Social Acceptance and Aggression Among Adolescents: An Analysis of the Japanese Anime Fruits Basket

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Social Acceptance and Aggression Among Adolescents:

An Analysis of the Japanese Anime Fruits Basket

KRYSTAL MILLER

Introduction

Personally, adolescence was a difficult time in my life. Not only was I going through

puberty, but I was also starting to form closer relationships with my peers. There were periods

during that time in my life where I was caught in opposition with my social group and I felt as if

I could not win. I was also bullied and taunted quite extensively. Unfortunately, it is now

increasingly common to hear stories about young adolescent teens committing suicide due to

peer bullying. “In 2011, an estimated 20% of US youths reported bully victimization in the pastyear” (LeVasseur, Kelvin & Grosskopf, 2013, p. 1). When I worked as a tutor at a middle school,

I witnessed similar things. I noticed young girls being socially isolated from their peers and I

noticed boys preferring to scream and physically fight one another during an altercation.

I initially examined the Japanese anime Fruits Basket , through a feminist lens since as a

female, Tohru Honda—one of the main characters—had the ability to transform members of the

Sohma family into animals of the Chinese zodiac. In fact, the only scholarly research I could find

on the series explored how Fruits Basket and other Japanese anime portray femininity (Choo,

2008, p. 276). However, after closer examination, I realized that there is a much deeper theme

presented in the series—social acceptance. Every character in the anime series—major or minor —had some type of conflict with members of their social group. It is also interesting to note that

every character who has been in an altercation with peers, either directly or indirectly, are all

adolescents. There is also a difference in the way each gender handles conflict, which is similar

to what I have experienced in reality.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the ways in which Fruits Basket portrays

adolescent relationships through aggression in order to inform the target audience—adolescent

females—about the development of their social identity and aggression. Additionally, I will

examine the differences seen among both genders in the anime and how the female character,

Tohru Honda’s portrayal in the series relates to the target audience. I will examine the animeseries Fruits Basket using narrative criticism by focusing specifically on the main characters

(Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo) by explaining how they are involved in peer aggression.

Description of Artifact



Social Acceptance and Aggression Among Adolescents 2

Fruits Basket: From Manga to Anime

Fruits Basket follows the life of Tohru Honda, a sixteen year old orphan and high school

student who stops by a house inhabited by the Sohma family. “When she moves in with the veryrich Sohma family, Tohru is in for some surprises. Tohru finds herself living with Yuki, the

popular 'prince' of her class, and Yuki's cousins, irritable Kyo and eccentric Shigure. She also

discovers the Sohma family's secret: thirteen of them are possessed by the spirits of the zodiac. If

they hug someone of the opposite sex, they transform into an animal. But that's just one of many

secrets of this cursed clan....” (Aoki, para.3).

Fruits Basket is a classic example of the Shojo genre which is characterized by plot and

character development (Damaged927, 2008, para. 4). Generally, there is no antagonist and no

heavy drama; however that is made up by focusing on the characters and their lives. Shojo is

targeted towards a female audience between the ages of ten and eighteen (“Shojo Manga”, para.1). In an interview with Time Magazine when asked why she created Fruits Basket , Japanese

manga artist and writer Natsuki Takaya states, “I've been asked this question many times in the

past, but I still don't have a very clear answer to it. It's just something that occurs to me, through

the process of living for myself — as ‘me’” (“Something’s About, 2006”). Consequently,

through identifying with her role as a woman, Fruits Basket is a personal reflection of Takaya’s

personal struggles. In determining its exigency, Shojo was popular in the 90s, especially with the

rise of Sailor Moon (Jones, 2013, para. 2).

“The key to the success of Fruits Basket , which is the best-selling shōjo series in both

Japan and the U.S., is the way in which it appeals to both male and female readers with acombination of humor and emotion in its saga of an orphaned high school girl who finds refuge

with a very eccentric family” (“Two-Million Fruits”, 2006). Takaya states, “Above and beyond

drawing my creations, I try to incorporate some kind of message. I try not to end as merely a

question but try to provide a conclusion within the work.” (“Something’s About, 2006”). Takaya

has not expanded on what this message should be but has implied that it is open to interpretation.

However, Fruits Basket is listed under “teen romance” (Aoki, para. 4). Since Fruits Basket is

listed under the genre of “romance” and the protagonist, Tohru Honda, is a female, it is no

surprise that “someone once described Fruits Basket as a harem comedy for girls” (Kimlinger,

2007).

