B.O.D.Y. 7
September 30, 2009
Ao Mimori – Viz – 2009 – 15 volumes
On one hand, this series uses one of my favorite gimmicks, which is the couple that stays together through thick and thin. As much as I don’t care for a lot of what’s going on, the fact that Ryoko and Ryu have gotten to the point where they talk out misunderstandings and come out on the other side just fine is pretty significant, and I can’t help but like it a little for that.
There’s still a bit of a train wreck going on as far as the story goes, though. The story with Ryu’s mother peters out lamely early on in the volume with a fake death plot device that I saw through immediately. And of course the mother starts off by hating Ryoko, then growing to like her at the end. Bah. At least she was a good cranky old lady, and the fact that Ryu has such a dysfunctional family is kind of cool.
Next, another shoujo plot device comes off the shelf in the form of the old flame from Ryu’s past. In this case, the old flame is a tutor who has – gasp! – come to Ryu and Ryoko’s school as a substitute. Ryu treats her pretty coldly, but of course Ryoko still does a lot of digging until she finds the truth: that Ryu only liked the teacher for, like, a second.
The whole “doing it” thing was pretty insane. I have no idea how that leap of logic happened, nor did I like what it actually turned out to be in the end. Just… what the hell, B.O.D.Y. I know I complain about needing more of that in my shoujo series, but really, that’s not how it’s done.
Also, the last few pages of this book made me cry because it was so obvious where the story is headed next volume. Literally, the next 200 pages of story flashed through my mind unbidden as yet another shoujo plot device came off the shelf.
I’m always cranky when I finish a volume of this, and yet I keep reading. I don’t know. This isn’t even a case of it being a trashy addiction. It’s just not very good. I may take a kind of perverse pleasure in seeing how exactly it tops itself every time, though.
This is a review copy provided by Viz.
January 23, 2010 at 12:02 am
WHEN DOES THE NEXT ONE COME OUT PLEASE TELL ME I HAVE TO KNOW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OBBSESSED RIGHT NOW I HAVE TO KNOW I FEEL LIKE IF I DONT I WILL SCREAM SO AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU FIND OUT I HAVE TO KNOW TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 23, 2010 at 1:39 am
Haha, I got the newest volume in the mail yesterday. I’ll cover it this weekend, if you like. It’ll probably be out in stores in a couple weeks.