B.O.D.Y. (manga)

B.O.D.Y. is a shōjo romance and drama manga that was serialized in Bessatsu Margaret from 2004 until its conclusion in 2008 issue. The individual chapters were collected and published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first volume released on April 23, 2004 and the final volume released on October 24, 2008.

The series is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media. The series follows the romance that develops between 16-year-old Sakura Ryōko and her crush, Fuji Ryūnosuke, after she learns he works in a host club.

Plot
Sakura Ryouko,16 years old, always thinks of Fuji Ryuunosuke, who sits next to her in class. Everyone thinks she has strange taste but Ryouko finds his aloofness and seriously hard-line personality unbearably fascinating the truth is....HE'S A HOST! AnimeNewsNetwork

Reception
The tenth volume of B.O.D.Y. was ranked 4th on the Japanese Comic Ranking between June 26 and July 16, 2007. The eleventh volume of B.O.D.Y. was ranked 8th on the Japanese Comic Ranking between October 30 and November 5, 2007. The twelfth volume of B.O.D.Y. was ranked 7th on the Japanese Comic Ranking between February 26 and March 3, 2008. The thirteenth volume of B.O.D.Y. was ranked 9th on the Japanese Comic Ranking between 24th and 30th of June, 2008 and 10th on the Japanese Comic Ranking between the 1st and 7th of July, 2008. The fourteenth volume of B.O.D.Y. ranked 9th on the Japanese Comic Ranking between October 28 and November 3.

About.com's Deb Aoki criticised the series for using "numerous plot clichés". Manga Life's Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane commends the second volume of the manga for its "attractive" artwork. A review of the third volume by MacFarlane comments that she is frustrated that "how often things revolve around misunderstandings that could be cleared up in about two minutes if the characters really sat and talked, or made a real attempt to figure how the other person might be feeling, but that's hardly unique to this series, or even to this genre (shōjo manga)." MacFarlane criticises the fifth volume for being "one endless round of "oh, I can't possibly tell him the truth because OMG he'll hate me forever, so instead I'll complicate our lives immeasurably!"" MacFarlane is "shocked and pleased" at Ryoko who hasn't "told a single lie in [the sixth volume]". She also commends the sixth volume where "Ryoko and Ryunosuke's relationship doesn't face a single major crisis." IGN's A.E. Sparrow criticises the manga for its artwork and making the characters look "more like Barbie and Ken dolls than actual characters". Mania.com's Erin Jones criticises the manga's female protagonist for being "naive and stupid. Jason Thompson's online appendix to Manga: The Complete Guide commends the manga, saying "Good pacing and believable writing elevate B.O.D.Y. above a conventional high-school shōjo manga premise; the story is played straight but never gets too dark, the characters are likeable, and the manga has many small surprises."