Fruits Basket: A Great Transformation?

Takaya, Natsuki. Fruits Basket: A Great Transformation?. Funimation Productions, Ltd, 2002. ASIN: 704400030956.

Plot
Tohru Honda just lost her mother and in order to avoid troubling others decides to live in the woods by herself. She has one goal, to graduate from high school, a promise she made with her mother. She actually finds that she has trespassed on the land of the Sohma family, a well off family with one of them being her handsome mysterious classmate. As she grows closer to the family she finds that they have a secret, something that has to do with a family curse. Each member is possessed by the spirit of an animal from the Chinese zodiac, if they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex they temporarily transform into the animal.

Critical Evaluation
The premise of the movie may seem quite odd to the viewer, however it brings some mystery to the plot. The characters are interesting since each Sohma member takes on the typical characteristics of the animal of the Chinese zodiac. Although the family curse does bring some sadness to the story there are great moments of humor which makes this anime very entertaining.

Reader's Annotation
Tohru has just discovered the Sohma family's greatest secret, they are cursed. Each member is possessed by the spirit of a Chinese zodiac animal. If they are hugged by the opposite sex they temporally transform into that animal. This means a lot of fun and mystery is in store.

About the Author
Natsuki Takaya's real name is Naka Hatake. She was born in Shizuoka, Japan, but grew up in Tokyo. Ever since she was young she was interested in drawing and becoming a manga-ka a manga artist.

She is best known for her manga series Fruits Basket that was published in 1992. In 2002 the series was adapted to an anime series with twenty-six episodes.

Genre
DVD

Curriculum
None

Book Talking Ideas
None

Reading level/Interest Age
12+

Challenge Issues
Violence

Challenge Answer
It is more of comic violence. There is no blood and the fighting is more of squabbles between family.

Why included in Selection
This is a great anime series that has everything: heartbreak, humor and a great story.