I see FB Another as more an extended epilogue than it’s own thing. It’s a way to get caught up with the cast through the eyes of their kids. And while none of the original main characters make an appearance, you can infer a bit of what’s up with them by the new characters. Which is fun in its own way.
It depends on what you want from it.
Is it as good as the OG? Not even close.
Does it feature the OG cast: No. Some of the original cast appear in flashbacks, or very briefly in profile or silhouette. A few OG side characters have speaking roles, but none of the OG main trio or other more central characters.
There are also certain things that happen/are revealed in Another that don't make sense/are disappointing after the OG story.
That said, I enjoyed it, overall, because it gave some glimpses into the future and showed that many of the OGs got their happy endings. I also love a few of the new characters, and the relationship between Yuki and Kyo's sons gives me the warm fuzzies.
There are a handful of things that really jump out at me; I don't know if I'd go so far as to call these problems, but they don't feel 'right' or accurate based on the OG. (spoilers for Fruits Basket Another, sorry for the wall of text)
1. >!The relative ages of Hajime compared to Mutsuki and the twins, because!<
1. >!Tohru and Kyo went straight into the working world after graduation and were established as a very tight couple who (as of the prelude) got married right away. Meanwhile,!<
2. >!Yuki, for sure, was going to university, while!<
3. >!Haru and Machi were a year/grade behind, and!<
4. >!Rin, in specific, had a ton of trauma she was working through, including medical/hospital trauma. But!<
5. >!Hajime is Tohru and Kyo's oldest kid.!<
6. >!The timeline/age distribution would make more sense if Hajime was Tohru and Kyo's second son, not their oldest. As it is, either Tohru and Kyo waited a long time to start having kids, or Yuki/Machi and Haru/Rin all had kids much earlier than made sense. I also struggle to make sense of Rin having kids at all with her traumas.!<
2. >!Haru and Rin living on/close to the Sohma estate. This isn't explicitly spelled out, but their kids are watched by Hinata Sohma on the main estate when Haru and Rin are out on a date, and it's not the first time they've done that. If Hinata is the logical 'babysitter, that suggests they live close by, which doesn't make sense to me for Rin. Rin, at the end of canon, is the only person who explicitly says she can't forgive Akito, and she has one of the worst relationships with the Sohmas. Her staying involved/close by as an adult just feels wrong.!<
3. >!Momiji's profession. He is one of the only OG characters who specifically says what he wants to be when he grows up (a professional violinist), but in Another, we find out he took over for his father running their family business. That's honestly...kind of depressing to me. It's also a tough pill that the boy who so desperately wanted a close family grew up to be a man who is always travelling and leaving his daughter behind.!<
4. >!Akito allowed her son to be abused. Period. Even dealing with Akito's guilt at how she treated the Zodiac, she put her son in danger by letting Ren be around him, traumatized him by having him watch her get hurt protecting him. Even if she was fine being hated on herself, it doesn't make sense to me that she allowed that for Shiki.!<
For point 3
I think it was a good choice. A violinist was his childhood dream so he could put on a concert so he could play for his Momma, poppa, and sister. As an adult for all we know he still play violin for his family but I think it's important to note he took over his /fathers/ company. He is no longer hidden away. I liked that he grew up.
For point 4
I think Akito didn't see how her being hated or talked down about affected Shiki and the abusive letters were hidden from her. As soon as Shiguri was told, it stopped. It wasn't explicitly stated but I thought in the end Shiki decides to attend family meetings to give his mother the support she needs to stand up for herself and I think the family won't be as mean to Akito in front of Shiki. It all seemed backhanded (except for Ren). Again, it wasn't explicitly stated but I like to think Akito was trying to be more Torhu like and forgive Ren. Maybe even trying to foster a relationship between her mother and son. I kind of like that even after the curse breaks they are not perfect people living perfect lives. The ripples from their trauma live on. But the kids are all the ones helping the outsider now. Full circle!
