Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Natsuki Takaya (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2004

Tohru Honda was an orphan with no place to go, until the mysterious Sohma family offered her a place to call home. Now, her ordinary high school life is turned upside down, as she's introduced to the Sohma's world of magical curses and family secrets. Discover for yourself the secret of the Zodiac, and find out why "Fruits Basket" is the No. 1 selling shojo manga in the world!

Editorial Reviews

Review

""Do not walk, do not run - fly out and get it."" -- AnimeOn DVD.com

From the Publisher

Story by NATSUKI TAKAYA.
Anime also available.
The #1 Selling Shojo Manga in Japan!
#1 most requested Manga in the U.S.!
Inspired the Hit Anime

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: TokyoPop; 1ST edition (February 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591826039
• ISBN-13: 978-1591826033
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Manga > Shojo (Girls)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Manga > By Publisher > TokyoPop
  • #74 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror > Manga

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, love it!, February 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Living in Montreal, I bought the first volume of this series in French, about a month ago. I was feeling very depressed, and thought I'd cheer myself up with a new manga. I came upon the Fruits Basket series, which was already up to volume 7 here. The cover looked cute and the summary was intriguing: a girl living with a family of boys who turn into animals of the Zodiac in "particular circumstances"... I'm normally not a big fan of shojo (girl manga/anime), but I figured I could use some fuzziness.

After reading the first volume, I found myself completely infatuated with Fruits Basket. It's absolutely adorable, but not in an excessive way. The basic story has been summarized by other reviewers, but here it is again: Yuki Sohma lives with his elder cousin, Shigure, on the outskirts of town. Yuki is one of those people everyone is drawn to: he is intelligent and extremely good-looking, and even has his own fan-club at his highschool (although he doesn't exactly endorse it). Despite everything he's got going for himself, Yuki remains a distant, mysterious person, with apparently no true friends and he never dates anyone.

On the other hand, you have Tohru Honda, a classmate of Yuki's, who recently lost her mother. To make a long story short, no one in her family could take her in, and she didn't want to impose on her friends, so she decided to live in a tent in the woods, until things got better. Tohru is so naieve a lot of readers consider her to be a bit of an idiot, but she's actually a very pure-hearted, caring person, with a lot of courage and an eternally positive attitude. The emplacement she chose to set up camp happens to be close to Shigure's home, so it's only a matter of time before she stumbles onto the house and meets its two inhabitants. The two boys eventually find out she lives in a tent (Shigure's initial reaction is to laugh hysterically). They decide to let her stay with them, in exchange for her doing their housework: indeed, despite how gifted the Sohma cousins are, they are useless when it comes to cleaning and cooking.

Enter Kyo, another member of the very large Sohma family, who appears out of nowhere and whose goal in life is apparently to beat Yuki (whom he despises) in a martial arts' battle. During the battle, Tohru accidentally trips and falls against all three of the boys, and they all turn into animals. Thus Tohru discovers the Sohma family's secret: thirteen of its members are cursed and transform into an animal of the Zodiac (plus the cat - embodied by Kyo - who was, according to the legend, left out of the Zodiac because the mouse - embodied by Yuki - tricked him) when pressed against a member of theopposite sex.

Despite finding out the secret, Tohru is allowed to remain with the Sohmas, although there is always an ominous chance that the head of the family, Akito (the mysterious, rarely-seen "bad guy" whose presence looms over all the characters) might change his mind and have her memory erased.

The story develops from there on, with new characters showing up every now and then and deeper relationships forming between Tohru and the Sohmas. The plot seems loosely-woven, but in fact the elements are very gradually added on to the story, allowing the reader to learn more about the world of Fruits Basket at a leisurely, enjoyable pace. This is a story you bask in and soak up.

