Absolute Boyfriend - Anime
Current mood:
ABSOLUTE BOYFRIEND
(絶対彼氏 ZETTAI KARESHI) is a manga I very strongly suggest for reading ..
Note: The title Absolute boyfriend is a literal translation of Zettai Kareshi, it does not fully describe the context behind the words used. Zettai does mean "absolute" but can also mean "perfect", "definite", or "unconditional"; kareshi, "boyfriend", can also mean "he". A zettai boyfriend could be a "perfect" boyfriend in that he is everything a girl would want in a boy (or, a woman in a man), as well as an "unconditional" boyfriend whose feelings for his lover would be, in a word, absolute. Another translation could have zettai kareshi mean "he is perfect!", in the same way Saishū Heiki Kanojo means both "Ultimate Weapon Girlfriend" and "She is an Ultimate Weapon".
PLOT:
Riiko Izawa has never had a boyfriend and she has been rejected by every boy she has ever had a crush on. When she returns a lost cell phone to an oddly dressed salesman, she tells him like an idiot she wants a boyfriend when the "Cosplayer" asks her what she wants. So he directs her to his company's website as a way to thank her, but she was to not tell anyone. Riiko unwittingly ends up ordering a "figure" which will be her boyfriend with the intention of returning him after the free three day trial order.
The way to boot him up is to kiss him, so when she kisses him, he wakes up. When he does so he's completely in love with her. He then asks what's his name? and she calls him "Night" since he's one of the "nightly lover" figure.
After her three-day trial is over, Riiko finds that she cannot return her perfect mail-order boyfriend and is stuck with a bill for 100,000,000 yen (approximately 1 million USD) because she had added 100 things she wanted in a boyfriend and each had cost 10,000 yen. The mysterious salesman, Gaku Namikiri, tells her the company will waive the bill if she will help them collect data about women's feelings and data about their mental and physical structures in order to perfect future "Nightly Lover" models.
Unbeknownst to Riiko, her next-door neighbor and childhood friend, Soshi Asamoto, loves her which he strives to hide by frequently teasing her. He has promised her mother that he will watch over Riiko while her parents are away, and when he sees Riiko with her new "boyfriend," his jealousy creates the central love triangle of the series.
Riiko must keep Night's true nature of an inhuman being a secret from everyone around her while struggling to decide if she loves Night, despite being a "figure" who seems to be developing true emotions, or Sōshi, who has loved her since childhood…..
If that hasn't convinced you enough, hopefully these Character Biographies might:
Riiko Izawa (井沢 リイコ, Izawa Riiko)
Riiko doesn't seem to have any luck with boys until she meets a strange salesman and ends up accidentally ordering a boyfriend: Night Tenjo. Riiko is rather naïve, clumsy, and simple-minded, but kindhearted and hardworking. She seems to have feelings for Soshi and Night, which becomes the primary conflict of the story.
Night Tenjo
Night is the perfect boyfriend: charming, dependable, intelligent, athletic, good-looking, sensitive, devoted, and completely loyal. Because he is unaware of certain social conventions, he often seems over-the-top and attracts a lot of attention. Although he is a doll, albeit of a high-caliber design, he seems to have genuine emotions and to want to become more human and be a better boyfriend to Riiko. He wears a mood ring that indicates Riiko's emotions. But soon he- (Now I am not going to tell you the whole story! >_
Soshi Asamoto
Soshi has had a crush on Riiko since they were both children, though he has never found the nerve to confess his real feelings and instead teases her. His father is a photographer who travels around the world, so Soshi lives alone with his younger brother, Masaki. Since Riiko lives alone at the beginning of the series as well, Soshi has promised her mother to protect her. He is a very good cook and usually gives Riiko food when he suspects she needs it. (He is usually wearing glasses….T-T)
Gaku Namikiri
Gaku is salesman for a company known as Kronos Heaven which specializes in making highly realistic robots, or "figures," for various purposes. Though usually businesslike and down-to-earth, Gaku sometimes is not taken seriously and is frequently mistaken for a cosplayer because of his odd manner of dress. When Riiko cannot return Night nor pay the bill for him, Gaku allows her to keep him so Night can collect data on how to become a better lover for use in future models. Whenever there is a problem with Night, Gaku is the one to fix him. Gaku likes sweets, especially ice cream sundaes.
I hope that has convinced you…though so much reading! O.o…*laughs* And here are a few first chapters to convince you some more. I hope you will read it! (It's only six volumes though..*sniffles*)
