Fruits Basket (Saturday Spin-off) – Japanese Mochi!

This is my second Saturday Spin-off that focuses on Fruits Basket. Last time, it was a hard-boiled detective retelling, and this time, I’m going for something very different… very different indeed!

What’s going on?

I think it’s a testament to the quality of Fruits Basket that I can pitch two completely different ideas. This time, I want to pitch a prequel. It could be a series, although it may work just as well as a movie or three. I love the characters in this series and this is probably just another way for me to hang out with them some more. As such, this spin-off includes several of my favourite characters and may go some way to explaining their interactions and relationships. Unlike Noir, my hard-boiled detective retelling, this is going to be a little more lighthearted. Anyhow, that’s enough teasing, let’s get into the idea.

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What’s the pitch?

It’s nearing the end of the school year and Ayame, Shigure, and Hatori will be heading to university next year. As you might expect, it’s a time of trepidation and anticipation. As you may also expect, there’s going to be some celebrating and what better way than losing your virginity… Of course, that’s not possible for Ayame, Shigure, or Hatori thanks to the zodiac curse. If any of them got close enough to a girl to achieve this right of passage… poof… they’d turn into an animal.

Ayame proposes that they do their best to ensure that everyone finds the love that they deserve and goes about organising a huge party where romance is the name of the game. That sounds like a lot of fun, however, Shigure has a different idea of fun and is going to do his best to interfere and toy with his fellow students as he sees fit. Hatori didn’t want to go, but he’s just there to make sure that neither takes things too far. Just don’t eat the Mochi!

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Where did the inspiration come from?

Every time Ayame is in an episode of Fruits Basket, I have so much fun. Even better when he’s flirting with Shigure and making the younger members of the family uncomfortable. I also love that Hatori is a solemn voice of reason and regularly attempts to keep them in check. Basically, I want to see these guys as teenagers in an adaption of American Pie. That’s right, don’t eat the Mochi which I have been reliably informed is the perfect substitute for an apple pie… if that’s something you’re into!

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Other posts in the series

• Rin and Myura (Isekai Cheat Magician)
• Valkyrie (Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious)
• Susamaru (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
• Hinawa and Maki (Fire Force)
• The Exercise Video (How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?)
• Cain Madhouse (To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts)
• Shizuku (Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest)
• Kohaku Lost? (Dr. Stone)
• Chio’s Daily Commute (Chio’s School Road)
• The Noob! (Overlord)
• Shizu (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
• Noir (Fruits Basket)
• Sniper of the Dead (Highschool of the Dead)
• Liu Xuelan (Darwin’s Game)
• Two Minds, One Body (The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?)
• Plundered (Plunderer)
• Japanese Mochi! (Fruits Basket)
• Pokemon NO! (Pokemon)
• Every Action! (Infinite Dendrogram)
• Hunted to the Ends! (Somali and the Forest Spirit)
• Is It Wrong to Use Sex to Try to Beat a Dungeon? (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)
• Two Blades (Jormungand)
• Regeneration (The Guyver: Bio-Booster Armor)
• Samurai School for Girls (Project A-ko)
• Meet the Takagis (Highschool of the Dead)
• Far From Fantasy (High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World!)

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