Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 1

絶対彼氏 [Zettai Kareshi] #1

by Yuu Watase

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!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics, Young Adult, Shojo, Fantasy

191 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2003

About the author

Yuu Watase (渡瀬悠宇) is a Japanese shoujo manga-ka. She is known for her works Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, Ceres: The Celestial Legend, Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend. She likes all music, except heavy metal and old traditional music.

She received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Ceres, Celestial Legend in 1997. Since writing her debut short story "Pajama de Ojama" ("An Intrusion in Pajamas"), Watase has created more than 80 compiled volumes of short stories and continuing series. Because of her frequent use of beautiful male characters in her works, she is widely regarded in circles[which?] as a bishōnen manga artist.[citation needed] In October 2008, Watase began her first shōnen serialization, Arata: The Legend in Weekly Shōnen Sunday.
Her name is romanized as "Yû Watase" in earlier printings of Viz Media's publications of Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, and Ceres, The Celestial Legend, while in Viz Media's Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend her name is romanized as "Yuu Watase". In Chuang Yi's English-language versions of Fushigi Yugi (spelled without a macron or circumflex), her name is romanized as "Yu Watase".

Reviews

[Kat (Lost in Neverland) · Rating 5 out of 5]

HI-LAR-I-OUS. Finished it in one day, it was that good.

Okay, so warning; it does have nudity, but nothing is ever shown. (besides bras and underwear, and some...skin.)

Both of the love interests in this book were definitely swoon-worthy.

Soshi; Riiko's friend and smexy glasses boy! Who irritates the living daylights out of Riiko (and she does the same, if not more, to him) but secretly cares for her.

Night: The 'mail order Night Lover', who is basically the perfect boy. Protective, adorable, hot, a little horny, sweet, kind, caring....the list goes on. (Also, always willing to suddenly rip off his clothes) Of course, he was programmed with all those skills.

I wouldn't have included the 'strip club' scene probably, but I guess it's another example of Night's (the 'doll') protection of Riiko. Though I hated reading about it.

If you're looking for a fun, cute, adorable, hilarious manga read, pick this up! (If you aren't too embarrassed to)

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first volume in Absolute Boyfriend is tons of fun. High schooler Riiko is sick of being rejected by other men, so when a strange man gives her a card for a special website where she can buy a robotic boyfriend, she figures there's no harm in signing up for the free trial. Unfortunately, things get complicated fast. Absolute boyfriend is an over-the-top romantic comedy series filled with laughs, slapstick, and a touch of romance and drama. I'm eagerly looking forward to continuing this incredibly fun series.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for the series, volumes 1-6.

This is a story about a girl who orders a robot. A hot robot who is absolutely devoted to her. I've never been a fan of Yuu Watase's art, but the appeal of this story speaks for itself, right?



For the most part this was enjoyable. However, it suffered from some over-the-top mean girl action. The girls bullied Riiko horribly because they wanted Night for themselves. I do not like that! Girls don't turn into rabid beasts just because they like a guy!

Another plot point I had trouble with involved rape. There was a newer model robot trying to make moves on Riiko, and one day she woke up in a hotel bed with him thinking they'd had sex. She can't remember anything though, so she spends all this time agonizing about whether or not to tell Night. THEN the whole thing is dismissed with a cursory "Don't worry, he didn't do anything to you!" It was so lighthearted and not treated as anything even remotely disturbing.



However, I liked the idea of a love interest completely and totally devoted to the main character, so loyal he's never swayed by manipulative attempts to separate them. I also liked Gaku-san, the weird, comedic relief salesman. Soshi was a glasses-wearing cutie.



While I did NOT cry at this manga, I just found out the show is on Hulu. MAKE ME CRY, SHOW. I dare you...

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classssssicccccccc! Probably my 2nd fav manga of all time.

Absolute Boyfriend is about a 18 year old girl from Tokyo who orders a 3 day free trial boyfriend off the net (which turns out to be a living breathing sex doll). Turns out that the 3 day free trial is over and now she owe's $1,000,000 to pay for him lol Night is a really kind person and tries to offer to return him or to work part time for the money that's owed. When they can't pay for him the company suggests Night gather female data to better understand the female mind. So now they're in school together, should be interesting in the Vol 2.

I like all the little author notes in the far left column every once and a while, Yuu is an inspiration ;)

Before this I read the manga series Couple which was also cute and some sexualness, but Couple was more funny and more pervy lol, but Absolute Boyfriend has a better story!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 fluffy hearts!!!

