ABSOLUTE BOYFRIEND FOR
Only ¥100M! O_O”
A Manga review of Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend)
For girls who think that they ugly, not so feminine (in terms of action) and “tit-less” (okay let’s not dig on that too far >.<”), your chances of getting the absolute boyfriend are… 100%!
Let’s take Riiko Izawa, a 16-year old girl with sadly, the above mentioned characteristics. She has been rejected by all the guys whom she confesses to. It’s like Hanamichi Sakuragi (Slam Dunk) or Seiji Sawamura (Midori no Hibi)... female version. Well, not in terms of being a deliquent feared by everybody. She’s just simply… not standing out.
One day, she picks up a dropped celphone in the park and talks to the person on the other line. It turns out to be the owner of the phone, a comical [cosplaying] salesman. His name is Gaku Namikiri who offers Riiko a lot of his different products. Riiko greatly resists the temptation of buying bosom-enlargement products (LOL) and says that he wants a boyfriend instead. Turns out, Gaku also sells one! He hands her a CD which contains a secret URL to the website called “Lovers Shop”, asking her to keep it an absolute secret. Riiko finds it all a joke but out of curiosity, tries “the three-day trial” of a stunningly handsome man labeled as “Nightly Series Type 01”. When she woke up the next day, her order is suddenly delivered to her home!
She opens up the big crate and out comes….a corpse-like naked man! XD
Horrified that the lover she “ordered” through the internet is true, she reads the ‘instruction manual’ where it says that the lover is just sleeping (Sheew!) and to wake it up, she must give him a kiss…
Never-been-kissed Riiko hesitantly does it and surprisingly does wake him up! And the figure’s first words are “Hello Girlfriend”!
Dumbfounded Riiko calls Gaku about this sudden madness who explains clearly that the kiss was to start-up and identify who the figure’s “lover” is that and that she did “order” the Nightly Series which is by it’s name, is a “Night lover”! (WTF! *Gulp!* Wooot! XD)
She has three days to “enjoy” him (evil laugh), Riiko and “Night” (the name she gave him) has done… NOTHING to Night’s purpose! >_<” She kept on hiding him at her home (her parents being on a trip for a while) and from his childhood neighbor Soushi Asamoto. And during Night’s stay with Riiko, she realizes that he is indeed the perfect boyfriend, handsome, loving, humorous, and everything a girl would wish for. Despite Night’s persistence at times that they make love, Riiko always declines saying that she wants to give it to her ‘true love’.
On the fourth day, Gaku then appears at her home to collect the payment for the “Night” since it’s already considered “SOLD” because Riiko didn’t return Night after the three day free trial! XD To her horror, Night costs… ¥100M because of Riiko’s input of the options she wanted for a boyfriend (e.g. handsome, kind, romantic, good at cooking, etc.) and all of those options totaled to ¥100M! LOL!
Gaku then explains that Night was actually meant to be a lover for rich women anyway. XD He can shoot ‘30 rounds a night’ which could lead to a mere mortal’s death! XD (This scene was really funny, I actually laughed my head off!) It is then revealed that Night is a ‘Figure’… a kind of human-like robot who can be transplanted with the options the buyer desires to be an ultimate “lover”. And because that reason, Riiko should not tell anyone about it (“Hi this is Night, he’s a robot!” …Get the gist? =.=”) or else pay ¥100M… in CASH. >___<”
But obviously given Riiko’s stature, she couldn’t afford to pay for him and thinks of getting a part-time job while Night insists that he works too to pay for his own cost as not to burden his ‘girlfriend’ (awww! XD). But her lifetime won’t seems to be enough to pay for Night so Gaku suggests that if Riiko offers her ‘services’ to his Company (Kronos Heavens), her payment would be waived. And her so called ‘services’? Not really to be one of the Lovers Series, but instead help Night collect data about women through his “control ring” to help the company understand what women want and eventually improve their “Lovers for sale”. (Do you really think men can fully understand us women?! XD)
The next chapters show how Night went to the same school as Riiko, (“
Riiko’s bestfriend, Mika Ito, falls inlove with Night. She actually knew their secret and tries different actions (such as seducing Night and framing Riiko) just to get her hands on his boyfriend. Yes, it is revealed in the manga that she is indeed a b*tch.
