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Fruits Basket - A Great Transformation (Vol. 1)

Fruits Basket - A Great Transformation (Vol. 1)

List Price: $29.98
Your Price: $26.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Some Random Advice on "Fruits Basket'
Review: I really love this anime!!! It's a terrific story, and its the perfect first anime for anyone!! I used to despise anime, cartoons, and anything else that was animated, now, I can't get enough of it!!!! I have yet to meet anyone who didn't think that Tohru is the sweetest character ever created, and I don't think that you'll be an exception. The title might be a bit confusing at first, but it will start making sense after you watch it for a while. Learn at least a little bit about the Chinese zodiac before you start watching this stuff, otherwise nothing will make sense. Be sure to watch each charater carefully throughout the shows, and if you're good, you'll notice relationships growing stronger, and the characters eventually display their true personalities.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Best Overlooked Anime Out There!
Review: Sure, you've seen Sailor Moon, Ranma 1/2, Fushigi Yugi, but now you're ready to look for something else. Well, this is it! The premise might seem fluffy or cute-sy, (see the product descriptions) but it varies in emotions, from laughing your--"whatever" off, to crying your eyes out. The characters aren't perfect, and that's what makes the series so great. The animation and direction is terrific, and definitely adds to the depth of the characters.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent
Review: I first learned of Fruits Basket while I was a councelor at a camp for Japanese exchange students. They showed me the manga and I have kept my eye out for it since then. Fruits Basket is an extremely funny and heartwarming story. The characters are believable. Tohru is so innocent and believes there is good in everybody. The animation is beautiful and filled to the brim with bishounen. I would highly recommend both the anime and the manga.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wow.
Review: Call me a fanatic, but while I was waning in my anime fandom and seriously considering pulling back from the genre, this gem appeared in my mailbox.

A previous reviewer said that Tohru, the main female character, doesn't grow in the show. But she doesn't need to! Why? She's a lovely girl, the kind that doesn't really exist in real life! *laugh* Honestly, she's extremely mature and giving, kind and sincere. I don't know what that reviewer wanted. But I'm very happy with her.

Being a fanatic, I'd like to point out that the main characters are voiced by fantastic seiyuu, Horie Yui and Hisakawa Aya in particular stand out as amazing examples of the skill of the Japanese voice actors.

A lovely show with amazing characters and fantastic storyline.

It instantly joined my favorites.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not as Good as These FANATICS Would Have You Believe.
Review: I have been purchasing anime for a long time. When I was still uneducated, and new to the genre I would use ... reviews to help me decide which series to buy and watch. I realized a flaw with that system quickly, after it lead me to several bad decisions. The flaw is this: only FANS generally take the trouble to write "reviews" on here. So unless they already like the series, they're not going to bother themselves -- that, or they REALLY hate the series. I, contrary to my rating, do not "HATE" Fruits Basket. I merely wanted to lower that ridiculous five star average. Five stars should be reserved the cream of the crop, the best stuff you've ever feasted your eyes on. But you can't convince these rabid fans of that.

So here's the deal. Fruits Basket is...decent. The animation is pretty dern good. The plot is, interesting at first, but quickly becomes monotonous and repetitive (with occasional high points). The main character couldn't grow or change in any meaningful way if you pumped her full of steroids and buried her in fertilizer. I think I laughed, genuinely laughed, twice..? The rest of the time I was either faintly smiling, or faintly bored. The music is very synthesized (what isn't these days?) and like the plot, good at first, but quickly repetitive and occasionally abbrasively obnoxious.

