Natsuki Takaya

After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, plucky high schooler Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out...into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan, and it isn't long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Sohmas have a secret of their own--when touched by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac! A perennial favorite of fans and librarians alike, Natsuki Takaya's beloved bestselling Fruits Basket series returns to print in gorgeous deluxe English-language omnibus editions with beautiful full-color illustrations that are not to be missed!

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition

Finally, the curse is broken for all of the members of the Zodiac and they're granted their freedom. Kyo and Tohru confirm their feelings for each other and take the first step towards their new future. The drama of a family cursed by the Zodiac comes to a moving conclusion!! This collector's edition also includes a long interview with Natsuki Takaya-sensei, character introductions, a history of the serialized publication, and much more!!!

Shannon C

Imane

Aaaaaah this series is so wholesome... Maybe it's because I'm über-sentimental but I cannot go through a single chapter without tearing up a little. The chapter with Hatori and Kana almost had me bawling even though I don't know how many times I've read this story. But obviously Tohru, Kyo and Yuki have my heart!!

Spring is in the air, and with spring comes break! When Shigure takes Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo to the Sohma's vacation home to make the most of Golden Week, the inevitable game of cat and rat is already underway, with sparks flying between Yuki and Kyo. But leave it to Tohru to smooth things over! The peace doesn't last, however, when another Sohma (or two?!) drops in! And even a vacation can't shake the rainy day that awaits the group upon their return. When a face from Kyo's past makes an appearance, he lets a shocking secret about the cat out of the bag...

Tohru should be having the time of her life during summer break at the Sohmas' vacation home...but ever since Akito appeared, Yuki and the others go off every day to meet with the zodiac leader. On top of that, Yuki is acting weird...! And when Tohru encounters the Horse of the zodiac, does that leave Akito as the Rooster?! Later, as the next school term begins, the new student council assembles at last!! While Yuki and those around him are occupied, Tohru secretly visits Kazuma. She wishes to free everyone in the Sohma family from their "curse" and looks to him for a clue...Unexpectedly, however, Rin is poised to hinder Tohru's efforts...!!

Yuki's childhood was a long period of solitary darkness. Years later, he met Tohru, but what does he want from her? Yuki reveals to Kakeru what he can tell no one else. Meanwhile, Tohru's class is going to put on a play for the school festival, but miscasting makes it rough going for rehearsal. Will there be chaos on stage when the curtain finally rises?! Later, Kyo recalls meeting Tohru's mother as a child and talking to her about her experiences. Persevering through a rough adolescence, one that lacked any love from her parents, she one day encountered teacher-in-training Katsuya Honda... At long last, the moving story of Katsuya and Kyoko is revealed!! Then, it's business as usual for Tohru and the others, but something is eating at Kyo?!

Somehow I forgot that Kyoko and Katsuya had such a bizarrely wide age gap... not a fan in the least tbh. I still cried though lmao. The play "Cinderella-ish" definitely saved the day though, and Yuki has come such a long way... yes I once again did cry. I feel like this time the pacing and the jumping from one POV to another chapter after chapter was a bit clumsy but everything still felt necessary. I'm looking forward to everything coming together more seamlessly though!

Secrets of the curse revealed! Dive deep into the twisted relationship between Akito and Kureno, the most elusive member of the Sohma zodiac. Tohru tries to help, but finds herself in even deeper trouble. Good thing she has steadfast friends who will save the day! Elsewhere, something is going on with Machi! When Yuki and Kakeru pay a visit to her home, will the secrets of her past be revealed? And trouble is on the horizon when Hatsuharu finally learns what Akito did to Rin. Will anything be able to stop his wrath, or will he do something he can't take back?!

Oooof that last chapter... my heart! Also Akito should drop dead, PERIOD.

