Fruits Basket

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 follow very 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.

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 to suffer 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!

I love this manga. I was recomended by a friend to read this. At first, the story seems a bit cheesey and seems like another manga. But as the plot grows, the characters grow along with it and you just end up liking the characters you hated at first like Kyo. In the beginning, he seemed annoying but as you learned more about his past, you feel sympathy towards him.

The main character Tohru is lovable but because there are a lot of volumes some parts in between are a bit boring. In some parts, i wish there was more comedy. But in the parts that are funny, the comedy in it most of the time is a sweet kind of funny. I think Fruits Basket has a lot of charm in it and that's what got readers into it.

"I don't think anyone is born knowing the reason why they're here. It's just something you have to find as you go along." --Tohru Honda

Well, whenever the manga came out and I had a few of my classmates reading it, I just couldn't even look at them right. I thought the plot was silly and I just avoided it for the longest time. But one day I was at the library, and I saw a DVD set of Fruits Basket. And this was this year, 2014. I knew it was pretty dated, but I was like "hey why not, I'm more open minded now."

And I must say, from the first episode, I was hooked. I loved every minute, UNTIL the last episode. I was like "wtf, that can't be it." And then it lead me to read the entire manga series in less than 3 days just so I could finish the story, the beautiful story(: I'm quite disappointed that the anime will never be completely finished, but I am so glad that I read the manga!

Anyways! >.>

Story: 10- People who say this is "plotless" really needs to analyze what this manga is all about. There are timeless life lessons in this. It's about a girl, Torhu, who's so strong & kind. She's a perfect example of someone who hides pain behind a mask of composure. This story is about overcoming a painful past. Every character has a story of their own, and that is what makes it relate-able in every way. Even Akito (the not so nice person in the plot) has a past, a story, and a dream. :3

Art: 8- The reason I gave it a eight, was because it's not my cup of tea. But it is pretty old (10+ years) So I give it credit & it is diffidently unique. Every character has it's own lil features ^^

Character: 10- Torhu is my fav female character of all time. She's just so sweet and loving , & she puts everyone ahead of herself. She's really such an inspiration even if she isn't a real person. I wish I could be as selfless as her(: But the other characters are just as awesome. Kyo is the stubborn one, Yuki is the gentle guy, and Shigure is the pervert XD There's so many wonderful ones in this manga. Not to mention the cute little Momiji!

Enjoyment: 10- Like I mentioned before, I finished this in less than 3 days. There's 23 vol people XD I couldn't even remember sleep. I couldn't do anything until I finished it. It is truly a beautiful story and I fell in love more and more as I kept reading. I promise you, the ending will leave you feeling complete :3

Overall: 10- I recommend this to any fan of anime. (because most anime lovers are also big manga readers) Unless you are me, and only read certain ones. And for a not-so-big-readers, give this one a shot! You won't be disappointed.

Fruits Basket was my first manga and at the time, I got quite far with the volumes. However; I recently started over with the books for the sake of not confusing myself with the events. Just a little something to keep in mind.

The series starts out as a typical comedy with silly antics that you would usually see in almost any manga, which makes one believe Fruits Basket to be simple and light hearted tale. But the further you read in to the story, you begin to learn dark secrets that different characters are hiding about themselves. The interesting thing to note about the series is that it gets in depth about practically each individual character from the Sohma's to Tohru's friends, which in my option makes them far more likable and gives them a sense of realism.

Natsuki Takaya's art style starts off somewhat off-putting (Though this is just my own personal opinion) to begin with, but her style begins to improve with each volume and eventually it becomes much more pleasant to look at.

Each character in the story goes through some type of development, even though the steps are quite small, you do begin to notice a difference in their attitudes over a period of time. Again, giving of a sense of realism. You find yourself relating to the characters and even rooting for them.

If you have a lot of time on your hands, I highly recommend reading Fruits Basket wither you are new to the concept of manga or you are simply interested in reading it. Although you must keep in mind that the series is quite long and might take a few days to complete.

Art was dreadful. Series would be ended within one chapter by this era's current standards.

Characters were unrealistic. Where in the world would you find such 15/16 yo who understand and express themselves clearly? Tohru can be summarized in one word: Perfect. She's so blessedly perfect her flaws are also made into pitiable things that make her 'endearing'. You can just skip over every interaction she has with the 12 zodiacs. They can be summarized in one sentence: Tohru charms them over to her side. Also, the villain is impossible to sympathize with. Childhood trauma does not justify the things they did, and the author certainly did well chucking everything up to that last minute, after making us hate them intensely. Major plot twist? DUN DUN DUN. I don't care about it at that point. Just end it already.

