Absolute Boyfriend, Vol. 4

絶対彼氏 [Zettai Kareshi] #4

by Yuu Watase

While out on a date with Night, Riiko meets a boy who looks like her first crush from elementary school--Toshiki Murakami. Even though she's with Night, Toshiki seizes the opportunity to steal a kiss from Riiko.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Young Adult, Comics Manga, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2007

About the author

Yuu Watase (渡瀬悠宇) is a Japanese shoujo manga-ka. She is known for her works Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, Ceres: The Celestial Legend, Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend. She likes all music, except heavy metal and old traditional music.

She received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Ceres, Celestial Legend in 1997. Since writing her debut short story "Pajama de Ojama" ("An Intrusion in Pajamas"), Watase has created more than 80 compiled volumes of short stories and continuing series. Because of her frequent use of beautiful male characters in her works, she is widely regarded in circles[which?] as a bishōnen manga artist.[citation needed] In October 2008, Watase began her first shōnen serialization, Arata: The Legend in Weekly Shōnen Sunday.
Her name is romanized as "Yû Watase" in earlier printings of Viz Media's publications of Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, and Ceres, The Celestial Legend, while in Viz Media's Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend her name is romanized as "Yuu Watase". In Chuang Yi's English-language versions of Fushigi Yugi (spelled without a macron or circumflex), her name is romanized as "Yu Watase".

Reviews

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why is that in Japan being drugged and waking up in bed with a stranger, who tells you that you had sex with him and you remember nothing doesn't qualify as rape? Really she's all worried that she slept with this guy she doesnt know while I'm thinking ummmm RAPE????

[Mina ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I'm finished with this series!

I loved the couple Night & Riiko but the author is joking with us readers... I can totally understand a love triangle between Night, Riiko and her childhood friend however it's a joke see our female main character been seduced by every man that she meets.

Just what do you think I am?

Just what do you want of me?

You really think I will support her romantic life when she is kissing everybody?

Night leave her and come to me. I will love you with all my heart!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was PERFECT!

The fourth instalment in the series focuses on the competing attentions of two lover figures towards Riiko. Toshiki is an upgraded version of Night and basically stops at nothing to make Riiko his girlfriend. This volume was crazy and full of delightful twists and turns which I really appreciated - the artwork is stunning and I swear I'm falling for all of the male characters in this series!

On a sad note though Night gets hurt and has to go back to Kronos Heaven to have his body repaired - however the chibi Night is sooooooooooooo goddamn adorable my heart actually hurts!

Loved this volume! <3 <3 <3

[Lou (Lou and Life) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is literally one of the most problematic books/mangas I have ever read and it was the first book that I read in 2020. Is this is a sign of my reading life to come?

The reason why I give it two stars and not 1 or nothing is because my rating system means even if I finish a book I hated, I'd still give it 2/5 stars because it means that I was able to finish it at least, even if I did want to finish it. For books that I don't finish, I give them 1 star.

I feel like this volume has every problematic thing a guy could do to a girl in a shojo manga. Riiko is also so passive in her life that things just happen to her without her consent. If the things that happened to me, happened to Riiko, I would be not only so angry but actually do things to control my life. Riiko basically gets sexually assaulted without her consent. She is kissed without consent multiple times, and she wakes up with no memory in a guy's room with him saying they've had sex (they didn't, and she finds this out later). Riiko has so many guys fighting for her that it is actually a negative for her to be the desire of men.

I also feel like this volume made me dislike everyone but Night because he is so true in his convictions, but also innocent. But then he is a sentient machine that is hardwired to fall in love with the people who buy him... Riiko is too much of a pushover and easy going, especially for the things that happened to her, my opinion of Soshi changed a lot in this book because he became more aggressive in his desire to win over Riiko, and the company which Riiko bought Night for basically does illegal things to her. I feel like everyone is trash.

