Fruits Basket

If I had to pick a favorite anime of all time, Fruits Basket would be it. I've seen it about 15 times all the way through and last Christmas, my husband bought me the boxed set. I love the artwork and the acting in this one. But what I love most of all is the sweet Tohru Honda and watching how her kindness changes the members of the Soma family for the better. It's too bad that this anime ends while the manga continues.

There was obviously more story here, but for some reason, the company producing the anime chose not to finish it. Oh well. That's the way it goes sometimes. Even great stories get canceled because they're too expensive to keep producing.

In case you didn't know, the members of the Soma family all transform into animals from the Zodiac when they are touched by a member of the opposite sex. This includes other cursed members of the Soma family. Thanks to problems with her living situation, the orphaned Tohru ends up living with 3 members of the Soma family. As bad as they think they've got it (being cursed and all), living with Tohru shows them that they're lives don't completely suck. Also, there's this big hint that something about Tohru makes her the key to breaking the Soma family curse. But, you have to read the manga to find out how that happens.

This totally goes against my standard 5 star ranking system, but Fruits Basket tops the charts with a whopping 12 stars. Why? Because I love this anime so much. I think it's awesome. The only thing I would change if I could would be I'd have them finish it.