My favorite manga of all time. End of story.

The characters, the plot, the style... all of it is completely enthralling. Just the premise is so unique - a family who turns into Zodiac animals when hugged by members of the opposite sex? Already a formula for hilarity!

At first, the manga's fairly light. Tohru is innocent and a do-gooder, and while at first that's annoying, she does grow up quite a bit throughout the story and her personality becomes very endearing. And due to the necessity of a full Zodiac, there's a massive cast of incredible characters. Each one has a backstory, a distinct personalities, and there are some relationships and characters that are incredibly unexpected but marvelous.

The plot moves along slowly but surely, but it's mainly driven by the characters themselves more than a "story" on its own. But that's what makes it so wonderful. It's seamlessly realistic even with the magic animal thing thrown in. You'll love this manga from start to finish, and you would be heartbroken when it's all over - except for how fantastic the ending is.

The art is exceptional, but a little shaky at the beginning. Takaya Natsuki really gets into her stride mid-manga, and that's when it's just marvelous. One great thing she does is age the characters throughout the multiple-year timeframe of the series. Because it takes place over a few years, there's so much room for character growth, and Takaya Natsuki takes advantage of it all.

A really, really amazing manga. Read it. Now. You won't regret it!