Customer Reviews

Fruits Basket, Volume 1: A Great Transformation? (Episodes 1-6)

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

(As of the time this review was written, no information on this series is posted, so I'll give a brief synopsis of this series.)

Fruits Basket (called "Furuba" by fans) is the story of Tohru Honda, a high school student who has lost both of her parents. Her mother died only a year before the start of the series, and Touru misses her so much that she always carries her picture around with her. Tohru was living with her paternal grandfather until he began renovations on his home, so he asked her if she'd mind staying with some friends for awhile. Touru didn't want to impose on either of her friends, so she decided to set up a tent in the woods until the house was finished.. until one day she stumbles across the home of her classmate Yuki Sohma, and accidentally discovers his family's BIG secret - when "huggled" by someone of the opposite sex, they are cursed to turn into the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Tohru ends up moving in with the Sohma family as a housekeeper/cook in exchange for room and board, and she is introduced one-by-one to the rest of the clan (some of whom are.. VERY.. unusual).

Now, you might be telling yourself "I've seen this before, and it's name was 'Ranma 1/2'.." - and you have NO IDEA how very wrong you are. Fruits Basket is a one of a kind series that manages to take a premise that could very well have followed the same path as Ranma (namely, relying on perverted jokes and accidental transformations to convey most of the plot and comedy), but instead becomes a chronicle of truly believable characters struggling to belong and dealing with what life has given them, both the good and bad.

Over the course of its 26 episodes, Fruits Basket has made me laugh harder than any other anime I've ever seen, and then it goes right ahead and takes me on an emotional rollercoaster ride until I'm bawling along with the characters onscreen. But no matter what happened, it always leaves me with a smile and a feeling that if I could just have an ounce of the inner strength that these characters display, I would be all the better for it.

Don't let me mislead you into thinking this is merely a cheesy tearjerker - Fruits Basket has PLENTY of high-energy martial arts battles, slapstick comedy, and wacky plot twists, but underneath all of this lies a deep emotional current that EVERYONE can connect with. If you've ever been jealous or angry with your family, undergone the loss of a close relative, felt completely alone, watch the people you love leave you behind, or have simply been misunderstood, you will regret missing this series. The true power of this series is found not in the comedy, but in the relationships between both family and friends.

On a more shallow level, the characters are mostly rather good-looking, the animation is attractive - no amazing special effects, of course, but consistently high quality and well-suited to the story, and the music is very beautiful. Overall, this is a series for everyone to see, from the shoujo (girls') romance fans to comedy lovers to drama affectionados. You will NOT be disappointed - by episode 26, I guarantee you'll find yourself upset that ANOTHER season doesn't exist (yet). ^_^

It's hard to categorize Fruits Basket. It's not very action-oriented. It's probably aimed more at girls than boys, yet I think any number of people, male or female, young and old would enjoy it. The story seems simplistic on the surface. It could be called "cute." It could also be called "sweet" but I believe that those descriptions short change this rather complex story of how kindness, being true to yourself and trying to find the good points in everyone can be woven into an entertaining and satisfying story. Throw in plenty of drama, a hint of mystery, a little romance, some humor and you'll be hooked. Although it has it's sad moments, more often then not, this series will genuinely make you smile.

Fundamentally Fruits Basket is a story about finding your family, a place where you can "just be yourself". When Tohru Honda loses her mother, the only family she has ever had, she is fortunate enough to stumble across the home of "Prince" Yuki, the most adored boy in her high school. When he and his older cousin Shigure learn of Tohru's circumstances (she's living in a tent) they offer her a place in their home in exchange for housework and cooking. This girl is possibly the only other person they will meet whose life is filled with as much sadness as theirs. Such bravery in the face of adversity touches their hearts, although you can be sure that Shigure is also happy to have hot, home-cooked meals everyday and clean laundry! Before she can truly appreciate her luck, she soon learns that her new family has a secret curse. When hugged by members of the opposite sex, or when under a great deal of stress, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Although the transformations sometimes are used playfully, the Sohma's truly are burdened by their curse. Tohru promises maintain their secret and thereby is allowed to stay with them. The greatest transformation of them all might be when the one the Sohmas undergo by opening their hearts and home to Tohru