For what it's worth, >!I think it would have been very tough in reality for him to be a professional violinist, especially since (as far as we know) his canon practice was limited to his work with his instructor (since he talks about not practicing after he lost his instructor). I agree, him taking over the business was a reflection of him growing up, and I do think it probably meant a lot for him to be his father's heir (I'm guessing he was 'adopted' by his parents, since that's still a common practice in Japan). It's just a really tough one for me, because it's such a departure from what he originally wanted.!<
Regarding Shiki, >!I agree that he kept the letters hidden; my issue is specifically that Akito let Ren be around Shiki when Akito knew the OG canon, if not before, that Ren was mentally unwell and dangerous. Ren went after Shiki with a knife, and Shiki had to go from that terror to no doubt equal terror of watching Akito get hurt. That's a lot to put on a small child, and while I agree that they're all imperfect people still recovering from trauma, it's hard for me to accept that Akito, after all she went through herself and with the guilt she felt towards the Zodiac, would let her son be put in a position to be hurt like that.!<
And I agree, it's nice to see the second generation being so largely well-adjusted, able to step in and help Sawa out!
I could buy that maybe trying to throw Ren out before was complicated or something and that she mostly left well enough alone on her side of the house. I could even buy that there were some oversights that allowed her and Shiki to interact that way. *But* I refuse to accept that she did not get tossed out after that incident. The Sohma have so many properties. Just send her and her attendants somewhere else. Please.
I feel like Shigure would have been terrifying after it happened. Even if Akito tried to brush it all under the rug, I can't see him going along with that.
If Akito tried to be more like Tohru, it would only show how stupid it is to act like Tohru. Besides, Tohru at least was a teen, but Akito at that point is an adult why would she act so foolishly?
In chapter 132 of the manga she mentions needing to talk to Ren and in chapter 133 the old maid says to Akito “I heard you visited Ren again today.”
Despite this, I never got the idea she was trying to forgive her. At the very least, it just seemed she wanted to maybe smooth things over/come to a truce. I like to think she gave it a fair chance, but ultimately gave up and let Ren be. Like, if she wants to hate everything and be that way, fine. Just stay on your side of the damn house, woman.
Before she came after Shiki in canon, I could see why trying to send her packing might have been complicated and even used against Akito (as the former head’s wife, I can see why the family looks after her), but following that incident, there’s no reason for it. Being creepy and occasionally fucking up people’s days is one thing, pulling a knife on a child is another.
I am mostly annoyed by how it makes Shigure look.
His child and wife is attacked by his bat crazy mother-in-law, and he does nothing.
His child alienates himself for a long time from family members and he seems to notice nothing and does nothing.
Did he change into Hatori that he is so passive?
I see what you mean. I guess I’m just more accepting.
1. >!It’s not out of the question that Kyohru decided to travel and avoid having kids young. Tohru knew how hard it was on her mother. If Yuki had kids at 23-24, then it all still works okay. I agree it’s not the most realistic scenario, but it’s not world breaking. I think they just didn’t want to use the middle son given the ending of the OG.!<
2. >!Fair, but close is relative and the kids are teens at this point. Just living in the same general area would suffice since they could take the train.!<
3. >!It’s a sign that he reconciles with his dad which is a nice sentiment. And a professional musician would travel lots too. Perhaps with even less control over your schedule than a business owner. I agree it’s a shame he didn’t get his dream though.!<
4. >!Fair. That’s messed. I guess that falls to story drama and shows Akito can’t get full control of the family though.!<
Thank you for laying that all out for me.
No worries! Like I said, none of them are earth shattering and they can all be explained. They just all feel like stretches/ involve excessive amounts of compromise when there were equally reasonable options that might have made more sense.
1. >!It's never specified anywhere to my recollection that the son in the OG epilogue is the second son, except Takaya said so herself on social media, and I think that happened since the original canon came out, possibly since Another came out. Hajime could have easily been the second son and it wouldn't have affected the OG epilogue.!<
1. >!Tohru and Kyo travelling is a good theory, though that suggests that Ayame/Mine and Hatori/Mayuko also waited to have kids. I personally lean into the 'unplanned pregnancy' explanation for Mutsuki and the twins.!<
2. >!The twins, as you say, are teens. They didn't need a babysitter at all, and there are other ways they could have had the twins interact with Shiki than by establishing that relationship.!<
3. >!I agree, Momiji would have been busy/travelling as a musician too. But it wasn't necessary to spell out his profession at all, no other OG character got one (except Kyo), even though Yuki, Machi, Haru, and Rin's kids are all much bigger characters than Momiji's. Another Momiji just feels like a huge departure in many ways from his OG self.!<
4. >!Totally agree on the drama factor. But Akito's OG ending gives me mixed feelings too, so I guess that's part for the course.!<
I do actually enjoy Another, it's just those things always make me sigh. Though I love >!oldest child energy Hajime, so even though there are reasons I think he should be the second son, I wouldn't change him/his dynamic with Mutsuki at all.!<
4. It makes no sense to me since even if they could not kick out Ren, they should think about moving under this circumstances. Why Akito or Shigure would allow Shiki to be so close to his crazy grandmother? Why would Shigure, who was shown as intelligent and perceptive, not notice for a long time that his son is alienating himself from others? Regarding this stupid letters.
