Fruits Basket - Vol. 4 Details

These Fruits Are Good For You

A great end to a fantastic series. Fruits Basket has gone from fluffy and girly to dark and almost existential with its themes of curses, lost loves and tragic family history. Although this volume starts out funny and light-hearted with a visit to Ayame's cross dressing shop (!), it soon takes a twisted turn as we find out more about the Sohmas. Just why does Kyo wear those black and white beads, and has Tohru got the character to face up to the terrible truth behind the zodiac curse?

The last few episodes are both bleak and beautiful as they explore the heart of the Fruits Basket story - the need for belonging and the difficulty of accepting all sides of a person. A portion of Fruit definitely worth getting.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Underwhelming Ending.

One episode in this volume did have me laughing away. Tohru Honda remains the sweet girl, solving problems with her words and innocent attitude. Yet, I can't help feeling underwhelmed.

The number of episodes dedicated to gearing towards the obvious conclusion involving Kyo's 'true form' was disappointing and the final ending felt lacking, despite its positive tone.

The effect of Tohru's words on the surly characters - whilst a great message for children - begins to break to limits of believability, long having stretched those limits.

Ultimately, there are many positive lessons here to learn and the themes of acceptance, non-violence and the power of words provide children with a good moral framework.

Just don't expect yourself to be able to suspend disbelief for the duration.