Tokyopop promoted Fruits Basket as its “most eagerly-awaited manga series”, and sales figures and top rankings have borne that out. With its blend of comedy, romance, fantasy, and drama, all expressed in an attractively mainstream art style, there’s something here for everyone.
An eternal optimist, Tohru Honda is proud of taking care of herself, even though she’s been living in a tent after her mother’s death. She’s on the property of the Sohma family, a rather unusual group whose members are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac. When they’re hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they turn into their corresponding animal.
She knows Yuki, a mysteriously aloof charmer, from school; he’s the Rat. He and Kyo, the Cat, fight constantly because of a legend about the Rat tricking the Cat out of his place in the zodiac. Kyo’s determined to beat Yuki and regain his place in the family, but his anger often gets in the way of his desires. Combined with cousin Shigure, the Dog, it’s almost cartoony.
The guys feel sorry for Tohru, who’s trying so hard to be the daughter her mother wanted. They also need someone to take care of them and do the cooking and cleaning. (The situation is vaguely reminiscent of Wendy and the Lost Boys.) In return, she gets a place to stay and a family who cares about her. She also gives them a new appreciation for their relatives, even with the burden of their curse.
Not every Sohma is male; Kagura (the Boar) is female. She’s got a crush on Kyo, which she acts out rather violently, while reminding him that family members can hug each other without transforming. (At this point, the reader may justifiably begin wondering if “hug” is code for something else.) Other family members represent the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Ox, the Snake, the Tiger (Cub), the Ram, the Horse, and the Monkey. Over the course of the series, we meet them all.
The second book sets up a cultural festival where Tohru’s class decides to make onigiri (rice balls) to sell. More relatives, the half-German Momiji and the doctor Hatori, make appearances, challenging Tohru’s knowledge of the family secret. Hatori’s ill-fated past romance makes him a tragic figure and explains his resistance to Tohru’s presence, even though she’s having a good effect on the younger family members. Then New Year’s for some of the characters means deciding which family to spend the holiday with, the one they were born into or the one they’ve made for themselves.
In the third book, a school race is the setting for Hatsuharu, another relative, to battle Kyo, but their fight is interrupted by Yuki’s sickness. Valentine’s Day means a double date for Kyo, Kagura, Yuki, and Tohru, followed by a trip to a hot spring resort.
Book four opens with Momiji and Hatsuharu starting at the school Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki attend. The class president is a bit put off by their unapologetic individuality, but the real threat is head of the family Akito. He appears to be their age, but he’s more maturely devious, frightening all the others into obeying his dictates. We also meet Yuki’s older brother Ayame, whose flamboyance disturbs many of the others. He runs a costume shop and often behaves outrageously in comparison to Yuki’s reticence.
The group spends a week at the family’s lake house in book five. When they return, Tohru meets another relative, Kisa, a middle schooler who doesn’t speak due to teasing. Tohru can identify, and she winds up acting as Kisa’s temporary mom. Yuki also helps overcome Kisa’s silence, revealing more of his internal struggles as he does so.
Book six, in contrast, focuses more on Kyo. His curse sometimes manifests in an unpleasant way, and Tohru is challenged by the results. Kyo’s sensei, almost an adoptive father, is also present for the encounter. Interestingly, Tohru thinks the way she cares for Kyo is selfish, because it’s based on her wanting to continue sharing experiences with him, when it’s really just what he needs.
The book ends with a visit to Ayame’s shop, a tailoring establishment specializing in outfits for men’s fantasies (such as maid and nurse outfits). While Ayame explains to Yuki that he’d rather they fight than feel nothing for each other, Tohru models a darling outfit.
Hiro, introduced in book seven, is a selfish, obnoxious, conceited kid with the ability to twist anything anyone says into a failing on their part. He’s always on the attack, always ordering people around, and always complaining. He also has a crush on Kisa. He’s a complex personality, quickly established through his twisty dialogue, and humanized through his jealousy.
Tohru’s friend Arisa gets a lengthy flashback as well. She was a gangster-type, a near-criminal troublemaker, until Tohru’s mom took her under her wing. Now, she still looks and sounds tough, but she and Tohru have an unbreakable bond.
With only a few more animals to go, book eight introduces the compulsive apologizer (and Monkey) Ritsu. Emotional exaggeration is the theme, with Hatsuharu sinking into depression (alternating with fury) after a breakup and Ritsu’s panicked self-effacement at the slightest hint of potential offense becoming a twisted way to gain attention. Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are asked to write about their future plans for school, which sends them into reflective moods of self-examination, especially when it comes to wondering about the possibility of relationships. It’s a subtle reminder that the past affects the future. Often, the chapters are heart-warming stories of encouragement, with Tohru providing moral lessons of determination or patience or endurance.
Summer vacation starts in book nine. Tohru’s concerned about homework, Yuki’s preparing to be the next student body president, and Shigure is bemoaning that his adult status means no summer off for him. There’s a flashback to Tohru’s other friend Saki, focusing on her unusual ability to sense the emotions of other people. Her psychic abilities and goth-like appearance make her an outcast, another oddball like her friends. It’s a surprisingly deep portrayal of what it’s like to be left out and to think that you deserve it. Kyo’s sensei also returns in a chapter exploring how much Kyo has been growing up.
Book ten opens with seaside enjoyment as the family vacations at their summer home. Even while goofing around, the characters’ feelings for each other reveal themselves through the way they tease and who they play with. More family members, including Hiro and Kisa, join the group for vacation, while Shigure, back in town, visits a former girlfriend who also has connections to Hatori.