This first disc has 6 episodes, all of which are outstanding. They introduce the core characters, set up the tone and direction of the story, and each one builds on the other in a logical and satisfying progression. The main characters are of course, Tohru Honda, an ordinary girl who has known plenty of sadness in her life, but is also able to find happiness. You also meet the Sohmas, Yuki, the charming and emotionally reserved "prince" of high school, his goofy but generous older cousin Shigure, whose house they live in, as well Yuki's hated rival, the short-tempered and brash, Kyo. You also catch a glimpse the mysterious and sinister Akito Sohma, head of the family who conditionally allows Tohru to stay. He is a dark and menacing presence that is seldom seen, yet always felt and his promise to have Tohru's memory erased remains a constant threat to fragile happiness of Tohru and the Sohmas. We also meet Tohru's steadfast friends, the weird Hana who senses electrical signals and Uo, a former gang member as well as Tohru's beloved mother, seen only in flashback.

As Tohru adjusts to her new life in Shigure's house, she comes to know each of the boys a little better, often seeing their good qualities when they can't see any for themselves. It's such a simple thing, yet it's easy to see how that, coupled with Tohru's willingness to make the best of any situation and her unfailing kindness begin to make a difference in all of the Sohma's lives. Perhaps she can even bring Yuki and Kyo, who loathe each other's guts, if not into friendship, at least to an understanding of each other. The standout episode on this disc is number 5, where Tohru is torn between her new-found family with the Sohmas and returning to her old life with her paternal grandfather, where she just doesn't quite fit in. It nicely encapsulates all of the good qualities of the story so far, and further illustrates the profound effect that her short stay with the Sohmas has already had on them.

In addition to the wonderful story, the animation is done beautifully. The lines are crisp, elegant and spare. I really liked the muted colors and pastels that are used and the music is gentle as well. Taken all together it gives the whole series a certain restful quality in keeping with the story that is more about characters and emotions then action. I applaud FUNamation for putting together such a nice package and for putting 6 episodes on one disc, as well as some nice extras. If you are at all like me, you'll devour the first disc and be ready for the second in no time. I had to go out the next night and buy the rest of the DVDs since I couldn't wait to finish the story. Fruits Basket is a really unique anime that is off the beaten path and well worth your while. It's become my new favorite anime series and hope many people discover it's wonderful qualities and enjoy it as much as I did.

Originally posted: October 28, 2002
Edited: To remove '' that appeared in place of apostrophes.

There are a lot of excellent reviews here describing the series, so if you're looking for info on the anime, look elsewhere. If, however, you want to know how this DVD stacks up to the original version, read on.

Voices: B
First off, I should say that I was introduced to the series through fansubs so I have a bias toward the original voices. Sadly, I must admit that I find Tohru's English voice on the annoying end of the spectrum. Innocence and youth are usually connected but in the original Japanese version, Tohru's voice was sweet and innocent, but not necessarily 'young' sounding. In this English dubbed version our high school aged heroine sounds like a squeaky ten year old. However, that's just my opinion. Others might not have a problem with her voice. Tohru's voice could have been better, but I must admit that it could have been a lot worse. Wednesday evening will find me rewatching my DVD in the hopes that I'll learn to enjoy her voice.

Kyo's voice isn't really remarkable one way or the other. His English voice isn't bad, but it's not excellent.

Yuki's English voice, although nice, is quite deep and far from the alto that he has in the Japanese version... to the point that most of the time, Yuki sounds much older than Shigure. He also tends to be rather emotionless when delivering his lines. Yuki's keyword would be 'subtlety' so this doesn't work in his favor.

On the positive side, Shigure's voice actor deserves some applause. The English voice absolutely matches his character and can keep pace with Shigure's quick-changing emotions. He also gets most of the best English dialogue lines. (See the translation section.)

