Fruits Basket

This time I reread a series that is near and dear to my heart. I LOVE Fruits Basket. I read this series a few years ago when it was in high school and is perfect for teens. (Though I will warn you there is a tad bit of swearing, though it drop a lot as the story goes on--Kyo isn't so mouthy.)

Fruits Basket is a manga (a Japanese graphic novel) written by Natsuki Takaya. These graphic novels are written "backwards" for us English readers where you read it from the top right to bottom left. It can be difficult to read when you first start out, but by the end of the first book you'd get it. Going back to any other graphic novel is the hard part for me.;)

The premise of the story is that Tohru Honda, a kind and very selfless girl, just lost her mom in a horrible accident and when she can't stay with her grandpa (her dad has passed away as well) she decides to live on her own and finds a piece of land and sets up a tent. On her way to school after a little bit of time living in her tent, she finds a house that she didn't know was there (or that she was living on their land without their permission). She comes home to her tent one evening and Yuki Sohma (the "Prince" of her high school) and his cousin Shigure find her and invite her into their home. There ends up being a landslide where her tent was so she is invited to stay longer in their home until something else can be figured out.

She ends up finding out the Sohma family secret, that certain members of the Sohma family are possessed by the Spirits of the Zodiac where if they are too stressed or sick or if they get hugged/bumped into by members of the opposite sex they turn into the animal that they are possessed by. (Another warning, when they change back into their human form, they don't have clothes on. There isn't anything shown and it is done artistically, so I still think it's okay for teens to read it.)

Tohru is told that she can stay so long as she keeps their secret. As time passes, she meets all the members of the Zodiac and tries to find a way to break the curse.

But the reason I love these books is for the characters. It is a very character driven story. There are a lot of characters that we get introduced to (most of which are on the front cover of the 23 novels) and they are all very full characters. Thought out and have their own stories that we get to know them all. The characters develop in the way they are drawn and throughout their own real character progression.

The second thing I love so much are the themes that run through the book. Kindness is the best policy. Loyal friends are better than fearful allies. To just be yourself. (Amongst many others.)

These books have become my go to for a chick flick book. There are cute romances throughout the books. Hatsuharu and Rin are my favorite couple followed close by Torhu and her beau (which I won't give away). When I was in high school and reading it along with my best girl friends we split up who got which boy and I happily called dibs on Haru because of the way he treated Rin as well as his personality. (Not to mention, if he was a real person, he'd be smoking hot. ;) ) I was just super sad when the anime only got half way through the storyline and missed out on a lot of Haru's development.

Speaking of the anime, you should check it out. There are lots of sights you can find both the anime and manga (if your local library doesn't have it). You just need to search it out. And when you do, you won't be disappointed. This series was named the number one manga in the USA for a reason.

ENJOY!!!!

Update: There is also a sequel series called "Fruits Basket Another." Enjoy that one too.