Kazumi Reads

Tohru Honda is no stranger to tragedy. As a young girl, she lost her father to pneumonia and, just recently lost her mother in a car accident. Tohru used to live with her grandfather and his family, who didn't approve of her mother and decided that it was time to remodel the house, leaving Tohru to fend for herself. In order to pay for her school, she works late a night to cover the expenses, but, rather than taking her grandfather's mother, she decides to live in a tent in the woods until the house is finished remodeling. What Tohru doesn't realize is the land she is living on belongs to the Sohma family, who happens to be the most prominent and mysterious family in the area.

One day, as she leaves for school, Tohru comes across a beautiful home with tiny zodiac figurines out on the deck. Tohru didn't see anyone so she decided to take a look at them and started reminiscing about the stories her mother told her about the Zodiac animals and how the cat, the member of the zodiac, is always left out and excluded. Just when she comes to, she meets Yuki Sohma, and his cousin, Shigure, face-to-face. Completely alarmed, she is quick to apologize, but Yuki addresses Tohru as someone he knows well. However, on the walk home, Yuki sees Tohru on their land and follows her to the tent she has been living in. After explaning why she is living in a tent, Thoru begs Yuki to let her stay there until she can find a place to live. During all of the craziness, Tohru faints due to a fever living out in the outdoors, but in order to catch her, Yuki must touch her, which is a no-no...members of the Sohma family who touch the opposite sex turn into animals, which is known as the Zodiac curse.

When Tohru awakens, she is at the Sohma house and all of her things have been neatly placed in the room. Since Tohru needed a place to live, the Sohma's offer her a housekeeper/cook job in exhange for housing, which she reluctantly takes until Kyo comes running in and Tohru bumps into him revealing their secret. Not knowing what to do, Tohru promises to keep it a secret and finds herself entangled in a world of curses and secrecy. Moreover, the characters she will meet will not only change her, but change them forever. This story is incredibly sweet and powerful that coveys the power of love and the human spirit.

Genre:
Tween Shojo

Manga Similar to Fruits Basket:

• Kitchen Princess
• Mamotte! Lollipop!

Rating:
Teen