The manga series made its debut in 1999 (“Fruits Basket”, para. 4) and was originally

represented by Hakusensha, a manga publishing company based in Japan (Aoki, para. 1). In the

US, Fruits Basket was published by the Los Angeles-based manga publisher, TokyoPop. In total,

there are twenty-three volumes of the manga series (“Available, para. 2”). The first manga

edition of Fruits Basket was released in the U.S. by TokyoPop in October 2007 (Hackmann,




2007, p.1) and quickly became the best-selling manga series in TokyoPop’s history (“Two-

Million Fruits”, 2006).

The anime series of Fruits Basket was adapted by the manga series and was released as a

twenty-six-episode series. Directed by Akitaroh Daichi, Fruits Basket was released in Japan

through the anime company, StudioDeen (“Fruits Basket”). In 2001, Fruits Basket was releasedin North America by FUNimation (“Two-Million Fruits”, 2006), which has also produced the

popular anime series Dragon Ball Z and Baka the Tests-Summons the Beast (“FUNimation

Shows”). In 2001, “[ Fruits Basket ] received the Kodansha Manga Award in the shōjo manga

category and the ‘Best Manga’ award at the 2007 American Anime Awards” (“Two-Million

Fruits, 2006”).

Description of Method

Narrative Criticism: Adolescent Social Development and Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket ’s success at award shows is directly related to the content of its storyline.

Fruits Basket is a perfect example through which the narrative method could be used because for

every character, past experiences greatly shape their present. Narratives are important since “they

allow us to interpret reality because they help us decide what a particular experience is about and

how the various elements of our experiences are connected” (Bennett, 1978). Put differently,

narratives provide us insight into how we view the world and how our experiences may relate to

others. Since narratives are a personal reflection of our experiences, “the personal narrative is

part of the study of everyday life, particularly performance in everyday life and the culture of

everyday talk” (Langellier, 1989, p. 243).

Narrative criticism seeks to understand how personal narratives are understood in a text.

Through the rhetorical method of narrative criticism, “[the rhetor] is interested in participant’s

perceptions and meanings of particular phenomena through the way they talk about their lived

experiences” (Brown, Dodd & Vetere, 2010, p. 218). The purpose of the analysis is to uncover

the underlying motivations that the rhetor had through the creation of each character’s

personality through their past experiences. However, in order to discover the rhetor’s motives,

“both the narrator and the audience must recognize the discursive form of the story and

understand the story’s meaning” (Foss, 2009, p. 309). There are specific steps that will be

incorporated in this analysis that are pertinent to narrative criticism to expose the principal

message of the story.

In order to examine adolescent development, I must identify the features of the Fruits

Basket narrative. The features of narrative criticism are the setting, characters, narrator, events,

causal relations, audience, theme, and type of narrative (Foss, 2009). In identifying these




features, one must explore why each is significant to the narrative. However, it is important to

choose the steps that are best displayed in one’s argument. In this particular analysis, since I am

arguing about adolescent development and aggressive behaviour and how that relates to Fruits

Basket , I will focus on the school setting , the theme of social acceptance, character personality

development, the main events leading to aggressive behavior and the ways in which the target

audience can identify with the Tohru.

My method of analysis is to identify the ways in which adolescents understand their

social identity according to Erikson in addition to identifying the significance of the peer group

during adolescent development.

Erikson and Adolescent Social Development

According to Developmental Psychologist Erik Erikson, a person’s identity in society—

both personal and cultural—affects the way in which that person understands their social

identity. Erikson’s theory on the id, ego, and superego all relate to how adolescents form their

social interactions with peers. Erikson has “hypothesized that the co-constructivist nature of

meaning-making described as the ego, personal and socio-economic features of the ego-

synthesis, includes interrelated factors of personal and cultural others which affect both

individual and future generational bicultural identity integration” (Bazuin-Yoder, 2011, p. 78).

Seeing that the target audience of Fruits Basket are adolescents and that the main

characters in the anime series are also adolescents (“Tohru”, “Kyo”, “Yuki”), it is important to

understand how this stage of development influences both groups. Erik Erikson explored the

period of adolescence in his Stages of Psychosocial Development.

According to Erikson, adolescence is a period of identity crisis (Goth, Foelsch, Schulter-

Muller, Birkholzer, Jung, Pick & Schmeck, 2012, p. 2). For Erikson, “the two poles of

adolescence are presented by identity versus role confusion when the young person is faced with

a dilemma of finding the balance between earlier childhood identification and self-positioning in

the system of roles” (Rubtsova, 2012, p. 4). Therefore, adolescents are at a time in their lives in

which they are developing their own opinions and system of beliefs.