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 1

its_book_cute

This is the first manga I've ever read and I loved it, it was so much fun, it was so cute that it made my heart happy

When she was living in a tent pitched on the Sohma family's land, Tohru Honda's primary concerns were dirt and slugs. But now that she's living with the Sohmas, she's gotten a crash course in magical powers and ancient curses! And as if keeping the Sohma clan secret wasn't bad enough, Tohru has to work overtime to prevent all the jealous girls from finding out that she's living under the same roof as the school prince, Yuki, and the school hothead, Kyo! What new drama will Valentine's Day bring into Tohru's life?!

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 2

Mari

Re-read 3/11/2019 

I forgot how sad this one is but how GOOD the artwork is. I am shooookkk!!!


 Original read 
This manga series kills me in more ways than one. 

This is one of the few books that I read and actually have to put it down for a few minutes or hours because of the intense moments in it. I love how the subplot in the first volume is growing and the mystery is still there. I also love that we got to meet more characters and know their stories. 

It is amazing how everything character have their own side story. Each one is so important, and everyone has a chance to show their past. Just an amazing and beautiful story.

As summer vacation inches closer, Tohru spends her days in anxious anticipation, Yuki meets a new student council member on the way to school...and Uo-chan is in love?! Who is the object of her affections?! Once summer break is in full swing, Tohru and the others take a trip to the Sohma family cottage at Momiji's invitation. Even though they're enjoying summer activities like swimming in the ocean and catching stag beetles, Yuki and Tohru have an ominous premonition! Meanwhile, Shigure pays a visit to the main house, where he makes a proposal to Akito--?!

Yuki-alongside his mother, who already has his life after high school all mapped out-confronts his future at a parent-teacher conference. To make matters worse, when Yuki recalls buried memories, he becomes speechless! Meanwhile, Tohru pays a visit to the Sohma compound in order to confirm if Kureno Sohma is really the same man with whom her best friend, Uo-chan, is in love! Love isn't in the air for Isuzu and Hatsuharu, however, as the two have broken up. Desperately in search of something, Isuzu visits Shigure's house as if driven there, but collapses upon arrival. A shocked Tohru happens to be on the scene, but all she can do is comfort Isuzu in her pain. But Isuzu seems to know all about Tohru fighting the Sohma curse on her own...!?

This wasn't as good compared to the other ones. But we got Rin's backstory and I physically cried so instant 5 stars.

The curse is crumbling, and Akito is doing anything to clutch at the broken threads that remain. Does the end of the curse mean catastrophe for the members of the zodiac, or will it bring the much needed healing they've all dreamed of? Tohru's bright love and generosity will become a beacon of hope in the dark...!

Re-read:
 2/12/2019 

I almost... almost DNF-ed this one just because A) the story has developed so much I was awaiting the drama and B) Not the most captivating as I had remembered. However, I didn't DNF this because the very end (Chapter 9 through 12) just had me in my feels. Still a favorite, always and forever.



  First read

4.5 out of 5 stars.

I'm going to say that my review might be bias because I just love Fruits Basket. This was one of the first anime I watched and being able to read the manga is just a great time. However, as much as I like the manga - and plan to continue on reading the rest - I did notice some flaws. 

1st: The story jumped around a lot. I feel that if you didn't watch the anime, some of the transitions could get very confusing. Since out of nowhere, you are thrust out of one event and into another without any transition or warning. This does also lead to various emotions being thrust at you without warning too. 
2nd: The action in the story can get very confusing. I felt that sometimes I didn't know what the characters were doing but in the same time, I felt that there was a lot of narration on the actions so it didn't feel as bad as it could. 
3rd: There is a lack of information. I feel that watching the anime has helped me understand things more. The backstory of the characters and just general knowledge of the characters is blurred. If you like to figure out the characters yourself, and kinda play a puzzle of putting information together that is dropped here and there then you will enjoy this. However, if you prefer to read a manga where the characters are more flushed out and you're more informed, Fruits Basket might not be the manga for you. 

