DuskFey

Manga in 200 Words: Absolute Boyfriend

Premise: Riiko never catches a break; every boy that’s she’s ever loved has turned her down without hesitation. Hurt and alone, Riiko turns to a strange online company for a solution. Will her artificial boyfriend Night solve Riiko’s problems or make them worse?

Art: Sleek, smooth art typical of shoujo manga. Everyone has spiky hair and is drawn with long, elegant lines. I approve.

Relationships: Absolute Boyfriend has good tension between the characters and maintains it well through series. Riiko is easy to relate to, and Night and Soshi were both appealing. Personally, I shipped Soshi from volume 2 on.

Action: The battles in this series are used more for humor than tension. In particular, 02’s fight with several enemies. (You’ll know it when you see it.)

Audience: Teen girls who’ve been burned by bad relationships and unrequited love.

Extras: Of the two final stories, I preferred “Aromatic.” It seemed kind of hollow at first, but once the secret of the girl’s pheromones was revealed, I was charmed.

Overall: Absolute Boyfriend is a solid series. Some parts are a bit more mature, but it’s handled in an innocent way. Expect a sweet, light drama.