Erikson is one of the few scholars who has pointed out that social identity is very

important for the process of personality development in adolescence. Erikson describes identityas “a fundamental organizing principle, developing constantly throughout life and providing a

sense of continuity within the self and others, which allows the individual to function

anonymously from others” (Goth, Foelsch, Schulter-Muller, Birkholzer, Jung, Pick & Schmeck,

2012, p. 2). The formation of an identity is significant during adolescence because it is a time in

which individuals are establishing a self-concept (Tanti, Stukas & Halloran, 2008, p. 362).




The Influence of the Peer Group in Adolescent Social Development

A major way in which adolescents form identity is through social groups with peers

(Nawaz, 2011, 95). “Peer groups play a major role in the development process, especially theidentity development, during adolescence. The influence of peer groups becomes more important

during adolescence than during childhood. They not only provide them emotional support, but

are also the source of status they need for identity achievement” (p. 106).

The peer group is not the same for every individual since there is evidence that how a

person is perceived within the group affects their social identity. “Depending on their status in

peer groups adolescents have different interactions and relations with peers, they develop and

demonstrate different behaviors and attributes, and they receive different evaluative feedback

from others” (Levina & Ivanora, 2012, p. 99). That feedback could be negative. For example, if a

person is considered a pariah among peers, that person is much more likely to be treatednegatively than a person who is deemed to be much more popular and attractive.

Unfortunately during adolescence, “peer rejection is a dominant form of negative

treatment among peers at this age” (Masten, Eisenberger, Borofsky, Pfeifer, McNealy, Mazziota,

& Dapretto, 2009, p. 143). “Social exclusion in adolescence often includes ostracism, teasing,

harassment and bullying” (Feigenberg, F. L., King, S. M., Barr, J. D. & Selman L. R., 2008, p.

166). Experience with peer rejection in childhood is a huge indicator of adjustment problems in

adulthood and is often stable during the school years (Cillessen, Bukowski, & Haselager, 2000).

There are negative consequences for adolescents who are not accepted by their social group.

“Peer-rejected children are more likely than accepted children to drop out of school, engage incriminality, develop substance-abuse problems, and suffer from depression and anxiety as

adolescents and adults” (Ollendick, Weist, Borden, & Greene, 1992; Parker & Asher, 1987).

Peer-rejected children often develop deficits which include maladaptive aggressive and

withdrawn behaviors (Dodge, Coie, Pettit, & Price, 1990), emphasizing the importance of the

peer group in adolescent identity and behavior.

Erikson’s theory of Psychosocial Development is important to my analysis because it

provides a framework in which to base the motives of each character’s social behaviour in

addition to a better understanding of the target audience.

In Fruits Basket , because the major characters are adolescents, the peer group has a major

influence in how they perceive their environment. Much of their self-concept was determined by

their childhood experiences. In addition, their identity within the peer group is marked by their

peer’s perception of them. Consequently, every major character is affected by some form of

aggression—either social or physical. Fruits Basket correlates with adolescent social




development in that it suggests that adolescents are greatly influenced by their social identity

with others. The series also displays the differences between genders in aggression practices.

First, I will briefly describe each main character in the anime series of Fruits Basket , but

at the same time explain their social identity within the peer group and how that results to them

being involved in a form of aggression. Additionally, I will explore how Tohru—as the mainfemale protagonist—influences the target audience of adolescent girls through her behavior.

Findings of Analysis

Looking at Fruits Basket and relating it to adolescent development, I argue that the anime

is attempting to explain social identity and aggression to its adolescent female target audience

through its female protagonist Tohru Honda by reinforcing the gender norms associated withgirls in the face of conflict. By also mentioning the other main male characters, I also attempt to

explain to the female audience that Takaya is trying them that males in this age group also share

a need for belonging but that there are differences in the way they handle conflict.

I will argue my analysis of Fruits Basket by focusing on the three main characters of the

series—Tohru, Yuki, and Sohma—using five supporting points: (a) The school institution is the

fundamental place where adolescents learn to form their social interactions with peers and

consequently, the creation of their identity outside the home, (b) Social acceptance is important

in adolescent development because it affects the way the characters behave and perceive their

individual role within the social group, (c) Adolescent personality is heavily influenced by pastexperiences, (d) Adolescent experiences and gender affect their behaviour towards others, and

(e) Female adolescents can identify specifically through Tohru’s character on how social norms

influence how they should manage aggression. Also, female adolescents learn how and why

males differ in aggression in comparison to females.

