Earlier this October a leak that surfaced online revealed that the Fruits Basket franchise will be getting a movie with a domain registered as https://fruba-movie.jp/ as its new project.

And lo-behold by the end of October the franchise has confirmed the new anime of Natsuki Takaya’s Fruits Basket manga will get a compilation film titled Fruits Basket -prelude- that will open in Japan in February 2022.

Here’s everything you need to know about the anime adaptation of Fruits Basket -prelude-!

Premise:

Fruits Basket tells the story of Tohru Honda, an orphan girl who, after meeting Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure Soma, learns that twelve members of the Soma family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac and are cursed to turn into their animal forms when they are weak, stressed, or when they are embraced by anyone of the opposite sex that is not possessed by a spirit of the zodiac.

As the series progresses, Tohru learns of the hardships and pain faced by the afflicted members of the Soma family, and through her own generous and loving nature, helps heal their emotional wounds.

The film will include the previously announced Kyо̄ko to Katsuya no Monogatari (Kyо̄ko and Katsuya’s Story) anime that will center on the backstory of Tohru’s parents Kyо̄ko and Katsuya, which the 2019-2021 series did not adapt.

The film will also include new scenes — written specifically for the film by Takaya — depicting events from after the television anime’s story

Trailer:

The latest visual and first footage from the Fruits Basket -prelude- special prequel episode of the Fruits Basket TV anime was released on Dec 15, 2021, featuring a young Tohru happily on the beach with her parents.

The initial announcement of the Furuba movie came with a preliminary key visual:

Release Date:

Fruits Basket -prelude- the movie will screen in Japanese theaters on February 18, 2022. The Blu-ray Disc release of the film will be available on the same day it opens in theaters.

The tickets for the movie will be available from November 11 to 24, 2021 at the “Fruits Basket World Exhibition” which will take place at the Seibu Ikebukuro Department Main Store’s Seibu Gallery in Tokyo.

Character Designs:

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Cast & Crew:

The cast includes :

• Honda Kyoko: Sawashiro Miyuki
• Katsuya Honda:Yoshimasa Hosoya
• Honda Toru: Manaka Iwami
• Yuki Sohma: Nobunaga Shimazaki
• Kyo Sohma:Yuma Uchida
  and others

The crew includes:

• Directed by: Yoshihide Ibata
• Screenplay: Taku Kishimoto
• Character Design: Masaru Shindo
• Art director: Kouyama Yokou
• Color design: Mika Sugawara
• Cinematographer: Cai Haku Choi
• Sound director: Jin Aketagawa
• music: Masaru Yokoyama
• Music production: TMS music
• Animation production: TMS Entertainment

The theme song of Fruits Basket -prelude- has been taken care of by Trio Ohashi playing the title “Niji to Kaito“(Rainbow and Kite).

The Fruits Basket Theme Song Best album, which includes the compilation film’s theme song and the other seasons’ theme songs, will ship on Feb 16, 2022.

About Fruits Basket:

Fruits Basket, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume, published by Hakusensha, from 1998 to 2006.

The series’ title comes from the name of a popular game played in Japanese elementary schools, which is alluded to in the series.

Takaya began a sequel titled Fruits Basket Another in September 2015, and the spin-off series The Three Musketeers Arc in April 2019.

The original manga was first adapted into a 26-episode anime television series in 2001, by Studio Deen and directed by Akitaro Daichi.

A second anime television series adaptation, produced by TMS Entertainment and directed by Yoshihide Ibata, premiered from April 2019, with its first season airing from April to September 2019, its second season airing from April to September 2020, and its third and final season airing from April to June 2021.

This post will be updated as to when new information about the anime comes out. Stay tuned!