Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 2 (Absolute Boyfriend (Graphic Novels)) (v. 2) (Paperback)

~ Yuu Watase (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Shy high school student Riko Izawa aches for a boyfriend but guys just won't look her way. Then one day she signs up for a three-day trial of a mysterious "lover figurine," and the next thing she knows, a cute naked guy is delivered to her doorstep--and he wants to be her boyfriend!

Has Riko died and gone to heaven? The cute naked guy turns out to be smart, super nice, stylish and a gourmet chef. Plus, he looks like a million bucks.... Trouble is, that's about what he's going to cost Riko because she didn't return him in time!

About the Author

A manga artist for over ten years, Yuu Watase's debut came in 1989 at the

age of 18 when her short story Pajama de Ojama (An Intrusion in Pajamas)

appeared in the monthly Shôjo Comic manga anthology. Since then she

has written and drawn some 50 volumes worth of different short stories and

long-running manga series, including the fantastically popular Fushigi

Yûgi, also available in English from VIZ. Her works have provided the

basis for two television series, an OVA series, anime soundtrack CDs, and a

string of novels.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 1 edition (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421505681
• ISBN-13: 978-1421505688
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #442,815 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Surprise, February 12, 2006

By	Karen Loo. (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1 (Absolute Boyfriend (Graphic Novels)) (Paperback)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mail order Love, April 19, 2006

By	Karusichan "Karusichan" (Lansing, MI. USA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1 (Absolute Boyfriend (Graphic Novels)) (Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Boyfriend, September 15, 2006

By	Moriko-chan (Quakertown, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1 (Absolute Boyfriend (Graphic Novels)) (Paperback)

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!