Songs to Make You Smile: Stories from the Creator of Fruits Basket (Songs and Laughter)

Great drawings like this author. I only have 2 manga collections because this isn't my choice for reading but i like this one 'Fruit Baskets' and 'Story of Saiunkoku' manga. I bought these because reading online isn't my preference and I like the art work it is different for me but I understand common for the genre of MANGA.

I can't believe I'm rating this book so low!!! I loved Fruits Basket and thought I would like this, but I just couldn't get into this book. The storyboarding was haphazard and hard to follow and the storylines just didn't really make a whole lot of sense. I ended this book wondering why I had bothered to read it at all. The only saving grace of this book was the very first story and it wasn't even all that great. I wouldn't bother buying the book. Borrow it from someone if you're truly curious, otherwise just read something better -- like Fruits Basket.

this book has a lot of the authors old work so it was interesting to see the difference from now and then. also the seller was prompt and there were no problems:)

~3.5/5The first story in this volume kind of makes the rest of it worth it. It has the same art and setting style as Fruits Basket, about a boy who is quiet and misunderstood as rude when he’s really a nice guy. And he falls for his friends' sister, a girl similarly misunderstood, who was bullied. Their story is super adorable and sweet. I really enjoyed it.After that, there are several one-shots, some clearly earlier works, some cuter than others. The last one is a fairy-tale like one-shot with the characters from Tsubasa, but I haven’t read that series yet. It was cute, though.I’m glad that I picked this volume up, and enjoyed reading it. I look forward to picking up her other stuff, and I'm enjoying her newer releases.[More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]

If you've read Natsuki Takaya's works, you know that she can strum your heart's strings right before lifting it up in a warm'n'fuzzy ending. "Stories To Make You Smile" does exactly that, combining five of Takaya's short stories in one volume, with the required doses of romance, angst and sweet endings.In "Songs to Make You Smile," Takashi (who always looks grim) encounters Anzu, a girl who once smiled freely but now is sad and shy. But despite other people's bullying and harassment, his pop songs have the power to touch her heart. In "Voice of Mine," Inagaki is the son of two famous musicians, so his jealous classmates claim he's just riding his parents' coattails. But then he encounters Futaba, a free-spirited girl with her own violin woes, who inspires him anew.In "Ding Dong," Chisato is left to live with her kindly stepmother Shizuko after her dad dies. Chisato feels that her icy father didn't really care about her and that she's a burden to Shizuko -- but an unexpected gift shows her the truth. And in "Double Flower," quilting enthusiast Tachibana is understandably shocked when his runaway stepniece Aya appears and demands to stay with him. But her blunt outlook leads him to reconsider the way he lives his life, and inspires him to pursue his love.Finally, there's a hilariously warped fairy tale in the world of "Tsubasa: Those With Wings" -- the parents of a selfish and cruel princess decide to kill her off, so she escapes into the woods and decides to find true love. What she finds is a rather tall dwarf named Kotobuki, a thuggish prince, and a tough-love gardener!"Stories To Make You Smile" is a pretty appropriate title for this collection. There are some sad/bittersweet moments (such as Aya's family woes), but every story (except the hilarious fairy tale) is ultimately a happy one that leaves the protagonists in a better place than where they started.In fact, every story is ultimately about how a personal relationship helps a person improve their lives and themselves, and usually fall in love along the way. And since we're talking about Takaya, there's also plenty of gorgeous men, past tragedy, angst, and some very sweet romances between people who are perfectly suited for each other.And while I don't usually warm to characters in short stories, Takaya's are really so endearing even if a few border on cliche (Chisato's daddy issues). Takashi and Anzu are both sweet in their own socially challenged ways, and Inagaki inspires plenty of sympathy for his silent suffering. As for Tachibana... well, he's a cute sensitive guy who loves to make stuffed animals and quilts. What's not to love?!"Stories to Make You Smile" basically fulfills everything the title promises -- plenty of love, laughter, and heartwarming romance. A must-see for Takaya fans... and not a bad place to start with her work.

What is there to say? Honestly, this was a very touching buy. "Songs to Make You Smile" is a compilation of Takaya Natsuki's earlier short stories. I'm not much for manga mainly because I don't have the money to spend on 100s of volumes on a single series. Thus, this was a huge plus for me. On top of that the short stories were very complete and fulfilling. It's true that just about all of them deal with love...but it's not all "romance", which I'm glad about. She often deals with many issues that are either parallel to it, or directly under it. For instance, issues of misunderstood love of a father, or finding one's muse in music when others say you don't, or protecting those you love, and a few more. Over all, I truly enjoyed this volume and it gave me much to take away in viewing people, understanding them, and loving life. The only thing I didn't like too much was the last story (which was more of a "bonus"). It kinda broke the vibe that the previous stories created and not to mention, that is the only story where there are somewhat more mature issues to deal with...beyond that, there's no fanservice, cussing, etc. Though, for like 4-6 slides there is a cross-dressing rehearsal studio owner in the first story. But that character doesn't play a major role at all, and is just kinda there...just in case some this means something to parents. All in all, this was a very short, but sweet, inspiring work.