Customer Reviews

Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Normally, the high school romances of average girls don't appeal to me. I flipped through this book randomly at a comic shop and bought it cause of the thought of a personalized naked boy walking around the house. But after reading, I found that I really enjoyed the story and characters.

We follow Riiko, a clumsy high school girl who lives alone and longs for a boyfriend. We are treated to her interactions with her childhood friend/rival Soshi, the moody guy next door who hides a sort of brotherly care for her under a mask of insults. We meet Riiko's crush, Ishizeki, who turns out to be more a bully than anything. And then there's Mika, Riiko's good natured friend who gently tries to help her with her boy troubles.
One day Riiko discovers a website where she can order a boyfriend, customized with every personality trait she could ever want. Mystified, she trial orders one and the next day receives a stark naked boy who's utterly beautiful. She names him Night and aims to teach the eager-to-please boy how to function in the real world. Aside from "raising" Night like a puppy, Riiko needs to hide his true identity from friends and family.

Absolute Boyfriend is a simply told story with a lot of heart. It's light and fun and even a little sexy. Though you can expect all the drama of young relationships, it never takes itself too seriously. There are plenty of great and unexpected jokes thrown in at just the right moments. Not to mention the artwork is great. I would highly recommend this book, even if you're not a big romance or manga fan.

Riiko is a normal high school girl living in Japan. She lives on her own because of her parents work taking them overseas. One day she decides to confess to the boy she likes, Ishizeki, but his sudden refusal leaves her ego broken and her heart astir. Her best friend, Mika, tries to comfort her, but her long time friend and neighbor Soshi thinks with her personality she'll never find love...and isn't afraid to tell her that even in her rejected state. Riiko's life seems utterly hopeless.

On the way home from school Riiko happens upon a distinctive gentleman named Gaku Namikiri (who she thinks is a cosplayer) who gives her his card for a company called "Chronos Heaven", a specialty retailer of unusual goods. While tooling around online at the site she discovers a product called a "lover figure"... it's basically a realistic life-sized doll... but when she sees that she can try it out for three days free of charge she can't resist ordering one. Why not? When you can design a man with all the stats to make an amazing boyfriend why not give it a shot...besides that she figures it will come to nothing but decided to do it seemingly out of boredom.

When the package arrives Riiko is surprised to see just how lifelike he is, and after she activates him (by kissing him) he registers her as his girlfriend. Suddenly things become odd as it is obvious that the doll, whom she names Night, is intent on having sex with her...he is from the nightly series after all... but Riiko is not ready for that. She does spend three incredible days with her in which Night is the perfect boyfriend, caring, compassionate, a terrific cook, and someone who is willing to stand up for her...what more can Riiko want?

There is a problem, of course... one is that Soshi is suddenly worried about her wellbeing... the other is that Riiko doesn't return him on time so she has agreed to purchase him...for one million dollars (10,000 for every glorious stat she decided to give him... plus initial charge). Well, when it becomes obvious that Riiko cannot pay the fee she makes a deal with Gaku... in exchange for her keeping Night as her companion she must help him to gather research about what women want in a man... the catch is she can't let anyone know that Night isn't human, or she will owe the full debt immediately. This seems a fair deal...until Night does the unthinkable... and registers at Riiko's school. Now there's the sudden question of Riiko's virtues, seeing as how she just asked Ishizeki out and now she has a new boyfriend...and then there is Mika to worry about, who seems to be after anyone that Riiko is interested in.

This series is starting out to be a good one. I'm a huge Watase fan from way back and this looks as if it is going to be an amazing series. True, it's more fluff and stuff seemingly than previous work, however I have been waiting to see more shojo in the traditional sense from Watase (and by that I mean less melodrama and more romantic comedy and lighthearted fare in the style of "Imadoki"). I was also amazed to see how Watase's rendering skills have improved with time. When comparing the illustrations in this series to an earlier piece (Fushigi Yugi, for example) it is clear how much Watase has improved. The shading and overall linework is of much higher quality, very impressive. I am annoyed that I have to wait a while to get the next volume...that's the beauty of working in a bookstore with more established series... if I get into one that has a number of them out I can just grab the subsequent volumes and read them marathon style... but since this is still the only volume out I have to grin and bear it...and wait like everyone else.

Overall though, this proved to be a very entertaining read. I can't wait for the next one.