This opening volume has my heart! <3 <3 I’m getting all the same feelings for this as I did with Dreamin’ Sun. Hoping this is going to be a new fave!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. FREAKING. GOD.
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3.....
Okay, I originally planned to fill up an entire screen with hearts, but I'm impatient, it's eleven o'clock at night, and I've been swimming all freaking day so I can't bring myself to take the time or effort to do so.
Instead....
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEE TTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God, Yuu, I knew you were good, but this goes beyond five stars. It's fucking holy. I loved loved loved loved loved loved loved loved loved loved loved it.

Okay, so I've actually read the entire series, but I read it online, so I don't exactly know which volume to review for which part. Not that it matters, though. This was a stroke of motherfucking genius. I never cuss this much unless I'm excited or pissed, btw, so you know it was great. It's one of the best things I've ever read in my whole damned life.

OMG I LOVED THE ENDING!!!!!!!! I KNOW IT WAS SOOOOOO SAD WHAT HAPPENED TO NIGHT (ashamed to admit she cried buckets) BUT OMGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!! wonnnnnnnnderrrrrrfulllllllll!!!!!!

[Mariℓina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Riiko wants to finally find a boyfriend, but after too many rejections she had enough and decides to do something more drastic. The solution to her problem will come out of a box!


When she will find a cell phone on her way home, everything will change for her. She returns it to the owner and he will help her find exactly what she wants..:D



THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

- Riiko is funny and impulsive.
- Quick read! Nice overall.
- Hilarious and fresh with fairly decent artwork.
- The whole robot idea was so entertaining..
- I love Night!!!

[Zuza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zabawne, gdybym miała więcej tomów pod ręką to przeczytałabym od razu 🤣

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute boyfriend is about a high school girl – Riiko – who falls into a situation that involves having a robot boyfriend. She was chosen to help the robot – Night – gain information about how to please women in order for his type to act more human. When Night wakes up, all he wants to do is please her, not caring how *wink wink*. After freaking out (What high school girl wouldn't?) she gives him lessons on reactions, emotions, and how to live a daily life.

Riiko is extremely lovable. She's witty, fun, smart, and independent. Helping Night puts a bit of stress on her, but she deals with humor and looking on the bright side of things. All she wanted was a boyfriend, and now that she got someone with all the qualities girls want, what’s there to complain about? She starts caring for Night, and when women hit on him, she gets fiercely (and adorably) protective. Riiko cares for people, and doesn’t want them to get hurt. Her best friend Soushi confessed his love after Night showed up, so there’s a love triangle in the story as well.

Night… ohhhhh boy. Again, he’s every womans dream. At first he’s very calm, self assured, and not hassled easily. After a while with Riiko, he shows more emotion and tries to please her in different ways then when his system first started. In time he starts caring about her too. Night becomes extremely protective of Riiko and sometimes tries to fight her battles. They both become a team and end up having tons of fun together. It’s a great read for people who want to sit down for a romantic comedy, and there’s only six books in the series so it’ll take you about six hours to read all of them. You’ll love Riikos fierceness and Nights quirky actions. I recommend this book for all comic readers. Absolute boyfriend is one of the most popular Shojo mangas, so get your hands on it while you still can!

[Bibliothecat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review for complete series

I am really sad and surprised that I didn't enjoy Watase's Absolute Boyfriend more than I did. I love her art and have enjoyed other works by her. I've seen this series being criticised for the love triangle and, let's be honest, most people seem to hate love triangles on principal whereas I always believe it depends on how it's written. Absolute Boyfriend is definitely the bad type of love triangle.

I was pretty optimistic after volume one: I wouldn't call this a vastly original story, having robot-like love interests in manga is far from rare. Our main character Riiko's motivations of getting a boyfriend - just any boyfriend by the sound of things - come across a bit shallow but the story is light-hearted enough and there's lots of humour in store once Night, the boyfriend tailored to her taste, arrives. There were various routes this story could have taken and I will at least give it credit for having a more original ending than most of its kind. That still doesn't mean it is satisfying, though.

The biggest issue truly is the love triangle. Hard as I may try, I struggled to like Riiko and that's always a bad sign for a main character. She is so incredibly indecisive which truly makes her look shallow. Besides Night, who is programmed to adore her, there's also Soushi, her childhood friend. These two are constantly vying with each other over Riiko's affection, a common sight in shoujo manga, yet the fact that Riiko sways from one to the other is annoying to say the least. I can understand if she would feel confused about her feelings, flattered or infatuated with Soushi, but she literally insists on loving both which ultimately looks like she doesn't genuinely love either. A romance story is a little lost on me if I can't find a reason to root for the couple. It is equally hard to root for a couple if I think Riiko doesn't deserve either of these love interests. I also don't understand why Soushi likes her so much. Yes, they are childhood friends so clearly they have a bond. But given how Riiko behaves, I'd say he has more than enough reason to drop the whole messy business.