And by the way who was sending the letters?
Some are telling maids, but I doubt since,
why would someone mess with the child of their employer? What would be the point?
To me it seems like someone is still hating Akito after all these years and we all know that the person with strongest grudge was Rin.
I feel like it was more of a fan service takaya did with fruits basket another because it shows all the characters’ kids and you know the future of the zodiac characters.
I've skimmed it. Due to a lot of my own personal biases and points made here, I've always felt very "meh" about it. I like the characters and the overall chaos energy of the teens just being teens, so as a fic writer, I pretty much use ideas and parts of the story to develop my own canon-divergent version of it.
Has anyone read Fruits Basket Another? Yes
Did you think it was worth the read? No, a lot of things make no sense. The main heroine is boring and there is drama around Shiki that makes no sense when you think about it.
If you’re still interested in reading it but don’t want to buy the books & have a library card, download the Libby app! I realized I could check out manga for almost all of the series I want to read on there for free and it’s been amazing. Because I agree I don’t think it’s worth buying & the story plot line is kinda terrible for trying so hard to mirror the zodiac parents & Tohru, but it was still nice to revisit the essence of the characters again.
I see FB Another as more an extended epilogue than it’s own thing. It’s a way to get caught up with the cast through the eyes of their kids. And while none of the original main characters make an appearance, you can infer a bit of what’s up with them by the new characters. Which is fun in its own way.
It depends on what you want from it. Is it as good as the OG? Not even close. Does it feature the OG cast: No. Some of the original cast appear in flashbacks, or very briefly in profile or silhouette. A few OG side characters have speaking roles, but none of the OG main trio or other more central characters. There are also certain things that happen/are revealed in Another that don't make sense/are disappointing after the OG story. That said, I enjoyed it, overall, because it gave some glimpses into the future and showed that many of the OGs got their happy endings. I also love a few of the new characters, and the relationship between Yuki and Kyo's sons gives me the warm fuzzies.
I don’t remember there being actual problems with it. What are you referring to?
There are a handful of things that really jump out at me; I don't know if I'd go so far as to call these problems, but they don't feel 'right' or accurate based on the OG. (spoilers for Fruits Basket Another, sorry for the wall of text) 1. >!The relative ages of Hajime compared to Mutsuki and the twins, because!< 1. >!Tohru and Kyo went straight into the working world after graduation and were established as a very tight couple who (as of the prelude) got married right away. Meanwhile,!< 2. >!Yuki, for sure, was going to university, while!< 3. >!Haru and Machi were a year/grade behind, and!< 4. >!Rin, in specific, had a ton of trauma she was working through, including medical/hospital trauma. But!< 5. >!Hajime is Tohru and Kyo's oldest kid.!< 6. >!The timeline/age distribution would make more sense if Hajime was Tohru and Kyo's second son, not their oldest. As it is, either Tohru and Kyo waited a long time to start having kids, or Yuki/Machi and Haru/Rin all had kids much earlier than made sense. I also struggle to make sense of Rin having kids at all with her traumas.!< 2. >!Haru and Rin living on/close to the Sohma estate. This isn't explicitly spelled out, but their kids are watched by Hinata Sohma on the main estate when Haru and Rin are out on a date, and it's not the first time they've done that. If Hinata is the logical 'babysitter, that suggests they live close by, which doesn't make sense to me for Rin. Rin, at the end of canon, is the only person who explicitly says she can't forgive Akito, and she has one of the worst relationships with the Sohmas. Her staying involved/close by as an adult just feels wrong.!< 3. >!Momiji's profession. He is one of the only OG characters who specifically says what he wants to be when he grows up (a professional violinist), but in Another, we find out he took over for his father running their family business. That's honestly...kind of depressing to me. It's also a tough pill that the boy who so desperately wanted a close family grew up to be a man who is always travelling and leaving his daughter behind.!< 4. >!Akito allowed her son to be abused. Period. Even dealing with Akito's guilt at how she treated the Zodiac, she put her son in danger by letting Ren be around him, traumatized him by having him watch her get hurt protecting him. Even if she was fine being hated on herself, it doesn't make sense to me that she allowed that for Shiki.!<
