Review: Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition, Vol.3 | Natsuki Takaya

This review is spoiler free.

“Your teacher has it backward. I don’t think you can like yourself until someone says they like you first. When someone accepts you, you can start accepting yourself. I think that’s when liking yourself becomes possible.” 

Series: Fruits Basket
Published: 2016, by Yen Press.
Pages: 392
Format: Paperback
Genre: Sequential Art, Manga, Fantasy, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Romance
Contains: Strong Language, Death, Suicide, Grief, Violence, Bullying, Mental Health, Mental Illness

‘Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition, Vol.3’ continues Tohru Honda’s life living with the Sohma family. Spring is approaching, and Shigure takes Yuki, Tohru and Kyo to the Sohma vacation home to make the most of Golden Week. However, the peace doesn’t last when another Sohma drops in. It was only a matter of time before Kyo’s secret is revealed.

It’s no secret to this blog that I hold Fruits Basket very close to my heart, so returning to the tale has been a joy for me. Rediscovering my love for the story and it’s characters has been an easy process, adoring every second spent within its pages.

In this instalment, Tohru Honda continues to develop into a beautiful character, revealing more of her mature side and kindness to both Yuki and Kyo. Emotions are running high, all three of them spiralling into turmoil, but Tohru’s kindness pulls them back towards each other. She is the central character in this universe, and it’s very clear in this volume to see the powers she has with everyone she comes into contact with.
Yuki withdraws more in this volume, revealing another side to him that many don’t get to see. In this, we realise that Prince Yuki is so much more than that, letting down his guard and showing Tohru who he really is.
Kyo has a similar development in this instalment, mainly based on acceptance and love. This side to Kyo was beautiful to see, once again showing Tohru’s abilities to have people open up around her and how much they treasure her character.
In this volume, a few more characters are introduced, with their own subplots, which we see develop and conclude further in the volume. What I love about this series is how impossible it is to dislike a character, them all having their own quirks and so much can be learned from them all.

The writing itself is nothing short of beautiful, touching on topics such as; bullying, friendship, loyalty, and love. These important subjects all tie together by the importance of kindness and support, which is something I hold very dear to me. It’s in Fruits Basket that we can learn this, and for that I am forever grateful.

Overall, I loved this volume. The stakes are rising slowly, yet the characters we meet along the way are more than enough to satisfy you.

5/5