Fruits Basket the anime series only contains 26 episodes, but the comic version includes a lot more chapters & story lines.For those of you who have unresolved questions about this anime series, you can try to find out the answers from the Fruits Basket comics.I personally am a big fan of Fruits Basket also, and I don't usually write review. Just don't want anyone who likes this anime and doesn't know about the comic part.I am required to write more lines to get posted. If you read the comics, please be patient. I am not sure if there is an English translation version on this particular comics.Just added on this review recently, I was very touched when Honda hugged the rabbit, why? It is for you to find out.

I have finished watching all 26 episodes of "Fruits Basket" {Released on DVD in 2007} and based on the Manga series by Natsuki Takaya.I think that "Fruits Basket" is a wonderful anime. It does have certain differences from the Manga which are well outlined in the Wikipedia article on the latter. But this is common in anime adaptations of Manga. "Fruits Basket" Anime ends about a third through the entire Manga series, but does so in such a way that the viewer is very much aware that the end of a crucial stage in the development of the characters has been reached, leaving the way open for further growth. Thus, we experience a real satisfaction and catharsis at the end of Episode 26.One major theme is the situation of the outsider in society. Tohru is presented at the opening as a complete exile, living in a tent, her only solace coming from a photograph of her dead mother. She is adopted into the Sohma household, but that family is also outside society. The members live under a curse which prevents them from having fulfilled relationships with others outside their group. Even within the family exiles and outcasts are present. The sinister Akito, pays a terrible price for being the undisputed ruler of the Sohmas. Yuki yearns for the love of a mother and normal acceptance by others. Kyo is rejected by nearly everyone in the Sohma family and thus develops an aggressive anger which only further isolates him. In school, Tohru is under the protection of the gentle Hanajima who nonetheless is feared and avoided by other girls because of her strange psychic powers.Tohru, a young teenager, is presented as sweet, loving and sacrificial. As the anime develops, these characteristics will be constantly tested in varying ways. In one case she befriends a child who is mute owing to mockery by bullies at school. In another she must relate to a brat who has developed a nasty personality as a defence mechanism because of his Mother's rejection. {In fact, one criticism of FB is the extraordinary number of parents who reject, neglect, dislike, or simply dump their children.} Incidents like these add a remarkable strength and resilience to Tohru's character. She is no goody-goody who solves problems by being a doormat. A the end she goes through successive cauldrons of emotional crises which put her in some physical danger. Yet she must face these if she is to validate her self and the promise she made to her dead mother. Hence, we have the typical Shoujo process of moral and psychological growth and empowerment.The final episode is so moving, so emotional, and so beautiful that it will remain long in the memory and the heart.

NOTE: All spoilers are very minor.This series is second only to Fullmetal Alchemist in terms of being emotionally moving. The anime really does the series little justice, though. If you read the books as well, you'll see that Fruits Basket has a very deep storyline. The series covers many touchy subjects in such an innocent, light-hearted way that it is far from offensive. It deals with everything from guilt for murder to domestic abuse to suicide to abandonment, and manages to be a beautiful love story without being over-dramatic and unrealistic. Each member of the Sohma family has a lesson to teach the reader, but most notably: do not let history repeat itself.It follows the adventures of Tohru Honda, a young orphan who is living in the woods while her grandfather's house is being remodeled. She finds out she is living on Sohma land, and one of her classmates, Yuki Sohma, invites her to stay with them. It does not take her long to discover that the Sohma family has a curse: they turn into animals when hugged by the opposite gender! They are cursed by vengeful Zodiac spirits, and as time goes on she meets all 13 animals of the Zodiac. However, despite the fun magical feel of the show and of their curse, it is not that way at all. Before long, the story becomes very, very poignant and may even bring you to tears. All of the characters are very quirky and interesting (especially the snake, Ayame... probably the weirdest anime character since Excel). You genuinely care about these characters, even the 'bad guys' (which, by the end, cannot be clearly defined). In the manga, the histories of all important characters are thoroughly explained, even characters that don't appear in the main story such as Tohru's mother.The ending is one of the most satisfying, yet bittersweet of any anime I have seen. By the end of the series, you WILL have cried, and you'll have laughed many, many times. If you don't mind that this anime has more beautiful males than beautiful females, you will ADORE this anime, and the manga even more.

I LOVE fruits basket. It's the only reason i watch TV. I love the story line and characters. They give the characters such wonderfully realistic feelings that ricochet toward you. For example, when one of the characters is sad, you feel sad too. Or, if one has feelings toward another character, you get that warm, fuzzy feeling with them. It's that good of a show. I can watch this show over and over and over and never get tired of it, ever. And every time I watch it , I either learn something or notice something I didn't before. And every time it makes me laugh, cry and feel good. I have never read the manga novels, you don't need to. If you watch the DVD series, it doesn't matter. It's just that good