The best way to describe manga is the Japanese version of comic books. They come from all different genres. It can be dark or playful. I was first introduced to this style of story telling in middle school with the series, Fruits Basket.  (I think everyone remembers their first fondly.) I reminisced on this series when I saw a news article talking about an animation company trying to reboot the series into a modern version. It brought back memories of the story that I followed for so long.

Fruits Basket tells the story of a young girl that comes across a cursed family and starts living with them. She endures hardships and challenges while interacting with this colorful cast of characters. In the end, will she be able to help this family break their curse? It is hard to say if you don’t read the series.

I loved the books. I waited each new addition with anticipation and was always trying to guess the next step in the story. I read them more than once and still have a few copies of the series as it was my intro to the fantastical world of manga. I still think others will love the story despite it being produced years ago, because it has fantasy elements and you can always expect some twist when it comes to the story line. The modern version cleans up the quirky humor and old animation style of the previous animation series. I can’t wait to see the fan base of this series grow with new fans and old fans like me coming back to reminisce.

So why not discover Fruits Basket via the old animation series, new animation series, or manga? Maybe you will fondly remember your first introduction to manga or this could be your introduction.