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Fruits Basket

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 6 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #278 in Entertainment, #5675 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

So what is Fruits Basket?

 

Fruits Basket is a manga series (Manga are sort of like the Japanese equivalent of our comic books, where the story is told through images) about a young girl named Tohru Honda who is orphaned, and finds herself through an unusual series of circumstances living with a couple of members of the Soma Family, Yuki and Kyo are two of them.  The Soma family is fairly well-to-do, and quite large.  Over the course of the story, Tohru meets several cousins and other relatives.

The Soma family is keeping a secret - which Tohru learns - each one turns into an animal of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex!  How embarrassing!!  As the story evolves, we learn there is a story of the Chinese Zodiac about the cat (which is NOT one of the animals of the zodiac, however it is the animal that Kyo turns into. 

Why this curse afflicts them isn't made entirely clear in the anime, but my understand is tha the manga tells the story much better and expands many themes that were glossed over or omitted in the anime, probably due to time constraints.

This is one of my favorite anime series, because its so funny to see Tohru coping with the eccentric members of the Soma family, and helping Kyo deal with his anger at being the outcast (because he is the Cat).  The anime concludes with an emotional transformation and yet still leaves many questions unanswered.

I have the complete 4-disc DVD set, and my daughter has some of the Manga.  One of these days when I have the time (how many time have I said THAT, I know) I want to read the Manga series to see how the story really ends.

Learn more about Fruits Basket at Wikipedia 

or learn more from the Internet Movie Database. "Fruits Basket"

, sometimes abbreviated , is a Japanese manga series by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese magazine Hana to Yume, published by Hakusensha, from 1999 to 2006. The series was also adapted into a 26-episode anime series, directed by Akitaro Daichi. The series tells the story of Tohru Honda, an orphan girl who, after meeting Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure Sohma, learns that thirteen members of the Sohma family are possessed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac and are cursed to turn into their animal forms if they embrace anyone of the opposite sex.

The word "Fruits" in the title is always plural; the spelling originates from the transcription of the English word "fruit" into Japanese, where because there is no "tu" sound, "tsu" is used instead. The title comes from the name of a popular game played in Japanese elementary schools, which is alluded to in the series.

The name spellings used in this article correspond to those given in the official Region 1 DVD and English manga releases. Romanization style names are given in Western order, with the family name last.

You can get the Manga on Amazon - here are just a few of the volumes 

The series is currently up to 17 volumes, with #18 coming out November 11, 2007. The ones below are just 5 of the collection.

Fruits Basket, Volume 20

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/07/2008)

Fruits Basket, Volume 19

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/07/2008)

Fruits Basket, Volume 18

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/07/2008)

Fruits Basket Volume 21 (Fruits Basket)

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/07/2008)

Fruits Basket, Vol. 17

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 09/07/2008)

You can also get the Anime DVDs on Amazon. 

Be warned the Anime goes away from the storyline of the Manga

But I still find it VERY entertaining and cute.

Fruits Basket Series Box Set (2004)

Amazon Price: (as of 09/07/2008)

Cosplay (or role playing characters from Manga/Anime series) is a big deal in Japan 

and is beginning to take hold a bit here in the US.

I found a few You Tube videos about Cosplaying for Fruits Basket - I hope you enjoy them.
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Fruits Basket Cosplay Slidesho...

Runtime: 6:17 | 2083 views | Comments

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Epitanime XV 2007 Cosplay Frui...

Runtime: 4:48 | 15714 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
fruits basket cosplay

Runtime: 1:17 | 1925 views | Comments

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AKG @ AX 2002 - Fruits Basket

Runtime: 2:45 | 16339 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Grupo fruits basket cosplay to...

Runtime: 3:18 | 72 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Cosplay Fuyu Yasumi 2: Team Fr...

Runtime: 3:27 | 1610 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Cosplay Japan - fruits basket

Runtime: 4:30 | 8221 views | Comments

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Mangacity 2008 cosplay Fruits ...

Runtime: 2:38 | 453 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Fruits Basket Cosplay Icon

Runtime: 0:05 | 1661 views | Comments

There are lots of great Fruits Basket items on eBay 

Not only the Manga and the DVD's but cosplay costumes, plushes, and other toys.

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Isn't Fruits Basket cute? 

Please leave a blurb on your way through!!

funcoolcollectibles

My daughter loves Fruits Basket! 5 stars!

Posted September 04, 2008

Kanga

I absolutely love Fruits Basket! If I start watching the DVDs I find it very difficult to stop...

Posted June 14, 2008

SilvaraWilde

I love Fruits Basket, especially the manga. Great lens!

Posted April 29, 2008

Baloo

I like this lens. It is very intersting. Thanks !

Posted April 10, 2008

superpanda

Nice lens~ I always knew Fruits Basket was popular, but I didn't know there was that much merchandise on it :P

Posted March 14, 2008

 
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