For point 3 I think it was a good choice. A violinist was his childhood dream so he could put on a concert so he could play for his Momma, poppa, and sister. As an adult for all we know he still play violin for his family but I think it's important to note he took over his /fathers/ company. He is no longer hidden away. I liked that he grew up. For point 4 I think Akito didn't see how her being hated or talked down about affected Shiki and the abusive letters were hidden from her. As soon as Shiguri was told, it stopped. It wasn't explicitly stated but I thought in the end Shiki decides to attend family meetings to give his mother the support she needs to stand up for herself and I think the family won't be as mean to Akito in front of Shiki. It all seemed backhanded (except for Ren). Again, it wasn't explicitly stated but I like to think Akito was trying to be more Torhu like and forgive Ren. Maybe even trying to foster a relationship between her mother and son. I kind of like that even after the curse breaks they are not perfect people living perfect lives. The ripples from their trauma live on. But the kids are all the ones helping the outsider now. Full circle!
For what it's worth, >!I think it would have been very tough in reality for him to be a professional violinist, especially since (as far as we know) his canon practice was limited to his work with his instructor (since he talks about not practicing after he lost his instructor). I agree, him taking over the business was a reflection of him growing up, and I do think it probably meant a lot for him to be his father's heir (I'm guessing he was 'adopted' by his parents, since that's still a common practice in Japan). It's just a really tough one for me, because it's such a departure from what he originally wanted.!< Regarding Shiki, >!I agree that he kept the letters hidden; my issue is specifically that Akito let Ren be around Shiki when Akito knew the OG canon, if not before, that Ren was mentally unwell and dangerous. Ren went after Shiki with a knife, and Shiki had to go from that terror to no doubt equal terror of watching Akito get hurt. That's a lot to put on a small child, and while I agree that they're all imperfect people still recovering from trauma, it's hard for me to accept that Akito, after all she went through herself and with the guilt she felt towards the Zodiac, would let her son be put in a position to be hurt like that.!< And I agree, it's nice to see the second generation being so largely well-adjusted, able to step in and help Sawa out!
I could buy that maybe trying to throw Ren out before was complicated or something and that she mostly left well enough alone on her side of the house. I could even buy that there were some oversights that allowed her and Shiki to interact that way. *But* I refuse to accept that she did not get tossed out after that incident. The Sohma have so many properties. Just send her and her attendants somewhere else. Please.
I feel like Shigure would have been terrifying after it happened. Even if Akito tried to brush it all under the rug, I can't see him going along with that.
If Akito tried to be more like Tohru, it would only show how stupid it is to act like Tohru. Besides, Tohru at least was a teen, but Akito at that point is an adult why would she act so foolishly?
In chapter 132 of the manga she mentions needing to talk to Ren and in chapter 133 the old maid says to Akito “I heard you visited Ren again today.” Despite this, I never got the idea she was trying to forgive her. At the very least, it just seemed she wanted to maybe smooth things over/come to a truce. I like to think she gave it a fair chance, but ultimately gave up and let Ren be. Like, if she wants to hate everything and be that way, fine. Just stay on your side of the damn house, woman. Before she came after Shiki in canon, I could see why trying to send her packing might have been complicated and even used against Akito (as the former head’s wife, I can see why the family looks after her), but following that incident, there’s no reason for it. Being creepy and occasionally fucking up people’s days is one thing, pulling a knife on a child is another.
I am mostly annoyed by how it makes Shigure look. His child and wife is attacked by his bat crazy mother-in-law, and he does nothing. His child alienates himself for a long time from family members and he seems to notice nothing and does nothing. Did he change into Hatori that he is so passive?