As a last note to voices... I found it sometimes difficult to follow the English dialogue because there is no change in sound quality to signify thoughts. Speaking voices and thinking voices are the same and I find myself missing the misty, echoing quality that usually accompanies spoken thoughts.

Translation: A+
Between my own extensive knowledge of Japanese language and the aforementioned fansubs, I consider myself a fairly decent judge of the translation job. The DVD is rated 13+ so fans can hear all of the mild Japanese swear words in their English counterparts. On the whole, I was impressed with the quality of the translation. The English dialogue sticks very close to the Japanese, but avoids the awkward sentences that sometimes occur with direct translation. Departures are made with good reason.

On this first DVD there are two spots that stick out in my mind where the English did -not- follow the Japanese. In the first example, it looks like FUNimation is trying to interject some humor. Rather than being angry about it though, I appreciate it since it matches Shigure's personality.

Shigure (Episode 5) Japanese: "However, his becoming angry at you, Tohru-kun, is what you would call misdirected rage. Though I do understand why he would miss her."
English: "We've just witnessed a classic example of what I like to call 'misdirected rage.' ... I believe the technical term is 'being an a$$'?"

The second example also injects humor, but it also serves to circumvent a potentially confusing cultural reference. Frankly, I find Shigure's English comment more appropriate to the situation.

(Episode 2) Yuki volunteers to help Tohru clean the kitchen. Shigure responds to Tohru:

Shigure Japanese: "Yuki-kun is so maladroit, he can't even fold a paper crane properly."
Shigure English: "You'd better not. The closest thing Yuki's ever seen to a mop is his hair."

Music: A
The opening and ending songs, "For Fruits Basket" and "Chisana Inori" have been remade into similar sounding English versions that manage to incorporate both the style and meaning of the originals into the songs. They're actually pretty good and, of course, the originals are there on the Japanese audio track for purists. Other background music seems to have been redone on the English track as well, but don't quote me on it.

Subtitles: C-
There are two sets of subtitles -- one that matches the English dialogue and one that translates the Japanese dialogue. They're accurate, so why am I complaining? Horrible graphical quality. As a literature student, I do a lot of reading. I love watching things subtitled. But even with my glasses, I can't watch these subtitles for long. They're narrow, jagged, and overall hard on the eyes. The animation style of FB is so smooth, the ugly yellow subtitles hurt to look at. Are decent-looking subtitles really that difficult to produce?????

Extras: A
What would DVDs be without perks? Well, perhaps to make up for the ridiculous price, FUNi has included some nice extra features. There are the standard textless openings and endings and the standard character profiles... but the really cool feature of the DVD is the subtitled featurette focusing on the anime's creation. I'd seen the featurette before and was pleasantly surprised to see it included on the DVD. It's roughly 25 minutes long and has interviews with the director, his assistants, and the Japanese voice actors. Let me tell ya, it's really cool to see the faces behind the voices.

Overall: A-
My biggest complaints are with Tohru's voice actress and the poor quality subtitles. Everything else is excellent. The voices I'll eventually get used to and as for the subtitles, hopefully someone at FUNimation will do something about them (but that's not likely to happen). So my recommendation: BUY IT! Support Fruits Basket in the US and buy the...DVD. From what I've heard, DVDs 1 and 2 will have six episodes each and the last two will have seven episodes each (for a grand total of 26 wonderful episodes). I'm eagerly looking forward to the next DVD coming out in January.

This series is a sweet, tender, introspective story. While each episode can probably be watched individually, they all build gradually toward the dark and suspenseful ending. I have laughed and cried watching Fruits Basket, watched the entire series through about six times, and still enjoy it. There is not a lot of action, but there's lots of verbal comedy and plot development.

