Mags and I started to read just a chapter or so last night and, before we knew it, there was one lonely chapter left. The clock read 12:30 am, and we had church to go to, so we saved those last few pages for today. Okay, the cover has Yuki Sohma on it, aka Prince Charming, Prince Yuki, Rat Boy and Damn Rat (the last one is Kyo’s pet name for him), and Maggie’s lip marks have permanently tarnished Sohma-kun’s face. She’s eager for us to finish with book three, which has Kyo on the cover, so she can kiss all over him, too, and then make book 2 and book 3 fight over book 1. What a deal, not only do we get books to read, but they’re dolls and action figures, too. LOL!

So book 2 picks up after Tohru’s been staying… or shacking up as her aunt and cousins call it… with Shigure, Yuki and Kyo, and in this book her two best friend’s Hanna (she has electrowave powers) and Uo (who used to be a Yankee, which is like a gang girl, I guess) come for a sleep over. This can prove disastrous if the guys aren’t careful, since an embrace from the opposite sex, accidental or on purpose, can cause them to transform into their zodiac animal. Also in this book is a cross-dressing Yuki, a half-German boy who likes to wear girls clothes (Yuki was coerced, Momiji dresses that way because he likes to look pretty), New Year’s banquet, and Tohru is summoned to the Sohma estate to meet with Hatori, the one who erases people’s memories when they find out about the Sohma family curse. Lots of sugar and love from Tohru and lots of animosity and rancor back and forth between Yuki and Kyo, with a smattering of perv-ishness from Shigure.

Oh yeah… and a herd of cats.

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The second installment of the popular Fruits Basket series starts to get into the meat of the story about an orphan girl who changes the lives of her mysterious adopted family, a group of people that turn into the animals of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by members of the opposite sex. The second volume is more about Yuki Sohma, or "Prince Charming" as he is called by his peers. We really find out what a kind and self-sacrificing boy he is (I'm thinking of the cross-dressing scene here...). And we find out more about the Sohma family itself and some very interesting subplots are begun. Who exactly is Akito and what is his role in the family. And will Hatori ever find true love and happiness? These are all stories that will be taken up again in future volumes and I'm surprised to find myself anxious to have these questions answered. I never thought I would become addicted to manga but this series has done it for me. ( )

This thing becomes more addictively crack-tastic the more you read of it. I mean, I'm sitting there thinking 'I'm reading something which involves a half-German, half-Japanese boy with an odder dress sense than me, who turns into an animal if he's hugged by someone of the opposite sex. And I'm liking it.' I'm still finding Tohru's character a little hard to swallow, but there are times when I can't help myself from liking her.
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I love the characters in this manga, and the synopsis is fun. Shigure is just... wow. I'm not sure how much I trust him, but he is definitely an entertaining characters. ( )

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