a mask and a suit. He takes her to study and removes his mask to reveal his identity. He introduces himself as Elias Ainsworth, a magus, and after a bit of transportation magic, they land right into his beautiful cottage. Upon their arrival, magical beings like fairies greet Chise. This marks the beginning of a new life for her wherein she must train to become an apprentice and supposed wife of the magus.
2. Gakuen Babysitters (2018)
‘Gakuen Babysitters’ is a fairly recent anime, considering most of the anime on this list is at least a decade old. Though the series does not have a female protagonist like ‘Fruits Basket’, the male protagonist of ‘Gakuen Babysitters’ falls into a similar predicament and has to adjust in a new life after a tragedy. Also, the series does not have a supernatural theme like ‘Fruits Basket’ but the general funny demeanor is common in both the shows.
Ryuuichi Kashima is a teenager and has a younger brother Kotarou, who is still a toddler. Tragedy befalls in their lives as their parents die in a plane crash, leaving them alone in the world. Now, Ryuuichi is the only guardian of Kotarou and must do all he can to protect and bring him up. Kotarou tries his best to be optimistic and maintains a friendly attitude but Kotarou does not show much emotion and is still too young to understand the gravity of the situation. At their parents’ funeral, Youko Morinomiya, a chairman of an elite academy, approaches them. She decides to take them under her wing but there is a condition: in exchange for a roof over their heads, Ryuuichi must join the academy and must babysit a bunch of toddlers. These kids belong to the teachers of the academy. To care for them, they form a babysitting club but the workforce is less, which overwhelms them. Now, Ryuuichi must join the club and care for the toddlers, each having their own unique personality.
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1. Gakuen Alice (2004)
You might be forgiven for thinking that this anime is for kids. After all, ‘Gakuen Alice’ is an anime about magic and deals with 10-year-old kids. But the series is as entertaining for adults as it is for kids. Like ‘Fruits Basket’, the series is lighthearted and has an overall uplifting feel. Though ‘Fruits Basket’ delves into tragedy, ‘Gakuen Alice’ keeps an uplifting mood.
The protagonist of ‘Gakuen Alice’ is Mikan Sakura; she is 10 years old and is a very sweet girl. She is energetic and optimistic. These traits of her are not in tandem with Hotaru Imai, who is cold-hearted, intelligent and seems too mature for her age. But nonetheless, the girls are friends and have been so for a long time. So, when Hotaru gets transferred to another school by the name of Alice Academy, it hurts Mikan. She feels bad and when she learns that Alice academy hurts its students, she runs to inform her friend. Upon reaching, she finds out that this academy is actually overseen by the government and it looks after and trains students having supernatural abilities. Mikan then finds out about her own powers, enrolls in that academy and is finally able to reunite with Hotaru. The anime details the adventures of these two girls in this enigmatic academy.
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