One of my favorite books, filled with adorable characters, and a wonderful story line. I had just randomly picked this up one day, all ready a fan of Miss. Watase's work, and was immediatly sucked into the story. I'm not a person that enjoys romance books, but this is a HUGE exception. The story is about a girl, Riiko, who has had no luck with men her entire life. One day she's walking through the park and finds a man's cell phone that he needs for his job. As payment, he tells her about a website where she can get a boyfriend. Curious, she goes onto the website and signs up for the 3 day trial, adding every aspect of the perfect boyfriend. The next day, a very large box arrives at her apartment, and when she opens it, a naked man falls out. It turns out that that is the guy-doll that she ordered online the night before. When he is turned on, she names him Night, and quickly the relationship between them increases in those three days. Then, Riiko doesn't return him on time, so she has to pay for him at the amazing discount of 1 million dollars! The rest of the story is about the madness and mayhem between the two people and their lives. I can recommend this enough, BUY IT!

this book is amazing and inspiring...its about a girl in high school wishing she had a boyfriend...(what girl doesn't)...but one day home from school she runs into a ringing cell phone and that a creepy dude lost...so when she goes to return it to him he tells her she can have anything...so she tells him she wants a boyfriend...so he gives her robot boyfriend...thats delivered to her house and they run into all kinds of troubles along the way...and you're going to have to buy the book to see what happens next!...its very good and you won't regret it trust me...

this book is for girl teens mostly...i dont think a little kid should be reading it at all...and boys probably won't find intrest in it...

it has lots and lots of humor...(>^^)>

Ah, first love. Most people can identify with feelings of angst over easing one's loneliness by searching for that special someone. It is even more bittersweet when you lack experience, and not quite sure how one goes about getting a "someone". For 16 year old Riiko Izawa, her love troubles seem insurmountable. She is shy, a bit flat chested, and doesn't really know how to approach a boy as evidenced by the sad fact that every single guy she has asked out has flatly rejected her! One day while out and about, she chances upon a lost mobile phone, and going through its menu, manages to locate its owner. Agreeing to meet up in order to return the phone, she is rather shocked to discover that the phone belongs to a very oddly dressed young man with a rather eccentric yet very businesslike manner. The young man's name is Gaku Namikiri and he informs her that he would be in soooooo much trouble if he lost this phone, for he requires it for his work for a firm called Kronos Heaven. Drawing Riiko out, he discovers she wishes she had a boyfriend, and tells her that yes, yes, he knows just the thing: simply visit his company's website! Riiko feels rather doubtful, but as her evening wears on, she grows increasingly bored and decides to look at Kronos Heaven's website. Ohhh, it looks fun! A game where you design your ideal boyfriend...

The next morning however gives her the shock of her life. For a deliveryman arrives, with a rather large box. And inside, is the boyfriend! It seems that Kronos Heaven makes extremely human seeming androids, and this is the lover model. Even worse, he comes without accessories; he is completely naked. What to do? Awaken him of course, name him, and get him dressed, right? He's a free boyfriend right? Maybe she can practice talking to him and find out how to get along with boys and manage to catch herself a real boyfriend, right? Not quite, as it turns out. As first of all, it turns out he was free only for 72 hours, and after that a nice big fat bill for 100,000,000 yen arrives (roughly 675, 227 GBP). It's either pay up immediately for the doll she has named Night, or become a product tester and let her first steps into romance be laid bare. What is a girl to do?

Volume one of a six volume series, this is a gentle sweet coming of age tale by Yuu Watase. Famous for writing sweet shojo manga featuring bishounen, this does not disappoint. It is more than mere eye candy however, as the story possesses a nicely developed plot that keeps ones interest firmly held. Having said that, the art is indeed pure eye candy. The girls are unfailingly cute, the young men stunningly beautiful, and the backgrounds well detailed only as needed but always well drawn. The characterisation is well rounded enough that one warms to them, with Riiku seeming almost familiar; I think most of us went to high school with at least one girl like Riiku. Shy and more than a bit naïve, she is honest and straightforward as well as hardworking. You really want her to get a boyfriend, and Night, well, who can't like him? He might be an android, but he has a gentle manner about him that seems as if it might go beyond mere programming; I found myself wanting him to truly BE her boyfriend as odd as that may sound. And who knows, that nice mannered and rather cute young manager from work that lives nearby would be a rather nice catch too. A man who cooks for you? I think most women dream about this sort of guy, and it is almost a shame that Soshi Asamoto doesn't get more notice from Riiku. It all seems to set up a future triangle, making me look forward to seeing how this story unfolds in the succeeding volumes.