Setting: The School Institution

The school is an important place for adolescents, since it as a place where children form

social relationships with peers. “Children’s peer interactions provide a social space within which

they engage in directing, evaluating and criticizing one another’s actions and demeanour through

unmitigated disagreements, contradictions and corrections” (Cromdal, 2004; Goodwin, 1983). In

Fruits Basket , although there are two predominant settings—the Sohma home and the high

school—I will focus my analysis on the school setting since it is the most important.




In Fruits Basket , the high school is the place where many of the characters have met each

other. Although Tohru Honda found the Sohma home by chance, she already knew Yuki and

Kyo because they are her classmates at the high school she attends. The earlier interaction

between each main character at the high school resulted in a sense of trust among them. “Having

a good social network within an organization facilitates access to information, resources, power,

and favour” (Fukuyama, 1995; Ibarra, 1997; Moss Kanter, 1993; Lin, 2001; Timberlake, 2005).

Therefore, by already being a part of Yuki and Kyo’s peer group, Tohru gained an advantage of

being offered a place to stay.

Additionally, peer interaction in the school setting is significant in determining one’s

identity with a group. “A high school setting is a place that changes daily, and students vie for

acceptance, identity, and survival as they intermix with peer groups” (Hartnett, 2007, p. 36). By

interacting with peers in a classroom, adolescents are able to learn how to socialize with like-

minded individuals which is critical in developing social skills. “Through such interaction and

association within peer networks, early adolescents are theorized to experience validation,

acceptance, and affirmation at school” (Cairns & Cairns, 1994). In addition, “positive

interactions with peers are critical to satisfaction with everyday school experiences for any

student (Wentzel, Barry, & Caldwell, 2004).

The closest friends and enemies that all three of the main characters interact with are all a

part of their peer group. Tohru’s closest friends are Arisa Utoni and Hanajima Saki (“Tohru

Honda”) who are her peers at her high school, and her prime enemy is the Prince Yuki Fan Club

(“Prince Yuki”). Unfortunately, Yuki and Kyo do not appear to have any friends in the anime,

although Yuki does have female (and male!) admirers. Nevertheless, every character mentioned

is all acquainted with one another in the school setting. All characters form bonds with one

another, voice opinions, and manage conflict with their school peers. This social interaction

within the school setting is important because it allows for the development of individual ideas

(Johansen, 2011, p. 689).

Theme: Social Acceptance

Tohru is viewed as a threat to the Prince Yuki Fan Club who considers her to be a

“witch” because she lives with their idol Yuki Sohma. Although Tohru has friends, she is

shunned by the club members within her peer group. Yuki is adored by every member of his peer group, especially members of the Prince Yuki Fan Club. However, as the rat of the Chinese

zodiac he is combative with the cat—Kyo—who is the only one in the series who does not

admire Yuki.

The predominant theme in Fruits Basket is social acceptance because all three characters

are shunned in some way by members of their social circle. There is also evidence that supports

that the main characters want to be accepted within their core group of peers. Although selfless,




Tohru often second guesses her actions in order to please those around her. For example, in one

episode when Kyo and Yuki were walking her home from school and she saw that they were

ignoring her, she immediately thought that it was because of something she had done. Both Kyo

and Yuki had to assure her that it had nothing to do with her, telling her that they just had things

on their mind. It is clear in the anime that Kyo begins to develop feelings for Tohru. While he

lacks generosity for people in general, he develops a soft spot for Tohru. One day, when Tohru

caught a fever, he made her soup all day using the leaves from Yuki’s garden. It is evident that

he wants to be accepted by Tohru. Yuki, on the other hand, is very reserved. He has trouble

creating bonds with other peers. For example, although Yuki did not apply to be a member of the

student council, he was elected president since he is inadvertently very popular among his school

peers. Nevertheless, Yuki lacked the social skills to participate in a campaign.

Despite Yuki’s atypical social relations with his peer group, as an adolescent, he and the

other two characters have a natural inclination to create social ties and to be accepted within their

peer group. “Peer group affiliations have also been demonstrated to be associated with other

experiences related to sense of belonging. For instance, group membership during early

adolescence is associated with heightened interest and enjoyment in school and with greater

academic engagement” (Wentzel & Caldwell, 1997).

