Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket is one of my favorite animes and mangas of all time, and because I’ve recently got back into reading the manga and watching the anime, I’ve decided to do a review on this wonderful series.

Story

Fruits Basket tells the tale of a sixteen year old orphan girl named Tohru Honda (Honda Tohru in the Japanese version). Shortly after the death of her mother, Tohru finds herself living on her own, until she moves in with her classmates, Yuki and Kyo, and their cousin, Shigure Sohma. While living them, she accidentally hugs or bumps into them, causing them to change into animals of their respective Zodiac Spirit. It is then that she learns that the Sohma family is cursed, by thirteen members changing into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac legend, including the Cat. Tohru must keep the curse a secret lest she gets her memories erased.

Main Characters

Tohru Honda – Tohru Honda is the main character of the series. Always helping others, kind, and optimistic, unusual circumstances causes Tohru to live with the Sohma Clan, who have a dark curse on them. Despite her optimistic and happy-go-lucky attitude, Tohru is determined to find a way to lift the curse while keeping it all secret.

Yuki Sohma – The most popular boy at Tohru’s school, and the Sohma cursed with the Rat. He is quite soft-spoken and appears to be really smart and somewhat detached from the rest of the world. Despite him being quiet, he isn’t as princely as his fan club makes him out to be. Yuki often protects Tohru from the horrors that come with knowing the secret of the Sohma Curse. He turns into the Rat when he gets sick or is hugged by the opposite sex.

Shigure Sohma – A conniving, yet seemingly playful and good natured novelist. He is one of the older Jyuunishi (Cursed members) of the Zodiac in the Sohma Clan. Shigure is possessed by the spirit of the Dog. He often comes off as a playful and very perverted as seen when he makes cracks about Tohru being his little flower. Shigure’s true nature is always hidden behind the playful smiles. His ambitions differ between the manga and the anime.

Kyou Sohma – A brash, socially inept, and fiery tempered youth. Kyo turns into the Cat of the Zodiac and because of this; he is deemed an outcast of the Sohma Clan. He studies Martial Arts so that he can one day beat the Rat (Yuki) and become a true member of the Zodiac. A dark cloud seems to follow Kyo wherever he goes. Despite his temper and his violent ways, Kyo has a soft spot for Tohru and will go to any length in protecting her.

There are a lot more characters to enjoy in this series, but the three aforementioned characters are the main ones in the series.

Difference between the Anime and Manga

While the anime takes up only the first eight or so volumes, the story line actually differs between both the manga and the anime. The theme of the manga steadily becomes darker while the anime, despite a few select episodes, keeps a light, cheerful theme throughout its run.

Review

I love Fruits Basket a lot. What makes this series so popular isn’t just the beautiful artwork or the storyline, but the reoccurring themes in it. All the themes focus on psychological issues, such as abuse, romance, abandonment, and even death. Despite the whole romantic theme Fruits Basket retains throughout all the volumes, the creator of Furuba delves into each of the characters’ past and lets us catch a glimpse of why they act the way they do.

A prime example is the leader of the Sohma Clan, Akito, who ultimately bears the core of the Sohma Curse. Akito, despite being viewed as the overall antagonist or villain of the series, actually has a reason as to why he (he’s actually eventually revealed to be a girl in the manga) acts so violent and hateful towards those around him – especially towards Tohru. But I’m not going to reveal anymore than I already did. I want to let you lovely people find the true beauty of Fruits Basket and see why it’s so popular among avid anime and manga fans such as myself.

I guarantee that you will find at least one character in the world of Fruits Basket that you can relate to. Whether it be the shy and meek Kisa, the overly vain and charismatic Ayame, or the angry Kyou. Each character in this manga, has their own personal back story is weaved through tales of Tohru’s life among the Sohmas.

All in all, I highly recommend this manga to those who want just a good old fashioned romance or just love a complex story told through the eyes of a young girl. Just don’t be surprised if you catch the whole Kyo vs. Yuki being perfect for Tohru bug.

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