Fruits Basket

To be completely honest with everyone, when I first heard the name of the anime ( which I viewed first ), I kinda just ignored this story thinking that something with such a silly name would be a waste of my time. But I assure you, it is not.

Fruits Basket genuinely is one of the most beautiful, human mangas I’ve ever read. It’s the type of series that I feel any type of person at any point in their lives could take something from and learn from it. I know it sounds cheesy, but I really mean it. Fruits Basket is important, it says a lot and has a lot of heart. If you want something that has light-hearted moments as well as very emotional, even difficult moments, consider reading Fruits Basket. I doubt you’ll regret it, especially if you’re shoujo manga trash like me. Honestly, having this manga sit next to a lot of other shoujo series is kind of insulting to Fruits Basket, since a lot of shoujo are low key kinda bad ( this is coming from someone who has seen and read a LOT of shoujo ( I also just like shoujo a lot so,,, 😳 ). Fruits Basket has a lot more to it than being simply a shoujo manga / anime. It is more mature, and though it has troupes, the stellar writing and wonderful characters make the troupes hit right. I feel like at this point I’ll start repeating this. Just please give this one a shot. At this point, it’s a classic. I think you’ll really end up falling in love with all of the characters, the writing, the story, really just everything about it.

Thank you for reading ! If you end up reading ( or watching ) Fruits Basket, I hope you have fun :)

For people who enjoy shoujo, Fruits Basket is a must-read. I've been told that for years, but every time I tried to get through it, I had a very difficult time. I would get through the first few chapters, feel like it was too juvenile and predictable, and tuck it away to try again later. I must have started it 10 different times. Finally, I managed to power through the clumsy beginning and get to the heart of what I discovered was one of the most moving stories I've ever read. The mangaka did a huge bait-and-switch with this series. Either that or she had some traumatic life event halfway through and channeled her pain into her work. Either way, it's brilliant.

>Story-----------------10

In the beginning, Fruits Basket gives the impression that you'll go through 130+ chapters just giggling at the heroine's clumsiness and awwing at the the touching moments between her and her apparent love interests. All of the characters have difficult pasts, but they hide their pain well, even from the audience. However, as time goes on and their bonds strengthen, you start to get a glimpse of just how deeply their childhood scars affect them. Despite the supernatural element, this really is a slice of life more than anything else.

>Art---------------------10

Clean style without a lot of unnecessary details, which I appreciate. The characters all had unique designs and were easily recognizable. I wasn't a huge fan of how angular their faces got as they got older, but that's not something I'd bump off points for.

>Characters-----------9

All of the characters were extremely well developed and had intriguing backstories that interwove with each other. When you're talking about over a dozen characters, that's really impressive. The story doesn't solely focus on the heroine or the "love triangle", but instead takes a lot of care in making sure everyone gets their chance in the spotlight so that we can understand and relate to them, both as individuals and in relation to the other characters. It's really a huge accomplishment.

The reason I'm rating it a 9 instead of a 10, though, is because I'm picky about my heroines, and Tooru falls a little short for me. Her main purpose throughout the story is really to help all the other characters find courage through her kindness and generosity. It's a little cliched, and I feel like she didn't develop as much as she could have because she was constantly existing for other people. We get a small glimpse into her "true" self near the end, and it was very touching, but it just wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been.

>Enjoyment-----------10

I really love this series, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes shoujo or slice of life. I'll probably be re-reading it at some point once it's not so fresh in my mind because all the twists and turns ended up leaving me a little dizzy, and I feel like I could definitely get something new out of it the next time.

this was one of my early year mangas i got into. i love this i have up to book 13 but i read it all online. its actually so heart warming and tear jerkin
ok the title of it sound dumb but i swear to job as you keep going it gets better and better its so cute but so emotional and just inspiring and literally each character are relocatable like i feel like ik everyone in it irl, because i can easily find someone that reminds me of tohru, arisa, saki, shigure, hatori and etc etc
i dont wanna spoil it but its so worth a read like dont even just try it just read all of it theres like 23 books ok

If you have ever seen the anime Fruits Basket and are wondering whether or not to read the manga- do it! It's completely and totally worth it. The story, the art, the characters; everything is beautiful. Fruits Basket really managed to capture a wide range of ideas, emotions, and different themes.
Takaya does a fantastic job of switching from mood to mood throughout and even manages to capture the growing characters with grace. Fruits Basket is, undeniably, an incredible work of art, and I would recommend it to anyone who asked.
And, yes, the manga is every bit as good, if not better, than the anime.
Conclusion: Worth it!

