Manga I've been reading part 2

I have a short attention span when it comes to series. It has to be a really good series for me to continue with it. If it gets too long, my mind wanders because the storylines I care about are spread so thin and a lot of filler episodes are thrown in. It drives me batty. Sometimes I'll go back to a series when a lot more volumes have been published and I can read sevral in a row. But most of the time, I just give up on the series. It's not just manga I do this with--anime and TV series too. I'm just not motivated enough! :) I couldn't get through the anime series of Rurouni Kenshin for the mere fact that I knew that the last season didn't follow the manga. Now I read through all 28 volumes of the manga because the best storyline is the last story arc! :)



I bought the first 7 volumes of Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya as they came out, but then stopped reading it. I think I got distracted by several other manga series I was reading at the same time, but I just picked them up to re-read. Tohru Honda is an orphan with a great attitude. When her grandfather remodels his home, he asks if Tohru can stay with a friend during the renovations. Rather than put her friends in uncomfortable situations, she stays in a tent in the woods. But the woods are owned by the Sohma family. After a landslide, the Sohma family allow Tohru to move in with them in exchange for doing the housework and cooking. Immediately after she moves in she discovers that the Sohma family have a dark secret--they are cursed by the Chinese Zodiac animals. When hugged by a member of the opposite sex (or they're sick) they transform into their zodiac animal!


The humor still makes me smile. The supposed hatred between the rat and the cat make me chuckle, but the story drags for me. So many side stories that I didn't care about. But this is one of the most popular shojo series the library owns, so I definitely understand the appeal.


What do teens in Glendale think about this series?


One teen reviewer wrote: "I love it. It's so funny! But there are very real life situations in it. The characters are so unique!Kyo is the best! "


Noemi wrote: "This is one of my favorite Shojo mangas ever. The stories are a little sad, but it has happy times too. And if you read it, you just have to read it ALL the way to the ending. It's soo awesome, it has everyting: comedy, romance, some action, etc. Now ENJOY~"


What more can I say? If you like longer running manga series that have a little bit of something for everyone, then try Fruits Basket!