Fruits Basket
This beautifully animated three-season anime (2019–2021, 63 episodes total, covered here as a whole series) starts as a warm, funny story about a girl who discovers a family cursed to transform into zodiac animals, then deepens considerably into themes of child abuse, parental loss, and trauma. The storytelling is thoughtful and the messages about kindness and healing are genuinely wonderful, but the emotional weight grows heavy and intense as the series progresses.
Emotionally mature tweens and teens, roughly 12 and up, ideally watched alongside a parent who can talk through the heavier themes.
Episodes to know about
The very first episode includes a flashback to Tohru's mother's death in a car accident; a crash sound is heard and blood is briefly visible. Sets up the series' emotional core immediately.
Car crash audio plays during the opening episode's flashback sequence.
Early episodes balance humor and warmth with glimpses of characters' painful backstories; emotional weight is present but lighter here than in later seasons.