This particular video serves as an introduction to the characters. Tohru Honda is a girl orphaned recently by the death of her mother. She is also temporarily homeless, as her grandfather's house is being renovated. After attempting to live in a tent, so as not to be a burden to anyone, she is taken in by the Sohma family as a live-in housekeeper. Soon she discovers the Sohma family curse. (They transform into animals when stressed-out or hugged) Gradually, over the first four episodes, she gets to know the denizens of Shigure's house, the popular, reserved Yuki, the hostile extrovert Kyo, and the relentless tease (but the closest thing to a responsible adult) Shigure. Tohru herself, not the brightest bulb in the drawer, but hardworking, kind, and always striving to understand people, soon endears herself to the Sohmas, and begins to help them heal from the emotional wounds their curse--and their somewhat nasty family--have inflicted. In the fifth episode, when Tohru is able to move out, they all finally realize what they have begin to mean to one another. (First tear-jerker episode, but hardly the last.) In Episode 6, Tohru brings her friends to meet the Sohmas, resulting in a rather slapstick episode of accidental transformation and coverup.

The series only goes on to get better after this: it doesn't fall into any predictable pattern of slapstick or compete-for-the-girl romance.

I bought the Fruits Basket DVDs after having read 8 volumes of the manga (sadly, the English publication has only just begun). For a detailed summary and commentary of the manga, read my review of Volume 1, written on February 13, 2004.

Basic plot: Pure-hearted, brave, completely selfless highschooler Tohru Honda, having recently lost her beloved, inspiring mother, finds herself, through a series of circumstances, moving in with Yuki Sohma, the most popular boy in her school, and his older, slightly perverted (but oh so lovable) cousin Shigure. Soon after Tohru moves in, a third member of the Sohma family, Kyo, arrives. This all takes place in the first episode; in this episode and the next, Tohru also discovers the Sohma family's secret: when pressed against a member of the opposite sex, thirteen of its members each turn into an animal of the Zodiac (Yuki is the rat, Shigure the dog), plus the cat (Kyo), the animal who was, according to the legend, left out of the Zodiac.

Of course, the Sohma secret must be well-guarded, and Tohru's discovery certainly complicates things. Should Akito,the mysterious head of the family, decide so, her memory would have to be erased. However, for the present, she is allowed to remain in Shigure's home.

This 1st volume basically describes Tohru's integration into the Sohma household. Although her task is originally to be the housekeeper (all the Sohma boys being hopeless in this domain), she inevitably forms closer relationships with the inhabitants (especially Kyo and Yuki), as she gets to know them bit by bit. She is like no one they have ever met: a bit ditzy at times, but invariably kind, understanding, optimistic and almost always able to help them. However, just as things are starting to settle, it turns out Tohru may have to leave Shigure's house after all... How will the boys be able to survive without her?

What I love most about this anime, as in the manga, are the characters and their interaction. Tohru's sweetness gradually has a calming effect on the popular, but extremely reserved and awkward Yuki and the short-tempered, sarcastic, but surprisingly friendly Kyo. Shigure pretty much stays the same (obsessed with highschool girls, always poking fun at people, but pretty wise when he gets serious), but that's just fine. He does have a darker side in the manga, which is completely absent from the anime, but I don't mind, the anime works this way, too. There are other great characters, like Kagura Sohma, another Zodiac member (try to guess which one before it's revealed), who also appears in this volume and causes quite a commotion. There are also Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, Tohru's two best friends, who are rather eccentric (one is an ex-gang member, the other is a psychic) and who add lots of fun to the series. And finally, there are the "Prince Yuki Fanclub" girls (that's right, the kid has his own fanclub, but he doesn't really approve of it), who certainly don't appreciate Tohru's new closeness with their dreamboat.

Fruits Basket has many heart-warming moments of tenderness: if you're depressed, this is the anime for you, it will definetely give you a positive outlook on life! But it also has a lot of humour. Torhu is so quick to panic... Also, Yuki and Kyo are forever fighting like cat and mouse (which makes sense) and their opposite characters (cool and calm vs hyper and angry) give rise to very funny moments. Shigure is absolutely hilarious, as is Kagura's very... special personnality. Arisa and Saki make an entertaining odd couple (in this volume, you'll discover how a juvenile delinquent like Arisa ever became friends with a goody-goody like Tohru) and the Yuki fanclub girls, although they get a little annoying in later volumes, are also funny in their psychotic/pathetic obsession with poor Yuki. The last episode is particularly funny, with elements that aren't present in the manga (multiple transformations, anyone?).

