Information on the general series:

            Hoshi Wa Utau is Natsuki Takaya’s current ongoing shojo manga. Her first main work was a “mini manga” titled Tsubasa Motso Mono (not to be confused with Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRONiCLE by CLAMP or Captain Tsubasa) and her most well known manga in both Japan and the US is Fruits Basket. Fruits Basket has one numerous awards and was also in the Guinness Book of World Records for 2008 as the most popular shojo manga in the world. Hoshi Wa Utau is not currently serialized in the United States. The manga is published monthly in Hana To Yume magazine.

 

 

 

Characters:

(note: the profiles follow the Japanese format for names in which the last name is listed before the first)

 

Shiina Sakuya:

 

An 18 year old girl and forever optimist. (Fruits Basket fans will often see her as the counterpart to Tohru Honda.) She was a frail child and would throw up often. Her parents always seemed to be disappointed in her. When she was in middle school, her parents got a divorce and she went to live with her dad and his wife. His wife couldn’t stand her and often said mean things to Sakuya (like calling her an alien and such) and she caused Sakuya a lot of pain. Sakuya decided one day that she couldn’t stand living there anymore so she ran away and was later taken on by her [current] guardian, Kanade. She’s the president of the Star Gazing Club and likes nothing better than to look at the stars twinkle.

 

Relationship with Aoi Chihiro

 

She’s very attracted to him and later on decides that she’s in love with him. However, it is very unclear whether or not her feelings are one sided because Chihiro often does one thing and says another…

 

Relationship with Kanade

 

Kanade took her in and acted as her guardian after she left her father’s house. Sakuya is eternally grateful to him.

 

Relationship with Murakami Yuuri

 

Yuuri is one of Sakuya’s best friends and is a part of the Star Gazing Club. (Did I mention the club only consists of four people? Sakuya, Yuuri, Hijiri, and later Chihiro.) Yuuri has some feelings for Sakuya though he won’t admit it, and he often defends her whenever he feels that she’s been hurt. Sakuya is oblivious to his feelings and sees him as just a close friend that she can count on.

 

Relationship with Honjou Hijiri

 

She is Sakuya’s best friend (besides Yuuri.) She’s very beautiful and has a dry sense of humor, often teasing Yuuri just to see him get worked up. Sakuya refers to her as “Sei-chan.” Hijiri tries to protect Sakuya from getting hurt at all costs, and has no shame confronting anybody who hurts her (though she doesn’t beat them up, like Yuuri does, her methods are just as effective.) In one panel, Sakuya connects Chihiro to be the “male version” of Hijiri because of his calm demeanor and tendency to smile at someone whenever he mocks them.

 

Aoi Chihiro:

 

He says he’s 18, he says he’s in High School, he says he’s from Tokyo. One of the most mysterious characters in the series, there’s not many things to say about him that stand definite. He comes off as extremely pessimistic. Chihiro is usually calm but there are times when he kind of blows up.  It’s hard to say who his Fruits Basket counterpart is, but I’d say he’s a mix of Sohma Kyo, Sohma Akito (even if Akito is a girl), a little of and a little of Hanajima Saki. Confusing combination, but if you had to match him up with one character, it would be Hanajima Saki, in a more masculine sense. As far as character design goes, he looks very similar to Sohma Kyo.

 

Relationship with Shiina Sakuya

 

It’s very hard to say what his relationship is with Sakuya. Like it’s stated in Sakuya’s profile, he says one thing and does another. When he first meets her he is very kind to her. When Sakuya runs after him to ask if they can meet again he compliments her by saying that her personality makes her an amazing person. Later when they meet again, he completely changes his attitude and tells her that he never wants to speak to her again and that he hates her. When he moves to her school he’s cold towards her and tells her that being nice to her is something he cannot do. Every time she asks if they can speak together on good terms, he refuses. When Sakuya makes a speech about the Star Gazing Club and stumbles over her words, people start laughing at her. Chihiro runs up to her and hugs her, which is completely out of character for someone who makes it clear that he hates her. Later he explains that he just felt bad that people were laughing at her and the hug didn’t mean anything. However, he comforts her later on when she encounters her step mom, and appears to have run to find her. He later exclaims that it’s “getting harder and harder to push her away.” 