Her story provides a more mature, melancholy contrast to the lighter summer fun, and when the story returns to the larger group, the tone carries over. Hiro finds out that his mother is pregnant and he’ll soon have a sibling, which leads to meditations on the nature of family. Tohru realizes that not everyone might have had the close, loving relationship she had with her mother. Other people deal in more complex ways with their parents and family members, especially once Akito arrives for a visit.
In book eleven, Akito joins the family at the summer home, instantly forcing himself into the center of attention. He’s playing jealous games, demanding the others spend time with him instead of Tohru. Although she barely knows of him, he sees her as a threat and a monster. He’s not above using guilt and threats to manipulate the other family members, fighting a competition she’s not even aware of, although she’s too good to be hurt by his schemes. When he tries to arrange for her to be left alone, she barely notices, as she’s happy that the other family members can be together. Caring wins out over fear, and Yuki demonstrates a growing maturity as he begins to understand Akito’s games and motives.
As summer vacation ends, the characters return home in book twelve. The family feels that they’re fated to do what’s in their blood, but Tohru is determined to fight against their fate, if necessary. These are key questions of Japanese culture. How much does the past influence the present? What are one’s responsibilities to the family when their desires conflict with those of the individual?
That’s even more apparent as book thirteen begins. Yuki’s absent mother attends a parent-teacher conference geared towards planning Yuki’s future. His mother, cool and remote, takes it for granted that he will do as he’s told, going on to college and preparing to take leadership of the family, regardless of his wishes. His silent personality is a result of her refusing to hear him and ignoring anything he says that she doesn’t agree with. Her treatment has warped him, affecting how he’s able to interact with others, including both Tohru and Yuki’s older brother.
Book 14 is a focus on Rin, another of the Sohma family members, and her quest to remove their curse because of her love for Haru. It’s a very emotional tale, revolving around her emotional isolation and the reasons for it. Her motives are unstandable, but the reader wants to somehow find a way to soothe her pain.
The fundamental conflict of the book is between Tohru, and her optimistic belief in the future and improving change, and Akito, consumed by his power and determined to keep things as they always have been. He hates her because he recognizes her disruptive force for good. She loves the family, even in the face of their eventual separation. The variety of types of love displayed are complex: unspoken, until both partners are ready to accept it; destructive, aimed only at controlling the emotional object; protective, even if it appears to be desertion at first; resolute, determined to help.
The distinction between Tohru and Akito is foregrounded in book 15, as Yuki tells the story of his childhood. It’s a complex and affecting story, contrasting Yuki’s loneliness with his supposedly favored status. Others considered Akito’s personal attention to Yuki to be a sign of Yuki’s specialness, but they didn’t realize how Akito tormented Yuki. It’s a powerful exploration of how deeply children can feel and the long-standing effects certain encounters can have.
We also learn more about Kyo and Yuki’s competition from a young age. All Yuki wanted was a friend, someone who was happy to be in his presence. That’s what Tohru provides for him, almost a mother figure with her loving acceptance of him no matter what he is or how he behaves. That’s why he’s jealous of the different kind of relationship Kyo and Tohru have; he doesn’t necessarily want Tohru as his girlfriend, but he doesn’t want to lose the time and attention she gives him.
The second half of the book takes a lighter turn as the focus turns to preparations for a school play. It’s Cinderella, and Kyo is playing Prince Charming, with Tohru miscast as the wicked stepsister, goth Saki as the lead, and Yuki as the fairy godmother. Yuki’s brother Ayame is providing costumes, and given the personalities of those in the roles, they have to rewrite the story somewhat to gain willing participation.
Book 16 opens with an exploration of Tohru’s mother’s past. As so often happens, she was able to give her daughter what she never had as a kid — the feeling of acceptance and love that could be relied on, no matter what. The mother’s own childhood was one of acting out due to neglect, with a near-criminal past, until one person finally had faith in her.
Over half of this book tells her love story, leading to her marriage and the birth of Tohru. Two outsiders built their own kind of family together, able to overcome their individual uncertainties together. That tells the reader more about where Tohru gets her strength and her belief in the power of love to make impressive changes.
Underneath the fantasy transformations of this series, the emotions feel real and varied: jealousy, a longing for acceptance, friendship, dealing with a legacy, facing one’s fears, learning to care for others unselfishly. There’s an underlying theme of memory and loss, pondering when, if ever, it’s ok to forget, and whether memories are valuable even if painful. The themes are deep and meaningful, providing much material for thought underneath the entertainment.
The art is typical for manga, huge eyes dominating pointy-chinned faces under spiky hair. The emphasis is on faces and figures with minimal patterned backgrounds, but the animals are simply shaped, emphasizing their oddness, and cute. Tohru and the kid characters are cute like baby pets, and the boys are cute like teen idols.
The title comes from a game Tohru played as a child. We called it “Fruit Basket Upset”, where every kid was given a fruit name, and when their fruit was called, they changed places. When her class played, Tohru was named “Onigiri”, or “rice ball”, instead of a fruit, symbolizing how she doesn’t fit in with the family she was born into.
The large cast can be a lot to keep up with, so the introductory pages listing names, signs, and basic characteristics are much appreciated. Some books also have extras, which may include background on the zodiac signs, creator interviews, game rules, or fan art.