Customer Reviews

Fruits Basket, Vol. 23

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The previous volume of Fruits Basket was undoubtedly the climax of the entire series, and Natsuki Takaya wisely does not attempt to outdo herself here. This volume is best considered an after dinner mint, giving us a chance to come down from the heights and say goodbye to the characters we've come to love - and with a continuation of the anime extremely unlikely and perhaps prohibitively difficult in light of significant alterations to Shigure and Akito's characters, this marks the last new Fruits Basket material we are likely to ever get.

Although we get one or two subtle reminders that Kyo's happy ending has come at Momiji's expense and how lucky he is that Momiji doesn't have a selfish bone in his body, it's generally a series of happy moments, albeit bittersweet as we're leaving the characters. And we get time to say goodbye to each of them one by one - from Shigure and Akito finding their way together and Ritsu's final spazz attacks, through a deeply moving final scene between Tohru and Yuki and, finally, a look at Tohru and Kyo's future many years later.

When reverse harem stories are spoken of in the future, Fushigi Yugi may match Fruits Basket in historical importance and Ouran High School Host Club may ultimately be considered funnier once it's through; but the trials and tribulations of Tohru and the Sohmas capture our hearts uniquely, and Fruits Basket is likely to be the measure of reverse harem and indeed shoujo for a long time to come.

The curse is broken, Kyo and Tohru have confessed their feelings at long last, and now it's time to say goodbye to the Sohmas and Co.

"Fruits Basket Volume 23" is a brilliant, bittersweet end to a stunning fantasy/comedy/romance manga series, and Natsuki Takaya avoids the more maudlin and Hallmarky overtones that the finale could have had. Instead she carefully wraps up the various plot threads, pairs off most of the cast, and caps it off with a gorgeous ending that leaves some of the story up to the imagination.

The formerly cursed Sohmas are called to a meeting with a newly feminized Akito, who is painfully changing into a new person as she finally accepts her love for Shigure. Turns out her new decisions have also alienated some people formerly loyal to her. And the loss of the curse has had some other effects on people's lives -- some of the former cursed Sohmas are suddenly more relaxed in their freedom, while others are unable to let go of their olds wounds and grudges.

Meanwhile, the high school is abuzz with Tohru and Kyo's new relationship, and Yuki and Kyo have stopped fighting altogether -- and just before graduation, Kyo reveals that he wants Tohru to come with him on a long trip. Yuki and Shigure's paths diverge from that of their friends as they start new lives with their new loves, and the other Sohmas also start new lives. It's not so much an end as it is the end of the curse, and the beginning of their real lives.

"Fruits Basket Volume 23" is basically all about the united path of the cursed Sohmas splitting off into many different paths -- some are going to college, some are getting married, some are departing on journeys, and others are just continuing as-is but with greater freedom. The main message seems to be that people must go their own way and make their own lives, but that they will never truly be apart from the people they love.

The first chapter is a pretty bittersweet one, as Akito finally deals with the last of her issues, but the stories that follow are just to tie up the loose ends. Not all the hanging threads are addressed (Momiji and his family aren't really dealt with), but most of them are. And to deal with the last of Kyo's melancholy, Takaya shows us a hauntingly lovely flashback to the day Kyoko died reveals what she meant to say to Kyo, and what happened after she died.

There's also loads of humor (just about any scene with Kyo, Saki and/or Uo is crammed with hilarity), a bit of sadness, and plenty of romance for almost everybody. It's also much lighter and more humorous than the last few volumes of "Fruits Basket," but there's still a bittersweet pang as you realize that the story of the Sohmas is about to finally end.

Takaya revisits all the Sohmas in the story -- many of them have changed (Momiji's pranks), but in many ways are still the same (Ayame's over-the-top real estate plans), and some of them haven't forgiven Akito for what she's done. But it's also obvious that the main characters have grown up immensely -- Kyo has become a strong young man who wants to forge a new life with the girl he loves, and Tohru has grown past her ditzy anxiety.

And just in case anyone wasn't totally satisfied, an epilogue shows what life is like for a few of the characters, about thirty years in the future. Takaya leaves most of their futures up to the imagination, but the continuing presence of the zodiac figures shows that they are never far from Tohru and Kyo.

The final volume of "Fruits Basket" is everything that made the series great -- overcoming the bitter past and seeking a brighter, happier future, with plenty of laughter and romance. A gorgeous must-read... then go back and read the series again.

I'll be honest; I haven't been happy with the way Fruits Basket has been going for several volumes. But if you have enjoyed it, this is a near-perfect culmination of all the threads and characters that have been covered within. For myself, it's a nice ending, and somewhat sad, but in other ways a collection of many of my frustrations with the series. Kind of reminds me of Kare Kano... very good, but I wanted something different, perhaps.

And even though I don't 'like' it, it really is well done. If you have followed this series at all, I would still advise getting this to see how it all concludes.

This was the final volume and I have to say I was pleased and disappointed. I always knew she'd end up with Kyo, I'm just so glad that Yuki found a girl that he could care for and feel needed. Endings are always a bitter sweet thing when you have fallen for all of the characters, grown up with them, cried with them, and laughed with them.

Scenes between the Sohmas were touching and beautiful, but I didn't like that Momiji was alone. The author never delves into whether or not his unrequited love was healed by another person. I also wanted to see Akito struggle a little more instead of her changing over the course of a week, but I'm still glad she changed and is going in the right direction. The only thing I really wished wouldn't have happened until later (Although I do see the why the author did this) was that Tohru and Kyo left immediately after graduation. I think I wanted more closure and more time with the Sohmas.

The best was the ending when we get to see Kyo and Tohru years in the future and how happy they are. It's a great series if you are just starting it! I wish that they would make a Fruits Basket season 2 anime to tell the rest of the story. If you only watch the anime you have no idea the intricate subplots and whether or not the curse is ever broken.

I don't think I need to write synopsis since another users have posted plenty of summary of this volume. I will write about quality itself.

Finally Tokyopop released the final volume. It been few years since Fruits Basket finished in Japan. It took ages for Tokyopop to release this.

Overall I'm super disappointed at Tokyopop how they handled with this final volume. Firstly, I don't like paper quality. It is thin paper but not that toilet roll material as Pet Shop of Horror: Tokyo volume 4, if anyone own this manga then you should know what am I talking about. Secondly, I am not happy with translation. Personally, volume 23 is my favourite volume of Fruits Basket. I waited for long time (too long I daresay) for Tokyopop to release. I expected Fruits Basket will be handled well by Tokyopop since Tokyopop did well with past volumes of Fruits Basket. Now I get crap from Tokyopop. I'm glad it is final volume. I don't think I will buy manga from Tokyopop in future. Consider their releases are just terrible. It adds to my frustration having to collect toilet paper material manga.


I just give this 3 stars out of 5 stars. 2 stars has been taken away due to poor quality paper from Tokyopop. 3 stars has give due that I'm fan of Fruits Basket. Well If I'm not fan of this series, I would just give 1 stars out of 5 stars due to Tokyopop did crap job. TOKYOPOP, you suck!

After reading volume twenty-two of Fruits Basket, I knew I needed to read the final volume to know how the series ended.

Kyo and Tohru finally confess their feelings for each other. Akito makes a revelation to the other Sohmas, and the curse is lifted. At the end, the Sohmas start new lives and go their separate ways. A final epilogue appears at the end of the book, and it shows what life is like for some of the characters about thirty years in the future.

Many of the stories that appear in this volume are there to tie up the remaining loose ends, but the ends are tied rather effectively. By the time I finished reading this volume, I was in tears. It wasn't so much due to the fact that the series was ending that I was crying; it was due to how Natsuki Takaya brought everything to a close. When I read the final page of this volume, I was more than satisfied with how the series progressed and ultimately came to a close. If you've read the other Fruits Basket volumes prior to this one, I would really recommend reading this one as well to see how the characters end up at the end of the series.

I wrote this review after checking out a copy of this manga volume through the King County Library System.

This is the final volume of the long journey Tohru has had to go through. Essentially there's no action in each of the chapters - just an epilogue-like closing to everyone's stories. And we do get to see Tohru and Kyo's first date with Hana and Uo accompanying them, which is pretty funny. I'm glad that we got to see that happen. But my favorite part hands-down is definitely the very end where we are fast-forwarded a couple of decades into the future with Tohru and Kyo. That is the highlight of the entire series, in my opinion. The two of them really deserve their happy ending.

On to the point as to why I gave it 4 stars. The quality of the paper, as another reviewer has stated, does seem to be on the crappier side. It feels thinner, making the volume itself seem flimsy. You do get a full-color glossy insert page with a picture of Tohru, but for a retail price of $10.99, you'd expect better quality overall. But then again, who pays retail anymore?

Also included is a preview of Natsuki Takaya's other manga, Tsubasa: Those with Wings Volume 1 (Tsubasa Those With Wings), and a completely separate manga sampler. I haven't read either yet, so I can't say much about their content.

I've been reading Fruits Basket for most of my adult life, so this last volume really felt like a major milestone for me. But the story closed up neatly, with enough established that I can be happy for my characters, but not so much I felt the author ruined the ending. All in all, a good ending for one of the greatest manga stories I've ever read.

This series is my daughter's favorite. She really liked getting this one when it came out.