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Zoanthropy
From psychiatry, it is where one believes themself to be an animal. When Carrot in Sorcerer Hunters absorbs magic and uses it to turn into his inner self, the hunters call it zoanthropy.
Zodiac (Chinese)
The twelve zodiac animal signs (shengxiao) are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey,
rooster, dog, and pig. Legend has it that the rat was given the task to invite the animals to report to the Jade Emperor
to be selected for the zodiac signs. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat forgot to invite him. So the cat vowed to be
the rat's natural enemy for ages to come.
There is also a cycle of the five Chinese elements on top of the cycle of animals. The elements are Metal (Gold), Water,
Wood, Fire, and Earth. So the year sign can be a gold dragon, a wood rooster etc. In ancient match-making practice in China,
couples were brought together according to their compatible signs. For example, it is believed that dog and dog don't get along, but dog
and pig do; a water dog supports a wood pig but dominates a fire pig in their relationship because water benefits wood, but controls
fire according to the Chinese five elements' interaction.
The elements are combined with the binary Yin Yang cycle, which enlarges the element cyle to a cycle of ten.
Even years are yang, odd years are ying. However as the zodiac animal cycle of 12 is divisible by two every zodiac can only occur
in either yin or yang, e.g. the dragon is always yang.
Since the Chinese zodiac follows the Chinese lunar calendar, so the switch over date for each sign is according to the Chinese
New Year, not January 1 of the western calendar.
This above is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chinese Astrology".
Fruits Basket
For 100s of years members of the Sohma family have been possessed by animals of the zodiac, and when they are embraced by a member of the opposite sex
or they grow weak they transform from their human state to that animal.
The rat is the first animal of the zodiac, this is because he rode to the banquet on the head of the ox at the beginning of the line of animals. And then
jumped off his head, making himself the first to arrive. Yuki in the anime is possessed by the spirit of the rat. Because of this his has a rivalry with both Kyo and
Haru. Like the rat, Yuki is highly intelligent and clever.
The ox is the second animal of the zodiac. Haru represents the ox, he transforms to a cow. Haru is known as White Haru and Black Haru, this is due to the
two sides of his personality, the calm, pleasant one, and the one with a tendency to fight and be confrontational. Also, his hair is white with black underneath (a result of his
being born with the ox's spirit he says).
The third animal is the tiger, which is represented by a little girl named Kisa.
The next animal is the rabbit, represented by Momiji. He's a little boy who looks much younger than his age and is quite little for it (giving him a sort of
rabbit appearance in that respect). He's quite sweet and fond of the heroine, Tohru.
The fifth animal is the dragon, represented by Hatori as a seahorse. In Chinese and Japanese tradition, the seahorse is known as a child dragon. The dragon works
well with Hatori as he's associated with snow and water, just like the dragon. (See Dragon in the Encyclopedia for more). Yuki says of him, that he is as cold as snow.
In a flashback, Hatori met his love when it snowed, she asked him what snow became when it melted. He replied water, she said spring. She was his spring to him, and when
she learned of his curse and loved him still, he wept for the first time (melted snow). He said his love was a dream, but it ended. They were forbidden to marry and he ultimately
erased her memories. He said, I will go on living in unmelting snow so our dream will not end.
The snake came next, represented by Ayame, Yuki's brother. To understand how Ayame's personality somewhat goes with the snake, one needs to look at the association of
serpents and snakes in literature and anime. The snake is sometimes a sexual creature, and Ayame is a very passionate person, passionate in what he loves and what he does. He's very
flamboyant and his own man. He also runs a shop for clothes and items for men's romance and dreams.
The sheep is represented by Hiro and the monkey by Ritsu. The dog is represented by Shigure, who is both fun-loving but loyal to those who he cares about. The pig is
represented by a boar in the character Kagura, a girl in love with Kyo.
Neither the horse nor rooster are shown in the anime.
In addition to the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, there are various legends to why the cat was not included. The one given in the anime is that
God decided to hold a banquet but the rat decided to play a trick on the cat, making the cat miss the banquet, and thus be left out of the zodiac. Kyo
represents the cat, and is left out of the annual New Year's banquet attended by the zodiac members of the Sohma family. Like the cat and rat, Kyo and Yuki
have a kind of rivalry between them and often fight with each other. Kyo in the first episodes exhibits characteristics of a cat when he wanders here and there,
the audience wondering if he has a home of his own, and in ep. 2 he lands on his feet like a cat after jumping from the second story of the school.