Fruits Basket is just one of those series that has something for everyone; its kinda like every genre combined (though i do emphasize the kinda). It's funny, it's sad, it's happy, it's got morals, it's got romance. As well as a series i recommend reading, it's also a series i recommend rereading. Oh and though it may suggest stuff (i don't think i need to explain what i mean by that) it's an appropriate manga series for pretty much any age. So if your looking for a good manga i would definitely check out Fruits Basket.

Fruits Basket is a wonderful manga that can and will appeal to many types of readers.
I have finally finished all 23 volumes and can safely say its one of the best stories I have encountered.
The story starts with more comedy and semi romantic tones but the reader soon discovers that there is more to each character than meets the eye. I specially like the transision from comedy to more serious matters because it was smooth and didnt feel forced. I also believe that at one point in your life you can relate to a problem or situatuon the characters encounter and its a refreshing feeling to find 3dimensional characters that deal with the situation to the best of their capabilities.
The art is very much the style of Takaya sensei but if I may say it feels more polished. The expressions are well delivered and suck you in and it doesnt need the over cuteness you might find in a shoujo manga.
Settings are also well drawn and certain moments between the characters are absolutely endearing
The characters go through transitions throughout the manga whether they grow or have longer hair, there is always something to notice. But its not only the physical that changes but also the psychological. Nothing is really what it seems in Fruits Basket. There is always a reason for things and its amazing how you go changing your own opinions on the characters as the story goes.

Overall I think that whoever who reads this manga will enjoy it and will be left with a warm fuzzy feeling.
Be it that you relate to the characters or the situations, its a well told story that will surely leave a mark on you.

---Repeat the good, the bad, do it all and pile on the years-----

Fruit Basket is one of the most unique shoujo I have ever read, It is not light hearted and happy go lucky like other shoujos, Fruit Basket touches upon many realistic issues like Abuse, PTSD, Depression, Social anxiety, Abandonment issues and potray all these in very realistic way.
The main theme of this story is motherhood and romance is just a side plot, The fact that main leads have platonic relationship is what makes it stand out from rest of the shoujos.
Characters are all well written and have depth and have very good character development, Our Main protagonist Tohru may seem like your cliched shoujo heroine which her character troupe is based on that but the reason why Tohru is different from other shoujo heroines is because she has lot of depth and character development, she is not nice just for the sake of being nice but there is reason why she is so over cheerful and nice which you would find out as you go further, in a same way other characters too have lot of depth in them as well as there are lot of parallels between the characters which is something I love too.
Whether it's romantic relationships or platonic, fruit basket potrays them very realistically it also shows human nature and their psychology.
Overall Fruit Basket is a Masterpiece, there is lot to talk about and analyze, I can talk about it whole day.

I first read Fruits Basket when I was in middle school and so nostalgia is in full-force in my judgement of this series. So fair warning.

Language I read it in: English/Japanese

Story/Characters:

This is a story of abuse and how people deal with and recover from abuse so that they can live, disguised as a whimsical fantasy rom-com. The tone of the series does shift from a more light-hearted series to a much more serious series towards the end, but the balance of humor and drama is steady throughout and you are really given the time to explore and fall in love with the characters.

Fruits Basket has A LOT of characters, but you are given a chance to learn about each character and most are given a full character arc. This CAN mean going a whole volume without an appearance by the protagonist but the cast is strong enough that this is never an issue.

Art:

The art improves and stabilizes over the course of the series which was nice to see. It's not exceptional, but serves it's purpose and never distracts in a negative way so I found it acceptable.

Warnings:

There is a LOT of child abuse in this series. I think it's done tactfully and treats the subject seriously but if just the thought of it is bad I wouldn't read it.
At least one on-screen death, and talk of suicide. Some stabbing and other violence of that sort towards the end.

Fruits Basket is one of the manga that you can read over and over again and realize new things with each reading while never getting tired of it. It is by far my favorite manga. It has the unique ability to make a reader feel achingly sad and yet unbelievably happy at the same time.

