Fruits Basket is a shojo manga that has become a classic romantic drama series. Ever since the reboot anime premiered in 2019, the series has become a favorite among the public, especially manga fans. The original anime deviated from the manga in a lot of ways, disappointing some fans, whereas the reboot stayed truer to the source material’s telling of Tohru Honda’s experiences with the cursed members of the Sohma family.
The story is no less than a rollercoaster of emotions, ranging from bittersweet to downright depressing. The reboot was supposed to cover the entire Fruits Basket manga, but this didn’t happen. Take Fruits Basket: Prelude for example; the movie covers scenes from the original manga that the series didn’t show. Similarly, there were several beautiful scenes and even backstories in the manga that anime-only fans never got to see.
Kakeru’s Backstory Is Completely Removed From the Fruits Basket Anime
One detail that confused Fruits Basket anime fans the most was Kakeru’s interest in Tohru, as he would often ask Yuki about her. According to Kimi, Kakeru was loyal to his girlfriend. Thus, it doesn’t make much sense for him to be so interested in a girl who has nothing to do with him. However, what anime fans don’t know is that the reason Kakeru approached Yuki and became friends with him was just so he could talk to Tohru.
Kakeru’s girlfriend, Komaki Nakao, was the daughter of the man who hit Tohru’s mother with his car. Both Nakao’s father and Tohru’s mother died because of that accident. Seeing how sad it made Nakao, Kakeru went to Kyoko’s funeral and said mean things to Tohru.
He hated Tohru for acting like she was the only person who was suffering while Nakao was upset with her father’s death. When Nakao finds out, she becomes very upset with him for disrespecting the feelings of a person who had just lost her mother. She knew Kakeru only said those things for her sake, but to put two people’s feelings on a scale and compare them would never make her happy. Kakeru realizes his mistake and tries to understand the other person better. He was hesitant about approaching Tohru directly to apologize, so he approached Yuki in hopes of getting a chance to meet Tohru.
Kakeru Meeting Tohru Is One of the Manga’s Most Wholesome Scenes
Kakeru mistakenly thought Nakao had the same thoughts as him and unintentionally hurt both her and Tohru. He starts by apologizing to Tohru for disregarding her feelings and says he knows it must have been hard for her as well. He also reveals how his girlfriend reprimanded him for saying those things.
He tells Tohru that Nakao is doing well and that she seems to be doing well too. They then talk about Yuki, who has become more carefree and cheerful, and Kakeru says this change in Yuki must be due to her. Tohru doesn’t say anything but smiles at him. Seeing her usual kind demeanor, he thinks to himself how it makes him want to cry. He realizes it’s the type of smile for oneself but also for other people’s sake. It means that Tohru has forgiven Kakeru; thus, he is overwhelmed with relief.
Kyo Tries to Meet Tohru in the Hospital
In the Fruits Basket anime, shortly after Tohru’s accident, Kyo refuses to visit her at the hospital. But after Yuki knocks some sense into him, he rushes over there — only to realize she’s been discharged. Tohru runs away after seeing him and Kyo tries to catch up with her. Before that, however, the manga covers a lot of funny moments. After his talk (or fight) with Yuki, Kyo tried to meet Tohru while she was still hospitalized — but Arisa and Hanajima were blocking him from entering her room.
They reprimand Kyo for trying to meet Tohru with a guilty face and threaten to beat him up. They also showed their disappointment in how he treated Tohru and called her delusional when she confessed her feelings to him. Kyo was confused about how they know everything, but Yuki jumps in and apologizes for letting it slip with a smug look on his face. The apology was mostly sarcastic, and he intended to cause trouble for Kyo for hurting Tohru. Arisa and Hanajima ban him from visiting Tohru until he sorts out his feelings first. After that, Kyo meets his father and only then reconciles with Tohru.
In the Manga, Tohru Faints After Kagura Slaps Her
In the Fruits Basket anime, Tohru was completely fine after Kagura slaps her. Though there was no ill will, Kagura — being her usual hot-headed self — only wanted Tohru to admit her feelings to Kyo. In the heat of the moment, she didn’t realize she’d hit Tohru hard enough to actually make her faint. As soon as it happens, Isuzu becomes mad and reprimands Kagura for trying to force her reasoning onto Tohru.
Kazuma’s assistant, Kunimitsu Tomoda, came to the room after hearing all the yelling and realizes Tohru has fainted. Kagura admits she used her full force without realizing it. Meanwhile, Tohru realizes that, on the roof when she told Kyo about her father, she was testing him. She thought if Kyo wouldn’t accept her after seeing how selfish she was, then she could continue to hide her feelings for him.
The scene changes as Tohru regains her consciousness and sees Kyo sitting beside her with a warm smile on his face. He told her he was shocked after learning that she fought with Kagura. Tohru says she won’t make Kagura apologize and neither will she. Kagura says the same.
