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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: This series is amazing :)
Review: This was the first anime series I ever watched, and I have to say, it set the bar high. I'm kind of a tomboy, and usually prefer exciting battle scenes above anything else. This series is my exception to that rule. The plot is not always cheery; as you delve into the pasts of the characters,you almost always find heartache. But in spite of that, I always find myself smiling by the end of every show. The story moves along smoothly, almost predictably, but I rarely find myself bored. All in all, a great series to watch again and again, and a good starting point to get your friends addicted to anime :).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buy The Whole Series!!!
Review: You've got to buy the whole series. It is good from start to finish. I would highly recommend this for females, teens to adult. There are no major fight scenes. Just a good balance of humor and touching scenes. Many lessons on patience and morals. A great ending. Fruits basket is a game that the main character, a teenage girl, played as a child, in kindergarten. The scenery in this anime, is truly a feast for the eyes. It's a beautiful story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: this movie is awesome!
Review: I am a beginner to anime, this was the second ever anime I have watched, and it blew me away! This DVD is definatly for the romantic and comedy lover, watching this anime really leaves you feeling all fuzzy inside. Don't get me wrong, this anime should appeal to boys as well! It is very funny and there are little bits of humourus violence too.

The first episode might turn you off, it is a bit over the top and seems a little strange (maybe I wasn't used to anime though) but don't be discouraged, the second one really got me started on the series and I almost cried when I finished the DVD. You get really attached to all the characters and want the best for them all. The special features are really amazing, there is a behind the scenes featurette and character profile, plus textless songs. I realy liked the dub for this anime, I was getting annoyed with Yuki's voice so I tried it in Japanese, and boy was I shocked to find out that his voice was played by a girl, truely a horrible choice! Othere than that, that dubs were really well chosen. And you really get a good offer, 6 episodes on one DVD!

If you are new (or experianced) to anime then you are making the right choice, this anime is beautiful even from its opening song. A great choice!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Life At The Sohma House Is A Zoo
Review: Fruits Basket (also called "Furuba" by fans) is a story about finding your place, a place where you can supposedly "just be yourself." When Tohru Honda loses her mother, the only family she's ever had, she is lucky enough to stumble across the home of "Prince" Yuki, the most adored boy in her high school. When he and his cousin Shigure learn of Tohru's problem (how she's living in a tent not wanting to burden anyone) they offer her a place in their home in exchange for housework. What Tohru doesn't know is that almost every member of Yuki Sohma's family carries a so-called, "curse." This curse has been bestowed on 13 unlucky members of Yuki's family and it has been proved when touched by a member of the opposite sex or put under a great deal of stress they encounter a transformation into one of the 13 animals of the of the Chinese Zodiac. (13 including the "poor cat.")

Focus On The Anime

This review is really meant for people who have started to read the manga and want to watch the anime.
(Even though I did it backwards...he he)

Story: B+
Like in the manga the true story of "Fruits Basket," spanning in 26 episodes, really un-ravels when Tohru Honda promises not to tell a soul about the Sohma family curse. Below is a list for fans of some of the things different from the manga that kind of disappointed me (I have only done this to inform you that the anime is funny, but it is not as rewarding as the manga. I had realized this after I watched the anime and started to read the manga):

1.Although I have only reached volume three in the English manga, I have noticed at least one or two moments in the manga that do not occur in the anime. And as a critic, I think it wouldn't have hurt to put those in somewhere.

2. Also, although I haven't reached the end of the manga I know there are two characters (the horse and rooster) that do appear. I would just like to say that they do not appear let alone get a mention in the anime.

3. Another thing pointed out to me by fans is Tohru's eye color. In the anime the animators were somehow possessed to change her eye color from the original brown in the manga to the new and improved blue.

4. Having watched the anime to it's fullest I was quite disappointed with it's ending, but fortunately I had then received the news that the manga extends beyond that crappy anime ending, which is why I had started to read Fruits Basket in the first place, even after watching the full English and Japanese anime.

Dubbing: A
I was amazed at how each character portrayed their personality through each voice, and having heard the Japanese actors, which were also very good, it made me even more surprised how well some of the English voices fit the characters just as well.
Another thing that surprised me was "Fruits Basket" supporting English dubbing company, FUNanimation, who was really used for dubbing dramatic fighting animes...why they would take a chance with Japan's popular "Furuba" I don't know, but they did a pretty decent job on it.

Yuki's Voice- He did sound a little bit dull and emotionless. Well, actually he sounded a bit like he was on crack or something but a good thing was that the voice made him sound a bit sarcastic when delivering his comeback lines, which was better cause he really used to bore me. Also, although I did say that he sounded a little plastered the voice did kind of suit the calm, cool, and collected attitude of Yuki Sohma.

Kyo's Voice- Jerry Jewell deserves a mention for this one. I would have to say Kyo's probably one of my favorites because of his fine acting job. Whether it was one of his hilarious hot headed fits of rage or a calm touching moment to remember the moment the voice was perfect in every way imaginable.

Shigure's Voice- Another fantastic job! Jhon Burgmeler, had me literally laughing out loud with his dubbing of the voice of Shigure, the hilariously, childish, jokester of the Sohma family.

Tohru's Voice- Ok call me mean, but our high-school heroine's voice was dubbed as a cute squeaky 8 year old...but I must say at some times Laura Balley's voice did suit her. But from what I noticed the only time it seemed to get better and more mature was when she cried.