Getting back to my original point, it is rare that I truly dislike a love triangle. I consider them a pretty common and realistic aspect of love and romance and as long as the characters in question aren't totally indecisive, I'm ok with it. But my opinion remains that Riiko doesn't deserve either and that just sets a bad premise for me to enjoy a manga series. The plot itself became more jumpy and choppy as it went on, it definitely declined in quality with each volume. I do still think that it starts off strong and has beautiful art, but it's not enough for me to want to hold on to or recommend this series.

[Chinasa Izeogu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riiko Izawa is an awkward freshman that desperately wants a boyfriend. She finds it difficult to move on after getting shutdown by her crush Ishizeki. She crosses paths with a weird salesman selling products for Kronos Heaven. As a reward for returning his phone that she found, he gives her a business card to that directs her to visit a site where she can mail order a boyfriend for a 3-day trial period. She adds special features to make him the ideal boyfriend and he is delivered the next day. Although the mail order boyfriend she named Night tenjo is built to Riiko's specifications, she did not think through what the Nightly Series.01 model would wish to fulfill.

Riiko fails to read the fine print of the contract and misses the return time for Night Tenjo. Now, the weird salesman is demanding payment of $1 M dollars. Riiko doesn't have this kind of money. With her parents away on business, Riiko must now figure out how to pay of her debt and hide her boyfriend from her neighbor, Soshi, who is secretly in love with her. Will she succeed in getting the salesman off her back, will Night stay with her or will she realize that a real boyfriend was only an apartment away? Riiko is a smart and spunky character that I know teen girls will enjoy getting to know.

Comments: While this manga is entertaining, I have to mention that it contains sexually suggestive situations, but noting I don't think teens won't be able to handle. Riiko has a good head on her shoulders and makes all the right decisions. Night, well, he's just a freshman that wants to make his girl happy in every way possible. His mannerisms may seem pushy but he has the added features of obedience and protector that make him charming. I wish I had time to read the whole series.

[Hud-c · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my first manga read, venturing in the shojo genre. Although, I have seen shojo animes before. Like Ceres & Fushigi Yuugi which are both written by Yuu Watase herself. Imagine that - I never really care about mangakas when it comes to this genre and then I found out I'm actually reading/watching lots of works from the same author.

Absolute Boyfriend Vol. 1 is a romantic comedy series. This manga used almost every teenage fantasy as a theme- having the perfect boyfriend. I envied Riiko for a considerable time. The two boys in here are really hot especially Night. DAMN! An instant gorgeous, adorable, sexy, (a bit) horny boyfriend ordered over the Internet & FOR FREE! Man, if such thing really exist other than those pedophiles & posers in the world wide web, a girl's life would be one magnificent and exciting journey! Hahaha.

This manga is an absolute fun read. Its the best work of Yuu Watase for me for I found the two I've mentioned above melodramatic. Highly recommended for romance manga readers.

I'm revisiting this manga nowadays. AND I'M HAVING A GRAND TIME.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mika is such a *insert stream of curses here*

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hace muuuuuchos años vi la serie japonesa (el dorama) y me gustó mucho, así que ahora que por fin puedo leer el manga, lo estoy disfrutando mucho y me está dando mucha nostalgia 🥺

[Holly Letson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riiko Izawa always considered herself inferior to other girls. She believed there must be something wrong with her. That's the only reason she could ever come up with for no guy ever wanting to be her boyfriend. And, all Riiko really wants is a boyfriend of her own. A boyfriend would make Riiko's life truly complete.

Sometimes, we more than we ever could have wished for.

Riiko confesses to the popular guy she's crushing on, Ishizeki, and he turns her down in a way that seems like he (almost) knew beforehand that it was going to happen. But, how could *that* be true? "He couldn't know!", we all think. But, later on in the volume, we find out just what kind of friend that Riiko's best friend, Mika, really is.
But, shouldn't Riiko be happy Ishizeki turned her down? After all, she has the gorgeous glasses-guy, Soushi, waiting next-door for her at home. But, sure enough, as obvious to everyone around her as it is that Soushi pictures himself as Riiko's soulmate, poor Riiko considers gorgeous Soushi as nothing more than a friend.

Sometimes, things happen that can change your life forever.

