Fruits Basket

People underestimate children and teenagers. When you're a kid, you're a blank slate that can be easily damaged. When you're a teenager, you tend to go through a lot of crap and as you get older, the baggage from when you were a teenager can carry over to your adult life. Yet there's this preconceived notion in our society that children/teenagers are stupid and that the problems that they go through when they're this young are trivial in comparison to the trials and tribulations they'll go through in their adult lives. Fruits Basket is a manga which tells the story of Tohru Honda and herlife with the Sohma family and is also a tale of emotional hardship. Though Fruits Basket might seem like a supernatural comedy at first with its reverse harem premise and some occasional cuteness/man service to boot, it quickly turns into something much darker and deeper as it dives into the story of the Sohma family (specifically, the 12 members of the Chinese Zodiac, plus the cat) and their history of abuse/neglect and emotional hardship. At the forefront of all this is our plucky heroine, Tohru Honda who by the start of the series is an orphan. While many people like to criticise Tohru's characterisation as being "too perfect," I'd like to take the time to say that it's not entirely true. Yes, Tohru is certainly kinder than most people and embodies certain characteristics that one might find rather stereotypical/idealistic. However, it should be noted that Tohru is not infallible. She actually is a flawed individual and is capable of making mistakes. Her cheerful demeanour simply masks the strife that she's endured. In fact, being TOO and cheerful and upbeat is her coping mechanism for all the shit she's gone through. Her behaviour doesn't go unnoticed. People do call her out on being "too happy" all the time, and what's more is that we get to see the child crying out for her lost mommy and daddy as the manga progresses. Each instance we see the part of her personality that her bubbly exterior masks is brief, but it's more than enough to remind us that she isn't perfect. Another purpose that Tohru's cheerful demeanour serves is to lighten the mood of the overall story. This is a manga which deals with VERY heavy subjects such as parental/psychological abuse, neglect, and emotional codependency. Tohru and virtually every member of Zodiac is a seriously damaged individual with a history of great strife. Without something to lighten the overall tone of the story (if only a little), Fruits Basket would immediately become a work thoroughly entrenched in the melodramatic. Despite what most people who suffer from depression like to say, their lives aren't all bad. There's always going to be a light spot, some jovial mood every now and then, etc. In that sense, Tohru is even more of a necessity and not a hindrance to the storytelling. When it comes down to lightening the mood, Natsuki Takaya did an excellent job with Fruits Basket. In fact, this is what I love about it so much. Far too often in anime and manga, we tend to get what seems like a light-hearted narrative that quickly devolves into a melodrama which tries too hard to evoke an emotional response out of the viewer/reader and Fruits Basket manages to avoid these very pitfalls by carefully blending the comedy with the drama/romance without creating some sort of dichotomy between these elements. With the right blend of comedy, drama, and romance along with some very well-written characters who play off of each other very well, she was effectively able to throw something depressing at you while reminding you that it's not all bad and that things will eventually get better for the characters. When it comes down to characters, virtually everyone in the cast is properly fleshed out and play off of each other really well. Characters of particular note are Yuki, Kyo, Hatori, and Rin. We know exactly who each member of the cast is, we know their back-stories, and we see them grow and change as individuals. Tohru's friends, Saki and Arisa are also given their own time to shine in the sun and prove to be invaluable to Tohru's character growth. However, if there had to be a character that stood out to me more than anyone else, it would have to be Tohru's mother, Kyoko Honda. Surprisingly, even a deceased character is given time in the spotlight via flashback to show just how much of an influence that she's had on Tohru and vice-versa and for that, I applaud Natsuki Takaya. Unfortunately, I can't really say the same about Takaya's artwork. It's going to be hard enough for people who are unfamiliar with the shoujo aesthetic to get used to the artwork in Fruits Basket, and her artwork certainly isn't bad by any means. What's more is that her artwork does go through quite a bit of refinement as the series progresses. However, the biggest fault that the manga has when it comes down to artwork is the relative lack of detail put into everything along with the fact that it seems like character faces/hairstyles sometimes end up recycled for side/supporting characters. I had a hard time trying to figure out whether or not Kyo was in the panel, or if it was one of the student council members, just as an example. Regardless, Takaya certainly did an adequate job of the artwork and it works for what it does. So final thoughts: Fruits Basket is definitely one of the best mangas I've ever had the pleasure of reading. People often think of the shoujo demographic as being rife with big eyes, man service, reverse harems, debauchery, idiot girls fawning over guys who are complete dicks to them, etc. That's not entirely the case. Yes, that is certainly true for anime/manga on the lower end of the spectrum. However, if you're really looking for a shoujo series to read that's in the top of its class, I cannot recommend this manga enough. Now, there is an anime adaptation currently available from Funimation that was produced by Studio DEEN back in 2001. However, it only covers the first 38 chapters or so of the manga which is relatively early in its run. It's still worth watching, don't get me wrong but you might find it a bit too jovial compared to the rest of the manga. Currently, Fruits Basket is out-of-print. TOKYOPOP used to publish the series and it was one of their all-time bestsellers (with sales only being topped by Naruto, believe it or not). Unfortunately, TOKYOPOP went out of business in 2011 and as such, all their titles have gone out-of-print and Viz Manga/Yen Press/Dark Horse/Kodansha Comics have not yet picked it up for publishing. Fortunately, there are plenty of volumes in circulation for you to read at a fair enough price so you should be able to pick up the entire series on Amazon or possibly Right Stuf if you're lucky. With all of that said, I'm done with this review. Feedback is greatly appreciated as always. This is also my first manga review so please be gentle, senpai >////

