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The 2019 adaptation of Fruits Basket ran till 2021, focusing on the life of Honda Tohru and her relationship with various members of the soma family, over a span of three seasons.
While love blossomed between Tohru and Kyo, who was born with the Cat spirit, the series also explored the complicated dynamics of all twelve Zodiacs and the head of the clan, Soma Akito.
The series was popular enough to even get a spin-off movie focusing on Honda Tohru’s mother, Kyoko. The movie, Fruits Basket: Prelude, is scheduled to release in Japan on February 18, 2022.
So, while waiting for the movie’s release, here are eight romance anime with a supernatural twist that lovers of Fruits Basket should definitely check out.
8 supernatural romance anime that fans of Fruits Basket would love
1) Kamisama Hajimemashita (2 seasons, 25 episodes)
While Fruits Basket is based on the Chinese zodiac system, Kamisama Hajimemashita is knee-deep in Shinto mythology. The story begins with Momozono Nanami, who finds herself evicted from her home after her deadbeat father runs away.
She helps out a god disguised as a human, who then bestows upon her the mark of divinity, making her the Land God. Shenanigans ensue as her life as a human god begins among other humans, gods and yokai, and she starts harboring romantic feelings for her kitsune familiar, Tomoe.
2) A Whisker Away (movie)
A Whisker Away is a supernatural romance anime that follows Sasaki Miyo trying to balance her unhappy home life with her stepmother, and her unsuccessful attempts to flirt with her crush Hinode Kento.
The story takes off when a mysterious mask-seller gives Miyo a cat-themed noh mask, allowing her to turn into a cat. As Miyo starts getting closer to Hinode in her cat form, she starts losing track of her human self. Similar to Fruits Basket, the movie features characters literally turning into animals.
3) Orange (1 season, 13 episodes)
The story of Orange follows Takamiya Naho, her four friends, and the new transfer student Naruse Kakeru. Naho and her friends all receive letters from their future selves, asking them to become friends with Kakeru and prevent him from committing suicide that year.
Fruits Basket deals with some surprisingly heavy themes, and Orange shares a similar weight in terms of theme and poignance.
4) Anohana (1 season, 11 episodes)
Fruits Basket begins after the death of Tohru’s mother Kyoko. But the latter's presence is palpable throughout the story. Similarly, Anohana deals with the story of five childhood friends dealing with the death of their friend Menma, finally letting go of their regrets, guilt and pain.
The story begins on a summer day when Yadomi Jinta, nicknamed “Jintan,” starts seeing Menma’s ghost and tries to fulfill her wishes so that her spirit may rest in peace.
5) Hotarubi no Mori e (movie)
Hotarubi no Mori e is a supernatural love story both beautiful and tragic. It follows high-school student Hotaru, who got lost in the forest as a child while visiting her uncle in the summer.
She was rescued by Gin, an abandoned child, who the mountain god took in, turning him into an existence neither human, nor spirit. Hotaru returns to the forest every summer to spend the days with Gin and over the years, the two start falling in love with each other.
6) Akatsuki no Yona (1 season, 24 episodes)
Akatsuki no Yona is based in the fictional nation of Kouka and follows the sole heir to the throne, princess Yona. Unfortunately, the nation goes into political turmoil on the night of her sixteenth birthday. After the king is murdered, Yona and her protector Hak, become fugitives.
They set out on an adventure in search of the four Dragon Warriors, and the Crimson Dragon King, who had founded the nation of Yona after descending from the Heavens. Love slowly blossoms between Yona and Hak, but remains secondary to the plot.
7) Wolf Children (movie)
Wolf Children shares more similarities with Honda Tohru’s life before her mother died and with the upcoming Fruits Basket: Prelude movie. The story begins with college student Hana’s fairytale romance with a man who can turn into a wolf. However, the film focuses more on Hana’s life with her two wolf children after their father dies in an accident.
The focus of the movie slowly shifts from Hana towards the two siblings Yuki and Ame, as they find their own paths in life.
8) Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (1 season, 13 episodes)
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is the final entry on this list. The story begins when Azusagawa Sakuta sees his upperclassman, teenage actress Sakurajima Mai, walking around a library one day wearing a bunny girl costume.
Mai turns out to be afflicted with “Adolescence Syndrome,” an odd phenomenon affecting teenage girls which leads to strange happenings based on their individual insecurities. Sakuta and Mai grow closer and get into a relationship while tackling strange phenomena affecting people around them.
The genre of romance anime boasts a huge number of titles and this list is nowhere close to being comprehensive. Fruits Basket excels in characterization and depiction of complicated relationships.
The series shows a wide range of love stories: unrequited, broken, toxic, idealistic, and even platonic. This list simply tries to incorporate anime with these traits, featuring a solid plot and a sprinkling of the supernatural.
