Absolute Boyfriend
**NOTE: Contains spoilers.
In an effort to take a break from my rabid anime-watching streak lately, I finally decided to read Yuu Watase’s Absolute Boyfriend. My gosh what an adorable manga! Compared to a lot of other manga that I’ve read, this one was pretty short, consisting of only 33 chapters. Still, Watase-san even in that short space managed to weave yet another charming tale with plenty of love and laughter. And as always, her artwork is just gorgeous.
The story is a bit unusual, but then again what else do you expect when one of the main characters is essentially a super-advanced sex doll? Personally, were I in Riko’s position, I would have chosen Soshi over Night. Night is gorgeous and kind and gentle and a gallant protector over Riko… but he also isn’t human. And he’s only like this because of all the special features Riko decided to have implemented into his personality. It would be like a dream come true in some ways, wouldn’t it? Being able to create the perfect man who would adore you and only you for all of eternity… I can see why Riko went ahead and ordered one without really thinking it through, especially after being rejected as many times as she has.
It’s a pity Soushi was too shy to confess his true feelings for her sooner though. Soshi is every bit as gorgeous as Night, plus he’s a top student and great cook to boot! Soshi is almost everything Night is and to top it off, he’s human. His biggest humiliation and argument for why Riko should choose him is Night’s humanity (or lack thereof). As I read this section between Riko and Soshi, my heart really went out to Soshi. I thought his words were powerful and they held more than a little merit. Pointing out that Night, no matter how wonderful he acts or how real he may feel, is something that will never age or even be able to have children are extremely valid points that clearly Riko never even considered.
However, we can’t choose who we fall in love with. Riko may realize how much of a problem Night’s lack of humanity may be in the future, but by then it’s too late. As Shouka put it to Reishin in Saimono, “Fate decides who falls in love”. I thought it was very sad at the end when, after finally physically consummating their relationship Night essentially dies. That seemed to be rather abrupt to me, and it was never even hinted at until the last 20 pages or so of the manga. Sure, he’d been sick, but because he was so unusual you would have thought his creators would have done more to preserve him and study him.
One of my favorite chapters though was chapter 25 for sure, it wasn’t due to story content. I felt a little silly, but I gave several fangirl squeals as I read this chapter. Chibi-Night was soooooooooooo damn cute I just couldn’t get over it. Of course, this definitely alienates him further from being human, as coming back to Riko 4 inches high isn’t exactly a normal thing to do. Most of my favorite moments actually come from Soshi though. Several times he’s seen punching the lights out of some guy who insults Riko (the same as Night), or we see him coming to her rescue when she’s being ganged up on by the other girls for being Night’s girlfriend. Soshi is like a true knight in shining armor… and it just makes me sigh with pity whenever I see Riko putting Night first.
Overall, as I said, I found the story to be charming. However, even though I tend to be more on the logical side, the only way I can enjoy stories like this is to simply let go of logic and expectations of reality. Everything else aside, this story really was almost overly ideal in many ways. And the fact that all of the Kronos officials were young children, with the CEO equivalent being a baby… well I guess it’s no wonder they were so hellbent on solving the “feminine mystique”. That whole bit about the Kronos company I didn’t really understand, but again, it’s one of those things you merely have to accept as being the norm in this particular universe! Also, there were some sections that felt a bit rushed, such as when Riko finally discovered Mika’s true nature. It just seemed weird to me how it all played out. Of course I was SO glad when Riko slapped Mika across the face for being the traitorous bitch she is.
All in all though, I’d definitely recommend anyone who is a fan of the shoujo genre (and bishounens in general!) to check out this adorable manga from Watase-san.
