Book Series Review: Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya, Translated by Alethea Nibley & Athena Nibley (Vol. 1-23)

Volume 1 Image via Goodreads

Volume 15 Image via Goodreads

Volume 23 Image via Goodreads

Genre: Manga, Graphic Novel, Romance, Comedy
# of Volumes: 23
Rating: 5 out of 5
Recommend to Others?: Yes

Volume 1 Summary (via Goodreads):
A family with an ancient curse…

And the girl who will change their lives forever…

Tohru Honda was an orphan with no place to go until the mysterious Sohma family offered her a place to call home. Now her ordinary high school life is turned upside down as she’s introduced to the Sohma’s world of magical curses and family secrets.

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My Review:
Fruits Basket was awesome to read. There’s so much to love about this series. I’ve watched the anime a few times (which was good too) before reading the manga. Natsuki Takaya is a talented storyteller and artist.

Natsuki Takaya’s characters are so dynamic and real. Each has a distinct personality and their growth throughout the story is unique to themselves. Tohru is such a catalyst of change for the members of the zodiac who were already so closely bonded. Her genuine demeanor is something each character needed to come to the realizations they do. It’s a hard road to get to those realizations.

After a certain point in the story, things get heavy, the plot thickens, and your attention is super-glued to anything and everything going on. Of course there are still light-hearted moments to love. But I think it’s during the internal and external conflicts that each character’s inner most human desires are exposed. You come to really love all of the characters. It’s surprising, it’s sad, it’s everything you want from well-crafted characters.

The ending was emotional but satisfying. All great stories must come to an end I guess. And I can only wish each character the best in the paths they’ve chosen for themselves.

My Review of Volumes 1- 5

Image Links

Vol 1 – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/555428.Fruits_Basket_Vol_1

Vol 15 – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46906.Fruits_Basket_Vol_15

Vol 23 – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5322056-fruits-basket-vol-23