Review: Fruits Basket Another

“Don’t get lost. Give it a try. Go find the place that you’re wishing for.” Natsuki Takaya 

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Fruits Basket Another Volume 1 & 2 by Natsuki Takaya
Genre: Manga
Published by Yen Press, 2018
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Indiana

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Fruits Basket was one of the first manga I read when I was a kid and it was the only one I really enjoyed. I’ve picked up a few others since then and I actually took a lit class where manga and graphic novels were required reading. But I haven’t really found another that I clicked with quite as much as Natsuki Takaya’s series. 

When I saw that she was coming out with Another I was cautiously excited. The first series was wrapped up nicely and I think it was odd that after so many years, the author would decide to pick up the story line. 

Although I didn’t connect with these characters quite as much, Another shares the same attitude and tone as the original Fruits Basket. The story revolves around a nervous girl named Sawa Mitoma, whose upbringing has been the opposite of Tohru Honda, the protagonist of the original series. While Tohru’s mom was loving and constantly supportive, while Sawa’s mom is always away and when she does return, it’s only to berate Sawa. So it’s no wonder Sawa is skittish around other people and spends most of the first two books bumbling about. 

Early on in the series, she meets two boys from the Sohma family, which the rest of the school worships. She gets wrapped up in their world and they start inviting her to their family’s home for dinner, to student council meetings, and even on vacation. 

As she continues to make some friends, thanks to the Sohmas, and gets a job of sorts, we get a glimpse of some of the characters from the original series. We also get to meet their children which is kinda cool, and somehow makes me feel old. 

There’s also a bit of Sohma family drama playing out in the background, but the books only offer very brief scenes on those so it was difficult to become too invested. It also made the books feel less than cohesive; I kept wondering why that dramatic scenes were so important. 

I can’t say that I enjoyed these as much as the first series, but I am glad that Natsuki Takaya is revisiting the world of Fruits Basket and I’m interested in seeing how the rest of Another plays out.