Erikson’s theory of adolescent development is important in Fruits Basket since Tohru

(sixteen years old), Yuki (sixteen to eighteen), and Kyo (sixteen to eighteen) are adolescents

(“Tohru”, “Yuki”, “Kyo”). “Erikson’s theory is unique among developmental theories in that he

attempted to describe the process of development over the course of the lifespan” (Hamman &

Hendricks, 2005, p. 72). Understanding an adolescent’s past experiences in addition to the

present is momentous in explaining how aggressive peer behavior is reflected through their social identity.

Characters: Development of Personality

Tohru is considered to be “sweet” and Kyo would often say that she “needs a backbone”

so that she isn’t taken advantage of. Her dominant characteristic as a “people pleaser” is directly

related to her deceased mother. Tohru was very close to her mother since her father died when

she was very young. However, her mother also died one day in a car crash. Throughout the

series, Tohru is often seen carrying a picture of her smiling mother, and her thoughts would bring

us to her describing how her mother would have wanted her to help such and such a person. It

appears through her flashbacks that Tohru learned to be a “people pleaser” at her mother’s

persistence.

Since adolescence is characterized as a time where social interactions are increasingly

important in developing the self-concept, “research suggests that parenting and family




socialisation experiences may enhance or hinder the individual’s ability to deal effectively with

the developmental issues of adolescence” (e.g. Ainsworth, 1982; Grotevant & Cooper, 1985;

Zimmermann & Becker-Stoll, 2002). Put differently, the role of the caregiver in a child’s life is

influential in how that child socializes with peers later on in life.

Tohru is not the only person influenced by their caregiver. Although Yuki is well-liked by his peers because of his good looks, he is also considered to be conceited and stand-offish

since he avoids interacting with his peers. He also has problems with females since he refuses to

go near one (for fear that he will turn into a rat!). Later in the series it is revealed through Yuki’s

thoughts that he suffered emotional abuse from Akito, the headmaster of the Sohma family.

“Akito Sohma kept him [Yuki] isolated from the rest of the family and convinced him no one

liked or needed him. Because of this emotional abuse, Yuki has low self-esteem and feels

isolated.” (“Yuki Sohma”). This abuse from his caregiver explains Yuki’s abnormal social skills

among his peer group since caregivers are responsible for influencing adolescent behavior.

Kyo is portrayed as overly aggressive. He is often seen fighting Yuki and is prone toyelling. However, like Tohru and Yuki, his personality was shaped by past experiences.

According to Chinese legend, the cat (Kyo) was left out the zodiac because the rat (Yuki) tricked

it (“Kyo Sohma”). Consequently, Kyo is not only rude towards Yuki, but towards everyone,

although he increasingly becomes nicer to Tohru throughout the series.

Kernel Events: Social Identity and Aggression

Tohru’s aggression stems from the Prince Yuki Fan Club since they are known for

terrorizing Tohru because she is always around their “love” Yuki. However, in the Fruits Basket

anime, there are moments when the audience hears the thoughts of some of the group members

of the club. For example, whenever she is around Yuki, the group leader Motoko Minagwa,

would speak really fast, turn red, and stutter. However, in her thoughts, in which the audience

hears out loud, she would confess her love for Yuki. Motoko’s underlying motives for Yuki’s

admiration, as well as the other members, created a sense of jealousy towards Tohru. This

jealousy contributes to the intense anger club members have for Tohru, especially when they find

out that Tohru has been living with Yuki. Like true adolescents, jealousy causes retaliation.

The preferred method of aggression by the Prince Yuki Fan Club is relational or social

aggression. This is significant because females are more prone to this type of aggression than

males (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). Characteristics of social aggression include “behaviors that

harm others through damage (or the threat of damage) to relationships or feelings of acceptance,

friendship, or group inclusion” (Crick et al., 1999, p. 77). The fan club uses social aggression as

a reactive mechanism to perceived their threat— Tohru. “[Social aggression] can be reactive or

defensive, as in excluding a peer, one is angry with from the group, or proactive, offensive or

instrumental, as in coolly spreading rumors to damage another’s social standing to enhance one’s




own. In all cases, there are actual or potential relationship consequences to the victim.” (Spieker,

Campbell, Vandergrift, Pierce, Cauffman, Susman & Roisman 2012, p. 355).

In one episode of Fruits Basket , the Prince Yuki Fan Club gains entry into the Sohma

home to try and find evidence that Tohru is a witch. They plant cameras around the home

searching for incriminating evidence. They also interrogate Tohru’s friend Hanajima Saki for exclusive information about Tohru. Unfortunately for them, they did not succeed. Nevertheless,

the fan club’s preferred method of aggression is indirect aggression by talking negatively about

Tohru behind her back.

