Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 Paperback – February 10, 2004

It may seem odd for some reading this to see that I find Fruits Basket charming. But I do! This first volume just pulls you in with a sweet charm that is rather unexpected. To be sure, as you read on, you will find this charm has a darkness to it, but that only makes it that much better!As with all manga series, this first volume sets the stage and introduces the main characters. Easily my favorite character is Kyo. He’s the cat from the zodiac story and is as tragic as the animal he represents.I enjoyed all the characters in the book except for Kagura. She is just a little too over the top for me. She also doesn’t seem to fit in. Each of the characters, up to the point of Kagura’s introduction, have a vulnerability -- something that tugs at your heart and makes you like them. Not so with Kagura. In fact, I was relieved she was only a part of the story for a few pages.As for the plot and pacing of the story: I love it. As soon as I finished this volume, I wanted to pick up volume two. Natsuki Takaya has done a great job creating a story that quickly pulls you in and keeps you hooked. She reveals one secret only to tantalize you with another.She has also done a great job giving the characters personalities that play well off of each other and really fill out the story and bring it to life. It is so easy to relate to all the characters (except Kagura), but it’s especially easy to relate to the characters of Yuki and Kyo. They embody vulnerabilities that we all deal with. And watching Tohru draw them out is really great.Since this is manga I can’t help but to comment on the artwork. I’ll admit that if I only look at the art, I would have to say it’s not my favorite. This style is a bit too simplistic for my tastes. However, the good story more than makes up for it and I find I really don’t notice that this is not my preferred drawing style.All things considered, I’d highly recommend this series. This volume in particular is a very good first volume. I will say, having read the complete series already, that the series does not stay as light as it is right now. The foreshadowing in this volume is not in vain.

My journey into the world of "Fruits Basket" started when I rented the 26-episode anime TV series from FUNimation. I loved the series so much that I immediately sought out the manga from which the anime was based. My money was not wasted.In Volume 1 of the manga, we get the first six chapters of this touching and humorous story that were the basis for episodes 1-5 of the manga. Takaya-sensei begins to set the stage with this volume. She does a wonderful job of capturing the tough life that Tohru-san has, yet managing to keep her with a positive attitude and a nature that doesn't focus on her own problems, but looks out for others first. She's such a sweet, cute, and wonderful character that I couldn't help but immediate fall in love with her character. Granted some people will be put off by this (and some of the sugary nature of the manga), but most folks I think will enjoy it.The other characters are very memorable. The battles between Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun were amusing, but their working together to bring Tohru back home at the end of chapter 6 was very nice. Shigure-san with his "older and wiser" moments combined with his ecchi thoughts makes him a fun character. Kagura-chan, one of the female zodiacs in the Sohma family, is a hoot with her manic and violent nature as she expresses her love for Kyo-kun. Tohru-san's best friends Uo-chan (the former "Yankee", or gangster) and Hana-chan (the girl with the deadly "vibes") are a lot of fun and should prove to continue to fill that role in the future.Takaya-sense has remarks scattered throughout the volume, some as side-bars and some at the beginning of a new chapter. I found these to be a delight to read as it gave me more of an insight into the manga-ka's life.Finally, my hat is off to Alethea and Athena Nibley, the translators TokyoPop hired for "Fruits Basket" as well as the rest of the staff. First, all of the Japanese honorifics survive and this is so critical to truly getting an understanding of the characters. Just an excellent job by TokyoPop and I felt they should be praised for it.Bottom line: if you loved the anime, you'll love the manga. If you've never seen the anime but you like a good, clean, humorous, & sweet story, you'll like this. While targeted for the shoujo (girl) market, many guys will enjoy it too.

Considering the fact I already read this manga completely after 2 before I even bought this, I can say it's a great manga. It's a lot better than the anime and it actually has an ending! If you did watch the anime, I highly recommend reading the manga.The beginning of the story is the same as the anime, but after about 30 chapters into the manga, the story is now continuing off (and the manga's beginning is better than the anime and a little different). The story is getting much better and the conflict rises.I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil anyone.The manga definitely teaches a lot of life lessons so that's a thumbs up.If you are not sure about whether you'll like this no matter how many 5 star reviews this has, then read the first few chapters here:http://www.mangahere.co/manga/fruits_basket/c001.1/As for the quality of this product, I bought it used, so I can't really say much about it. Whoever I bought it from is pretty awesome at shipping because it came 3 days after I bought it! When I opened it, the book was a little worn out but not too much.I bought volume 2 and 3 at the same time, and they're just as good and the same condition (only volume 3 looked brand new).Since they are no longer making these, I would recommend buying them used or new (if they are available) because you will not find them in any store offline. You can only get these online now. Consider these rare and a collectible manga series!Art is great in my opinion. I don't really know why a lot of people hate it.One more note, if you are planning to buy this as used, make sure it's in the right language you want it to be! You don't want to buy this in Japanese if you can't read Japanese!