Zodiac (Western)
Associations with the zodiac is a theme in Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing. Each senshi has a birthday within the sign ruled by the planet they represent, and sometimes their stone and traits of their personality fall under that sign as well.
In Gundam Wing, mobile suits of OZ are named from signs of the zodiac.
Aquarius: January 27 is Haruka's birthday. Her sign is Aquarius, ruled by the planet
Uranus. It's element is air. Blue is one of the sign's colors (might be why
this senshi's fuku is blue). The symbol for Aquarius is waves of water. To
the Greeks and Persians it was the constellation of the water pot.
Aries: April 17 is Rei's birthday. Her sign is Aries, ruled by the planet
Mars. Red is one of the sign's colors, and iron the metal. Of the
element fire, with characteristics of strength and activity. Aries'
symbol is the horns of the ram. It's fleece was the object of Jason's
quest. The Aries is an air mobile suit in GW.
Cancer: June 30 is Usagi and Chibi Usa's birthday. Their sign is Cancer
which is ruled by the Moon. Emotions and a nurturing nature are
attributes. White and silver are the colors, silver is the metal. The
crystal is one of its many stones. Cancer is Latin for crab, and the
symbol is the claws of the crab. The Cancer is a crab-like water mobile suit in GW.
Capricorn: January 6 is Hotaru's birthday. Her sign is Capricorn, ruled by the planet
Saturn. Purple is one of the sign's colors (could explain this senshi's fuku
color), and lead its metal. The symbol for Capricorn is the horns of a goat.
Capricorn was a goat-headed or horned sea monster to many of the
ancients. The Tragos in GW is named from this sign. Tragos is Greek for goat.
Gemini: Castor and Pollux, the Gemini twins appear in Sailor Moon as the youma in ep. 21.
Leo: August 3 is Mamoru's birthday. His sign is Leo, ruled by the Sun.
Gold is a color, and also the metal of this sign. The rose is one of
its flowers. The Sun sign is masculine, and characteristics of Leos
are to be proud, romantic, self-assured, and sometimes cruel or
vain. The Nemean Lion was the first labor for Hercules. No
weapons could harm Leo, so finally, Hercules won by a strangle
hold on the beast. To remember the great battle, Leo was placed
in the sky. The symbol is the lion's tail. In ep. 19, Nephrite calls upon Leo. In GW, the Leo is a ground mobile suit.
Libra: October 22 is Minako's birthday. Her sign is Libra, ruled by the
planet Venus. Yellow is one of the sign's colors, and copper its
metal. Beauty and love are characteristics of the planet, and being
socialable, of the sign. The symbol for Libra is the scales, and the
name can mean either scales or balance. The Libra is a space station controlled by the White Fang in GW.
Pisces: March 6 is Michiru's birthday. Her sign is Pisces, ruled by the planet
Neptune. Its element is water, and green one of its colors (might explain
this senshi's fuku color). Characteristics of this sign are to be artistic,
musical, intuitive, and sympathetic. The symbol for Pisces is two fish
together. The Pisces is a water mobile suit in GW.
Sagittarius: December 5 is Makoto's birthday. Her sign is Sagittarius, ruled by
the planet Jupiter. Green is one of the sign's colors, and tin its
metal. Protection is a characteristic. Sagitta is Latin for arrow, and
the symbol is an arrow.
Scorpio: October 29 is Setsuna's birthday. Her sign is Scorpio, ruled by the planet
Pluto. Black is one of the sign's colors (might explain this senshi's fuku color).
The symbol for Scorpio is the stinger of a scorpion, Scorpius. It was Scorpius
who caused the death of the hunter Orion. He and Orion were placed on
opposite sides of the sky so that Orion would not be hurt again.
Taurus: A mobile suit in GW.
Virgo: September 10 is Ami's birthday. Her sign is Virgo, ruled by the planet
Mercury. The planet rules intellect and reason. Blue is one of the sign's
colors, and quicksilver one of its metals. Some characteristics are being
scientific, studious, and humane. Virgo's symbol is the Greek word for
virgin. Virgo has been identified with the goddesses Isis, Inanna, Ishtar,
and Ceres. Another mobile suit in GW.