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A review by sarahanne8382
Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya
3.0
The second best selling shojo manga series in Japan, Fruits Basket has also been incredibly popular in the United States. Originally published in Japan in 136 chapters from 1999 through 2006, the series was distributed in 23 paperback volumes in the US. This title has been flying off the shelves at my library, so I thought it was about time I saw what all the fuss was about.
The story centers around orphan Tohru Honda and the members of the Sohma family that she ends up living with. During the first volume, Tohru discovers the secret that 13 members of the Sohma family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac. When these Sohmas are embraced by a member of the opposite sex, they are transformed into their zodiac animal. Through the course of the series Tohru becomes closest to Yuki (the cat) and Kyo (the rat), who also attend high school with Tohru. Despite the generally upbeat nature of a lot of manga, especially shojo manga, even in the first volume (the one I read), this series hints at serious issues and appears to get even deeper as the story moves along.
I have to admit that my heart is not in actually reading any form of graphic novel. I'm really excited that they're becoming "legitimate" reading material and I love the quality of material in the field right now, it's just not my thing. I say this because I doubt I will finish reading this series, but that shouldn't reflect poorly on the series. I've had more exposure to anime than manga, so I might have to check out the Fruits Basket anime, but I know reading the entire manga series is going to be a challenge for me just because the format is challenging for me. Still I enjoyed what I read enough, that I may just try some more.
The story centers around orphan Tohru Honda and the members of the Sohma family that she ends up living with. During the first volume, Tohru discovers the secret that 13 members of the Sohma family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac. When these Sohmas are embraced by a member of the opposite sex, they are transformed into their zodiac animal. Through the course of the series Tohru becomes closest to Yuki (the cat) and Kyo (the rat), who also attend high school with Tohru. Despite the generally upbeat nature of a lot of manga, especially shojo manga, even in the first volume (the one I read), this series hints at serious issues and appears to get even deeper as the story moves along.
I have to admit that my heart is not in actually reading any form of graphic novel. I'm really excited that they're becoming "legitimate" reading material and I love the quality of material in the field right now, it's just not my thing. I say this because I doubt I will finish reading this series, but that shouldn't reflect poorly on the series. I've had more exposure to anime than manga, so I might have to check out the Fruits Basket anime, but I know reading the entire manga series is going to be a challenge for me just because the format is challenging for me. Still I enjoyed what I read enough, that I may just try some more.