Customer Reviews

Fruits Basket, Vol. 1

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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!

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.

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!

Fruits Basket (or Furuba as it's known to many fans) is a truly amazing manga.

From the title of it, you would expect it to be very hentai-ish, but it's not. In my opinion it has to be the cleanest manga that one can possibly stand. (IE it's not so clean and happy go lucky as Hamtaro *shudders* Hamataro is evil, pure evil). Well I got off track. This review has spoilers abound so beware if you haven't read the manga (or seen the anime).

Fruits Basket is about a girl name Tohru Honda a girl with a heart of gold and truly a wonderful person, whoes father died when she was very young. She is now 16, her mother had just died in a car wreck, and she went to live with her grandpa on her fathers side. (Because her mother and she were not exactly on speaking terms with her mothers side of the family). Her grandfather has to get his house remoldeld for some distant relatives on his side of the family so Tohru has to move out for a while. He told her to find some friends to stay with.

Not wanting to be a burden to any of her friends Tohru decides to rough it, and she finds a tent and campsout for about a week, on the Sohma familys property (not knowing of course). One day while walking to school she comes across the Sohma family household. She looks around in it for a while and comes across some stones with the Chinese Zodiac on it. Than she run's into Shigura (who is the year of the dog) and Yuki (her high-schools "Prince" He is the year of the rat) Later on in the story we are introduced to Kyou (the year of the cat, who is not in the zodiac because he was betrayed by rat). And this is where the trouble starts.

The Sohma family is cursed and therefore whenever they are touced or huged by a member of the opiset sex of someone NOT in there family, they turn into the animal that they are the year of. Tohru finds out this secret, and therefore she might have to have her memories erased from her. What will become of our poor Tohru? Find out when you read the manga! And belive me, you will. It is a must read.

Now I odviously left out a lot of details from this manga, but I didn't want to give away the whole storyline, that would be quite dumb wouldn't it?

Also this manga is printed in the original left to right reading format, therfore preserving the original artwork and sound-effects. It makes it even more enjoyable. All in all this manga is a must read. It's kinda of a comedy/romance, kind of. And it's shojo, so it's more or less going to be apealing to the femail gender a little bit more. That's not to say that a guy wouldn't like it. It has quite a bit of action in it (not like Trigun action) more martial arts action. But it is a must read. And I really hope my review helped. Do you believe it was written by a 16 year old? The reveiw I mean.

For those that have not seen the anime series, allow me to address you first. Fruits Basket is the story of Tohru Honda, who finds herself living with a family cursed by the vengeful spirits of the Chinese Zodiac. Now... you can't say that's stereotypical. Not only do these crazy Sohma kids transform in to their respective animals, they do so when they are hugged by someone of the opposite sex, or their bodies feel some kind of trauma or stress. The series has so many things going for it. It has one of the most unique love stories I've read. It has infinite laugh-out-loud moments, and it can bring you to tears too. And the Takaya San did not lose anything story-wise for spreading her story over so many genres. It really is fun to read a series, and constantly change my mind about it. Who I think is evil- yeah it gets a little cryptic and psycho too, Who I think Tohru should fall in love with? Who my favorite character is... It's so creative, and fun. With manga being so expensive, Fruits Basket is one that I would recommend you to follow. It definetly is one of the best available.
For fans of the anime, you may think- "Why would I want this? I already know the story... And the art has a different feel than the animated series did..." Is it worth chalking up $10 for? Yeah, it is. I saw the series first, then turned to the manga. I don't really consider myself a purist, but in this case I am. Originally I was turned off by the manga. The art style is a little weird at first if you are used to the anime, and you may not welcome the difference. But I got it because I love the series so much. The book goes in to territory I wish the series had. There was so much left out of the series that was in the manga. I don't want to spoil anything, but I was certain Tohru was going to end up with someone at the end of the series. Well, I've reversed my feelings after reading the manga. And better still, the manga will branch past the ending of the series, and will hopefully attempt to explain and give me some kind of sense of closure. Reading the manga is such an expansion on the series. (I know the manga came first, but I'm talking from the stand point of seeing the anime first). I got hints of stuff in the anime, but Those feelings were magnified by 100% in the manga. You'll see what I mean when you buy it...

My journey into the world of "Fruits Basket" started when I rented the 26-episode anime TV series from FUNimation. I loved the series so much that I immediately sought out the manga from which the anime was based. My money was not wasted.

In Volume 1 of the manga, we get the first six chapters of this touching and humorous story that were the basis for episodes 1-5 of the manga. Takaya-sensei begins to set the stage with this volume. She does a wonderful job of capturing the tough life that Tohru-san has, yet managing to keep her with a positive attitude and a nature that doesn't focus on her own problems, but looks out for others first. She's such a sweet, cute, and wonderful character that I couldn't help but immediate fall in love with her character. Granted some people will be put off by this (and some of the sugary nature of the manga), but most folks I think will enjoy it.

