Fruits Basket: Prelude review: An incredibly moving story on love and loss

The series finale of Fruits Basket left many feeling well-informed about the beauty of life despite its many devastating lows and undeserving highs.

We saw Tohru Honda overcome her fear of abandonment and throw away her self-sabotaging ideals. We watched how Kyo Sohma took the bruised lemons life gave him and turned them into a buffet of ripe and juicy fruits. We laughed and cried with Yuki Sohma as he dug himself out of the darkness and blossomed into a young man who, while broken, still dared to walk toward his brighter future.

There were many more journeys we had the fortune of witnessing, however, we knew next to nothing about two characters that were pivotal to the story of Fruits Basket—Kyoko and Katsuya Honda, the late parents of our brunette lead.

By the start of Fruits Basket, Kyoko and Katsuya no longer existed in the world, hence why this prelude exists to answer any and every question we had about the couple. Not only did Fruits Basket: Prelude provide knowledge to curious fans, but the 2022 release also gave us many important life lessons that we will keep with us until the end of time.

Below is our review for Fruits Basket: Prelude.

Fruits Basket: Prelude is a movie that shines from start to finish

We open the film with Kyo and Tohru’s beautiful love story. Needless to say, this story wasn’t without its thorns, as both characters suffered a great deal to get to their happy ending. Nevertheless, they persisted and were able to live happily ever after. But no one could have ever known that their successful love story would juxtapose Katsuya and Kyoko’s by a landslide.

“But Katsuya Honda,” a young, adorable Kyo asked Kyoko at the time. “You don’t want to go see him anymore?” And with this question—an earnest question we all might have asked once or twice—we dive into a heartbreaking tale of two lovers who simply didn’t have enough time.

Unlike Tohru, Kyoko was a wild child from the very start. She hung around bad crowds, got in all sorts of trouble with everyone, and cared little about the bridges she burned with her parents. Still, in all her anger and misbehavior, she was worth saving. Katsuya especially thought so, too.

From their fateful encounter, we learned that there’s always someone out there who will reach out and listen to our pain, that there’s someone who will understand how we’re really feeling underneath all the bravado. Katsuya was this person for Kyoko. In a matter of seconds, he dissolved the unbridled rage within this orange-haired, troubled youth and provided her with the love she needed to shine. He did what her parents, her teachers, and her so-called friends were too afraid to do, which is why his passing was such a devastating blow to Kyoko and ourselves.

In love, there is also grieving, and this is a lesson Fruits Basket: Prelude taught us exceptionally well by depicting how unsteady Kyoko became after Katsuya’s death. Despite having a child to look after, Kyoko became reclusive. She had no means to go on since the love of her life passed away without warning. Her wallowing led her down an extreme path only few go when grief suffocates them. But thankfully, at the last minute, she realized her profound grief toward Katsuya can be transformed into an even more profound love for her daughter, Tohru. And so, she dusts herself off, living with the knowledge that someone, anyone out there, will always need her.

Years later, as a bloodied Kyoko lays lifeless on the cold pavement, she prays for her daughter to live a happy life surrounded by those who love her deeply, and this is the final message of Fruits Basket: Prelude: to live in search of a place where you’ll be accepted unconditionally.

Tohru’s road may not have been smooth, but it’s always been one full of unconditional love, and this is all thanks to two characters that were pivotal to the story of Fruits Basket—Kyoko and Katsuya.

As we watch Tohru and Kyo love each other loudly despite it all, we end Fruits Basket: Prelude with Kyoko’s message ringing through:

“Live the kind of life you can be proud of in the end, even if you get lost or make mistakes along the way. The kind of life that’ll earn you a ‘you fought well’. Have lots of happy times and sad times, and…and…” (Your story will fill out the rest.)

Catch Fruits Basket: Prelude at a United States/Canada theater near you on June 25, 28, and 29. Click here to purchase tickets.