I have two more volumes in the series which I hope to read soon so I can unhaul them. If I didn't buy the whole series at once, then I probably would have stopped the series after volume 2. But now that I have invested my money in the whole series, I will read it until the end and then never think about it again. I bought this series because I wanted to see what the kdrama was based on, now I feel like I shouldn't watch the kdrama because of it's source material.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main characters are so attractive XD I love the drawings haha they can be really comical at times, no pun intended :P In this installment Rikko meets her elementary school crush that she was always too shy to approach. Feeling come back and she's tempted to cheat on Night. Now not only does she have to decide between Night and Soshi... now there's this other dude too. But an interesting twist happens nearer to the end of the chapter.

[Emy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fed up with rejection, heart-broken Riiko signs up for a free trial of the Nightly Lover 'figure'. The next day, a cute naked guy is delievered to her apartment. Riiko finally has a boyfriend - one who will cost her a million dollars if she fails to return him on time.

This volume introduced more conflict in the form of Toshiki, who Riiko (at first) assumes to be her old childhood crush. This is a rather clumsy plot device to ramp up the drama, in my opinion, as there is a perfectly good love triangle going on her between Night, Riiko and Soushi. More on that later.

My main problem with this voume is the fact it screams 'rape culture'. Riiko wakes up in bed with Toshiki with no memory of what happened the night before, and then spends the next dozen pages or so worrying she has cheated on Night by having sex with Toshiki. Surely some alarm bells should be ringing for her. That practically screams date rape, doesn't it? Though it's revealed later that nothing actually happened, Riiko still takes all the blame on her shoulders.

Towards the end of the volume, both Soushi and Night 'claim' Riiko as their own. This is problematic too, as it comes across as if Riiko is merely a prize to be won, rather than a human being with her own opinions. I've been reading lots of gender theory recently, so perhaps I'm being particularly sensitive to what is, after all, a common trope in shoujo manga.

Despite that, this volume was still humorous in places and also I loved the art style. Unfortunately, the problems let it down for me compared to other volumes in the series.

I hope volume five redeems the series in my eyes. Mini-Night promises to be interesting, after all!

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay this was awful. I don't have sympathy for protagonists that go "Oh I don't know who I love". It's irritating. She has almost no personality. And one thing I REALLY dislike about Yuu Watase's work is so prevalent. Is that if a woman is not interested in you, then FORCE YOURSELF on them to change their minds. And it works in her manga. Soshi is supposedly such a good guy, but he got pissed and is pinning her to the bed. This is not okay. I hope young girls reading this don't think that this is acceptable behavior. And stand your ground.
This was extremely irritating and disgusting.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! I think this volume made me laugh out loud the most times! So much hilarity!

And I was just starting to lean towards Team Soshi but then Night returned (even if he is mini right now xD) and still cute as ever and I am mixed again T^T I know how Riiko feels even if I don't agree that it's fair to Soshi or Night (even if he's not human).. agh I wonder how this will end and if it'll be a somehow happy ending for all three!

[Karolina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like the whole thing with the second robot/doll (or whatever you call it) was unnecessary. I get that the main girl is naïve and all, but how could she not realize that she was drugged??? It's sad that all she thought about was the fact that she "cheated". And why is this company so eager to have a 16 year old girl have sex with their robots??? It's honestly just fucking weird man 🤣 I'll keep reading this, since it's a quick and somewhat fun read, but it definitely has problems.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume has some shockers. And I have become angry with a couple characters! That is not the norm for this series. But our new arrivals I DO NOT LIKE!!! Deceivers and manipulators! GRR!! ANd this volume gets violent! Nothing went how I would have thought for this series! But I was hooked every page!

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little uncomfortable how much of this story is about Riiko having sex with Night. Still the story twists are so smart and inventive!

Loved learning about Yuki and Toshiki. Night is hurt, nooooooo!

BOTTOM LINE: Still fluffy and still bringing delightful cliffhangers!