I really like the animation in this series. It's pretty realistic at times, fluffy at others (flowers floating in the background to emphasize sweet, crucial moments, you know what I'm talking about) and zany the rest of the time (sweatdrops, people falling over, etc.). There are also pretty interesting animaton effects, like the various ways flashbacks are shown, you'll have to see for yourselves. Also, the opening and ending theme songs always make me smile and give me this fuzzy feeling.

The sub version is very enjoyable, if you're used to them (Yuki's high-pitched voice may be disturbing at first); but the dub isn't bad either. I usually prefer subs, and was initially disturbed by the dub (Tohru sounded too mature, Kagura's voice was too deep, Kyo's American accent was too emphasized, etc), but it grew on me with time. Shigure's voice is extremely well done.

Now... Is this anime strictly for girls? It's hard for me to say. I'm a 20-year-old girl and I adore it, but I think a boy who is really into anime wouldn't dislike this series. I'm not really into gender classifications (used to play with a boy who loved My Little Pony), so I guess this is merely a question of taste.

Most romantic comedies written so far are one-sided, either they are shoujo or shounan. The anime that have made the transition into the American market are mostly shounan. Fruits Basket offers a balance between the two, which makes it more real than anything you have seen before. Imagine Keitaro living in a girl's dorm with 5 lovely girls in Love Hina, Tohru is the counterpart who lives in a "man's dorm" with 3 good-looking guys plus frequent visitors from their family.

Fruits Basket follows the story of a first year high school girl named Tohru Honda and her encounters with the Souma family who has a secret involving the Chinese Zodiac or Juunishi. Almost every Souma member carries a painful baggage behind his or her back. We feel the emotions, the pain, and the laughter as each episode unfolds new revelation into the lives of the Souma family and how Tohru helps bring about change in the family.

The emphasis the writers of the story focuses on is not the removal of the scar, but the recovery from the pain and the change in one's perspective in life. Using Tohru as the change catalyst, the writers unveil a new understanding behind the emotions such as anger, jealousy, frustration, hatred, hurt, low self-esteem, and hopelessness, and bring them to a final conclusion of forgiveness, acceptance, renewal, and love. Our heroine, Tohru, turns out to be the messenger of all comfort. She brought a whole new perspective in the affirmation of one's self-esteem. Although Tohru is a very sweet girl, she is not the "homecoming queen" type that most guys crave on. In fact, Yuri did not even notice her in class before she walked into his life (moved into Shigure's house.) Tohru lacks imagination and is very dumb sometimes. But you will find her an amazing character once you get to know her.

Growing up in America often sway us into abusing the right to free speech. We use honesty as our disguise to blast every word and thought we have in mind, and much too often to the ones we love most. We carry the sign, "forgive and forget," but how much pain your heart can withstand until it breaks? The writers of Fruits Basket show us how to treasure our relationships with our friends and love ones, how to be kind to one another, and how to mend broken relationships. In the end, it is faith, love, and hope that will heal the past and carry us forward.

Indeed, there are moments when you need lots of Kleenex, especially the episode on Hatori but the anime also balances itself with lots of laughter. It's like life. There are moments when you would cry and there are moments when you would laugh. Unlike most comedy that are filled with perverted jokes, Fruits Basket makes you laugh because the circumstances are real and you identify with them. The first half of the series is very engaging-no cliffhangers but a lot of discovery into the characters' past. The second half has some fillers that are really not necessary.

The series premiered in Japan starting July 5, 2001. As such, the animation and character artwork are very modern, crisp, and fluid. The characters are in the "kawaii" style with big eyes and clean-cut appearance. I love the original voice actors although I had a hard time following the subtitles. (They talk too fast!) I am looking forward to watching Fruit Baskets in English. Although the anime spans 26 episodes, it only covers up to volume 6 of the original Fruits Basket manga. By the time I got to episode 26, I found myself asking for one more season.

