Fruits Basket is one of the manga that you can read over and over again and realize new things with each reading while never getting tired of it. It is by far my favorite manga. It has the unique ability to make a reader feel achingly sad and yet unbelievably happy at the same time.

Story: The story centers around the juunishi, or members of the Chinese zodiac, and a high school aged girl, Tohru, when she happens to stumble into their lives. The juunishi live a dark cursed life that they hide behind fake smiles and laughter. Over the course of the 23 books, the author shows you Tohru's effect on them and how they come to love her and open up to her and others. The books build on each other, always keeping the reader strongly engaged and picking up the pace of the action with each volume. The story is dark and sinister and surrounded by death and yet manages to leak happy light that becomes the reader’s focus with only a bit of darkness on the periphery so that while you read the happy story you are all too aware of the darkness lurking in the background. The interconnectedness of the back stories for each well developed character enhance the feeling of a web of shared mystery within a well developed universe.

Characters: This is the best part of this manga. Each of them is unique and so well developed that the reader loves them with all of their challenges and sometimes even unattractive characteristics.

the quiet and selfish rat who wants more and whom people admire
the cat who is quick to anger yet people are drawn to him
the ever indifferent, carefree and scheming dog
the loveable happy hyperactive bunny who is deeper then he seems
the bi-polar cow who is calm and understanding one moment and insane the next
the calm, collected, and much nicer than he seems dragon
the loud boar with too many emotions to handle
the over dramatic snake who enjoys talking
the brooding horse who has a bit of a one track mind but cares deeply
the ridiculously annoying monkey
the shy and adorable Tiger
the obnoxious sheep with an overdeveloped ego
the reserved and kind rooster

Each of the character's individual stories grow and develop with the over all story too. THeir own stories take on a life of their own and blend together with the main story line. The best part is, they all tie up their stories.

I was especially drawn to the way the characters interacted together. The juunishi have a strange sort of relationship. They have known each other their whole lives yet hardly ever saw each other before the manga begins. They share a mysterious and compelling bond. The way they act together made me want that kind of relationship with friends. The kind of relationship where you can just walk in unannounced to a friend’s house or go to a summer home together. They are comfortable with each other in a way that doesn't seem possible without the mystery they share. No matter how glamorous or fascinating each of the juunishi is, they all depend on Tohru in their own way. They all have something she can give them by just being herself.

Art: I've always been impressed with manga artists because of how much art adds to the story. Now not only are you getting the words like in a novel, but you see the expressions on the faces of the characters. You see their body movement and their styles. Imagination is spectacular, and I love reading and picturing the characters of novels. But I can't help but be jealous of the skills and talents successful manga artists (like in Fruits Basket) have. You get something extra from seeing the sad smile, or the irritation, or the ecstasy on the characters’ faces. I especially love the clothing in Fruits Basket. Momiji's clothes in particular can always make me smile and wish I had clothes like that. The clothes, and hair, and eyes of all the characters really help to finalize their personality. Along with Momiji, Haru and Rin have great clothes that give them character.

The other thing Takaya Natsuki does really well is develop the characters over time. It took 7 years to finish the series, and her style changed a bit, but it fit because of the characters growing up through high school. You can actually see the characters getting taller and their faces filling out as time passes in the story.

Enjoyment: I LOVE this manga. It will never get old. It can always make me happy.

Overall: Fruits Basket makes me incredibly depressed and overwhelmingly happy at the same time. It always manages to cheer me up, even just thinking about it, and it also is one of the most depressing stories I've ever read. But don't get the wrong impression about the story and think that you should only read it if you like depressing stories. That's not true at all... perhaps the best way I can describe it is to say that it makes you aware of how bad things could be, and that is what is depressing. It makes you aware of a whole other life and way of living and then shows you that even that can be okay. I love this story because it really brings out the "other side of the rainbow" idea. It is spectacular at cheering up.

Fruits Basket is a very special manga that makes you really think about your life, your family, your friends, your future, your happiness.