Welcome to a review I never expected to have to write because who thought Furuba/Fruits Basket would get a continuation/sequel series?

I'm not gonna bother marking this as spoilers - if you read Furuba then nothing in this volume will spoil you for who got with who. If you didn't read Furuba, why are you reading this and second you won't likely understand the references that are spoilers so it doesn't matter.

Furubana is...confusing. At least if you try to connect the "new generation" to the old. It doesn't help that our main character is so... lacklustre. Tohru had the redeeming quality that despite her hardships she had two friends who genuinely CARED for her and a mother who loved her so so much when she was alive.

And destiny but don't trust that fickle bitch because you'll wind up thinking that Yuki and Tohru will wind up together and be heart broken when he Medea-complexes himself straight to the FRIEND ZONE.

I'm still bitter, bite me.

Mitoma is...just there. Like a shadow. She's brow beaten, depressed and timid. Her mother appears to be THE WORST and she has no friends at all since she's new to the school (yes the same one every single Sohma seems desperate to attend). She's rescued by Yuki's oldest son Mutsuki (who's practically Ayame) from Mr. Class Present Takei from the original series who is now a teacher and OMG he pervs on Mutsuki and is STILL PROFESSING LOVE AND WORSHIP OF YUKI.

Which seems fair since Hanajima's brother is also a teacher (love love love) and...I forget the Prince Yuki fan club president's name, anyhow her daughter runs the Sohma Clan Appreciation Cult.

History repeats itself.

We meet Yuki's son, Rin/Haru's twins, Tohru/Kyo's son, Hatori/??'s daughter (please be Hanajima's daughter), Yuki's other son who appears to possibly be unable to go outside for some reason and Yuki's niece (Manabe's brother's daughter). The vaguest of all references are made to the original cast, though in the asides they're more explicitly referenced. Other vague allusions to the now broken curse as well.

Overall I was underwhelmed. Mostly because I don't want to follow such a dreary girl - maybe if this was longer but it'll only be three Vols and I would have preferred three "slice of life" adventure Vols of how all the kids are then an introduction to a new unrelated completely gal. ( )

I was really anxious when a sequel to Fruits Basket was announced. I've had very little luck with sequels living up to their predecessors, but this one did not disappoint.

This series takes place a whole generation after Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo crossed paths. Their children are now attending the same high school, and of course there are fan club girls wherever the Somas are. This series focuses on Sawa, a very anxious and closed off girl who is just starting high school. When she meets Mitsuki and Hajime Soma her life begins changing for the better.

I only have two major critiques for this volume. The first being it was a little rough to start. The story and dialogue didn't flow very smoothly, and I had a really difficult time figuring out when in the Fruits Basket timeline this story takes place - the back cover synopsis made it seem like it took place JUST after Tohru graduated. However, I was sooo excited when I realized it focuses on the next generation of Somas.

My other critique is that I really dislike Sawa. Her character is so over-the-top with her anxiety that it's pretty clear she's only there as a vessel to highlight the Soma family. It's really disappointing because she is extremely relatable until her anxiety becomes so extreme it's almost caricature. When that happens, I lose a lot of empathy and personal connection with her.

Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised. A couple hiccups at the get-go, but this new installment of the Fruits Basket compendium does not disappoint. The new generation of Somas encompass a beautiful blend of their parents' characters that you immediately fall in love with, and it's fun trying to figure out which parents belong to which kids. I'm looking forward to the next two volumes! ( )