The key aspect of this manga, however, is character development. All the characters are lovable in their own way. I've already mentionned Tohru's admirable character; this girl would make anyone feel positive, and she has an emotional healing power on nearly all who surround her. Yuki may seem like a walking paradox, being so popular and yet so antisocial, but it's what makes him intriguing, and there are times you will actually feel compassion for this golden boy. Kyo is a volcano permanently on the verge of eruption: his frustration at being ostracized from the family because he is cursed by the spirit of the cat puts him on the defensive at all times and he is quick to lose his temper. However, it is obvious he can be gentle and kind, he just needs the right person to help him (did anyone say Tohru?). And then there's Shigure (the dog)... Not the most important character, but my personal favourite. Perpetually laid-back, with a Lolita-complex he barely tries to hide, he takes any chance he gets at teasing his peers, which makes him the main comic relief. However, despite his outgoing personality, he remains shrouded in mystery: his relationship with the "evil" Akito is unclear, as are his motives for letting Tohru stay with them. I don't think he's an evil man, but he's definetely up to something, this is hinted right from the beginning. Whether he's working for the right or the wrong cause will be made clear eventually, I hope. (Really, really hope he turns out to be a good person)

Having read 8 volumes so far, but not wanting to spoil your fun, I'll just tell you that you're in for a treat, the other characters are all just as engaging. The main focus will remain on the Yuki-Tohru-Kyo triangle, but the stories of the other characters are by no means superficially developped. Let me just specify that this isn't a romance story as such, it's more about the different kinds of love that exist in the world (although romance will probably be more present as the story comes to a close).
Fruits Basket is sweet, it's funny and touching at the same time and has characters that you will truly be glad to have met. Buy this manga!

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Manga Ever ^_^, September 8, 2005

By 

Erin (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I don't read manga. I don't buy manga. I have always thought that those who get interested in manga are over the top otaku's who love their anime way too much. However, I watched the show and ABSOLUTELY LOVED every minute of it and I could not get enough of it!

I decided to pick up the manga after I read some online forums that talked about how much the show left out. After reading it, some things in the show just make more sense. I feel like I understand the whole story a little bit better, and understand the characters better. I really enjoyed everything about this manga and I plan to buy the rest of them!

So, if you're wondering about whether you'd enjoy it, whether you should buy it... I would say that you should just do it! If you loved the show, you'll love these (especially because it helps to fill in a lot of the blanks!) If you haven't seen the show and are interested in reading this anyway, I say go for it, it can't hurt ^_^ Even if you haven't seen the show, I think you'll still love it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe I almost passed this up..., April 5, 2005

By 

Reia Whitehead (Denver, CO, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I am very picky about the manga I read, since it takes a bit of a financial investment to start and complete a series. So when I was looking to start a new manga series, I thought about Fruits Basket and how it was so popular. I figured 'why not give it a try', so I picked up the first 2 volumes.
And now I am addicted. This is flat out one of the best series I've ever read. It has humor, action, romance, and quite a bit of drama. I'll admit, there where a few volumes (4 and 6, I beleive) that had me in tears.
The basic premise of the story is of a young girl, Tohru, who just lost her mother, and to make a long story short, is living in a tent in the woods (don't worry, this is all explained). It turnes out that Tohru is actually living on the property of the Sohma's, and in a strange turn of events, Tohru finds out their secret; they turn into animals of the zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex. Yuki and Shigure Sohma feel bad that Tohru is living in a tent, and in exchange for her housecleaning services, they let her live with them. And that's just in the first few chapters!
I don't want to give away too much of the story, because half the fun is going through all the shocks and surprises that Tohru goes through. But it is all done at a pace that isn't too quick, yet it keeps the story moving. It's just one thing after another, and some of the discoveries are sad, and a little frightening (these happen in later volumes). Tohru and her eternal optimism and cheeriness can get a little grating; I'd like to see her get really mad at least once (and maybe that does happen later; only 7 volumes are out so far), but I don't think the story would be the same if she were any different. The same goes for all the other characters.
This is a fantastic series for long-time manga fans, and beginners as well. You get a little bit of everything, the artwork is nice and cleans, if a little busy at times. I'm glad I didn't pass this up, and I hope you won't either!