Fruits Basket is worth reading for Hatsuharu alone! One of the wittiest characters in all manga ever. I read Fruits Basket because of him 😀

yep! it's got a good theme unlike most mangas. acceptance, understanding, compassion, letting go, rising above ur circumstances even if they seem hopeless... 🙂 in the beginning i wasn't sure about this manga, but as i continued reading it i begun to really love it so - i think it's all that 🙂
as for tohru - even though she was 'perfect' - it was a good reminder of how we should also regard things. we'd never be like her, but her attitude, her kindness, her selflessness - they were all good things for us to emulate.

Quote from avaria26

yep! it's got a good theme unlike most mangas. acceptance, understanding, compassion, letting go, rising above ur circumstances even if they seem hopeless... 🙂 in the beginning i wasn't sure about this manga, but as i continued reading it i begun to really love it so - i think it's all that 🙂
as for tohru - even though she was 'perfect' - it was a good reminder of how we should also regard things. we'd never be like her, but her attitude, her kindness, her selflessness - they were all good things for us to emulate.

and that's why I will be avoiding it (or not finishing it).
I read the first volume and gah it wasn't for me.

In the paper today, tales of war and of waste
But you turn right over to the T.V. page
Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart

• Crowded House 'Don't dream it's over'

though i haven't even read a lot of fruits basket (i can't even remember any of the character's names) I find it to be overrated and not for me.

Quote from avaria26

as for tohru - even though she was 'perfect' - it was a good reminder of how we should also regard things. we'd never be like her, but her attitude, her kindness, her selflessness - they were all good things for us to emulate.

XD, are you kidding me? Who would want to emulate those characteristics? I for one, am happy to be a selfish person.

@stubbly I understand how you feel, but the plot overall is actually pretty good.

As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods,
They kill us for their sport

• King Lear, Shakespeare

If I hadn't fallen for Gravitation and the Furuba anime didn't end the way it did, then I probably would have fallen for Fruits Basket. I'll be honest, it's a little overrated, but I can see why. The characters are really awesome and this is one of those anime/manga that could possibly change your perspective on life. Okay, maybe not that much, but somewhat along those lines. And I'm not saying everyone, but I'm sure there are some people like that. Anyone can fall in love with this anime/manga, but it has to hit the right spot for you. I guess for some people, it just misses. You either love or hate Fruits Basket.

The downsides of Fruits Basket? Well, in my opinion, Kyo and Tohru.

I don't hate them or anything, they're not that bad, it's just that Kyo can be such an ass/just plain stupid and Tohru is like a frickin' angel.

About Tohru... she's really not so bad. Her personality is just so damn PERFECT that it's horribly unrealistic. It's just not possible for a person like that to exist. I mean, come on! Everybody has a weakness!

slight spoiler In the 14th volume, I was overjoyed to see her look so depressed and dissapointed after she had that dream and opened the door to see her mother, but no one was there. It showed that Tohru really DOES have a soul and isn't just some perfect chick who everybody loves. end of slight spoiler

Another downside is how long it takes for anything to happen between the relationships of slight spoiler Kyo and Tohru & Yuki and Machi end of slight spoiler. Although almost every volume is a tear-jerker, you begin to wonder when the hell someone's gonna make a move.

Overall though, Fruits Basket is worth a watch/read for anyone ^_^

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Fruit Basket be Pimping Yo! U know wat I'm saying? 😀

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Quote from otakubaybay

Another downside is how long it takes for anything to happen between the relationships of slight spoiler Kyo and Tohru & Yuki and Machi end of slight spoiler. Although almost every volume is a tear-jerker, you begin to wonder when the hell someone's gonna make a move.

I actually like the fact that they don't get all romantic right away. That kind of relationship often doesn't last, in real life anyway. I started reading Kare Kano to see what senile_seinen was talking about, and although I find the plot interesting I can't see that the characters and relationships are better than in Furuba. I mean, I like the idea of romatic love but I know that it's not enough. I think that Kyo and Tohru's relationship has developed into the kind that will last, and Yuki and Machi are getting there.

Quote from livvispatula

I started reading Kare Kano to see what senile_seinen was talking about, and although I find the plot interesting I can't see that the characters and relationships are better than in Furuba. I mean, I like the idea of romatic love but I know that it's not enough.

I think that's also why Kare Kano is around 20 volumes, and since I haven't heard repeatedly complaints about it (not that I'm totally lookin for them), the mangaka isn't wringing out extra money with it. The 26 episodes for the anime did not finish the series, so people that watched the anime and care to see the series to the end have to pick up the manga. Arima and Yukino get together, but that's isn't the end of the story because Arima's situation is much darker than Yukino's of how they were both acting different in front of people and we're themselves most of the time.

But I haven't read Kare Kano's manga as I need to know that I can read every volume without having to wait in agony if there's a cliffhanger (and I don't consider paying about $15/volume for about a 20-volume series that I don't yet love to pieces an option).

