Manga: Fruits Basket - Chapter 1

I started reading Fruits Basket about six months ago but since I've stopped for a while and now that evil memory of mine has made me forget what happened in the series, I decided to read it again.

I really love the feeling I'm getting from this Manga. I'm always sad to hear there's no complete Anime adaptation because I love to watch something I enjoy! Anyway, I really am drawn to Tohru's personality. She lives in a tent and lost her mother, wow. Seriously, that's a big loss and the positive attitude she has really inspires me. Sometimes, reading about her makes me feel that life is pretty darn good!



The part where she walks in the Sohma house and sees the zodiac and asks why wasn't the cat there, I've always felt the same. The poor cat, why isn't he there? I really love how this Manga takes such a cool mythology and turn it into a story. What brilliant idea. Of course, I'm always super happy when they use a Chinese mythology!

I think if I was Tohru when I was a kid hearing the story, I would have reacted exactly how Tohru did when she heard about the cat. "POOR CAT!" Aw, it was really cute that Tohru wanted to change her animal because she loved the cat. I really like that she sticks up for the one that's been left out. I too, always felt strongly for situations like that.

So, I know Yuki and Kyo, I totally forgot the cousin's name. Damn! SHIGURE! That's it!

I love Tohru's two friends who look really scary but are really just looking out for her. I love how protective they are! I think Tohru needs a couple of friends like that! I'm loving Hana-chan's sensations of electric waves.

It's always interesting that when a character appears really nice, like Yuki when he met Tohru, and then reveal that he really hate something. It would feel that something really big is making them feel that way, because it almost feels out of character for him to hate something this passionately.

While Tohru told the story of her mother, I can't help but relate to what she's saying about "never thought that she would die". That would truly be sad, to not expect something! I seriously love Tohru's never giving up attitude. Whenever I see this, I feel really inspired.

The two guys caugt Tohru living in a tent! Later on, a landslide happened and Tohru's greatest fear is losing her mother's picture. It's so sweet, yet sad that sometimes, a picture is all you really have left as a memory of a person.

"I didn't tell her to be careful on the road. That morning of the car accident. I studied till morning and overslept. I couldn't get up. Every morning, I would say it... Only that day." - Those words really hit home. I know exactly how it feels to be angry with yourself for not doing something you always do, and then it's too late. The guilt for something like that can be so overwhelming!

It's amazing that Tohru can put on such a happy face and hide all the pain and suffering she's feeling. I don't think I'd be able to cover it that well. It was so sweet that her story touched the guys so much that they went out and got the picture for her.

Yay, they are offering Tohru a room to stay. That's so great, now she doesn't have to be in a tent and get exposed to the bugs. I am so happy for her! I really like how they said she just needed to be herself. I think being herself will be the best thing this family can ask for!

Ohh, MYSTERY! "As long as we don't get hugged by her"! (Okay, this isn't mystery for me because I've read half of this Manga before, but if I was reading for the first time, I'd be like OMFG WHAT ABOUT THE HUGGGINGGG???)

Oh wait, the mystery was like... revealed in this chapter. Tohru accidentally hugged Kyo, who just came in, and he TURNED INTO A CAT! Oh shit LOL! That scene where Tohru is holding a kitty is SO DARN CUTE!

Looks like there's a big mystery to why there's a curse on the Sohma's.

Overall Thoughts

Firstly, beautiful artwork by Takaya Natsuki, I love the character designs she created and all the art in this Manga, especially the different expressions (like embarassment, shock, anger, happy) - they're just done so well. I also really enjoyed the little snippets of introduction that Takaya included in the Manga. This has been a joy to read, it has a little bit of mystery, it's bright and happy and has heartwarming characters. What more could I ask for?

Random Thoughts about Pokemon

I'm really enjoying some of the marathon of Pokemon I'm having lately, particularly for the nostalgic feelings. While I watch, I often pick up little things which I want to talk about.

Questions about Brock

I'm sure absolutely everyone has thought about this. How does Brock see without opening his eyes? What does his eyes even look like?

Another thing about Brock, since he falls in love with nearly all the girls in the show, why doesn't he like Misty? Or at least, why didn't he the first moment he saw her? He even thought her sisters were beautiful.

Ash Bouncing Pokeball at Pikachu



Why was Ash trying to bounce the Pokeball on Pikachu in the first episode, since he usually just points it at them and make them return that way.

Ash without his Hat

I can never get used to Ash without his hat. It's like, I am not used to seeing exactly how his hair is! The hat kind of almost makes his head/hair shape look different, so when he takes it off, it almost feels as if his hair is going the wrong direction! Haha!



Does anyone think Ash looks too different without the hat?

How Many Times has Team Rocket Blasted off?

Wow, I bet other people has thought of this! Watching them blast off just made me wonder exactly how many times! They at least blast off once in every episode. Occassionally, they blast off 2-3 times. Perhaps altogether, it makes it 750-800 times? I have no idea. I saw a forum thread that said they blasted off 1,000,000 times! Poor Team Rocket...



That also lead me to another question. Often, we see them land in a horribly sticky situation. For example in Snow Way Out, their balloon was stolen and they were stuck in a hot spring. How did they get themselves out of it? There are other worse situations where they've landed on a branch and is about to fall off a cliff.

