Fruits Basket Volume 9 by Natsuki Takaya

Obsessed. I am obsessed with this series. This may the best thing that you are not reading (given that you haven't discovered furubu yet).

When I first came across this manga, I was turned off. I thought to myself that if they couldn't even bother to correct the title to read "Fruit Baskets", then I did not want to even know what was inside. Curiousity got to me (once again) and I purchased Volume 1 on a whim two summers ago.

I absolutely fell in love with Tohru Honda, who is the main character among a cast of many. She touches your heart like no other. I'm serious about this. Ms. Takaya has developed characters that stay with you long after you finished reading the manga.

Right now, I dread reaching the end. I think that there are 10 more volumes in the series, but I may be wrong.

Ms. Takaya is an amazing mangaka. I find myself reading each frame and then looking at the art, relishing the details in the drawings. The characters are each unique. She has developed their different personalities with each volume. The Sohma clan are possessed by spirits of the Chinese Zodiac (minus Tohru and her two friends). If a member of the opposite sex hugs them, they turn into the Zodiac animal that they represent. I know this sounds silly; it did to me. You just have to read it. Trust me, you will not regret it. There is a reason why this is the most popular manga here in the United States as well as overseas.

I am definitely a furubu maniac!!