[BB · Rating 1 out of 5]

What could have been a really interesting twist was presented in such a profoundly problematic way that I couldn’t believe what I was reading. And Soshi acts out of character as well. This volume is a mess

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume starts off with Chapter 19:First Love.

I'll write more when my editing mode hits.
Happy Readings!
Fly my Pretties! Fly!

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

SO convoluted and ridiculous. I think I only like Gaku now. I kind of want to drop it, tbh. Can I just fast-forward to the end and see if she chooses Soshi?

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

fuck this volume though. potential drugging and sexual assault treated as some sort of cheating scenario. get fucked.

[Just A Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am dying right now, just totally DYING lol.

OKay so having a new model come bother Riiko as a test run was mean, but it was hilarious.

BUT TINY night?!?! OMG he was so effin adorable!! SO Freakin cute! I want a tiny night :D

[✨Sky✨ ♏ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about this volume felt a little off. The drama didn't hit as much as the previous volumes. Still enjoyable, though.

[Allegra · Rating 1 out of 5]

These books feel like the equivalent of smashing one’s Barbie’s together

[elif sinem · Rating 3 out of 5]

girl... the less said about toshiki and this end the better fr

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sejujurnya di volume ini perkembangan ceritanya jadi makin aneh dan bikin nggak nyaman. Saat sedang kencan bersama Night di taman ria, Riiko bertemu dengan teman masa kecil yang juga cinta pertamanya, Toshiki Shiratori. Toshiki kakak kelasnya waktu SD. Dia pindah sekolah. Toshiki ke taman ria bersama adiknya, Yuki. Toshikilah yang mengobati kaki Riiko yang terkilir. Saat sedang mengantri untuk naik ferris wheel, Yuki mengeluh sakit perut. Sebagai rasa terima kasih karena Toshiki sudah menolong Riiko, Night mengajukan diri mengantar anak itu ke toilet agar Toshiki bisa tetap mengantri. Namun, sampai giliran Riiko dan Toshiki untuk naik, Night dan Yuki belum kembali. Akhirnya Toshiki memaksa Riiko naik ferris wheel berdua. Saat itulah Toshiki mencium Riiko! Lah?

Night lalu mengajak Riiko menginap di hotel. Night sudah bekerja agar bisa membayar hotel. Tapi ternyata Toshiki dan adiknya juga menginap di sana! Waktu Night sedang mandi, Toshiki lalu menelepon Riiko dan memintanya datang ke kamar karena dia ingin menjelaskan soal ciumannya tadi. BODOHNYA, Riiko mau!!! Gimana, sih?! Yang dilakukan Toshiki itu kan udah pelecehan seksual. Kok Riiko mau-maunya malah datang ke kamar cowok itu? Di kamar, tentu saja lagi-lagi Toshiki menyerang Riiko. Entah apa yang dia lakukan, setelah mencium Riiko, gadis itu langsung kehilangan kesadaran. Mekanisme ini tidak pernah terjelaskan. Yang jelas begitu bangun, Riiko mendapati dirinya telanjang di atas kasur bersama Toshiki. What the fuck?!

Gara-gara itu Riiko jadi panik dan mengajak Night keluar dari hotel. Lah, harusnya dia kan lapor polisi. Ini udah terhitung pemerkosaan kali. Aneh bagaimana komik-komik Jepang ini suka brush off adegan-adegan pelecehan seksual dan tidak membawanya ke tingkatan yang lebih serius, misalnya dengan memperlihatkan implikasi hukum. Si korban malah sering digambarkan luluh maupun tersipu-sipu setelah itu terjadi padanya. Sejak saat itu Riiko jadi tidak berani menghadapi Night.

Sialnya, Toshiki malah jadi murid baru di sekolah Riiko dan jadi kakak kelasnya. Namun, saat menceritakan soal Toshiki pada Soushi, Soushi menunjukkan foto Toshiki yang ditemuinya di sebuah acara pameran. Dan fotonya beda jauh dengan "Toshiki", lebih gendut. Shock-lah Riiko. Jadi si "Toshiki" yang sudah menyerangnya itu siapa???