In the end, the only salvageable beings are Yuki, whose diligence justifies his self-awareness, and Tohru's electromagnetic waves friend. However, even them are trampled over in the author's chase for 'Everyone finds their significant other. Let's give them all a happy ending!' which resulted in frankly creepy relationships.

The rooster pressed chest to chest with Tohru to apologize for not meeting up with his crush (ie. her best friend)? How romantic! An interning teacher 20+ yo touching the hair of a 14 yo student and kissing her on the forehead upon first meeting? It must be love at first sight! A woman having sex freely with one of her companions and then getting together with her crush thereafter without having a proper adult conversation about this?

Urgh.

The question to ask is: What did Fruits Basket do correct in its treatment of its characters? Why bulldoze everyone's character in order to tailor to the taste of the audience (who are evidently middle school girls swooning at every kiss and hug even though it'd only be sexual harassment in reality)? Where did Fruits Basket go wrong with such potential at the beginning?

In the end, all I can say is this:

This was unmistakably the biggest waste of my time, and the most uncomfortable manga I have ever picked up. Go read a novel on human nature instead. It might be more fruitful for you.

I didn't exactly read this that recently (a week or two ago I think), but I really liked the anime of this manga, so I decided to give it a shot (forgive me for being too fond of such genres of anime/manga, but eh, it's what I like so just accept me as I am) :P. Well that and I seem to have picked up a weird transition from being an absolute anime fan ONLY to being a Manga otaku and JPOP aficionado (somewhat)...

In a nutshell, it's a story about finding one's purpose in life is, I guess. The central character, Tohru Honda, is the person who connects everyone together in this story (um, obviously), because she fills in a role that other characters seem to have lacked in them (mother figure, friend who understands..etc). In some instances, I guess I could relate in some way to the characters (not to mention I looove the idea of the Sohma family curse heehee!)...But to be honest, Tohru seems just too good to be true so that I feel she''s not as realistic as I would have wanted it to be...I mean, there is a limit to people's kindness ( I would believe)...anyway...

What kept me reading on, past all the cuteness/comedy, is the fact that this manga does indeed tell some parts of life that I, from personal experience can relate to..on some level.

Anyway, if it interests you..go check it out yourself. I'm quite sure your own perception of it will differ, since some can connect with it on different levels, given personal experiences and all.

At the end though...I can't say I'm sad at the ending (it's supposed to be happy after all), but I can't say I'm entirely happy either...eh, oh well...maybe it's just me.

Of course, that still doesn't change the fact that it was a touching story, in its own way, and I enjoyed reading it (losing sleep for the whole time I did heheh).

I'm disappointed though at the degeneration of Natsuki-sensei's style here, as the series began to finish up the story, as I had a hard time identifying certain characters after a while, since they began to look generic (alike) because they lacked distinguishing features. I understand however that the reason may well be due to the mangaka's hand surgery, so I let it slide somewhat.

So here I'm about to pan one of the most-loved manga series of all time, what am I thinking...

I think the reason I have such a negative opinion of this series is because it is so fundamentally wrong on so many levels. But the largest is that it's a story of abuse, abuse, and more abuse; abuse as the default of human interactions; abuse carried through the generations; abuse that carries the weight of some kind of vast karmic mystery. And that's revolting.

Caution: while I will try to avoid spoilers, it's possible that I'll give something away as I will discuss plot in what follows.

It shouldn't take long for the reader to realize that this is one of those stories where incomprehensible painful circumstances are meted out to all characters indiscriminately. Our heroine Tohru is recently orphaned; and thrown out of her house by her grandfather, because his family doesn't like her. So she's living in a tent in the woods.

Cheerfully.

COME ON. This is a straight-up Stepford Smiler routine. If you ever meet someone who is this relentlessly cheerful under these circumstances, sleep with one eye open, because that is some INTENSE baggage, most especially to be dumping on a 14-year-old! With no support structure! Tohru's smile ought to be hiding profound psychological agony; Tohru's unrelenting smile should suggest to all that she has some serious unaddressed issues. But no, her principal characteristic is that she truly does love and forgive everyone, even when she ought to be torching the place. This also establishes early a central theme of the series, which is that extended family exists to torment everyone.

