I remember being really into this series in early high school. As an illustrator it was the starting point for a lot of my personal art style and of course plenty of fan fictions. I remembered reading scans of this series as it was still ongoing and being happy about catching the series as it was still going on. However, over time, I never quite followed up with the series or finished it. It took me watching the 2019 anime to finally say I've experienced the general story.
As much as this series holds a special place in my heart, watching it and going back over the series again, I see a lot of flaws...
In terms of the overall story, if you love a good drama, a good cry, and vast array of characters and personalities, this is perfect tragedy for you. Though as for a fantasy or even "magical realism" kind of story, it lacks in many aspects. What drew me to this story was the whole curse, but it became less and less important over time. It wouldn't have been as popular without them turning into animals, but if you remove that gimmick, the entire story will still make sense.
They could have really played with the curse some more by making it more of a mission to "break" it (cuz someone had to have known more about this centuries long curse). Giving everyone "true forms" too could have raised the stakes of the story as well. Even if they were turning more into animals over time could have worked. The stakes were just low and didn't seem to matter over time. Which just with a few changes it could have worked very well.
Overall, I think the story forgot what it was supposed to be. This was extremely prevalent when Yuki became the main character for a while. When the story went back to Kyo and Tohru, I found myself no longer caring for the two. I wanted Yuki's happiness and him to continue on his journey of healing. Maybe this is why the "Fruits Basket Another" series focuses on the student council... this became the best part of the series!
The story too, I feel, really is a product of its time. This was created in 1998 (translated in the early 2000s) and I feel newer generations would see this series and wonder why no one got therapy for their problems. I feel like as a millennial, lots of the focus of bettering yourself and being kind to people who really shouldn't deserve that kindness are all ideals we grew up in. I don't see many people trying to hold out and hold on to those who have abused them, belittled them, or even tried to kill them (Akito mainly). It really makes Tohru's kindness really odd sometimes due to this PC culture we live in now... but that kindness is also exactly what people need.
Sorry for the ramble. Overall, this story is a classic and must read/watch for younger fans in the manga communities. I personally hope that the author decides to do a spin off focusing more on the curse than the family abuse, maybe an earlier generation of some zodiac members when the curse was stronger could be a fun place to explore. Who knows!