By Eu
This 32-chapter manga is written by Yuu Watase, the same creator of Fushigi Yuugi. The story is about a high-school girl named Riiko Izawa who got dumped by the guy she confessed to. Then, she purchased a robotic guy online. It was delivered the very next day and he insisted that he is Riiko’s ideal boyfriend. After learning about Riiko’s “boyfriend”, her childhood friend is starting to show affections on her. Thus, a light-hearted love story has begun.
Honestly, when I first read a chapter of it on one issue of Shoujo Beat, I thought that this is just a bizarre comedy love story with full of fanservice in it. That made an impression on me. Few months have passed while searching for shoujo manga titles that I’m going to read next, I came across with this title again. This time, I gave it a try. From then on, Zettai Karshi or ABsolute Boyfriend proved that I’m very wrong in judging it right away.
The plot is not that unique since there are also other stories like that about a human-robot relationship and its very shoujo-ish. There is also some fanservice (mostly by Night..XD). It started fast and the mood is light. As the story progresses, it makes you want to know more what will happen next. The ending is good. I’m really contented with how it ends since it’s realistic and makes me love it more.
The heroine is, of course, the usual type. An ordinary girl surrounded with bishies. On some occasions, she can be dumb and be overwhelmed by her emotions. One good point of hers is the growth of her character. Night, on the other hand, is really awesome (well, he’s programmed to be like that) but it will also give me creeps if there’s really a guy like that.
If you’re a fan of Fushigi Yuugi, then most likely you’ll find some striking resemblance to the characters of both stories. Girls (who love bishies) would enjoy reading this as the guys were drawn beautifully.
Overall, this is a worth reading manga that even if you’re not a fan of Yuu Watase’s work, you’ll surely love this.
Note: The live adaptation of this was shown in Japan last year starring Hayami Mokomichi as Tenjo Night, Mizushima Hiro as Asamoto Soshi, and Aibu Saki as Izawa Riiko.