Absolutely Great (Absolute Boyfriend: v. 1 - Yuu Watase)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	Absolute Boyfriend: v. 1 - Yuu Watase
Date:	03/11/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: sweet as a marshmallow, but the plot still has substance. beautiful art

Disadvantages: story arc not complete for a furtehr 5 volumes

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 (manga aimed at females with classically beautifully young men featured), 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.

Summary: Riiku accidentally orders a boyfriend off the internet...