Also, you need to know that this is a "Shoujo" series. In otherwords, it's aimed at girls. This means that it is chalk full of GORGEOUS He/Shes. Are they male? Are they female? Are they gay? Are they straight? Are they bi? If you want a series that'll keep you on your toes and is on the cutting edge of redifining gender roles and challeging traditional sterotypes, the aptly named "FRUITS Basket" is it. Toward this end, the main character's love interest (a guy) is voiced by a woman in the Japanese version which was the one thing I truly was not able to forgive or forget about the series.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If this dosent touch your heart, i dont know what will
Review: Ok, Fruits basket is about a girl named Tohru Honda. After her mother died in a car crash and her grandfather not having the money to support her she decides she will live in a tent in the woods until she can get back on her feet. But one day on her way to school she come across a house and learns that it's the house of Yuki soma (the 'prince' of her high school) and yes its true, Yuki is cute'despite him being a little creepy at times (in my opinion anyways)

But there is more to Yuki and his family then meets the eye. In fact to understand there secret its not eyes that have to meet, but skin (yes' bad joke on my part ^^; forgive me) As Tohru soon learns, when ever a member of Yuki's family gets hugged by someone of the opposite sex'. they transform into one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

Ok. Yes I know your all thinking 'Hmm, not to original, Iv seen this before in Ranma' (there's even Haru. Who, like Ryoga has a horrid sense of direction) But I tell you now, Fruits Basket is nothing like Ranma, its more down to reality, the characters are more believable and there situations seem real. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Ranma, this is different though)

But now its time for my opinion on Fruits basket:
This series is great! Its already one of my favorites, after watching it I had to watch it again, and again, and again until I knew it by heart. Fruits basket is heartwarming, it's funny, cute, and even a little Romanic at times (but you cant have a good series with out a little romance now can you?) But its not mushy and wont put you to sleep, and when it starts to get a little two sappy and you get a little tired, you cant drift off to sleep because one of the characters will blurt out something funny and the boredom will end shortly.

Also if your sick of 'school girl travels to another world' stories or animes that involve high school students saving the world from destructions Give fruits basket a try. The charters are WONDERFULL, there wasn't once I didn't like. I even found myself getting attached to Akito (being, mainly the 'villain' in this story'if you can even call him that.) I like Tohru as well' which is strange cause I usually find myself not liking the mane female character, they always seem to winery or too nice for there own good. Sure Tohru is nice, but the way she is believable.

This series is a must for anyone who likes cute stories, with out to much mush, remembered characters. And that wont bore the daylights out of you.

All in all, FRUITS BASKET ROCKS! I didn't hate the dub either, which I usually cant stand dubs.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Just Wonderful and Cute MUST WATCH
Review: If you've ever heard of this anime series chances are that you may think it's over rated, when in truth it's not! Here is what it says on the back:

Toru Honda is a cheerful 16 year old girl. She was orphaned when her mother was killed in a car accident. Not wanting to burden anyone, she buys a tent and begins to live in a forest. She is determined to finish school in order to fulfill her mother's last wish. It turns out that the land Toru is living on belongs to the Soma family. She is quickly invited to live in the Soma house (all males), as long as she is willing to cook and clean. One of the Soma's, Yuki, is the most popular boy at Toru's high school. He is swooned by girls constantly and is even referred to as the "prince" of the school. His cousins Shigure, Yuki's guardian, and Kyo make up the rest of the household. Toru knows that her living environment is out of the norm, but things turn out to get stranger. The members of the Soma family are possessed by animals and they turn into their true selves when they are embraced by the opposite sex! You can imagine Toru's surprise when she witnesses their secret. She promises not to tell a soul, but the "cat" may already be out of the bag.

Of course what is the main attraction to dvds compared to vhs are the Special bonuses like:

- Character Profiles
- Clean Opening and Closing Animation
- Trailers
- Behind the Scenes Featurette

This dvd is the first volume of Fruits Basket containing episodes 1-6 (there are a total of 26 episodes). I especially loved episode 6 because it was just hilarious! For more information about this series you can find it at their official English site @ fruits-basket.com

Toru really is a sweetie, she cares and loves everyone for who they are and not for 'what' they are. This is an important theme that I find we all must acknowledge with what is going on in this ever-changing world.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An unbelievably believable story about a pure hearted girl!
Review: In short, "Fruits Basket" is the best series I have seen in a long time. It's hilarious, heartfelt, and deep all at the same time. Although the medium is anime(Japanese animation) which I usually tend to think of as quite unrealistic, this is an astoundingly believable story. The writing is some of the best I have ever seen. Let me elaborate for you.

