Books like Fruits Basket: The Complete Collection

I was one of those girls who said, “I don’t like Shoujo because it is too predictable. There may be a few good things, but it’s mostly blah. Shonen, on the other hand, is exciting despite its cliché.” Truth be told, I really do like most Shonen. As for Shoujo, I’ve liked maybe 2-3 manga while I haven’t been impressed by most. Before writing off this genre, I decided to read one last Shoujo, Fruits Basket. After all, it is a classic example of the genre. Clearly I have been reading the wrong books, because I loved FB.Sure, the description is laughable. Granted, the first few chapters are chock full of clichés and quite predictable. However, this manga slowly takes a turn and manages to grow on you. It would have been easy to make this a comedy by focusing on the day to day life of the characters, a la Ranma ½, but Natsuki Takaya does a great job in creating a psychological story.I loved that the characters are all unique and well developed. The backstories showed how their personalities evolved and what made them as they are. Almost all of them had a difficult past, yet they grew up to be strong. Overall, it is an inspiring read with a lot of darkness and subtle metaphors. You might dislike it in the beginning (I did too), but somewhere in the middle it starts to become amazing. Definitely worth a read!