Fruits Basket

"A rice ball doesn't belong in a fruits basket."

Fruits Basket (フルーツバスケット) is a Japanese shoujo manga written by Natsuki Takaya. It follows the story of Tohru Honda, an orphan who due to renovations, cruel extended family members, and natural disasters comes to live with members of the mysterious Sohma family. What Tohru doesn't know is that the Sohma family hides a dark secret. Members of the Sohma family are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac from the story of their origin.

In the story of the zodiac's origin, thirteen animals were invited to attend a feast by god. All but one attended. The cat, who had been tricked by the rat failed to appear and as such was excluded from becoming a member of the zodiac. As such, fourteen members of the Sohma family are possessed, one for each member of the zodiac, the cat, and god.

Family members possessed by the spirits of the zodiac (with the exception of god) are cursed to transform into the animal they represent whenever weak, stressed, or embraced by a member of the opposite gender who doesn't share their curse. Because of the reactions from those both inside and outside the family who are unable to accept the truth all who know the secret of the curse are subject to the whims of god, who serves as the head of the family.

Tohru's inate clumsiness leads to her discovery of the secret and later, a resolution to break the curse. Her actions change the way the Sohma family functions and sets in motion a series of events that irrevocably change the lives of the Sohma family forever.