This was the first series that I actually finished, and it was also the series that got me interested in the whole aspect of manga and anime ^^. I hope to one day re-read it if I can get hold of the books, since Tokyopop disabled their upload on online manga sites. Story: The one thing I love about this series is that there's no one set genre. One moment, you can explore deeply into your conscious, the next you can be laughing your ass off at a joke Shigure makes. Though the sudden change, the events that unfold still seem to followvery smoothly and it's very easy to link what's happening at any one part with any other parts of the series. This series also has a really good ending, it wrapped up very nicely and it leaves you with a heart-warming content feeling. Art: The drawing at first felt weird. I think I was overwhelmed by Tohru's large eyes lol. But I think it's becoming my idea of manga drawings now, I tend to compare other series drawings with fruits basket. Just a habit of mine. Character: Developing characters worked nicely into fruits basket. You find yourself following the path of each character, experiencing all their joy and sorrow; this allowed me to connect better with the characters. I don't think I'll ever forget them :) Enjoyment: It's the highest scoring series in my list so far. Only reason I gave it 9/10 is cause saying it's 10/10 is saying it's the best, but I don't know if a new series will come that will beat it. So, for me 10/10 is reserved. Overall: So very good, if only the anime is as good as the manga.

Ok, first, I thought that Fruits Basket was a little weird. My friend recommended it and I wasn't really in the mood to read an awfully long manga. So... maybe after one month, I tried reading it and then I knew I couldn't et away from the computer:P I know you would think I'm crazy for giving it almost a full ten but they're true. Story - one of a kind, unique. I mean where would you get the idea of making the characters into animals when they hug the opposite sex? And I also love the development of the 'love' in the story. Andit has drama, comedy, and romance which makes it my favorite. Fruits Basket is one of the mangas I first read and one of the mangas that I really enjoyed reading. Art - Like almost all mangas, first, the art was...ok but it got better and better. The guys in the manga are all handsome(*coughs* hot*coughs*). But the girls are ...ok too but not that much because some of the girls looked masculine. Character - Fruits Basket is one of the mangas that develops the looks of the characters. Try to look at the characters in the first chapter and at the very last and they looks matured and I like those kind of mangas, not the type that was shown for a year and still look like what they looked at the very first chapter. I also liked the attitudes and personalities of the characters. They were all funny in their own little ways. No one acted like emos. Some of the main characters changed over time from hard to soft(you know what I mean). Enjoyment - I again gave it a ten because it's an awesome manga that made me cry(Yes, I did), laugh a lot and I mean A LOT!, and moved with the sweetness of the characters with each other(the main couple). It's like a full package deal XD Overall, I loved it so much. I read it whenever I kinda feel lonely, and it always makes me laugh and somehow helps removing my loneliness :P It's a really really great read. It kinda refreshed my soul after reading it. It's the kind of manga that makes you want to read more and more. Last, I LOVE IT SO MUCH (I now officially want to re-read Fruits Basket lol)

I'm being a bit more critical in rating this manga series. It's a really great manga though. So its definitely recommended for anyone who has seen the anime and who want to see a closure to the story. Story [10/10]: The base of the story was wonderful and perfect to weave a long story including people associated with the zodiac. The main concept that keeps the story rolling is the fact that each person, who is possessed by an animal spirit associated with the chinese zodiac, suffers from emotional hardships because either their own parents won't accept them or society wouldn't. The one causing them tosuffer even more is their head of the house who is constantly mentally pressuring them to obey whatever he tells. And the one who comes to ease their pain is Tohru Honda. Interactions of each zodiac member with Tohru and a change in their attitude and stance against their own curse and the head of the house is what makes up the full 23 vols of this series. The story is heavily based on human emotions - mostly negative on the part of the zodiac members and a mixture of both positive and negative on Tohru's part. I also should add that the manga is not all comic, as the anime was for most of the part, as the series progresses. From the point in the manga equivalent to where the anime finished, you'll get to read a lot of negative thoughts and emotions. Sometimes while reading the manga, it really made me wonder- is this the manga of the same story as the anime? Overall though the story gets quiet dark , there are also lots of good comic situations- most really well executed in the anime. Since the series has a lot of volumes, the story isn't rushed. We get to read about the family background of most of the zodiac members is quiet a bit of detail. Each character's story makes a definite impact on the reader. Their gradual acceptance of the situation they are in and attempts to break free of all that emotional trauma of years is smoothly conveyed. Art [8/10]: The art throughout the 23 vols is not having the same style. If you open the first vol and the last vol. and look for any character, you'll see the huge difference. I somewhat felt let down by that. But never mind since its the story that matters the most. other that the obviously changed style of drawing characters, the art is clean. Backgrounds are well drawn. Body proportions are also reasonably well drawn. Panels are not cluttered. Character [8/10]: Another strong point of the manga. All characters have distinct personalities which you won;t be able to forget. All the characters have quiet a bit of dark streaks to their personality mostly because of their surroundings and the hardships they have had to face all the more fuelled by their twisted head of the family. The head of the family is abusive. This is one thing I didn't enjoy personally. But its also what drives the other characters to behave the way they do. The other thing that I didn't personally like was the way Haru and Rin's relationship has been portrayed- a little bit too involved for their age. Similarly, Akito's relationship with his own relatives also seemed a bit uncomfortable for me. I'm only explicitly mentioning this since this manga has been rated Teen (13+) by Tokyopop, so I wasn't expecting mature natured interactions between the characters. Apart from that, none of the characters are annoying and their gradual change of perspective of things believable. Enjoyment and Overall [8/10]: Its easy to go berserk when you've been put in unpleasant surroundings or situations repeatedly. But to not break down in those situations and still enjoy today and look forward to tomorrow is what the protagonist of this series tries to convey. I think people today need such motivation more than ever. Overall, it was a fun long read. The plot was attention grabbing and the storytelling smooth. Recommended!