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Quote from Takiko

and I don't consider paying about $15/volume for about a 20-volume series that I don't yet love to pieces an option).

off topic-I feel your pain. and $21 for dark horse.

@liquid_hell - I don't know. Characters (development/personality) tend to be more important than plots, for me that is

In the paper today, tales of war and of waste
But you turn right over to the T.V. page
Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart

• Crowded House 'Don't dream it's over'

I actually like the fact that they don't get all romantic right away. That kind of relationship often doesn't last, in real life anyway

I couldn't agree more. The way the relationships progress in Furuba is natural and REALLY REALLY CUTE. But I'm biased, being a hardcore romance addict and having shipped certain character since I started reading...^^u

Everybody has a weakness!

slight spoiler In the 14th volume, I was overjoyed to see her look so depressed and dissapointed after she had that dream and opened the door to see her mother, but no one was there. It showed that Tohru really DOES have a soul and isn't just some perfect chick who everybody loves. end of slight spoiler

Is it really a matter of weakness and strengths? I mean, she's not a superhero. She's got things that break her though--the death of both her parents, thoughts of her future, etc. Is that what you mean by weakness?

And I have to say, as much as I love that scene, it didn't "overjoy" me. I felt for Tohru--she's lonely. I agree; that scene reminds us that Tohru isn't just who everybody loves, she's just a lonely, scared, sad girl. Yuki notices that in one of the earliest chapters, when he's just met her. He says he never would have guessed that she was carrying so many burdens, being as carefree as she is. Tohru does her best not to wallow in her grief all the time, but I suppose that does get old--it's nice to see her give into it every now and then. It goes back to allowing herself to be selfish (what Kyo told her to do) every now and then. She's allowed to feel sad. But if she were sad ALL the time...yeah...therefore she feels she has to be happy and loving to cover it up.

It's not so easy to characterize Tohru as "happy" or "sad" or "perfect" because really, the whole point of Fruits Basket is about how we all struggle--so, to sum it up, Tohru is struggling just like everyone else. It's all a balancing act, yadda yadda schmablada...^^

To liquid_hell: (too much to quote ^^)

I do agree--they're flaws and yet not. I think being perfect is a subjective thing, so that's why Tohru doesn't seem perfect to me. To each their own, etc. ^^

Part of the reason I like Furuba so much and have been reading it for so long is that, although I can see evidence around me every day that the mentality "everything will get better if you try hard" (etc) is completely unrealisitic and almost laughable, I still want to believe that it can, and that's where Fruits Basket comes in handy. After all, I don't read manga to read about something exactly like reality. I don't to read or see (reality TV--grr...) real life. I am living real life. I want something better, dammit! ^^ You know, escape from reality, all that. Yeah, so, Fruits Basket is sort of like a hope for me, a place to escape to when real life gets too depressing, etc. ^^

With Akito (I think her father's name was Akira, if that helps ^^) part of me wants to agree...there is something a little cliche and corny about Tohru being able to save the biggest baddie of them all. Then again, I genuinely like Akito as a character, and thus choose to believe that she just needed Tohru's support to make the first few steps on her own. And if there is one thing Tohru is always willing to offer, it's a helping hand, one way or another. ^^

I think the line between "good" and "bad" in Fruits Basket is blurrier than you realize, because the readers see everyone's point of view; Akito's and Tohru's. After learning about Akito's past and situation, etc, I stopped seeing her as a villain, and just saw her as another struggling character. Same with Tohru. Everyone struggles in the manga, that's what it's all about. The worse stuff you have happen to you, and the worse you take it, the worse you struggle. You know what I mean?

Anyway, to wrap this up...I heartily respect Fruits Basket, and seek to understand all aspects...which means I am willing to accept and consider all criticism as well, for the sake of enjoying and understanding more. ^^

The people who say Furuba is overrated obviously haven't read the whole series, because it really is an interesting manga! It had a good ending, and it had MANY unexpected twists i.e

finding out that the 'all fearing' Akito was actually a girl! I think you guys should stick with a story a little longer than the first chapter, because you never know how it will turn out!

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Quote from arison_chan

The people who say Furuba is overrated obviosly haven't read the whole series, because it really is an interesting manga!

And yet people are definitely intitled to their own opinion. I have read the whole manga, and even suffered through the whole series. I spent the time, and definitely didn't think that it was an interesting manga. I hated the Anime even more.

Yes it is really an over rated mangas just like many others, i don't hate it but i'm not so into it, Just like you said i prefer Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Hana Yori Dango a hundred times.
AS for Furuba, it was intresting idea at first but simply goes boring....
i wonder why people go so crazy about it, you say they haven't read any other manga but is it possible for an otaku to ignore all the manga available and just go for one?!
well sooner or later they'll like something else and another everrarted manga will be born 🤢

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ok i got to admit its a great manga but people go way to overboard somtimes i even get sick of it! people think thats the only shoujo manga! 😲