Even though Yuki is usually composed, whenever he is around Kyo, he is ready to fight

him since Kyo is always instigating him. For example, whenever Yuki would make a smart

comment, Kyo would attempt to fight Yuki. Kyo’s personality is very combative. He is ready to

fight and argue with anyone who comes near him and starts a conversation. His response is not

surprising since social rejection makes adolescents “argumentative, disruptive, and aggressive,

more socially awkward and insensitive, less skilful in engaging in pro-social play, and havingmore negative interactions with teachers” (Bierman, 2004; Coie, Dodge, & Kupersmidt, 1990).

Both males prefer physical aggression. In fact, every male introduced as a member of the Sohma

family prefer physical combat. This is not surprising since research has shown that males prefer

physical aggression (Little, Jones, Henrich, & Hawley, 2003) in the face of conflict.

Audience: Female Relationships in Reality

Gender roles and societal norms may be an indication as to why males are more prone to

physical violence than females. The male gender role encourages many forms of aggression.

“Psychologists and popular writers who have analysed the male gender role have claimed that

men are expected to be tough, violent, and aggressive” (Eagly & Steffen, 1986, p. 310). Yuki and

Kyo may be more prone to use physical aggression since society accepts such behaviour from

males who are normally viewed as “strong” and “masculine”. Research has also supported the

gender stereotypes since men are rated as more aggressive than woman and on more extreme

qualities such as assertiveness and competitiveness (Spence & Helmreich, 1978). Assertiveness,

a trait more commonly accepted by males may account for why males are always fist-fighting or

using other methods of physical aggression in contrast to females.

When the Prince Yuki Fan Club use aggression, it is often indirect or with the aim of

harming social relationships with others. “The female gender role emphasizes avoiding physical

harm to oneself” (Eagly & Steffen, 1986, p. 310) which explains why females are less likely to

use physical aggression than males.

In Fruits Basket , Tohru’s personality remains the same. She is neither angry nor sad, but

always positive and optimistic. Even when she is faced with conflict, Tohru does not show




aggression. This is important since Tohru is the female protagonist in the series. Since the target

audience is adolescent females, Tohru’s behaviour is a model for that group. “The traditional

female gender role places little emphasis on aggressiveness. Also, the primacy that this role gives

to caring and other communal qualities may favor behaviors incompatible with aggressiveness

toward other people” (Eagly & Crowley, 1986). In other words, Tohru may be modelling

behaviour attributed to her gender role in response to conflict to the adolescent female audience.

Conclusion and Contribution to Rhetorical Theory

I find that the Fruit Basket ’s narrative provides a much need discussion on adolescent

peer behavior and aggression. Through the main characters—Tohru, Yuki, and Sohma—it is

clear that their identity within the social group influences their behaviour. Being adolescents,

their period of development is marked by an increased need for social acceptance within the peer

group. If this is not met, then aggression is impending since adolescents spend a great deal of their energy on forming social bond. For Tohru in particular, her gender as female shapes the

behaviour of the female adolescent audience since her kind and non-confrontational demeanor

conforms to the female gender role that of avoiding physical altercation and aggression.

This analysis of Fruits Basket is especially important for the target audience. It serves to

stimulate conversation about peer relationships and gender differences in response to conflict. By

identifying with Tohru, adolescent females are shown how to behave when aggression presents

itself—cool, calm, and collected—reinforcing the social norms for females in society.

Additionally, since Yuki and Kyo are also main characters in Fruits Basket , the significance for

them in the analysis is paramount. By viewing the personal characteristics of the males in theseries, the target audience of adolescent females will understand that although adolescents of

both genders are prone to identity conflict and aggression in relation to the peer group, there are

gender differences in how males and females respond to conflict.

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Fruits Basket

Manga written by Natsuki Takaya

Anime directed by Akitaroh Daichi




I argue that the anime is attempting to explain social identity and aggression to its adolescent

female target audience through its female protagonist Tohru Honda by reinforcing the gender

norms associated with girls in the face of conflict. By also mentioning the other main male

characters, I also attempt to explain to the female audience that Takaya is trying them that

males in this age group also share a need for belonging but that there are differences in the way

they handle conflict.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/show/fruitsbasket

Netflix Link: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Fruits_Basket/70204976?locale=en-US

Documents

Social Acceptance and Aggression Among Adolescents: An Analysis of the Japanese Anime Fruits Basket