The other characters are very memorable. The battles between Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun were amusing, but their working together to bring Tohru back home at the end of chapter 6 was very nice. Shigure-san with his "older and wiser" moments combined with his ecchi thoughts makes him a fun character. Kagura-chan, one of the female zodiacs in the Sohma family, is a hoot with her manic and violent nature as she expresses her love for Kyo-kun. Tohru-san's best friends Uo-chan (the former "Yankee", or gangster) and Hana-chan (the girl with the deadly "vibes") are a lot of fun and should prove to continue to fill that role in the future.

Takaya-sense has remarks scattered throughout the volume, some as side-bars and some at the beginning of a new chapter. I found these to be a delight to read as it gave me more of an insight into the manga-ka's life.

Finally, my hat is off to Alethea and Athena Nibley, the translators TokyoPop hired for "Fruits Basket" as well as the rest of the staff. First, all of the Japanese honorifics survive and this is so critical to truly getting an understanding of the characters. Just an excellent job by TokyoPop and I felt they should be praised for it.

Bottom line: if you loved the anime, you'll love the manga. If you've never seen the anime but you like a good, clean, humorous, & sweet story, you'll like this. While targeted for the shoujo (girl) market, many guys will enjoy it too.

Natsuki Takaya hit manga gold with "Fruits Basket," a romantic/comic/fantasy story about one cursed family, and a girl who might be able to set them all free.

The first volume of any series is usually the weakest, and that's true of "Fruits Basket Volume 1," but it's still a warm-hearted, entertaining little collection, which mainly serves to introduce the lead characters. And it doesn't take Takaya long to hit her storytelling stride.

Orphaned Tohru Honda is living in a tent in the woods. But one day she bumps into the large house of school idol Yuki Sohma, and his older cousin Shigure -- and after a landslide buries her tent and most of her belongings, they take Tohru in as a housekeeper/cook. But when the volatile Kyo Sohma breaks in to fight with Yuki, Tohru slips and accidently hugs him -- and he transforms into a cat.

Turns out that the Sohma family is cursed -- certain members turn into animals of the Chinese zodiac, including Yuki and Shigure (rat and dog, respectively). Warm-hearted Tohru doesn't let this stop her from befriending the Sohmas... and then the call comes that her grandfather wants her to come back home. But Shigure, Yuki and Kyo weren't expecting to miss her this much...

"Fruits Basket" isn't a hard series to like -- it has a little something for everyone, especially manga fans who love beautiful young men (of which there are plenty). Evil curses, slapstick comedy, swift martial-arts battles, a bit of romantic tension, and a horde of fangirls who are obsessive about Yuki.

Takaya spends most of the first volume introducing the characters, and arranging for them to live in the same house. Her artwork also takes a little while to get adjusted to (the first few chapters are a bit awkward) but settles into an elegant, polished style by mid-book. And she has a knack for very, very funny dialogue ("Didn't she say she'd forgive him for cheating on her?" "I DIDN'T SAY I WOULDN'T PUNISH HIM FIRST!").

Tohru must have been a difficult character to make likable. She's almost Pollyannaish in her optimism and cheerfulness. But Takaya makes her likable -- she doesn't instantly spread sunshine, and she's rather goofy and clueless. To top it off, she has two of the weirdest girls in school as her best buddies (and personal bodyguards).

The other characters aren't quite fleshed out yet -- Yuki and Kyo are basically the Handsome Charming Guy and the Antisocial Outsider, but Takaya drops a few hints of their deeper personalities here and there. Shigure is basically a goofball, while boar-girl Kagura transforms into a violent psychotic whenever Kyo tells her to get lost.

About to conclude in Japan, "Fruits Basket" started off strong with the first volume, with a solid concept and likable characters. Excellent beginning.

I love this manga!!!!

Clean and sweet, without being sappy, Fruits Basket is a really cute story about a sixteen year old orphan named Honda Tohru. One day when walking through the woods, she discovers a strange house. Under further investigation, she finds that the house happens to be the home of none other than the prince of her school, Sohma Yuki. When Yuki and his cousin Shigure find out that Tohru had been living in a tent, they immediately take her in. However, Tohru soon discovers their family secret. The Sohmas are the bearers of the "juunishi" (zodiac) curse. When their bodies grow weak, or when they are embraced by a member of the opposite sex, they transform into their designated animal of the Chinese zodiac, or in Kyo's case the outcast aka the cat.