How the heck does Team Rocket get out of all t heir Sticky Situations?

Pokemon can teach Concepts

Pokemon can even teach the way animals grow through the evolution of Caterpie to Metapod and then to Butterfree actually shows how worms... No, not worms. Caterpillars become butterfree butterflies!

Another example is through the Pokemon names. Yes, many of the names are quite similar to the animal's real names. For example: Charmeleon for chameleon. As a kid, I never knew there was a real lizard called chameleon until I watched Pokemon. I also didn't know "Ditto" means the same.

The concept of DNA/Cloning was completely unknown to me until I watched Pokemon: The First Movie. The whole Mewtwo cloned thing really helped me learn the concept. Since English was my second language, I was slower at learning things. It's always nice when a kids Anime like Pokemon can teach me about science. It makes me much more exciting than just learning it from books.



Charizard's Disobedience

Charizard being the one to rebel has always confused me, considering the circumstances of how he joined the team, when Ash, Misty and Brock did everything to save his life, and he was so willing to join them. If I were to choose, I think Bulbasaur should have been the one that disobeyed, because he seemed to be the tougher, and even challenged Ash to a match before joining. It's interesting that Charizard finally listened to Ash after the second time, Ash did everything he could to make sure his flame didn't go out on his tail.

Attempted Explanations of some Confusing Anime Titles

Sometimes, we all watch an Anime title and become really confused with the title, wondering WTF? Why is it called that? Here's a list of attempted explanations to why some Anime are named what it is. Please note that some are predictions and therefore will not all be correct.



Azumanga Daioh

The manga author "Kiyohiko Azuma" decided to name the manga after himself. "Azumanga." Daioh roots from the popular magazine "Dengeki Daioh."

Bleach

In an interview with Tite Kubo; he said that the color that you normally associate with shinigami and death is black, but that was too plain. So he though white, but the readers would know that he was trying to get the oppisite of black, so he picked another name that means 'white' and got Bleach.

Clannad

"Clannad" translated to "family" or "clan" in Irish, and refers to the franchise's frequent theme of having a family that, while perhaps not blood-related, is close and strong. The name of the opening theme, Mag Mell, continues with the Irish theme, translating to "Plain of Happiness" in English.

Code Geass

Perhaps it's because C.C (and V.V) have a code and the code is what lets them be immortal. At the part in season 2 where C.C sees the Emperor in that place, she asks him why he took V.V's code. The code may be that symbol on C.C's head and then later on the Emperor's hand. Geass is the power that the story revolves around.

Cowboy Bebop

For Cowboy Bebop, apparently, bounty hunters are called "cowboys" in space, and their ship is called the Bebop.

Durarara

May be a reference to Dullahan from Irish mythology. Another prediction is that in episode 12, dollars spread by saying dura dura dura, so that's why the Anime may be called that.

Elfen Lied

The title Elfen Lied is German for "Elf Song", and pronounced approximately [ˈɛlfən liːt], although the correct German spelling would be "Elfenlied".

Fruits Basket

The title of the series is taken from a children's game, Fruits Basket (fu-ru-u-tsu-ba-su-ke-t-to?, where the 'tsu' represents the 't' in "fruit", making it plural in an incorrect way), in which the participants sit in a circle, and the leader of the game names each person after a type of fruit; when the name of a child's fruit is called, that child gets up and has to find a new seat. When the protagonist, Tohru Honda first plays this game in kindergarten, she is assigned "Onigiri" (rice ball), by her cruel classmates, but she does not mind because she thinks onigiri are delicious. Once the game is finished, and all of the children but Tohru are called, Tohru realizes that onigiri are not a type of fruit at all, and she realizes that she does not belong. Tohru comes to associate this game with the Sohma family, and that she does not fit in among them any more than an onigiri does in a basket of fruit. In volume 1 of the manga, after Yuki and Kyo bring Tohru home from her grandfather's house, she begins to feel like she belongs with the Sohma family. After this, she imagines herself as a child hearing "Onigiri" called in the game, symbolizing that she has finally found her place.

Full Metal Panic!

The creators actually said out right that they only named it that because it was English and sounded cool (and possibly a skewed reference to a movie called Full Metal Jacket).

Gravitation

Shuichi feels like Yuki has a gravitational pull and Shuichi can't get away from him.

Lucky Star

Lucky Star is a famous Japanese show. The main character is actually the hostess to that. That's why it's Lucky Star.

One Piece

One Piece refers to the treasure left behind by Gol D Roger (or Gold Roger, it's stated both ways in the Funimation subtitles) in the Grand Stream - it's referenced in the opening episodes of the first season, and is one of the reasons for Luffy being a pirate.

Psalms of Planets Eureka 7

Psalms = poem, song or story Eureka = 'I've found it' or new 7 = a perfect number, or perfection. So it literally means "The story of the planes that found perfection." Kinda makes scene if you consider the way the scrub's communicate and how Eureka and Renton felt abot each other and how they ended up. Planets is plural because if you remember that the planet they where on was just a giant shell around the earth. The "seven" in Eureka 7 refers to the "seven swell" which is an important phenomenon which occurs in the series.