Where to Start with Natsuki Takaya
Natsuki Takaya is a Japanese manga artist best known for Fruits Basket, one of the most beloved shojo manga of all time. Her work explores themes of trauma, healing, and the redemptive power of human connection, wrapping them in stories that balance humor with genuine emotional depth. She received the Kodansha Manga Award in 2001 and has been creating manga since her debut in 1992.
Start here
Fruits Basket
Natsuki Takaya · 4600 pages · 1998 · Easy
Themes: family, healing, acceptance, supernatural
The best place to start with Natsuki Takaya. Fruits Basket follows Tohru Honda, a recently orphaned high school girl who stumbles upon the secret of the Sohma family: thirteen of its members are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac and transform into animals when embraced by someone of the opposite sex. What begins as a charming comedic setup becomes one of the most emotionally powerful manga ever written.
Why Start Here
Fruits Basket is Takaya’s masterpiece and the reason she is celebrated worldwide. The series starts light and funny, introducing the curse as a source of slapstick comedy, but gradually reveals the deep pain each Sohma carries. Tohru’s simple, radical kindness becomes the force that slowly changes everyone around her, and the story transforms into a profound exploration of abuse, isolation, and the long road to healing.
The series sold over 30 million copies and won the Kodansha Manga Award for shojo manga. It has been adapted into anime twice, the 2019 version being widely considered one of the best anime adaptations of any manga. The story resonates so deeply because it takes the emotional lives of its characters seriously, never dismissing their pain or rushing their growth.
What to Expect
A series that earns its emotional payoffs through patience. The early volumes are mostly comedic, introducing the various Zodiac members and their animal transformations. Around volume 5 or 6, the story begins to deepen, and by the midpoint it is dealing frankly with themes of parental abuse, self-hatred, and the courage it takes to let yourself be loved.
At 23 volumes, it is a significant commitment, but the Collector’s Edition omnibuses (12 volumes, collecting two originals each) make it more approachable. The series has a complete, satisfying ending, which is increasingly rare for long-running manga.
Alternatives
Natsuki Takaya · 2200 pages · 2007 · Easy
A quieter alternative if you want something shorter. Twinkle Stars follows Sakuya Shiina, a girl who finds comfort in the night sky, and the mysterious boy named Chihiro who appears in her life. It is a gentler, more intimate story than Fruits Basket, focused on loneliness and the slow process of learning to trust someone.
Why Read This
If Fruits Basket’s 23-volume length feels daunting, Twinkle Stars offers a more contained experience at 11 volumes. It shares Takaya’s signature emotional sensitivity and her talent for writing characters who carry invisible wounds. The romance is understated and sincere, and the stargazing motif gives the series a contemplative atmosphere that sets it apart from typical shojo manga.
What to Expect
A slow-burning romance with a melancholic undertone. Sakuya’s relationship with Chihiro unfolds gradually against a backdrop of personal loss and quiet resilience. Takaya’s art is clean and expressive, and her pacing gives emotional moments room to breathe. This is a good choice for readers who prefer character studies over plot-driven drama.