 

Relationship with Kanade

 

When Kanade asked him if he was Sakuya’s boyfriend, he lied to him and said yes. Kanade then invited him over for Sakuya’s 18^th birthday, which is when Chihiro first met Sakuya. Later when Kanade finds out from a confused Sakuya that Chihiro is not her boyfriend (Sakuya thought he was a friend of Kanade) Kanade gets very angry that he was deceived and tells Sakuya that, if she sees Chihiro, not to speak to him. He also offers to burn the dress Chihiro gave Sakuya for her birthday. Later when Chihiro comes over to apologize for his lie, Kanade orders him to clean his bathroom. Kanade (probably happier since Chihiro took it upon himself to apologize) says that he wasn’t mad at Chihiro, he was just “pissed off.”

 

Relationship with Murakami Yuuri

 

Yuuri, seeing from the beginning that Sakuya is attracted to Chihiro, is cold towards Chihiro right off the bat. He’s jealous that Sakuya has feelings for him and later gets furious when he finds out that Chihiro isn’t returning those feelings. Even though Yuuri loves Sakuya, he can’t stand to see her rejected or hurt. Chihiro doesn’t seem to think much of Yuuri, but just the mention of Chihiro’s name makes Yuuri angry.

 

Relationship with Honjou Hijiri

 

Sakuya once said that Chihiro is like the “male version” of Hijiri. He doesn’t dislike her and she doesn’t dislike him, but every time he says something mean to Sakuya she makes it clear to him that he better start acting nicer towards her. Chihiro strangely seems to respect Hijiri despite the fact he appears not to respect anybody else. She also seems to respect him despite the fact that she in turn does not respect anybody else. There are no romantic feelings between them. They’re bond is interesting, almost like they’re the same person. FANFICTION IDEA!

 

 

Kanade:

 

Kanade hails from Tokyo. He was a university student, but claims to be “taking a break.” He’s the current guardian of Sakuya. Kanade has a lazy personality that puts some people off, but as Sakuya knows, he really is a great person no matter how lazy he is. His Fruits Basket counterpart would probably either be Sohma Hatori or Sohma Hatsuharu. As far as character design goes, he looks very similar to Sohma Kureno, but he’s oh so much better and doesn’t let little ladies push him around (unlike Kureno).

 

Relationship with Shiina Sakuya

 

When Sakuya left her father’s house, he took her in and has been her guardian ever since. He has a fatherly protection of Sakuya and treats her as if she was his own child. Sakuya has said that he’s “like an older brother you look up to.” Kanade’s fatherly protection of Sakuya is rather comical at times, especially when it comes to Aoi Chihiro, Sakuya’s object of affection.

 

Relationsip with Aoi Chihiro

 

When Kanade first meets him he asks Chihiro if he is Sakuya’s boyfriend. For reasons currently unknown, Chihiro says he is, even though it appears he has never met Sakuya. Kanade is a bit put off that Sakuya didn’t tell him that she was dating someone, but since Chihiro seems like a nice guy he invites him over to celebrate Sakuya’s birthday. Later when he finds out from Sakuya that Chihiro was is not her boyfriend, he becomes furious that he was deceived and tells her never to talk to Chihiro again. When Chihiro comes to apologize to Kanade for lying, Kanade just orders him to clean his bathroom and later tells him (probably happy that Chihiro apologized) that he wasn’t mad at him for lying, he was just a little “pissed off.”

 

Relationship with Murakami Yuuri

 

This relationship is rather comical. Kanade doesn’t appear to think much of Yuuri, but Yuuri is always going on about how Kanade is lazy and not good for anything, which often triggers Sakuya to defend Kanade. Yuuri has no problem saying these things to Kanade’s face, but Kanade never seems to be fazed by it. If at all, he’s amused by Yuuri’s insults. Kanade often teases Yuuri about his height, telling him that “anybody shorter than me cannot enter this house. Except for Saku, that is.”

