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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Machi the wallflower finally made it to the spotlight. I didn’t think much about her and Kakeru since their chapters are mostly for the reader’s amusement, a reliever after getting through the heavier parts of the past volumes.
That is, until now. After the revelation about what her life is like outside school, it’s clearer why she acts the way she does on a daily basis.
I can only imagine how difficult it was for Machi to endure such hardships, not to mention the pressure she went through just so she could keep up with others.
I’ve always thought her as someone who prefers isolation than spend time on a crowd of people, which isn’t a lot different from being alone, especially if you happen to be bad at socializing like Machi.
Because of this, I don’t blame Machi for beating herself up for failing to reach everyone’s expectations, as that’s what she’s been taught to do since childhood.
At the same time, I’m left frustrated about her past. After all, no matter what the circumstances are, no child deserves to be treated worthlessly just because they happen to be capable of meeting someone’s standards only to a certain level.
It’s interesting to see the world in Machi’s view as this made readers understand her better. Not only would one learn to sympathize with her woes, a person would eventually realize that not being seen for who you truly are doesn’t make you any less of a human being. Tohru’s riceball analogy from volume 3 comes in handy towards this situation.
As for the other story still associated with the main plot, we’re back with Hatsuharu and Rin’s relationship. Akito’s Messianic complex must be stopped as she would go through harsh measures just so her plans of wouldn’t be disrupted.
Everybody’s familiar with Akito’s antics by now. She even dare to play the victim after all this time. When you think about it, seems like everyone who did their children wrong are the ones guilty of doing this.
The readers are still left in the dark regarding how to lift the curse as Kureno’s miraculous cure from it remains a mystery though.
That is, until now. After the revelation about what her life is like outside school, it’s clearer why she acts the way she does on a daily basis.
I can only imagine how difficult it was for Machi to endure such hardships, not to mention the pressure she went through just so she could keep up with others.
I’ve always thought her as someone who prefers isolation than spend time on a crowd of people, which isn’t a lot different from being alone, especially if you happen to be bad at socializing like Machi.
Because of this, I don’t blame Machi for beating herself up for failing to reach everyone’s expectations, as that’s what she’s been taught to do since childhood.
At the same time, I’m left frustrated about her past. After all, no matter what the circumstances are, no child deserves to be treated worthlessly just because they happen to be capable of meeting someone’s standards only to a certain level.
It’s interesting to see the world in Machi’s view as this made readers understand her better. Not only would one learn to sympathize with her woes, a person would eventually realize that not being seen for who you truly are doesn’t make you any less of a human being. Tohru’s riceball analogy from volume 3 comes in handy towards this situation.
As for the other story still associated with the main plot, we’re back with Hatsuharu and Rin’s relationship. Akito’s Messianic complex must be stopped as she would go through harsh measures just so her plans of wouldn’t be disrupted.
Everybody’s familiar with Akito’s antics by now. She even dare to play the victim after all this time. When you think about it, seems like everyone who did their children wrong are the ones guilty of doing this.
The readers are still left in the dark regarding how to lift the curse as Kureno’s miraculous cure from it remains a mystery though.
This one really starts to open up dialogue on how the curse can be broken and the penny finally drops for Tohru.
Haru stands up to Akito and helps Rin, which is a relief, at least. God, I hate Akito so much.
I started this manga rooting for Yuki, totally now firmly Team Kyo.
Plot things are coming thick and fast! Stuff is really starting to happen like crazy now, and all kinds of secrets and conspiracies and deceptions are being revealed.
Kyo has a beautiful moment of connection with Machi. I think those two might be friends after all! Emotional stuff being brought up, and I'm so surprised and touched by Machi's story. She's really a lovely person!
It's nearing the end of the school year, so all the upperclassmen are saying goodbye, and Yuki gets caught in the middle of several romantic goodbyes with fangirls that he would rather have avoided. Hilariously funny!
Hatsuharu is determined to protect his beloved Isuzu/ "Rin", but she is just as determined to get herself into trouble sneaking around the Sohma estate looking for a way to break the curse. She gets involved with the wrong people, and ends up in a bad place, injured and sick, until an unlikely person rescues her. Rin is so amazing, and I adore her character! She's a difficult character to understand, but her mystery just makes her more interesting.
Shigure reveals what he knows about the Sohma curse, and Rin is satisfied, but Tohru gets upset, and worries that the curse will not be broken after all, at least not in time to save Kyo. Sweet Tohru, she's always focused on helping everyone!
The suspense is getting pretty intense here!
Kyo has a beautiful moment of connection with Machi. I think those two might be friends after all! Emotional stuff being brought up, and I'm so surprised and touched by Machi's story. She's really a lovely person!
It's nearing the end of the school year, so all the upperclassmen are saying goodbye, and Yuki gets caught in the middle of several romantic goodbyes with fangirls that he would rather have avoided. Hilariously funny!
Hatsuharu is determined to protect his beloved Isuzu/ "Rin", but she is just as determined to get herself into trouble sneaking around the Sohma estate looking for a way to break the curse. She gets involved with the wrong people, and ends up in a bad place, injured and sick, until an unlikely person rescues her. Rin is so amazing, and I adore her character! She's a difficult character to understand, but her mystery just makes her more interesting.
Shigure reveals what he knows about the Sohma curse, and Rin is satisfied, but Tohru gets upset, and worries that the curse will not be broken after all, at least not in time to save Kyo. Sweet Tohru, she's always focused on helping everyone!
The suspense is getting pretty intense here!
This review is for the whole series.
Fruits Basket is one of the first manga series I ever read, so a lot of this is probably nostalgia talking. However, it definitely stood up to a reread for me.
Though the story starts out light-hearted and rather humorous, as the series goes on it definitely gets darker and more involved. It covers a variety of themes such as the healing nature of love, loss, and abuse. The characters change as the story continues, and most have a defined character arc.
Despite the quirky and fantastical nature of the Zodiac curse, which allows for a lot of the early humour in the series, the manga actually turns into something a lot more real. It's an interesting exploration of the nature of family, and the differences between biological and found families.
Natsuki Takaya's art also improves a lot throughout the series. It's really nice to see.
Fruits Basket is one of the first manga series I ever read, so a lot of this is probably nostalgia talking. However, it definitely stood up to a reread for me.
Though the story starts out light-hearted and rather humorous, as the series goes on it definitely gets darker and more involved. It covers a variety of themes such as the healing nature of love, loss, and abuse. The characters change as the story continues, and most have a defined character arc.
Despite the quirky and fantastical nature of the Zodiac curse, which allows for a lot of the early humour in the series, the manga actually turns into something a lot more real. It's an interesting exploration of the nature of family, and the differences between biological and found families.
Natsuki Takaya's art also improves a lot throughout the series. It's really nice to see.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted