Welcome back to Otaku Thursday! In honor of the new anime coming in April and the Lunar New Year we will kick things off with a story around the Chinese zodiac. This week we will be covering the first 3 collector’s volumes of the manga that started it all, Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. Each collector’s edition covers 2 volumes of the original manga.
Synopsis: 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.
Characters to keep in mind:
Tohru Honda – the main character who lives on her own before she meets the Sohmas and becomes completely engrossed in the Sohma Curse
Yuki Sohma – the Rat of the Chinese Zodiac and a close-guarded high schooler in the same class as Tohru.
Kyo Sohma – the Cat of the Chinese Zodiac with a chip on his shoulder and a grudge with Yuki.
Shigure Sohma – the Dog of the Chinese Zodiac that Kyo and Yuki live with who is a freelance writer.
What you’ll find in the first 3 Collector’s Editions Volumes: Tohru will not only get to know the ecclectice Sohma family but quickly become fully involved in the curse that surrounds them. As Tohru grows closer to varous members of the family, she opens her heart to love them all and expand her world.
You will get to meet some of the funniest, most loving and ecclectic people in a manga. The Sohmas are some of my favorite people in the manga and in just in general. But with the Sohma’s comes the head of the household, Akito Sohma who sees himself as the god of their chinese zodiac curse.
Fruits Basket is one of the most heartwarming mangas out there and has stood the test of time. While it may be of a shoujo manga and not have the kick butt action that stories like Naruto or My Hero Academia have, Fruits Basket is still something that any and everyone can enjoy. The first Three collector’s editions are just a start of the ringer that this story will go in. A majority of the zodiac is introduced and you can really see how the curse weighs on each of them differently and the impact it has on their relationships with the outside world and Akito.
Otaku Rating: The highest of ranks, top of the list of favorites. An Otaku must.
Happy Lunar New year! Year of the Boar!
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