 

Relationship with Honjou Hijiri

 

This is a very odd relationship. Despite her being much younger than him, Hijiri sometimes talks to Kanade as if he was a small child being taught by her. She gives him advice and the strange thing is that he often listens. Whatever side relationship they have-if they even have one, is unknown. FANFICTION IDEA!

 

 

 

Murakami Yuuri:

 

He first appears coming through a window, claiming that it’s a shortcut to the classroom. When Hijiri mocks him for this, he says excitedly that it made him look kind of like Spiderman. In some ways, Yuuri is very childish but he’s a good friend. For children’s day, his brother hangs up Koi for Yuuri which infuriates Yuuri and sets him off on a rant about how he’s not a child anymore. Yuuri is short in both height and temper, which makes his Fruits Basket counterpart Nao. Nao is a rather minor character in Fruits Basket. Yuuri’s appearances and attitude make him the perfect counterpart. The difference, however, is that Yuuri is less… annoying and seems to care a lot more about his friends. He also doesn’t get mad quite as often. Almost anything can set Nao off, but really there aren’t many things that make Yuuri too angry.

 

Relationship with Shiina Sakuya

 

He’s one of her best friends (the other one being Hijiri) and it becomes obvious after volume one that he has some romantic feelings for her as well. (i.e. he can’t stand Chihiro, he beats up people who make Sakuya sad…) Sakuya is completely oblivious to how he feels and just sees him as good friend. When asked if he loves Sakuya, he’s in permanent denial (though he’s blushing furiously the whole time he denies it.) At one point he does acknowledge his feelings for her, but to himself only.

 

In later chapters, it shows that Yuuri’s first impression of Sakuya was not a good one. He considered her to be self-piteous, annoying, and a little stuck up. He even at one point started harassing her for this, but was later confronted by Hijiri, who informed him in her “kind” manner that Sakuya was really deeply hurt by what he was doing. Ironically, he ended up becoming one of Sakuya’s best friends, not to mention falling in love with her.

 

Relationship with Aoi Chihiro

 

He can’t stand him for a few reasons. The second is that Sakuya talks about him too much which makes Yuuri feel lonely. The third is that Chihiro is cold towards Sakuya, and Yuuri can’t stand anybody who hates Sakuya. There’s also the problem that Chihiro is much taller than Yuuri. Probably the one factor that really pisses Yuuri off is the fact that Aoi is the object of Sakuya’s affection, something that Yuuri wishes he was.

 

Relationship with Kanade

 

He’s often saying (behind Kanade’s back and to his face) that Kanade is lazy and not good for anything. Sakuya always defends Kanade on this point but Yuuri doesn’t budge on it. Kanade appears to be amused whenever Yuuri insults him.

 

Relationship with Honjou Hijiri

 

Hijiri is forever mocking Yuuri for everything stupid thing he does. Yuuri often gets aggravated at this, but he doesn’t seem to really dislike Hijiri. Even though they’re often arguing about something or other, they seem to be friends.

 

 

Honjou Hijiri

 

She’s probably one of the most beautiful characters in Hoshi Wa Utau and she has a very dry sense of humor. Hijiri is called “Sei-Chan” by Sakuya. She loves to mock people (usually Yuuri) but whenever she does it she means no harm by it, just friendly teasing. Most of the time Hijiri appears to have a very calm demeanor, and you can’t label her an optimist or a pessimist because she can be both sometimes. Though she usually is finding joy in teasing someone, she can often be serious in matters of her friends’ feelings. Later chapters show that she has some skill in self-defense, as she manages to knock out a man when he attempts to, as she called it, “do weird things to her in the dark.” Her Fruits Basket counterpart is Saki Hanajima, in both looks and personality.

 

Relationship with Shiina Sakuya

 

Sakuya is Hijiri’s best friend. Hijiri seems to know whatever is on Sakuya’s mind just based on her general attitude. Whenever she senses that Sakuya has been hurt by someone, she goes and confronts the person without shame.