Story: The story centers around the juunishi, or members of the Chinese zodiac, and a high school aged girl, Tohru, when she happens to stumble into their lives. The juunishi live a dark cursed life that they hide behind fake smiles and laughter. Over the course of the 23 books, the author shows you Tohru's effect on them and how they come to love her and open up to her and others. The books build on each other, always keeping the reader strongly engaged and picking up the pace of the action with each volume. The story is dark and sinister and surrounded by death and yet manages to leak happy light that becomes the reader’s focus with only a bit of darkness on the periphery so that while you read the happy story you are all too aware of the darkness lurking in the background. The interconnectedness of the back stories for each well developed character enhance the feeling of a web of shared mystery within a well developed universe.

Characters: This is the best part of this manga. Each of them is unique and so well developed that the reader loves them with all of their challenges and sometimes even unattractive characteristics.

the quiet and selfish rat who wants more and whom people admire
the cat who is quick to anger yet people are drawn to him
the ever indifferent, carefree and scheming dog
the loveable happy hyperactive bunny who is deeper then he seems
the bi-polar cow who is calm and understanding one moment and insane the next
the calm, collected, and much nicer than he seems dragon
the loud boar with too many emotions to handle
the over dramatic snake who enjoys talking
the brooding horse who has a bit of a one track mind but cares deeply
the ridiculously annoying monkey
the shy and adorable Tiger
the obnoxious sheep with an overdeveloped ego
the reserved and kind rooster

Each of the character's individual stories grow and develop with the over all story too. THeir own stories take on a life of their own and blend together with the main story line. The best part is, they all tie up their stories.

I was especially drawn to the way the characters interacted together. The juunishi have a strange sort of relationship. They have known each other their whole lives yet hardly ever saw each other before the manga begins. They share a mysterious and compelling bond. The way they act together made me want that kind of relationship with friends. The kind of relationship where you can just walk in unannounced to a friend’s house or go to a summer home together. They are comfortable with each other in a way that doesn't seem possible without the mystery they share. No matter how glamorous or fascinating each of the juunishi is, they all depend on Tohru in their own way. They all have something she can give them by just being herself.

Art: I've always been impressed with manga artists because of how much art adds to the story. Now not only are you getting the words like in a novel, but you see the expressions on the faces of the characters. You see their body movement and their styles. Imagination is spectacular, and I love reading and picturing the characters of novels. But I can't help but be jealous of the skills and talents successful manga artists (like in Fruits Basket) have. You get something extra from seeing the sad smile, or the irritation, or the ecstasy on the characters’ faces. I especially love the clothing in Fruits Basket. Momiji's clothes in particular can always make me smile and wish I had clothes like that. The clothes, and hair, and eyes of all the characters really help to finalize their personality. Along with Momiji, Haru and Rin have great clothes that give them character.

The other thing Takaya Natsuki does really well is develop the characters over time. It took 7 years to finish the series, and her style changed a bit, but it fit because of the characters growing up through high school. You can actually see the characters getting taller and their faces filling out as time passes in the story.

Enjoyment: I LOVE this manga. It will never get old. It can always make me happy.

Overall: Fruits Basket makes me incredibly depressed and overwhelmingly happy at the same time. It always manages to cheer me up, even just thinking about it, and it also is one of the most depressing stories I've ever read. But don't get the wrong impression about the story and think that you should only read it if you like depressing stories. That's not true at all... perhaps the best way I can describe it is to say that it makes you aware of how bad things could be, and that is what is depressing. It makes you aware of a whole other life and way of living and then shows you that even that can be okay. I love this story because it really brings out the "other side of the rainbow" idea. It is spectacular at cheering up.

Fruits Basket is a very special manga that makes you really think about your life, your family, your friends, your future, your happiness.

Fruits Basket is a heart warming, gut busting, romantic manga that shows the benefits of friendship, and learning to face your own internal conflicts instead of ignoring and running away from them. It’s very down to earth and very enjoyable. The art was not my favorite, but the original plot and character development, and seeing the relationships between all the characters make up for it. The manga is an excellent mix of love, friendship, and humor, with tons of life lessons, themes, and motifs thrown in-between. I’m a huge fan of shojo and this one of my favorites.