While walking one day, Riiko finds a lost cellphone ringing. Luckily, she soon finds the owner, Gaku Namikiri, as well. And, thus begins the biggest adventure of Riiko's life, as he hands her a mysterious card-shaped CD-ROM, telling her that it leads to their super-secret website that can bring her the boyfriend of her dreams, exactly as she wants him.
Riiko seems slightly disbelieving at first, but quickly changes her mind when she sees that the "Absolute Boyfriend" comes with a FREE trial period of 3 days. She gets giddy, and chooses over 80% of the available options, thinking she'll just return him in 3 days.

Sometimes, you've just got to open your heart, and give someone a chance.

Night (Naito) is everything that Riiko ever wanted in a boyfriend...and, so much more. But, the trial passes by so quickly, and she is stuck with him. And, he's a $1million "doll". But, Namikiri makes her a deal...if Night can gather data from other girls, she can keep him. So, the adventures begin to unfold as Night "protects" Riiko, and starts attending her school.

Sometimes, you just have to read a series yourself to see what everyone is raving about.

[Lex Mori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read the synopsis of this manga and decided I HAD to read it. I was lucky enough to find it at a closing Borders at a discount so I didn't feel so bad about purchasing something I hadn't a clue about. After reading it, I can honestly say, I would have gladly paid full price.
We follow the story of Riiko Izawa, who has never had much luck with men. She has very few friends and often seen as the awkward girl with little to no sex appeal. One day, she meets a salesman who tries to get her to buy something from him. She tells him all she wants is a boyfriend and he hands her a card to a website where she finds a free 3-day trial for an ideal boyfriend. Laughing it off as a joke, Riiko chooses every personality option and orders one. To her surprise, this is no joke, and a giant box addressed to her shows up the next day, a naked man toppling out calling her "girlfriend." Now it's a matter of who will Riiko choose? Night, the gorgeous, devoted, talented mystery man, or Soshi, her long-time friend who's always looked out for her?
Absolute Boyfriend has impressed me for being what it was. Yuu Watase admitted in this volume to making up the plot as she went along, only having the overall idea for Night in her head. For something created on the fly, this is very good, even with the happenings ensuing in a weird, choppy fluidity. While it's definitely not the smoothest manga, the story and characters are compelling enough to leave a lasting impression. The artwork is also beautifully done with lots of attention to detail and focusing mainly on beautiful men.
I will definitely continue to purchase this manga. For a lover of romance manga, it's definitely worth it.

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume starts off with Chapter 1: The Guardian Returns.

I'll write more when my editing mode hits.
Happy Readings!
Fly my Pretties! Fly!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in the library at ACEN!!!! Super cute, I will definitely read more.

[haya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comical enough for me to see how it pans out

[hannonle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por fin puedo leer este manga de Watase sensei en castellano! La primera mitad del volumen cuando empieza todo me ha parecido divertidísima! Seguiré leyendo.

[Mique Watson]

Am I actually going to post this vlog lol

[Jessica Parker]

Decided on a whim to reread the first manga I ever read in middle school lol

[sev soreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of manga but when I do, it's by Yuu Watase.
This is probably one of my favorite mangas ever! It's so funny and also captures what some people DREAM about! (Who doesn't want the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend?) I reread this book about 3-5 times a year because for one, it's a quick read, and two, because I fricking love this book. THIS WILL FOREVER BE ON MY BOOKSHELF

[Joyzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a love story that is heart breaking, funny, unique and memorable. Read this!

[Rosenblue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: partial nudity,suggestive scenes/dialogue and mature situations.
I recommend this manga for 18+

Review in progress*

[Curious Madra · Rating 4 out of 5]

So basically, this addictive old skool shoujo read provided a sudden shock ending here. I literally was not expecting that it was gonna turn out that way tbh! Well guess y'all have to find out what happened;)

Anyways I soul heartedly agree that the MC was dense enough to the fact that she was clumsy and didn't seem to want the robot doll of a teen chad in the first place. However she grew midway when she stood up for herself.

Gaku and Soushi were actually the best characters in this series. Gaku is like the type of a funny sidekick that you'd like to adventure with. Whereas Soushi on the other hand, is that smart guy who isn't a fool at all and was always the perfect match for Riiko in the first place! I kinda liked Riiko with Night but much prefer her to be with Soushi lol.

Folks this is a cute and funny read , you gotta check it out!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, chobits for women.

[BeckyisBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok ok ok, I’m digging this!!

[mena ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of my girlfriends recommended me this while we were on a bookstore date, and i really liked it!!! it's very cheesy and silly, but a fun time nonetheless. i'll have to get my hands on volume two sometime soon. night is so <333