Review: Fruits Basket [Manga] By Natsuki Takaya

 

Genre : Comedy, Drama and Romance

Tankoubon(Volumes) : 23 -  Completed

Released : July 1998 to Nov. 2006

Published By (US) : TokyoPop

Synopsis:

Tohru Honda is a high school freshman who is having a serious bout of misfortune. Not only was she recently orphaned with the tragedy of her mother's death, but she also has nowhere to live and is currently residing in a tent! However, when her luck to seems to be at its worse, she meets the Sohma family - and is invited to stay with them in exchange for taking care of the household chores.

But it isn't long before Tohru discovers the Sohmas have deep a secret. The family is cursed by the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac, and some of the children born into the Sohma family are possessed by these spirits. When possessed, they cannot be "huggled" by the opposite sex, or they transform into their respective Zodiac animal!

However, this doesn't phase Tohru, who promises to keep their secret. She continues living with them, and her grave humbleness and thankfulness never wanes. As a result, they come to be very important people in her life, and the Sohmas begin to realize how very lucky they are to have her.

 

From: MyAnimeList - Fruits Basket

My Thought:

Fruits Baskets is a popular shojo manga series by Natsuki Takaya. It was first serialized in the semi monthly Japanese magazine Hana to Yume, and published by Hakusensha(publisher) from 1998 to 2006. 

The manga is about the hardworking and energetic high school girl Tohru Honda who recently lost her mother [Kyoko Honda] in a car accident. After her mother death Tohru moved to live with her grandfather from her father side but he decides to repair the house so he asked her to move to one of her friends house till it finish repairing the house then he will call her back. 

Tohru then decides to live outside in a tent because she didn’t want to burden her friends, however Tohru continued being an optimistic mindset, saying to herself that everything will be fine. To be honest if it where me I will go and burden my friend than living alone in a tent ;D

One day while she was going to school, she found a mansion nearby her tent and in the house garden she saw a set of zodiac ornaments and there where she meets Shigure Sohma where they start talking about the zodiac and she start telling him that her late mother told her the 12 zodiac animals story and that she always wanted to be the cat that she love the cat of the zodiac animals. The conversation end when Yuki Sohma who happens be Tohru Classmate and Shigure’s cousin.

Zodiac Story: “Twelve animals were invited to a banquet by god and all the animals were able to attend, except for the cat, who was deceived by the mouse and his love for tricks”

After that thing happened fast the Sohma’s found out that Tohru lived in a tent near their house and that where Shigure bursts into laughter, so did I … after that it been decided that Tohru will live with the Sohma’s in their house as a guest till her grandfather house is ready. 

When Yuki and Shigure were showing Tohru her room, and orange haired boy came through the ceilig and start fighting with Yuki so then Tohru tried to stop him, she ends up tripping and hugging him from behind and there where he turned to a cat …she fainted so Yuki and Shigure tried to catch her and there where they turn to a mouse and a dog … and the story of Fruits Basket begin.

Overall, I really love this manga and I recommend you to read it, it is very enjoyable and fun. My favorite characters in this manga is Kyo and Shigure, and I specially like the pages where they quarrel… if you like the manga there are also a 26 episode anime adaptation which mean you can watch it as well :D

                                                                            Rating: 5/5