Story [10/10]: The base of the story was wonderful and perfect to weave a long story including people associated with the zodiac. The main concept that keeps the story rolling is the fact that each person, who is possessed by an animal spirit associated with the chinese zodiac, suffers from emotional hardships because either their own parents won't accept them or society wouldn't. The one causing them to suffer even more is their head of the house who is constantly mentally pressuring them to obey whatever he tells. And the one who comes to ease their pain is Tohru Honda. Interactions of each zodiac member with Tohru and a change in their attitude and stance against their own curse and the head of the house is what makes up the full 23 vols of this series. The story is heavily based on human emotions - mostly negative on the part of the zodiac members and a mixture of both positive and negative on Tohru's part. I also should add that the manga is not all comic, as the anime was for most of the part, as the series progresses. From the point in the manga equivalent to where the anime finished, you'll get to read a lot of negative thoughts and emotions. Sometimes while reading the manga, it really made me wonder- is this the manga of the same story as the anime? Overall though the story gets quiet dark , there are also lots of good comic situations- most really well executed in the anime. Since the series has a lot of volumes, the story isn't rushed. We get to read about the family background of most of the zodiac members is quiet a bit of detail. Each character's story makes a definite impact on the reader. Their gradual acceptance of the situation they are in and attempts to break free of all that emotional trauma of years is smoothly conveyed.
Art [8/10]: The art throughout the 23 vols is not having the same style. If you open the first vol and the last vol. and look for any character, you'll see the huge difference. I somewhat felt let down by that. But never mind since its the story that matters the most. other that the obviously changed style of drawing characters, the art is clean. Backgrounds are well drawn. Body proportions are also reasonably well drawn. Panels are not cluttered.
Character [8/10]: Another strong point of the manga. All characters have distinct personalities which you won;t be able to forget. All the characters have quiet a bit of dark streaks to their personality mostly because of their surroundings and the hardships they have had to face all the more fuelled by their twisted head of the family. The head of the family is abusive. This is one thing I didn't enjoy personally. But its also what drives the other characters to behave the way they do. The other thing that I didn't personally like was the way Haru and Rin's relationship has been portrayed- a little bit too involved for their age. Similarly, Akito's relationship with his own relatives also seemed a bit uncomfortable for me. I'm only explicitly mentioning this since this manga has been rated Teen (13+) by Tokyopop, so I wasn't expecting mature natured interactions between the characters. Apart from that, none of the characters are annoying and their gradual change of perspective of things believable.
Enjoyment and Overall [8/10]: Its easy to go berserk when you've been put in unpleasant surroundings or situations repeatedly. But to not break down in those situations and still enjoy today and look forward to tomorrow is what the protagonist of this series tries to convey. I think people today need such motivation more than ever. Overall, it was a fun long read. The plot was attention grabbing and the storytelling smooth. Recommended!