 

Relationship with Kanade

 

Like I said in Kanade’s profile, their relationship is very odd. Despite her being much younger than him, she gives him advice that he often takes to heart. Sometimes the tone she takes with him is almost patronizing, but that’s the tone she takes with everyone except for Aoi.

 

Relationship with Aoi Chihiro

 

Nothing special, nothing involving hate or love. They actually both have similar personalities (very dry humor and they find joy in mocking people, though Hijiri does in a friendly way and I’m not so sure about Chihiro…) but they don’t seem to really talk much. Of course, the series isn’t very far along so something could happen where they become friends or enemies, but it’s hard to tell for now. Hijiri once confronts Chihiro when she finds out that he’s been causing Sakuya pain, and Chihiro tries to be less harsh towards Sakuya after his conversation with Hijiri. Again, she strangely seems to respect Aoi, which is really weird for Hijiri. They’re seriously the same person, I swear.

 

Relationship with Murakami Yuuri

 

There relationship is like the comic relief in the series if anything. They’re obviously not enemies, and probably friends, but they have an odd friendship. Hijiri is constantly mocking Yuuri just to see his reaction, and of course this irritates Yuuri. Despite the fact that they argue often, they’re on good terms.

 

Side Characters

 

Saki

 

Saki is Hijiri’s butler and ever devoted to her. So far he does not seem to have a big role in the story other than another comic relief character, as he is always cheerful and willing to help anybody associated with Hijiri, who he seems to be obsessed with. His Fruits Basket counterpart is, without a doubt, Manabe Kakeru. The fact that he is the counterpart of Kakeru makes him even more amazing. Since he is Kakeru, I love him, and he deserves more credit from all of you. He deserves a fanclub. He deserves money. He deserves Texas Cowboy cheerleaders. So remember this character as not a supporting character, but the definition of Hoshi, no matter how insignificant his role is.

 

Class President-san

 

I feel bad that I don’t know much about her. I don’t think anybody does. All we know is that she is blunt, has a temper, and loves Yuuri. She approached him once to tell him how she felt, and I kid you not, this is the exact conversation.

 

Class President-san: Yuuri! I love you! Go out with me!

 

Yuuri: Sorry, I like someone else. –turns to friend- So anyway. Do you agree with what I was saying before…?

 

She confessed this to Hijiri, who didn’t help much. Her Fruits Basket counterpart would be Prince Yuki Fanclub Member #3.

 

I-Don’t-Know-His-Name-Sensei

 

Sensei seems to kind of like Sakuya-chan. (ooooh!) And Hijiri seems to kind of know this. (Big surprise.) Whether his attraction to Sakuya is romantic (not that far off. Teacher-student attraction is reoccurring in shojo anime and manga such as Marmalade Boy and Tenshi Naka Ja Nai) or just a she’s-my-student-I-must-teach-her-the-rules-of-life kind of attraction, we don’t know. It could be either. His Fruits Basket counterpart would be…. um…. perhaps a male version of Mayu-sensei? Not just because they’re both teachers, but because they actually talk to their students and have some significance in the story.

 

Chihiro's Uncle

 

He met Sakuya on a train apparently. In chapter 25, we find out that he is Chihiro’s uncle, the brother of Chihiro’s mother.His Fruits Basket counterpart is…. um…. I dunno. Maybe Shigure, as they’re both friendly towards people’s friends…? Shigure is friendly towards Tohru’s friends, and Chihiro’s uncle is friendly towards friends of Chihiro…?

 

Yuuri’s Nii-san

 

I love this guy. He’s absolutely hilarious and treats Yuuri like a little kid, wanting to put coy up for Little Boys’ Day and such. It’s just a classic comic relationship between brothers that makes anybody smile. His Fruits Basket counterpart is Ayame. I wonder why.

 

Hijiri’s Mysterious Significant Other

 

He talks to Hijiri at a fair and later goes off alone with her. We later find him unconscious and bleeding, as Hijiri had pulled some self-defense move on him when he tried to “do weird things to her in the dark.” His Fruits Basket counterpart is Arisa Uotani’s dad. Not because of any similar personality traits, but because nobody likes him.

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