As I think many fans of Fruits Basket can tell you, this is far and away one of the most important, heartwrenching, beautiful volumes of the manga. It is undoubtedly a turning point in many ways.

Many times over the course of the series, Fruits Basket caused a lump to come to my throat. But as I read this one, I found myself actually shedding tears. The combination of art, dialogue, and scene setup came together to create an amazingly moving scenario. Even now, Tohru's outburst (I almost want to call it a soliloquy) to Kyo remains one of my favorite parts from the entire series. The flashbacks to Kyo's childhood were heart-tearing, but that only made Tohru's assertion that much more striking. And honestly, I can't see how someone could keep from crying when Tohru carries cat-Kyo home in her arms...that single panel made me stop, close the volume, and take deep breaths for about a minute, composing my emotions. Kazuma-sensei kneeling was just the crowning touch.

This is also, by the way, the volume that made me certain that, no matter what, Tohru and Kyo were meant to be together. :) ( )

This is my favorite part of the story so far, where you get a glimpse of Kyo's past. There is just such a diverse and unique characterization for each and every person in this series. I love it. ( )

Probably my favorite Fruits Basket so far. Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru are absolutely adorable in their various episodes, and I love finally getting to know more about Kyo-kun. And of course I'm excited about Ayame's episode. ( )

Urgh, well I knew this volume was coming, the one which reveals Kyo's true form. I hated it in the Anime and I hate it still in the Manga - it seems to have no correlation with the earlier tone of the story or even the story itself (almost stands as an independent spin-off story it's so divided), I can only presume the author got a bit bored and decided to try her hand at the science fiction genre, when she should stick to what she does best. I'd recommend missing this one altogether and going straight to volume 7, unless you're a die hard Kyo fan. ( )

Oddly, the character appearing on the front (Momji) does not appear in this volume. Outside of that little quirk I really enjoyed the volume. This is my first foray into the manga of this series although I've watched the entire anime series.

In this volume we rather pick up where the anime leaves off, with Kyo's secret being revealed in a rather sudden and alarming manner. I feel I need to do a comparison between the manga and the anime here because I truly liked the way the anime handled it better. However, I can understand why things occurred in the anime slightly different from the manga as this was the end of the anime and it needed a firmer resolution than the manga which continues on for many volumes. I'm not sure how I would have felt about it if I hadn't seen the anime first but as it stood I was slightly, perhaps unreasonably, disappointed.

All that aside, this was a very cute introduction to this series. There is a marked difference in the artwork style between the anime and the manga (IMHO) and I'm sure I will get used to the manga's style over time. I'm very curious to see where the storyline goes and this is another series I'll have to add to my "active manga" list. ( )