I have only read two volumes of the manga, but I own all four anime dvds and love them. It starts out sweet and gentle, but the end, of the anime at least, is dark, depressing and to use a word I hate a real "tear-jerker." I cried. A lot. Even so, it was wonderful. Don't not buy it now because you think it to be dark and full of pain and misery. It's not. Every {good} story needs some dark pasts, mental scars, and evils. Otherwise, how did the villian become a villian, why is the good guy good? There would be no motivation. GO buy the manga. NOW.

This is probably the best series I have EVER read. It comes second only to Harry Potter. Yes, I'm definitely comparing Fruits Basket to a novel. It might as well be one. That's why it makes me sad when people decide they don't like it after reading the first 3 or 4 books. Not even half of the characters are introduced by then! You only meet Akito(maybe the most interesting and despicable character in the story) in the 4th book and you don't even find out his true identity until book 11! Give the series a chance!
An then there's the complant: 'but it's so confusing!' No, it's not confusing. You just have to THINK while you read it! Oh NO! Thinking? Who could ever ask that of us??
Oh, yes. I almost forgot the 'it's too sugary' complaint. The people who are only keeping up with the English release(i'm keeping up with the Japanese release, which is much farther storywise) are probably wondering why it's rated Teen if it's so 'sugary'. It's probably because almost all of the sugar is gone. Shigure, our lovable puppy, is somewhat of a villian. Oh yeah there's also that whole thing where someone gets pushed out of a window.... Hey! Where'd all the sugar go? I think a lot of the problem is that people think Tohru is too happy and perfect. But that's where her flaw is. She doesn't show her feelings. She keeps them bottled up. If you keep reading the series you'll see that her past was even darker than it seems.
I've noticed that a lot of Yu Watase fans don't like this story. I'm not really sure why. I LOVE Watase!! But I still love Takaya-sensei. I'm guessing it's because Watase's manga is straightforward and moves much more quickly than Fruits Basket. I don't know... I sort of like having to THINK while I read a story.
And although I've never done this before I'd like to rebutt some of the statements made in a previous review on this manga by Robert P. Beveridge. You OBVIOUSLY did not read the book carefully. You complained about the 'fruit' in 'Fruits Basket' being spelled with an 's'. If you had read carefully you would have noticed that the title is based off of a children's game. This game is called 'fruits basket' NOT 'fruit basket' or whatever you want to call it. And Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo aren't brothers, they're cousins. And 2 of them are her classmates NOT one. I would also like to ask how the three alleged 'brothers' are 'indistinguishable'? I'm guessing you don't mean by how they look considering they all have different colored hair. And I don't think you can mean there personality since one is quiet and kind, the other is loud and hot-tempered, and the other is hilarious and slightly mysterious. Umm, indistinguishable? I think not.
Fruits Basket is an amazing achievement. I really don't know how one person pulled this series off. There is a remarkable depth in the story that lies in the characters physcological abuse. And you really need to keep reading the manga up to around the 9th book before the foundation for the story is set and the characterization goes off the charts(reading the foundation is enjoyable too). There are over 21 characters and each has there own story that somehow meshes with the central plot. It is also an endearing love story. It's just so sweet! You'll find yourself pulling for various couples and hoping that others don't wind up together. And not just so YOU can have Yuki you crazy fangirl. There are also amzing (amazingly sad...) plot twists. Oh, my poor, poor, poor, Kyo-kun..... So will the Sohma's be free from the curse or will they be in bondage for even more generations to come? READ!!!!

Fruits Basket(Furuba) is a great series! It starts out with Tohru Honda, who, at the beginning, lives in a tent in the forest after her mother, Kyoko,died from an accident, after her father died from pnenoinma. She was currently living in her grandfather's house,(on her fathers side) until he had decided to let other family members live with him and that he would remodel. Tohru, being the kind of person she is, would not allow herself to trouble her friends, Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani(Hana-chan and Uo-chan)by living with them. Therefore she lived in tent in the woods, which belong to the Sohma family. Tohru had no idea, and was surprised that her classmate, Yuki Sohma lived in a house nearby with his cousin, Shigure Sohma. She was taken in as their housekeeper. Then she met Kyo-kun, another Sohma. Then she met Kagura Sohma, who was a few years older than Tohru,Kyo, and Yuki. She's detirmined to marry Kyo, even if she kills him in the process. What's surprising is that the Sohma's are cursed to turn into members of the Chinese Zodiac,and the cat, when hugged or when their bodies are feeling weak.Kyo as the cat, Kagura as the boar, Yuki as the rat, Shigure as the dog, and 8 others. Those who find out must have their memories erased. Tohru was allowed to stay, and the real adventure was about to begin.