With so much anime coming out in Japan, it's hard to really be able to watch them all or even a large fraction of them. Then you also take into consideration the fact that another fraction is taken to come to America. From all this, a gem comes along and that's exactly what Fruits Basket is. Fruits Basket is definitely one anime that people should see.

Fruits Basket, spanning 26 episodes, is the story of a high school girl, Tohru Honda, who lives by herself in a tent outside now that her mother had passed away in an accident and her grandfather was staying with other relatives. Tohru is an extremely sincere, naive, compassionate person. How anyone could portray such depth to these feelings in one person is beyond me. She gets these from her mother who she loved deeply. She stayed true to her words and morals and to help others and be herself. The last thing she ever wanted to be was a burden on others and that is why she doesn't tell her friends about her living situation. Her whole life changed after being able to stay with the "Prince" Yuki Souma and relative, Shigure. The twist is that the Souma family has the curse of the Juunishi, The Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac. When hugged by the opposite sex, they will change into their respective animal counterpart. The Soumas all have problems in their lives that all come down to their curse. Yet, Tohru has this amazing ability to help all of them with their problems. It's very heartwearming and definitely a tear-jerker.

I must say that it is a little weird that Funimation has picked up this title. For those who don't know, Funimation specializes in releasing more action-oriented titles like Dragon Ball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, and later on, One Piece. Picking up a more emotional title was a total surprise. The problem I have with this DVD is that the packaging does not look pleasing at all. The logo for Fruits Basket seems too ordinary and does nothing for the cover. The picture of Tohru just doesn't seem right for a cover art. I think it would have been better to showcase more cast of characters with at least a contrasting background of trees or something else.

This anime is relatively new so the visual quality should be nice. The theme songs are very nice. Both the opening and ending fit the story very well. It relates to the characters and the story and is very mellow and soft which fits with the emotional aspects.

Another problem I have with this release is the fact the price goes for a retail of 40 dollars. It's good that they released 6 episodes on this DVD but 40 dollars is just too much. Many other companies have released 5-7 episodes with just the normal retail price of 30 dollars. I guess I could understand if there were extras added with the DVD but I don't think there is.

Final Note: Even through the higher price, this is a show that is really amazing. If you love emotional and light-hearted anime, then this is for you. If you just like action or any others, then give it a try. It really wouldn't hurt. You might find yourself falling in love with it too. Words just really can't express the way I feel about this anime and I don't want to spoil anything but in ways, it really is like "Chicken Soup for your Soul."

All right! Fruits Basket anime! About high school girl, Tohru Honda, who is orphaned when her mother dies in car accident. She ends up living in a tent in the woods. Then, into the picture, enters the Sohmas! Turns out that Tohru was living in the Sohmas' woods and she ends up being the housekeeper for them. Yuki Sohma, who is in Tohru's class, is the younger cousin of Shigure Sohma, whose house Tohru is now staying in. Before she moved in, Yuki and Shigure had warned Tohru to not hug anyone in the house, and for one reason: in the Sohma family, there are 13 cursed juunishi (ones of the chinese zodiac). When hugged by people of the opposite sex, they change into there cursed animal forms. Considering there were only males in the house Tohru was staying in, where there were only males.
Oops! I forgot one important detail in this series. There are only 12 animals in the chinese zodiac, but there are 13 cursed Sohmas. There is a story that goes along with this and it goes like this:
Long ago, God invited all the animals to a special banquet. All the animals except for the cat heard of the invitation, so the rat decided to play a joke on the cat. The rat had told the cat that the banquet that God was holding was to be the day after the day it really was. So, on the day that the banquet was held, all the animals arrived, except for the cat, who was fast asleep because he was told that the banquet was the day after. According to Takaya-sensei, this is the story of the 12 animals of the chinese zodiac, and why the cat is not on the zodiac. The animals were: snake, horse, sheep/ram, monkey, rooster, dog, boar, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, and dragon. In
Fruits Basket, the cat is Kyo Sohma.
*A QUICK COMPARISON OF THE ANIME AND THE MANGA OF FRUITS BASKET*
There are currently 26 episodes of Fruits Basket (I believe that people are trying to convince the company producing FB to make more episodes, but that is just what I have heard). The manga is over 17 volumes long (I have read up to chapter 102 so far, and there is still more, it is at about volume 18)sorry, forgot to mention that I read from scanalations, those volumes aren't released in the US yet:D). The anime does not show the horse or the rooster, nor does it reveal Akito's true identity. A few differences in the characters' personalities, but not many details were changed. The anime covers about the first 6 volumes of the manga, and the part revealing Ritsu (volume 8).
I have more to say about this anime, but I shall tell no more. THIS ISN'T THE LAST TIME YOU HEAR FROM ME!! *he-he* ^_^