The writing and art are aimed at the post 16 crowd, with very mild nudity and scenes that are mildly sexual in nature. It's practically by the book chick lit with pictures and a wryly humorous storyline. At just over 200 pages, it makes for a nice little book to dip into when you don't want anything heavy, but you may find yourself returning to read it again as there is just that little something about it. What ever it is, if you are a fan of the genre, I can recommend this. A preview chapter may be read at Viz Media's website.

I remember a few years back when I saw the cover and I had it on my "must read" list. Now years later, I finally read the whole series. The plot is common and so are the characters and I love Yuu Watase but sadly I don't think this series it worth buying. The only reason why I finished reading the series was because I love Night(the guy on the first cover)! He's a great character. He's cute, funny, and loyal. His character makes the manga. I enjoyed him a lot and for some reason I found him to be the only well drawn character. Unlike his girlfriend.

I do like the ending of this series and its only six volumes(short, simple, and sweet). I recommend this to girls getting into shojo but if you have read Yuu Watase's other works like Fushigi Yugi and Fushigi Yugi Genbu or Ceres the Celestial Legend then you might not enjoy it because its really just a simple and cute love story with a sad but touching ending. I think before buying, read the first few chapters online or something. :)

Riiko has had it with mail-order products. Everything she buys is defective! But what's more upsetting to her is the fact she doesn't have a boyfriend. She's living alone for the time being because her parents are away with work, and she tries to make life better by telling a boy she likes him. He turns her down flat.

So Riiko tries ordering in another product. She orders herself a boyfriend.

He shows up in a box and has to be activated through a kiss. Riiko's already filled out information on how she wants him, so he has talented attributes and near supernatural powers. He's also very good-looking. There's a three-day free trial, so she figures she can have a boyfriend for almost half of a week. But--oops!--she doesn't return him in time. That means he is officially hers now, and she has to pay a million dollars to keep him!

She names her boyfriend Night, and he's somewhere between a human and a robot. He's programmed to be perfect for her, but he's still a little dense sometimes because he hasn't been alive long. He has an issue of taking his clothes off until an embarrassed Riiko screams for him to put them back on. He's very much in love with her, and despite whatever faults he has, Riiko can't help but be amazed by all the things he does well. So where will she get a million dollars?

She ends up working something out with the company. After this, other girls notice Night and try to get him for themselves. They even create a fanclub dedicated to him. And Night himself tries to help pay for his hefty price tag by working as a male escort at a nightclub. One of his customers kisses him, and this is a problem. Remember how he was brought to life through a kiss? Whenever he's kissed, he becomes the devoted boyfriend of the kisser. So Riiko has to get him back. There's also the issue of Soshi, Riiko's next door neighbor, because he has his eyes on Riiko, too. Then Rikko's parents come home and things get to be more of a mess.


Absolute Boyfriend has a great deal of fun in being outrageous. Night's perfection--but lack of humanity--is the stuff of fantasy. It spoofs romantic stories while still having a love triangle of Riiko, Night, and Soshi. It's a very amusing series, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Aimed for older teens for brief nudity and bawdy humor, Absolute Boyfriend ought to continue to attract readers who want a playful and silly manga series.
-- Danica Davidson

This is one of my all time favorite mangas. It's a comedy/romance, but it still keeps you on your toes. It's an adorable love story but at times it's very funny. Yuu Watase is an extremely witty and talented artist, and I'd recommend this series to anyone (over the age of 16, further along in the series there's nudity and some mature themes).

If you like romantic comedies where you actually like the characters, then this is a series for you. I was pleasantly surprised with the type of humor that was presented in this series. I love love stories and normally I hate love triangles, which the series eventually revolves around, because I always side with one person of interest. But in this case I actually like both candidates (very hard to do!) I also liked that even though there are unrealistic aspects (basically a perfect "robot" boyfriend) there are also very realistic outlooks from the main character (girl who is awkward since she's a teenager, also likes both guys which girls, we all know we've been there). So, since so many other reviews cover the basis of the story I will finally say that If you like humor, romance, and a little fantasy then I know you will like this series! I haven't been this hooked since I read Chobits!

I love absolute boyfriend because it involves things that happen in real life, well except a robot boyfriend of course!! But, its fun and I couldn't stop reading it!!!!
Can't wait for the next volumes!!
Funny, but not recommended for younger people. Like, below 14