2 Best Movies to Watch by Ai Kakuma

On-screen, we’ve seen downtrodden Cinderella-esque leads, we’ve seen humans transform into animals, and we’ve seen whole families cursed, but Fruits Basket takes all these plot devices and transforms them into something completely different. As Tohru Honda gets to learn about the mysterious Sohma family, and she and friends gets into fun and wacky hijinks with the curse, the series takes the legend of the Chinese zodiac as a unique and effortless means to discuss systemic, generational abuse and resulting trauma that can occur within a family. The classic shoujo manga was first adapted into anime in 2001, but we’re recommending the later 2019 adaptation, which goes more in depth and depicts the complete story.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama

Actor: Ai Kakuma, Aki Toyosaki, Atsumi Tanezaki, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Kengo Kawanishi, Maaya Sakamoto, Makoto Furukawa, Manaka Iwami, Megumi Han, Miyuki Sawashiro, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Reina Ueda, Rie Kugimiya, Satomi Sato, Takahiro Sakurai, Takuya Eguchi, Toshiyuki Morikawa, You Taichi, Yuichi Nakamura, Yuma Uchida, Yuuichirou Umehara

Rating: TV-14

The summer 2023 anime line-up easily has the most interesting titles and premises, and The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today is one of them. After Saku rescues him on a snowy night, Yukichi the cat decides to take care of her and her home. Sentient and intelligent, Yukichi, who is as big as a human (and walks and behaves like one too), does all of Saku's housekeeping: cleaning, cooking, taking out the garbage, the works! Naturally, this lends itself well to the inherent comedy of the situation. The absurdity mounts when you realize there are quite a few people aware—and unbothered—by the fact. If you're up for hijinks this summer, it's best to start here. 

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Ai Kakuma, Ayana Taketatsu, Hiroki Yasumoto, Katsuyuki Konishi, Mao Ichimichi, Miyu Irino, Yui Ishikawa

Director: Susumu Kudou

Rating: TV-14