First of all, some background on the series is needed if you've never seen it. The series is based around a girl named Tohru. Tohru's mother died one year before the series began and when we come in on the story(the first episode) her grandfather, whom she'd been living with, is renovating the house. He goes to stay with other family, but asks Tohru to stay with a friend so she won't miss school. Well, not wanting to impose upon her friends, Tohru pitches a tent in the forest. The land she's camping on happens to belong to the family of a classmate named Yuki Sohma. Three cousins, one being Yuki, invite her to live with them. There, Tohru soon learns the dark secret of the Sohma's. They are all cursed to turn into animals of the Chinese Zodiac when embraced by the opposite sex of non-family members.

I have searched for a long time for something like this. This series not only helps me better understand who I am, but who I want to be. The characters are just so very well constructed that I can't help but love every one of them. There is something in every character, a characteristic, like unexplained anger, solemnity and mystery, or silliness that is just too eerily familiar. They remind me of myself. This is something that cannot be explained in words, but only through experience. This series has given me one more step forward towards understanding my life. There is a deep underlying theme to this series, and that is if you just be yourself, you will be fine.

As for the whole "cursed to turn into animals" thing, it may not be exactly "believable" as I stated in my summary, but it is an ingenious device that allows the writers to develop a schlew(that's the technical term) of analogies that make you(or me anyway) slap your forehead and go "Oh my god! That's what I've been trying to figure out about myself forever!" Well, not literally, but you get the point.

Aside from the deep end of it, lets move onto heartfelt. A relationship develops gradually between each character. You don't really even notice just how much you care about this relationship until they threaten to tear it apart once or twice. Out of respect for people who haven't seen it, I'll leave it at that. But I think it is a stroke of genius on the writers part. It makes you realize just how much you care about what's going on, and it keeps you eagerly anticipating the next episode.

And, oh yes, for anyone who doesn't get into all of that mushy stuff, and deep philosophical ..., this is also a comedy. This series has made me laugh harder than shows that are meant to make you laugh. And the best part is, the writers know when to be serious, and when to be funny so that they don't ruin something that could've been great. They made darn well sure that this would be great and nothing short of it.

To sum this up, I laughed, I cried, and then I thought about it. And then I laughed some more. And I recommend "Fruits Basket" to anyone. And I wish happiness and enlightenment to anyone who is fortunate enough to set eyes upon this beauty.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Definitely worth the money
Review: I've watched a lot of anime over the past few years, and my list of favorites is quite long, but this anime series tops the list. The story is very well done and the character development is satisfying. Even the minor characters are memorable and the main characters really hook the viewer with their personal struggles and triumphs.

When I saw the first episode, I thought, "Oh no, this is soooo cute I'm not sure I can handle all the sweetness," but then, the story began and I started laughing. Once you start laughing with Furuba (as the fans call it), you don't stop. The comedy occaisionally borders on the slapstick or the bizarre, but it's always in context and, by the end of the series, you want to watch it all over again.

I definitely reccomend this to anyone who wants to watch a really good, funny anime, which I think will become a classic title.

:)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Charming and beautiful show
Review: I have to admit, I picked up Fruits Basket simply based on the glowing reccomendations it receives. This is one of the rare anime series that has no (or at least none that I've seen) serious detractors. It seems like everyone who's seen it has nothing but positive comments.

I wasn't disappointed in this show at all. I can honestly say this is one of the most cute (but not annoyingly so) and touching series I've seen in a long time. On the surface the plot may seem similar to Ranma or some of the "harem" shows, with the main character surrounded by attractive but obstinant memebers of the other sex; but it's really much more intelligent and affective than you might think. I think Cardcaptor Sakura might be a better comparison, for the sort of innocent, cute, and emotionally charged feeling of the show.

Plus, the DVD transfer looks great. While the animation is simplistic, it looks really clean and I didn't notice any digital artifacts. Also, these DVDs are a great value price-wise. Even though the suggested retail price might be a bit more than you'd expect, the high episode count more than makes up for it. You'll wind up spending a lot less for four DVDs at six episodes each, than you would for a six or eight disc release (which is typical for a series of this length).


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