Customer Reviews

Fruits Basket, Vol. 19

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In spite of an amusing coda to the Yuki/Ayame story in which Yuki (gasp! shock!) voluntarily pays a visit to Ayame's apartment, this volume of Fruits Basket - in which Kyo's fate and Kyoko Honda's ghost loom large and one of the series most forshadowed and anticipated moments arrives - is rather somber in tone.

As it begins, we find Tohru reeling in guilt as she realizes that her beloved mother is no longer the most important person in her life. It's not an easy episode for Kakeru either, as he realizes that he can no longer put off telling Yuki about his uncomfortable connection to Tohru considering the likelihood that he'll be seeing more of her in light of her place in Yuki's life and the fact that Yuki and Machi are inching closer towards dating.

The part of the volume that will probably have the longest effect on the characters, however, is the middle. With Yuki having gracefully bowed out of the picture and Tohru having virtually confessed her feelings for Kyo as the last volume ended, it would seem that a difficult situation has been averted. But as readers who have followed the subtext of the series will have realized, Tohru has three princes - and it's now that prince number three becomes an issue.

As school begins again, the girls are gossiping about a mysterious drop-dead gorgeous boy with non-Japanese features who's caught their attention. When one girl confirms that he's a Sohma our suspicions are heightened, and when he heads for Tohru and her face lights up at the sight of him as they walk off hand in hand, we know it can only be one person.

Momiji Sohma has finally caught up with his other three cousins - and big time.

Although we've known for a long time what Momiji would eventually look like via the infamous flash forward frame of him on his first day of high school, his first official appearance as an older teen - endearingly confused by the new female attention he's getting until Tohru gives him the newsflash that he's stunningly handsome - is worth the price of the volume alone. It is also, however, a very bittersweet moment.

Momiji wears his heart on his sleeve and has always been completely open regarding how he feels about Tohru. Although those feelings undoubtedly started out having alot to do with her filling the void of his unrequieted love for his mother and sister, Tohru has also clearly been his first crush. Had Kyo made a move at any earlier point, that would have been the end of that. But Kyo has finally waited too long, the flood dam finally breaks, and Momiji can no longer deny what's been written all over his face, actions and body language for a long time now.

Ever the child of an unlucky star, Momiji Sohma has fallen in love with his best friend - a girl who everyone, including himself, knows is meant for his ostracized cousin.

While this is going on, a dark cloud forms over all the younger Zodiac members as Kyo's impending confinement begins to loom close enough that it can no longer be ignored; and they become increasingly anxious as they realize they will all be complicit in a terrible crime if the unthinkable happens. It is ultimately Momiji who kindles the flame and goes to Kyo to try to shock him into offering resistance. It is Momiji as well who becomes the first Zodiac member in the history of the curse to commit the grand heresy of openly declaring for the Cat and stating outright that he doesn't intend to let his cousin be taken without a fight.

All of which makes what must inevitably happen all the more painful, as we realize with saddened spirits that for Tohru and Kyo to end up together Tohru will have to break the heart of a boy she adores who has been with her through thick and thin and deserves much better; and in a cruel case of irony Kyo will have to trample not his lifelong rival, but the saintly cousin who is his greatest ally and source of strength among the Zodiac.

After this volume, a completely happy ending all around no longer seems possible.

Recently Natsuki Takaya has dealt with the relationships of some of the supporting characters... and now it's back to the main trio.

And the nineteenth volume of "Fruits Basket" focuses on Tohru's growing feelings for Kyo, even as she struggles to free him from his curse -- and the scorn of the other zodiac members. Though there are some funny moments (mostly from the wonderfully wacky Ayame) growing romantic feelings and past regrets are littered all through these chapters.

Heartfelt talks take up a lot of space -- when Shigure tells Tohru about the approaching "last banquet" and the cat's place, she is left struggling with her torn feelings. Kyo has a chat with her kindly grandfather about Tohru, and remembers his own talk with her dead mother. And Shigure has a soul-baring talk with Hatori about the increasingly reclusive Akito, and just what he wants from her.

But the romantic tension growing between Kyo and Tohru are stifling Yuki, so he goes shopping out on the town, and eventually ends up visiting his brother. While the brothers talk, Yuki stirs up memories of the first time Ayame realized that his careless words could hurt people. But he isn't the only one -- amid the usual school council hijinks, Yuki finds out about a past conflict between Kakeru and Tohru...

In the grand scheme of things, not much actually happens in this volume -- it's mostly about the characters and their feelings.

Don't worry. It's not boring, especially since Takaya continues to weave in some darker threads about Kyo's bleak past and future, and his half-hidden regrets about Kyoko. And she lets readers have a look at how the characters are changing as they approach adulthood (Momiji has become the new "prince"). There's a bittersweet flavour even to the lighter chapters, since everything around them is changing so quickly.

But don't worry -- despite the darker moments, we still get lots of comic relief like Kyo bashing his head against the wall in exaggerated shame. And there are some deeply romantic moments, like a beautiful flashback to the start of Ayame's relationship with Mine. These moments are exquisitely beautiful without having to be too obvious, and Takaya's delicate artwork only adds to the feeling.

But the biggest romantic moments come for Tohru and Kyo. Tohru's inner struggles are further revealed, since she turns out to have some conflicting feelings about her parents and Kyo. And Kyo shows that he's grown out of the angry, self-loathing cat-boy he used to be, while Yuki has become more patient with his brother, and very sweet and loving toward his new girlfriend.

And Takaya doesn't neglect the other characters -- Kakeru turns out to be a romantic, Ayame definitely isn't gay, and Momiji has some secret romantic feelings. And Shigure's darker side casts a shadow over the first half of this manga.

The nineteenth volume of "Fruits Basket" explores the changing feelings of the characters, even as it inches toward the end. A really stellar, polished little manga.

i actually got addicted to this manga thru the anime, which i saw first. i completely love it. the books are even better. more depth. & the story just gets more & more suprising.

Book arrived in time it was suppose too. The book has the binding creases form numerous reads (which is fine) and is a little dingy from it as well. The cover has faint words in it from some using the book as a hard writing surface. Cover has some light surface scratches. The front cover is badly bent up on bottom corner; if it was bent some more it could come off. The top front and back bottom corners have been bent as well and it has some edge damage. There is no added ink or coloring to the pages and no page damage. Over all near what I expected to get at the quality it was ranked at.

After reading and enjoying the first eighteen volumes of the Fruits Basket manga series, I knew I had to continue reading the series.

In this volume, Tohru starts feeling guilty that her deceased mother is no longer the most important person in her life. School begins again, and Momiji has grown taller and more handsome. Momiji admits he's had a crush on Tohru. Meanwhile, the younger Zodiac members become anxious as Kyo's impending imprisonment (due to his being the cat member of the Zodiac curse) draws nearer. Momiji goes to Kyo to shock him into resisting this fate.

There is definitely more a darker feel to the story by the end of this volume. However, this darker feel coming into play is realistic, and this would be the right time for it to come in. As a reader, while you're rooting for the best for these characters, you know that the way the story is progressing, the "happy ending" you're hoping for will more than likely not happen. However, the story hooks you into wanting to continue on to find out just how everything is going to come together at the end. I would recommend this volume to anyone who has read and enjoyed the previous Fruits Baskets volumes.

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

If you made it to volume 19 you probably know how great this story is...it's awesome!

The manga is waaaay better than the anime. Don't even bother watching the anime. It's only half as good. Read the books! They will make you smile all the time and you really connect with the characters. Plus the story is fantastic!