However, I still really enjoyed this story. I felt that it had the correct balance of sweet happy moments, mysterious statements and sad events. It is a manga that you will be laughing on one page and crying on the next. It was such a quick read and it easily hooked me. I personally liked the underlining mystery to the story. It is something that I feel will be explored more on the following books. Most importantly, I just loved that you are not just following one character. It isn't just the story about the female protagonist but also of all the characters around her. I loved that, even though some characters were just minor and that were there for just one or two scenes, Natsuki really made them important. You really got to experience and see each character individually and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

A Quiet Little Library

** spoiler alert **
           Amazing!! Big steps for the Tohru Kyo otp🎉

Joss Vls

Not as good as the others, but still really enjoyable!

4.5 stars.

SOOO GOOD! I'm loving these Mangas!

Katerina Thorson

Re-Read
5/5

I absolutely love this manga. It was honestly what I needed right now to get me back into the reading mood. I might just continue and reread the entire series again! 

Tohru literally rips my heart in half every single time. Many see her has naive, and in some ways she is, but she is also such an old soul. She knows what to say and when to say it. She draws in people around her and gives them her undivided attention. It's just absolutely beautiful. 

And of course the plot is so intricate and you want to know more about the Sohma family and their secret!

5/5
Reread #2
This series is just amazing. You get to see so much more of the relationship between Kyo, Tohru, and Yuki. More characters are introduced especially Akito (gosh I hate this man). It's just a happy manga series that needs all the credit and love

REREAD JULY 8-9
Once again, this world enraptures me so much. I loved the fact that kyo’s background story, and just his character in general, is given more of a spotlight in this volume. It’s so amazing to be rereading this series and I highly recommend it to everyone!

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I love manga so much! It's so sad that it takes only a few hours to finish a collectors edition, but the illustrations just keep pulling me back in! Definitely a needed break from regular novels ❤️

Jealousy, rage, regret--the members of the Sohma family are no strangers to these emotions. Tohru Honda's cheerful optimism, however, is like a balm to them. Unfortunately, not every Sohma feels that way! Kisa and Tohru have become fast friends, but Hiro Sohma isn't too happy about this turn of events and decides to take out his anger on...Tohru?! And when the normally docile Hatsuharu snaps and pulls a Black Haru at school, will Tohru's brand of magic have any effect at all?!

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 4

2nd Reread —
In this volume we are given so much more background on Uo, Tohru’s best friend. I definitely loved this volume but I will admit it’s not my favorite volume. I think this is what I would consider a filler volume to a lot of the upcoming things that will happen. Still I love this series

Reread July 2020
There are definitely a lot of tense moments in this volume. A lot more of wicked, nasty, ass-hat of Akita (if you aren’t guessing my vibes... I hate the guy with a strong passion). There were so many emotional moments that squeezed at your heart and the hilarious moments that made you pee your pants.

What I love most about this novel is you start to get a feeling for Shigure’s plan. 

There is one thing that I don’t like:
I feel like these middle books are just filler books and the author definitely shows it. The writing has become super slow, the dialogue has take forever to get to the point

5/5
https://www.instagram.com/acourtofbooksandcoffee/

Wow! Wow! Wow! - I don't think I know any other words. I can't even begin to tell you how important this volume is to the series. The biggest thing is you see ALOT of angst, hurt, hatred, frustration and scheming. If we were looking at a plot skew (structure) this book would fall into the highest "rising action" point in plot. There was just so much going. 

Although I hate the guy, I am glad we got more of Akito and "his" (is he a "he" or a girl! ugh so many mixed confusions) character. You really start to see what type of person he truly is. We also get to see where he falls into the family hierarchy. Akito is a flawed individual, that is nasty to the core and god did my blood boil with the scenes in this book that included him. Trust me there are quite a few. 

And there are so many character revelations! 

If you are reading this review and have not read the series...what are you waiting for! I just can't explain my love for these characters...or the lack of love for some.

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition

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