Fruits Basket 411

[Sohma Momiji]

A BASKET of FRUIT?

So, what is Fruits Basket?

Fruits Basket, or Furuba [from the Japanese pronunciation 'Furutsu Basukettou'], is a manga series created by Natsuki Takaya published by Hakusensha [Japan] and TokyoPop [US/UK]. It was originally serialized in Japan in the weekly manga magazine Hana to Yume beginning January 1999. There are 136 chapters, totaling 23 volumes, the last of which was published in Japan on March 19, 2007. The US and UK volumes are also complete.

The basic synopsis of Furuba is that a teenaged girl, Honda Tohru, meets the Sohma family --- thirteen members of which transform into an animal of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex [unless they are also a zodiac member, or juunishi]. In Furuba's interpretation of the legend of the Chinese zodiac, God invited all the animals for a banquet, but the rat lied to the cat about when the banquet was to be held. The cat missed the banquet, which is why he was excluded from the official zodiac.

The 'curse', as the juunishi call their affliction, has mysterious origins; no one in the Sohma family seems to know how it came to be, only that it has afflicted thirteen people of every generation as far back as anyone can remember.

Throughout the story of Furuba, Tohru's unflappable kindness and determination bring the reclusive juunishi out of their shell, accompanied by a merry and colourful cast of secondary characters.

Please note: It is possible to watch the anime and be where you need to be in order to roleplay on this forum. Please keep in mind however, that certain events do not occur in the anime that do in the manga, and the last episode of the anime has no basis in the manga series. If you are unsure if what you've seen has happened in the manga, please PM a staff member.

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THE ZODIAC

So, what are the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and what Sohma is what animal?

SPOILER WARNING

The animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and their corresponding Sohma is as follows. Please note that the cat is not traditionally a part of the Chinese Zodiac [hence the lack of a 'year of the cat'], and its inclusion is rather unique to Furuba. The series also includes a tangible 'God'. All of the juunishi feel obligated to defer to this God, in honour of the original banquet.

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AVAILABILITY

Where can I find copies of the manga/anime for Fruits Basket?

Obviously, you can purchase the manga and anime series from a large bookstore chain such as [in the US] Borders and Barnes & Noble. As far as viewing the series online -I have found only this site - here. I am uncertain if these are posted legally, but it appears to be an anime form of YouTube, according to to their upload ToS. If they have illegal content, it appears they will remove it. When it comes to the manga, there is always The Spectrum Nexus. Spectrum Nexus had been asked to remove Furuba at one point, but the webmaster reached an agreement with TokyoPop and is allowed to post the scans. Wikipedia also has chapter summaries if you don't want to read the whole manga set.

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WHO IS THAT?
If you've encountered a character you are unfamiliar with, or need more information on your character, or just need to jump start your memory, have a look at the following sites for character information. Please bear in mind that some of these sites have SPOILERS. If you are unsure what applies to your character in terms of the site's plotline, please send a PM to a staff member. Keep in mind, any character interactions in the "past" that are revealed after volume six will still apply to your character relationships so anyone unfamiliar with the story after volume six may need to spoil the series a bit.

» Wikipedia's List of Fruits Basket Characters
» Shadow Dreams' Cast of Furuba [Extensive, but missing a handful]
» Furuba Character Shrines [not up-to-date with latest manga releases]
» Fruits Basket Wiki - Sohma Characters [may not be complete]

If you have any additions to this list, please send a staff member a PM. Thank you!

[Sohma Momiji]

REFERENCES in/to the MANGA

There may be some references in or to the manga that you encounter here on Rotten Fruits. This section will be updated as needed, so if you think a term should be added, send a PM and let us know.

Mogeta - this is an anime that -in Fruits Basket- is all the range amongst the younger children [eg: Kisa, Momiji]. Tohru and Mine also happen to enjoy the series. This is Mogeta. A weird looking Pikachu-type thing.

Valentine's Day & White Day - while we do have an offsite link to holidays in Japan, Valentine's Day and White Day are very important events, even if they are not considered official holidays. They mostly affect school-age children and teens, though some adults still do participate. Valentine's Day occurs on February 14; on this day, girls give presents --usually chocolate or little cakes-- to the boys they like. Some girls buy their presents, but the general attitude is the present ought to be hand made. The more time a girl puts into her present, the more she likes the person she's giving it to. White Day occurs on March 14, and is the opposite of Valentine's Day. Boys give girls presents --also usually chocolates or little cakes-- though it's my understanding that boys generally buy their presents. In Fruits Basket Momiji's present to Tohru for white day is a trip to the Sohma family's private onsen, or hot spring. It's my understanding that this is not a common type of gift, as renting an entire onsen for the weekend is generally pretty expensive.

Mabudachi Trio - this term refers to Ayame, Shigure, and Hatori. =3 Nothing more, nothing less. xD