‘Fruits Basket’ Reboot Confirms Spring 2019 Release

2018 saw many classic anime series return for major revival runs with wild success, and the trend will definitely continue into 2019 as several classic make their returns with fresh new takes.

One such return is Natsuki Takaya’s Fruits Basket, which will be debuting a new anime series. But when will fans be able to watch it themselves? A new key visual released for the remake series confirms it will debut as part of the Spring 2019 anime season.

Scheduled for a release in April 2019, the series will feature an all-new staff and cast. With executive supervision from series creator Natsuki Takaya (who has given her approval for the new series), the new series will adapt the original manga more closely than the first 26 episode anime adaptation produced by Studio Deen a while back.

The remake will feature updated visuals as well with Yoshihide Ibata directing the series for TMS Entertainment, Taku Kishimoto as series writer, and Masaru Shindo as character designer. Fans have been wondering what a remake would bring to the classic series, but they’re hopeful since it’s the first new project from the series in quite some time.

Funimation has licensed the series for a release outside of Japan, so keep an eye on FunimationNow when the series fully debuts. There have been no details as to whether or not the remake series will debut an English dub alongside the Japanese release, but there’s plenty of time for more of that news down the line.

Some of the Japanese cast has been confirmed for the series so far, and they currently include the likes of Manaka Iwami as Tohru Honda, Nobunaga Shimazaki as Yuki Sohma, Yuma Uchida as Kyo Sohma, Yuichi Nakamura as Shigure Sohma, Atsumi Tanezaki as Arisa Uotani, and Satomi Sato as Saki Hanajima.

Fruits Basket was originally created by Natsuki Takaya for Hakusensha’s Han to Yume magazine in 1998. The series follows a sweet, young, orphaned girl named Tohru Honda who ends up living with a few members of the mysterious Sohma clan when shenanigans ensue. Things get out of control when Tohru learns the family has been cursed to transform into zodiac animals whenever they are hugged by someone of the opposite sex. Sworn to secrecy, Tohru decides to help break the cyclical curse, and the girl falls in love with a special someone along the way.