This was my first experience with reading manga. The format was fairly easy to get used to, and the author did a good job of building the panes to make the progression of the story smooth to follow.
However, I had a hard time at first distinguishing the characters (and figuring out the names that went with the characters when they were referred to and not in the pane) and what their particular zodiac sign was.
I think I need more practice with manga... ( )

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This is probably the best manga I have ever read in my entire life!!! The main charater, Tohru, is the sweetest person you will ever get to know! But once she gets to live with "the prince" Shoma-chan, she learns a terrible secret about the chinese zodiac and all the Sohma family members! The secret changes her life, but will she get to remember it? Or will her memorys be washed away? ( )

I first heard about Fruits Basket from a friend who said his niece loved it. I’d been circling the manga pool and dipping my toe in every time I went to the book store, but had not as yet jumped in. I’d also been sampling anime with my youngest daughter, and so I thought this series would be a great place to start. This book was originally published in Hane to Yume magazine in 1999. It was finally published in English in 2004 by TOKYOPOP. It's also been made into a 26-episode anime series

The story is about how orphaned Tohru, who has never fit in anywhere, comes to stay with the Shigure, Yuki and Kyo Sohma, members of a family who suffer from a strange curse that transforms them into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. It’s a book about transformations, both the humorous, and often inconvenient, physical transformations of the Sohmas themselves (and embarrassing, especially since transforming back to human form renders them naked). It’s also about how Tohru’s kind and quiet spirit affects them, causing them to mature and let go of some of their anger and bitterness, and to grow in affection and acceptance of one another.

click for full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/20... ( )

I'm not a huge shojo fan, but this one was so well-drawn an d ( )

This is a story about Tohru Honda, an orphan girl living in a tent, but when the mysterious Sohma family takes her in, her whole live turns upside-down. ( )

I absolutely loved the first volume of this series! I was kind of reluctant to read it at first simply because it is so popular. I’m sure glad that I did! The story is sweet and original and the artwork is crisp, clean, and easy to follow. ( )

I hope this will be a long lasting series. ( )

Hands down the greatest book I've ever read!

- Diana W.

I skim-read this the last time I was in [info]ashfae's, and liked it enough to pick up the first volume with part of the book token I got for my birthday. I've not read much manga before this (for 'not much', read 'one'). The story was a little hard to follow at times, because of the way certain flashbacks jumped backwards and forwards. This wasn't always signalled to the reader; or at least, not in a way I can yet follow, since I don't think I yet have all the necessary vocabulary to properly read something in this format. I also know I'm missing something, since those character/sign things mean things like noises or emotions, right? But there's no glossary in the back of my copy to tell me what they mean, which can get quite frustrating.

Also, if someone knowledgeable is reading this - could anyone explain the 'chan' and 'kun' and 'san' suffixed to names? I will admit that I am very clueless.

The storyline is light and frothy enough so far, but I quite like the characters (even if Tohru is a little too earnest and sweet at times for me to like her. Pictures of perfection make me sick and wicked, after all). Enough to be interested in picking up the second volume, at any rate. ( )

At first I worried that this would be too happy-bubbly for me...

...but I kept reading...

...and now I'm addicted. ( )

Fruits Basket is a fantastic and enjoyable series that will suck you right in. The characters are deeply flawed intensely lovable individuals who are always doing their best in odd and slightly wacky circumstances. The plot is interesting and mysterious. The artwork is beautiful . . . whats not to like? ( )

Tohru Honda was an orphan when one day fate kicked her out of the house and on to land belonging to the mysterious Sohma family. Everything goes well until she discovers the Sohma family's secret, when hugged by members of the opposite sex, they turn into their Chinese Zodiac animal! ( )

Publishers Weekly Review: Takaya's romantic comedy brims with teenage melodrama, corny humor and hijinks. In the vein of Ranma 1/2, the work's humor also derives from the transformation of humans into animals. It goes like this: Tohru Honda is unsinkable; when her mother dies and her grandfather denies her a place to live, the homeless high-schooler is determined to make it on her own by pitching a tent alone in the woods. En route to her tent one day, Tohru encounters Shigure, who informs her that the tent is pitched on his family property. He's appalled by her squalid living conditions and invites her to his estate. Tohru becomes part of the household on the condition that she helps guard their family secret: when hugged by members of the opposite sex, Shigure and his family transform into animals from the Chinese zodiac calendar. Tohru soon learns Shigure is the cousin of Yuki Sohma, a quiet, mysterious boy at her high school whom all the girls adore. (Yuki, incidentally, has spurned any female advances for fear of revealing his true form: a rat.) And it's not long before she finds out another cousin, Kyo, transforms into a cat. As an animal left off the zodiac, Kyo feels he's been wronged. As Tohru and Kyo become friends, they realize that as misfits they may have a chance at understanding each other. Similar to other romance manga, this tale's illustration style is cartoonish and whimsical. Each panel-packed page conveys a melodramatic event or upturn, giving the story a fast rhythm. (Feb.)
? Staff (Reviewed March 8, 2004) (Publishers Weekly, vol 251, issue 10, p52)
Library Journal Review: When Tokyopop polled visitors to its website on what manga they would like to see translated into English, this charming series was the top choice by a wide margin. Nothing can dampen the optimistic spirit of orphaned high school girl Tohru Honda?not even being forced to live alone in a tent. One morning, she discovers a nearby house, where her popular classmate Yuki Sohma and his older cousin Shigure live by themselves. They invite her to stay with them as their (desperately needed) housekeeper, and she soon learns of the family curse: when the Sohmas are embraced by members of the opposite sex, they turn into animals of the Chinese zodiac. Tohru also meets Kyo, the 13th member of the cursed family, who turns into a cat, an animal ostracized by the zodiac members in an ancient legend. As Tohru brightens their lives, they give her something she thought she had lost: a family. The influence of Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 is obvious?but Ranma is a shonen title, emphasizing action, while this is a shojo title, emphasizing relationships. Takaya's artwork is quite appealing, and this 11-volume series is highly recommended for teens and adults.
? Steve Raiteri (Reviewed May 1, 2004) (Library Journal, vol 129, issue 8, p94) ( )

On the surface, the primary audience is 11-13 old girls, but the fan base defies this characterization and includes readers of all ages and persuasions. The "sweet" tone and very high-school centered plot lines may limit the appeal for certain readers. Each volume in the series advances the ongoing story lines and introduces new characters to the mix. The humour, poignancy, romance, fantasy elements, and intriguing plot lines all contribute to the appeal of the series. The English-language volumes have brief instructions for reading manga. The different reading style needed may limit the books' appeal for some readers. ( )

these books are fuckin reat i LOVE them if you havent read it ur missing out ( )

http://quettandil.blogspot.com/2006/0... ( )

Fruits Basket is deep. And warm. I find Natsuki Takaya to be a very knowledgeable person about human nature. Through the eyes of the series heroine, Honda Toru, she puts common problems in a positive perspective. I could never forget how she handled the problem of anxiety in one of her chapters, where Toru humbly resolves her worry by promising herself to go out and surround herself with people she love, instead of giving up to worry.

Fruits Basket is the one manga that can change your life. ( )

This is currently my favorite manga series. It's just a great combination of silliness, fantastic art, and good, solid storytelling. ( )

Compared with the later volumes of Fruits Basket, I think the first few volumes aren't too strong...too fluffy...but they're still a good read, and the story builds up.

This is my favorite manga series, too. ( )