Fruits Basket: Prelude

Fans love this series, the characters, the stories and conflict, the life lessons and histories, the interactions between such different personalities - it's magic. I wasn't expecting magic from this film (why would I, it's not the main storyline), but I also wasn't expecting...to be so disgusted.

'Fruits Basket: Prelude' tells the story of how a grown man in a position of power at an educational institution takes advantage of a troubled teenage girl.

Now, this series isn't perfect: 27-year-old Shigure's "🎶high school girls, high school girls🎶" (actually, 75% of his character is true cringe) and 27-year-old Ayame essentially abducting underaged Tohru for a lunch date, to name two age-inappropriate behaviors. However, the series doesn't come close to the predatory severity presented in 'Prelude.' What's even more dangerous, is the lack of repercussion to Katsuya for his actions: Yuki and Kyo express their disgust constantly to Shigure, whereas Katsuya gets disapproval from his family about Kyoko because she's a reformed rebel, not because of her age.

'Fruits Basket: Prelude' is Katsuya's success story as a groomer. And it's not okay.