Soon we meet the other family that will be the focus of the series, a large, wealthy, extended family straight out of a semi-feudal society. Which is itself made up of a bunch of smaller family groups, all of which have been torn apart by a karmic curse that exists for Reasons and which pretty much everybody would like to break, but nobody knows how. (Don't worry, reader! By the end of the series, nobody will still know how--although the Power of Plot Compels It, so I suppose there's that.) We also meet the two live-in love interests, a pretty-boy sweetheart who's too shy to look you in the eye, and an Angry Young Man. Of the former: well, that shyness is largely because of the abusive environment in which he was raised, with inappropriate relationships and responsibilities thrust upon him immediately, and rejection by his actual family; to the extent that he's suffering from learned helplessness and unable to make his own decisions. Of the latter, we can at least say that he is portraying a much more realistic response to abuse than Tohru does: he's been threatened, made to claim responsibility for things that he did not do, physically abused, socially rejected, and generally tortured his whole life; and his response is, understandably, to inflict that pain right back on everyone else, physically or emotionally.

This is supposed to be a romance?

One can predict, from the genre, that the theme is a Really Tolerant, Persistently Loving Girl needs to come along and rescue one of these poor tortured boys with the power of unconditional love; but the reality is these folks don't need a girl(or boy)friend, they need a therapist. Well, actually they need the police; and child protective services; and then several therapists. Because these are not problems that one person's unconditional love is capable of solving. These are problems that will need to be reflected upon at length, until all three of these characters have learned self-respect and the ability to set and enforce safe boundaries, and have recognized the maladaptive coping mechanisms and expectations their lives of abuse have instilled within them.

Not to mention that it is not the job of the first attractive accommodating woman to enter the life of a troubled young man to perform all the agonizing emotional labor needed to Fix His Dark Brooding Past. (But five bucks what's going to happen...)

It gets worse from there; it's a 23-volume series and there's only one direction for the stakes to go. But suffice it to say that this is a series that normalizes phenomenally troubling interactions and presents them as acceptable. It's a series that promotes an acquiescence to horrific circumstances; and a seriously messed-up response of just accepting and forgiving and accepting and forgiving, in a way that's revolting to watch.

This is the principal reason for my low opinion of the work, and I've gone on long enough anyway, but I should add that aside from its bad social modeling, the book is largely just meaningless melodrama. Several volumes seem dedicated to side characters who serve no real narrative purpose other than to provide extra bodies to pair people off with. I suppose one could call this "character development," but the growth that occurs is largely arbitrary and implausible; it feels more like filler.

The art's good enough--not my favorite, and rather lazy and repetitive in many places--but passable. (Although of course Takaya-sensei can draw way better than I can...) But overall the series is an offensive, tedious slog.

I made it all the way to the end hoping there would finally be some questions answered, or that the inevitable happy end would be earned somehow. If you're hoping the same--well, better luck to you than I had.

I decided to read the manga because I watched the manga and wanted to know what happened after.... quite different from the story. Anywho in the beginning I thought it was funny and I liked the art a lot but towards the end it was a little disappointing. The character development was very well done and the story was a very interesting take on the zodiac. The part that did disappoint me was the fact that the author waited until the very end f the series to deal with everyone's problems and reveal bits about their past ..etc It was too much and too many at one time. It was confusing at times but this might've have also been attributed to the new scanlators who were definitely not the best. (sorry i'm still grateful but the grammar and punctuation made me feel that a lot had gotten lost in translation) The other thing I disliked was the protagonist. after a while you realize she really is just a typical shojo girl pretty, weepy, idiotic, and smiles through everything. Her character didn't develop as much as the rest of the characters. The end gave her a little more depth but not enough to really understand why all these boys were interested in her. And I feel honestly momiji was a weak rival later on even though he was so cute xp.I wish he had gotten a fair chance he was awesome:) I also feel the art style changed a little when they got older and I disliked the change for some of the characters. and akito?$#@%$#@@$?3 I don't know why this person had such power over them for so long. I liked Rin cuz even though she had a lot of issues she had depth and was very honest and true to character til the end. I with I got to see more instances with her. Also tohru's friends were great. they cracked me up especially hanajima:)

Other than that it was still a solid read. Funny at times. and of course Bishies galore.

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. And it 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)