Review by mugsandpugs - Fruits Basket: The Complete Collection

A review by mugsandpugs
Fruits Basket: The Complete Collection by Natsuki Takaya

5.0

I read this series as a young teenager and it completely changed my world. I reread it as a young adult, and it still held up in almost every way.

As a kid I had so much FUN swooning over the DREAMY guys (I WAS going to marry Hatori Sohma!!!), GASPING over the shocking plot twists, getting excited every month when a new translated volume was released at Borders (yeah, I'm old; Borders was still a Thing), reading/writing fanfiction of the series, crying over the angsty AMVs... And seeing myself and some of my own family struggles reflected in the Sohmas.

The story is incredible. The art is SOMETIMES gorgeous, sometimes average. (The fact that the creator broke her drawing hand early on in the series and had to switch plays a factor in this.) It evolves/gets better as the series goes on!

(Looking back, a few things made me feel uncomfortable:

Spoiler

Mainly-- I hate that someone as abusive and manipulative as Shigure ended up with Akito, and the fact that Katsuya fell for Kyoko while he was her MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER is pretty messed up

, but some of that can be excused as cultural difference, I suppose. I also think that

Spoiler

Uotani's romance with Kureno felt really rushed and could have been fleshed out more, and the Hana/Shishou thing didn't need to happen at all,

but that's just nitpicking a long, phenomenal story that I mostly only have praises for.)

My favorite character is Isuzu Sohma. Her journey resonated with me the most, but really it's hard to pick a favorite from this cast of colorful and memorable characters I still find myself thinking about all the time.

A rundown of all the volumes:

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 3|836607|Fruits Basket, Vol. 3|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438768062s/836607.jpg|2267602] 3: Laugh-out-loud funny at points, heartwarming at others-- a perfect example of what Furuba as a series can do/be.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 4|836611|Fruits Basket, Vol. 4|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480179107s/836611.jpg|349431] 4: The Plot is in full swing, and in steps our long-speculated antagonist. Also one of the threads of reconnecting damaged family ties.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 6|1120825|Fruits Basket, Vol. 6|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393736251s/1120825.jpg|237200] 6: ONE OF THE BIG ONES. Some real s*** goes down, and tests our protagonist Tohru's mettle. (Side note: I LOVE Tohru. She's so GOOD. She's not perfect, as some naysayers might complain. She is NOT a Mary Sue. She is flawed and STRONG. I could write entire essays about this girl. Often in a story with MANY characters, the protag feels kind of flat and bland to serve as an audience avatar, but NOT THIS GIRL.)

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 7|877752|Fruits Basket, Vol. 7|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442962522s/877752.jpg|2267601] 7: Mrgh. Not a favorite. We needed a cooldown after vol6, but a lot of people have complaints about the character this volume featured. I don't HATE him, because 1. He's a traumatized child 2. Furuba is about how different people respond to the same abuse, and just because his coping mechanisms aren't fun to read about does not mean they're unrealistic. (Also it had a B-plot about Uotani's backstory, and Uo is FREAKING awesome.)

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 8|856937|Fruits Basket, Vol. 8|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393736327s/856937.jpg|237197] 8: I like this one because it introduces Isuzu, and ISUZU IS THE CHILD OF MY HEART, okay? And I love the whole summer arc that spans 8-11. So many EMOTIONS. So much angst.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 9|836609|Fruits Basket, Vol. 9|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393736354s/836609.jpg|2275353] 9: Another of the less-memorable ones. It was necessary to advance the plot, as it introduced a Yuki-related thread, and it was kiiinda cool to have a Hanajima backstory (I used to roleplay as Hana), but meh.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 11|836608|Fruits Basket, Vol. 11|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393736775s/836608.jpg|2201585] 11: Drama! Dun dun dunnn... Our hero and antagonist butt heads, and it isn't pretty. It demonstrates how useless (sometimes deliberately so) the adults are at protecting the kids in their family. Also, end of summer!

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 12|244813|Fruits Basket, Vol. 12|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442881735s/244813.jpg|2201581] 12: I'm not a huge fan of the Yuki/student council stuff, though I understand how essential it is to HIS healing and growth, but it makes volumes like this tedious. Also I HATE Shigure with a FIERY BURNING PASSION, so I growl whenever the plot takes a detour down his memory lane. But! More Rin stuff.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 13|46911|Fruits Basket, Vol. 13|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441488945s/46911.jpg|262960] 13: My babygirl is on the cover! (It would have made more sense to have her on 14, but okay.) OH the parent-teacher conference stuff HURTS. MY. HEART. This is the point where I started to love Ayame. AHHHHH MY HEART.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 14|46908|Fruits Basket, Vol. 14|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393736589s/46908.jpg|45979] 14: Possibly my FAVORITE volume of the series. Also, the volume that made me CRY A RIVER. Isuzu backstory. The bare beginnings of her healing process. AND some Yuki trauma! Good stuff.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 15|46906|Fruits Basket, Vol. 15|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441381006s/46906.jpg|45977] 15: MORE LONG-AWAITED YUKI TRAUMA, OH BOY. He is arguably the MOST woobie character of this series, and that's saying a LOT. Also, the wrecking of a ship for some readers, but it was never MY ship, so I didn't mind.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 16|244812|Fruits Basket, Vol. 16|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393736767s/244812.jpg|237192] 16: It's at this point that EVERYTHING HAPPENS A LOT. Do you know how hard it was to wait for new volumes to be released, waiting months between installments? DO YOU? Tohru's been living with the Sohmas for over a year at this point and all the ugliness of their family/curse is becoming apparent to her. Rather than run away screaming, she holds on tight for the ride. THIS one is mostly a Tohru story. Her backstory, her MOTHER... Ugh. Bring tissues, you're gonna cry.

[bc:Fruits Basket, Vol. 23|2261583|Fruits Basket, Vol. 23|Natsuki Takaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327264093s/2261583.jpg|2267567] 23: The epilogue we all needed. The creator giving us chicken soup for the soul after repeatedly kicking us in the kidneys/heart/spleen/other organs. After binge-reading you'll need to lay facedown on the floor and contemplate existence for a few ~~hours~~ days, so plan your schedules accordingly.

This deceptively cutesy little series, really about the pitfalls of abuse and isolation and familial codependency, as well as healing through kindness, forgiveness (or choosing not to forgive!) really makes your heart ache at certain points. I'm so happy it exists. It's a classic to remember forever.

A review by mugsandpugs Fruits Basket: The Complete Collection by Natsuki Takaya

A review by mugsandpugs
Fruits Basket: The Complete Collection by Natsuki Takaya