Just got vol. 8 of the Fruits Basket manga! ^_^ I'm very happy since this is where the story goes beyond what was in the anime! Ritsu is introduced, and so is Rin (although her actual appearance is only right at the end). *sigh* I love this series! At the heart of it, its a story about people learning how to care for each other and themselves, and that's what makes it so warm and wonderful! The intrigue of the zodiac curse and the comedy of the transformations are really just a nice bonus. It's definitely my favourite manga!
A very close second would be Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (aka Hana Kimi or For You in Full Blossoms). The story premise isn't the most unique--girl pretends to be a guy so she can attend the same high school as her high jump idol--but there's just something so lovely and sweet about Mizuki and Sano's relationship! Now that I tihnk of it, I guess there is one major similarity between Mizuki and Tohru's characters: they're both very caring people, always concerned about the feelings of others.
Ahh...Of course I picked an awful time to start re-reading HanaKimi, with all my papers and whatnot. But oh well. =P