If you are reading the manga and have seen the Japanese version of this anime like I have, you will also notice a change in some of the lines. Here are two new improved lines from the English anime said by our one and only Shigure that go somewhat like this:

1."That's something we like to call misdirected rage, I believe the technical term is being as a$$..."-Shigure (About Kyo yelling at someone.)

2."Better not, the closest thing Yuki has seen to a mop is that haircut of his."- Shigure (Tells Tohru when Yuki offers to help her clean.)

Rather then pick on the new dubbing. I simply laid back and watched it all, finding I ended up enjoying both versions of each line, laughing harder during the English version because well, it was in English!

Music: B
In all honesty, I was never really partial to the Fruits Basket theme song in Japanese or English. I found it dull and sort of sad and compared to how much humor was in the show... I don't know it didn't seem to fit it. The sad part is I never really paid attention to the subtitles of the Japanese theme so I wouldn't know the difference between that and the dubbed lyrics, but after really really listening to the English dubbed theme I found it to be sort of clever, lyric wise. Without me realizing it the lyrics made quite a few references to the show itself, such as the line "Let's stay together always..." which has only one reference, which I will not reveal to people who haven't read or watched it. The ending them however I hated in English and in Japanese, it was one of those songs that would just annoy the crap out of you. It made no sense and it had no clever references to the show at all. The background music was ok, it's really just typical cartoon music, it never really seemed to have a genre like the background of maybe "Ai Yori Aoshi" which themed around the traditional Japanese sound.

Conclusion: B+
All in all I got a kick out of most of the episodes, and I would probably age rate it at 13 and up for some mild cursing. Enjoy it, and although I'm a tough critic it's most definitely worth the watch...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Where to start...
Review: First off the story, about the young and helpful Tohru Honda becoming the house keeper of the Soma family, a family who are cursed to turn into an animal of the Chinese zodiac if hugged by the opposite sex, is both funny and touching. The characters are all well developed and the background is very detailed. The interaction can be a tad wild at times, but what's anime without some combat and silly faces?
We learn a lot about all the characters in the six episodes on this DVD. SIX episodes, over two hours, 123 minutes! Now include the extras, like character profiles, textless songs, a behind the scenes featurette, and you have a wonderful story at a wonderful value. The songs are also something to listen to, perfect for this series.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Anime at its best.
Review: Fruits Basket is quite an interesting anime, at first the show seems to over the top, and can turn off potential viewers with the giant eyes and the crazy fan club girls, but on episode two the show really kicks off, and with the introduction of new characters, each of whom are unique and different in their own way and devolop quite a bit over the course of the series, the show becomes even funnier, as a note Fruits Basket has an amazing dub, for those who like dubs, in fact, most of the time I watch this series dubbed.

As a note I consider the Fruits Basket DVDs to be really the first truely amazingly done DVDS, at the time (Or at least to my knowledge) most Anime discs had 2-5 episodes and th only features were textless endings (Can you say crappy and boring?) but Fruits basket has not only previews for other Funimation stuff, but interviews, a documentary of the "eye catches" (Which are explained in the documentry) and even behind the scenes footage. AND 6 episodes per disc, and the disc has 3 regions, any fan of special features would freak out, why the only way they could get any better would be is if it came with a poster or something rather.

Overall I suguest Fruits Basket to anyone who is willing to give it a chance, the anime has elements from many genres and is a perfect balance of Comedy and Character devolopment.

Buy it today.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My Favorite Anime, 100%!
Review: It all started when my friend brought over the first FB graphic novel. Well, I read it and got hooked on it, which resulted in buying the series only a week later. This anime is just the GREATEST anime I have ever seen, it's not full of lousy filler episodes, like DBZ, or pointless violence, or big mechas that fight each other, it's just an adorable little story that forces me to watch it again and again. (No lie, I'm currently on my 3 time through the series, which has made me put off watching my Roswell season 1 set and Angel season 3 set.)

I love how the members of the Zodiac in the Sohma family are portrayed like the Chinese Zodiac's description of them. For example, Haru, the cow (ox), seems so quiet, and then his temper just explodes and he goes "black". I just love that because I was born under the sign of the Ox, and I'm exactly the same way.

The characters are great and not horribly over-cliche. Tohru isn't one of your typical braindead "blonde" main females, she's very sweet, but in a way that seems real. (Although I'm not fond of hearing her speeches time and time again.) My three favorite characters are Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame. I still fall over with laughter when Ayame and Shigure make some "naughty" comments to each other as Torhu, Yuki, and Kyou just freak out about it. Also, Hatori, I just feel so sorry for the poor guy, he's so sweet, I just wanna hug him! ^_^

But the biggest props have to go to Funimation. Most of the English dubs you hear are just horrible and watered down compared to their Japanese counterparts. Fruits Basket is nothing like that. The majority of the script is the same, so you're not missing out on as much from the Japanese version, compared to other animes (Sailor Moon and Yu-Gi-Oh! are prime examples). Also, the English voice actors are really great too. I've always been a bigger fan of listening to Japanese voice acting than English, but FB's English cast is great, none of the characters have that whiny tone that I'm so used to hearing in other animes.

I give Fruits Basket a perfect 5. Everyone who loves anime should get it


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