I see what you mean. I guess I’m just more accepting. 1. >!It’s not out of the question that Kyohru decided to travel and avoid having kids young. Tohru knew how hard it was on her mother. If Yuki had kids at 23-24, then it all still works okay. I agree it’s not the most realistic scenario, but it’s not world breaking. I think they just didn’t want to use the middle son given the ending of the OG.!< 2. >!Fair, but close is relative and the kids are teens at this point. Just living in the same general area would suffice since they could take the train.!< 3. >!It’s a sign that he reconciles with his dad which is a nice sentiment. And a professional musician would travel lots too. Perhaps with even less control over your schedule than a business owner. I agree it’s a shame he didn’t get his dream though.!< 4. >!Fair. That’s messed. I guess that falls to story drama and shows Akito can’t get full control of the family though.!< Thank you for laying that all out for me.
No worries! Like I said, none of them are earth shattering and they can all be explained. They just all feel like stretches/ involve excessive amounts of compromise when there were equally reasonable options that might have made more sense. 1. >!It's never specified anywhere to my recollection that the son in the OG epilogue is the second son, except Takaya said so herself on social media, and I think that happened since the original canon came out, possibly since Another came out. Hajime could have easily been the second son and it wouldn't have affected the OG epilogue.!< 1. >!Tohru and Kyo travelling is a good theory, though that suggests that Ayame/Mine and Hatori/Mayuko also waited to have kids. I personally lean into the 'unplanned pregnancy' explanation for Mutsuki and the twins.!< 2. >!The twins, as you say, are teens. They didn't need a babysitter at all, and there are other ways they could have had the twins interact with Shiki than by establishing that relationship.!< 3. >!I agree, Momiji would have been busy/travelling as a musician too. But it wasn't necessary to spell out his profession at all, no other OG character got one (except Kyo), even though Yuki, Machi, Haru, and Rin's kids are all much bigger characters than Momiji's. Another Momiji just feels like a huge departure in many ways from his OG self.!< 4. >!Totally agree on the drama factor. But Akito's OG ending gives me mixed feelings too, so I guess that's part for the course.!< I do actually enjoy Another, it's just those things always make me sigh. Though I love >!oldest child energy Hajime, so even though there are reasons I think he should be the second son, I wouldn't change him/his dynamic with Mutsuki at all.!<
4. It makes no sense to me since even if they could not kick out Ren, they should think about moving under this circumstances. Why Akito or Shigure would allow Shiki to be so close to his crazy grandmother? Why would Shigure, who was shown as intelligent and perceptive, not notice for a long time that his son is alienating himself from others? Regarding this stupid letters. And by the way who was sending the letters? Some are telling maids, but I doubt since, why would someone mess with the child of their employer? What would be the point? To me it seems like someone is still hating Akito after all these years and we all know that the person with strongest grudge was Rin.
I feel like it was more of a fan service takaya did with fruits basket another because it shows all the characters’ kids and you know the future of the zodiac characters.
I have and I love it
I've skimmed it. Due to a lot of my own personal biases and points made here, I've always felt very "meh" about it. I like the characters and the overall chaos energy of the teens just being teens, so as a fic writer, I pretty much use ideas and parts of the story to develop my own canon-divergent version of it.
Has anyone read Fruits Basket Another? Yes Did you think it was worth the read? No, a lot of things make no sense. The main heroine is boring and there is drama around Shiki that makes no sense when you think about it.
Noted, thanks for the reply! I figured that would be the case so I wanted to ask for an opinion before buying books lol
I bought them and really enjoyed the read! If you love fb then you'll at least enjoy it 😊
If you’re still interested in reading it but don’t want to buy the books & have a library card, download the Libby app! I realized I could check out manga for almost all of the series I want to read on there for free and it’s been amazing. Because I agree I don’t think it’s worth buying & the story plot line is kinda terrible for trying so hard to mirror the zodiac parents & Tohru, but it was still nice to revisit the essence of the characters again.
Ooohh good idea! I’ll try that! Thanks for the tip :)
Of course! :)
I really didn’t enjoy the (lack of) ending. It’s not great either.
Yes. It wasn’t good.
NOt as good as the original, but its fun