This is the most heart-warming and touching anime series I've ever seen. It's shoujo, meaning it's geared towards girls but anyone would enjoy watching this. It doesn't have games battles, transforming robots, or flying demons but my 11 yr old son loves watching it because of all the funny and outrageous characters (our favorites are Shigure, Kyo, Momiji & Ayame). Just 26 episodes long, it's a short series, although the manga comics are still ongoing in Japan.

You meet and get to know the cursed Sohma family through the eyes of orphaned high-school student Tohru Honda. Everyone has a story to tell, some quite heart-wrenching. I was touched by all their stories. Heck, I even felt sorry for Akito!

Although I prefer to watch anime in their original Japanese, I think that Funimation did a SUPERLATIVE job of dubbing and translating these series. In my opinion all the American voice actors were excellent! I really liked Laura Bailey as Tohru but my hat goes off to John Burgmeier who was just AWESOME as Shigure!

Only four volumes long, this is a worthwhile investment. BUY this and add an excellent anime series to your collection!

Ok, Fruits basket is about a girl named Tohru Honda. After her mother died in a car crash and her grandfather not having the money to support her she decides she will live in a tent in the woods until she can get back on her feet. But one day on her way to school she come across a house and learns that its the house of Yuki soma (the prince of her high school) and yes its true, Yuki is cutedespite him being a little creepy at times (in my opinion anyways)

But there is more to Yuki and his family then meets the eye. In fact to understand there secret its not eyes that have to meet, but skin (yes bad joke on my part ^^; forgive me) As Tohru soon learns, when ever a member of Yukis family gets hugged by someone of the opposite sex. they transform into one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

Ok. Yes I know your all thinking Hmm, not to original, Iv seen this before in Ranma (theres even Haru. Who, like Ryoga has a horrid sense of direction) But I tell you now, Fruits Basket is nothing like Ranma, its more down to reality, the characters are more believable and there situations seem real. (Dont get me wrong, I LOVE Ranma, this is different though)

But now its time for my opinion on Fruits basket:
This series is great! Its already one of my favorites, after watching it I had to watch it again, and again, and again until I knew it by heart. Fruits basket is heartwarming, its funny, cute, and even a little Romanic at times (but you cant have a good series with out a little romance now can you?) But its not mushy and wont put you to sleep, and when it starts to get a little two sappy and you get a little tired, you cant drift off to sleep because one of the characters will blurt out something funny and the boredom will end shortly.

Also if your sick of school girl travels to another world stories or animes that involve high school students saving the world from destructions Give fruits basket a try. The charters are WONDERFULL, there wasnt once I didnt like. I even found myself getting attached to Akito (being, mainly the villain in this storyif you can even call him that.) I like Tohru as well which is strange cause I usually find myself not liking the mane female character, they always seem to winery or too nice for there own good. Sure Tohru is nice, but the way she is believable.

This series is a must for anyone who likes cute stories, with out to much mush, remembered characters. And that wont bore the daylights out of you.

All in all, FRUITS BASKET ROCKS! I didnt hate the dub either, which I usually cant stand dubs.