But that’s not all! Another revelation which is undeniably a character inlove with Riiko, It’s no other then her bestfriend since Highschool… Soushi! He cares for her so much that she keeps for her everyday, cleans up their house (at some instances) and is obviously jealous of Night! The catch? Soushi hasn’t revealed his true feelings for her, not until everything was too late…
The story progresses with Night developing ‘real emotions’, acting on his own (despite not being inputted in his system), and thus enabling him to truly LOVE Riiko. She who sees him once as just a mere ‘appliance’ eventually feels something for him.
Things get really sweet and painful when Night ‘malfunctions’ and breaks down. He is then taken back to the company and would be replaced for another Type 01. Riiko refuses, saying Night can’t be replaced and for some reason, Night was able to come back because he doesn’t want to leave his girlfriend alone… (awww).
Several attempts to capture and replace Type 01 were made by Kronos Company only to give up in the end when Night finally destroys the ring that “controls” and binds him with the company. Riiko also realizes that she doesn’t want to lose him. But just then, Soushi also finally confesses his love so she’s torn apart between the two guys she likes. An answer from her is demanded by Soushi as to who is the better boyfriend… her perfect ‘robot’ boyfriend or the human who has been there for her ever since they were kids and someone who she can grow old with...? =(
Now if it seems like you can’t wait to read Zettai Kareshi, you’ll cry in sheer love for the story when it unfortunately learn how it ends! If you don’t want to spoil the fun, don’t read the next paragraphs so go and read the 33 chapters of scantalations here!
As I was saying, if you’re really going through this paragraph, it’s a big spoiler if you haven’t read the manga yet since I’ll divulge who Riiko chose in the end.
Ready?
When Soushi confessed to Riiko, she finally gave the [unexpected] answer…
“I like you Soushi… but I’m sorry the one whom I want to be right now is with Night”!
My jaws drop and my heart feels the pain, (yeah yeah, so what if I’m so hooked?! XP) Riiko chooses the robot Night (whom I would have chosen too If I was her! ;-P) and so Soushi leaves for
At times she reminisces over her childhood friend and how she chose Night instead, but Riiko has no regrets and finally spends her days happily inlove with Night by his side.
…Until tragedy stikes.
Riiko and Night went out for a date and bought themselves identical rings as a sign of their love for each other. It was such a wonderful scene that could be carried off in death as the best memory of one’s life! …*starts to sniff*
For the past few days, Riiko has been noticing that Night is always sleepy. She asks him what’s the matter and he only says he’s just tired. He calls Gaku and they talk about something which is not shown in the manga. The next scene shows Riiko leaving the house for a while and notices Night sleeping in the couch. She kisses her and notices he’s not wearing their identical rings. Night wakes up and pulls her to him, gives her a passionate kiss and tells her “I love you… forever”.
My hands tremble at the turn of every page… the revelation is heartbreaking! Riiko comes home after a while only to find Gaku meside Night’s body… inside a corpse bag!
Night has ‘died’… his systems shut down.
Riiko in disbelief, touches his cold hands and kisses Night, hoping to ‘start him up’ like how she did the first time he met him... And as Riiko spends the next days being quiet, mourning over the loss of Night… A shadow embraces him, a warmth so familiar.
It’s Soushi who has has returned and is holding Night’s ring in his hands... Turns out, Night knew his condition and asked Gaku to send the ring and a note for Soushi telling him he’s counting on Soushi to make Riiko happy… and his final words for her is “Don’t cry anymore”… *Author bawls*
The wonderful story of Absolute Boyfriend ends with Riiko being able to be find true love, happiness with both man she loves and being loyal to only one.
Great thumbs up to my favorite manga artist Yuu Watase for making another favorite (Aside from Fushigi Yuugi)! FYI, There’s also a live series of Zettai Kareshi that was released in Fuji TV (year not mentioned in source http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Zettai_Kareshi). It has a total of 11 episodes and sorry but I really am not quite hot about watching it. >__<” *Author settles for manga still. Sniff.*
Night Tenjou, Make me your loveeerrr!!! ~XD
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