Saat Riiko mengonfrontasi "Toshiki", dengan lempeng pemuda itu berkata, "Aku juga Toshiki. Tapi Toshiki Shiraishi. Kukira dulu kamu menggodaku. Jadi ya sudah. Aku toh tertarik padamu."

Can't you believe that if a stranger did and said that to you?! Dia berpura-pura jadi teman masa kecilmu. Menciummu secara paksa. Membuatmu pingsan. Menelanjangimu, dan membawamu ke tempat tidur dan entah melakukan apa lagi. Nggak cuma itu, dia membuntutimu sampai ke sekolah. This guy is a criminal!!!

Baru kemudian ketahuan bahwa Toshiki ternyata juga robot model seperti Night. Hanya saja dia versi 02 yang katanya sih sudah lebih dikembangkan. Tapi kok kepribadiannya toksik gini? Udah gitu, bukannya boneka seperti Night diaktifkan melalui ciuman? Kok Toshiki langsung terobsesi pada Riiko padahal Riiko bukan orang yang mengaktifkan dia pertama kali? Apa setingannya beda? Sudah begitu wajahnya yang kayak diseting mirip dengan teman masa kecil Riiko yang juga cinta pertamanya. Apa Kronos Heaven diam-diam menyelidiki masa lalu Riiko? Scary. There is something dark and sinister about Kronos Heaven dan itu enggak digali di sini. Like I said, di-brush off begitu saja.

Yang mengejutkan, Yuki ternyata adalah pimpinan Kronos Heaven. Oi! Anak sekecil itu punya karakter semanipulatif itu? Mengerikan. Intinya Night dianggap produk gagal karena tidak berhasil berhubungan seks dengan Riiko sebagaimana fungsi seharusnya. Karena itu perusahaan mengetes Toshiki pada Riiko untuk melihat apakah sang robot bisa menggantikan Night. Gila. Riiko dianggap tak lebih dari sekadsr objek untuk uji coba dan pengumpulan data oleh perusahaan.

Night dan Toshiki lalu bertarung habis-habisan. Soushi menyaksikan semua itu dan akhirnya menyadari bahwa kedua orang itu bukan manusia. Yuki lalu menonaktifkan Toshiki karena menganggap sang robot terlalu pushy. Dia lalu pergi begitu saja setelah bilang perusahaan akan mengganti segala kerusakan di rumah Riiko akibat pertempuran dua robot itu. Like seriously?! Gitu doang? Lempeng amat sikapmu setelah ngacak-ngacak kehidupan orang. Ingat, Riiko dibuat seolah dia sudah tidur dengan Toshiki dalam kondisi kehilangan kesadaran loh!

Soushi pun tak terima karena Riiko lebih memilih robot seperti Night daripada dirinya. Dia lalu memojokkan Riiko di tempat tidur (hadeeeeeh. Gak bisa ya ngomong yang normal? Semuanya pada red flag, nih). Riiko menyalahkan Soushi yang tak pernah memperlakukannya sebagaimana seorang wanita yang dia sukai dan keterlambatannya dalam menyatakan perasaan. Astaga Riiko... Yah, untuk urusan perasaan, orang memang bisa jadi bego, sih. Apalagi remaja seperti Riiko.

Nah, masalahnya, sejak pertarungan itu, tampaknya Night jadi rusak. Dia sering mendadak ngomong bahasa asing. Kupingnya berasap. Tangannya pun terpuntir ke arah yang tidak normal. Konyolnya, tidak ada satu pun teman sekolah Riiko yang menyadari keanehan ini. HAHAHAHA. Guyonan khas komik Jepang.

Gaku lalu membawa Night ke perusahaan untuk diperbaiki mumpung Riiko masih punya garansi setahun. Soushi memutuskan untuk tinggal di tempat Riiko dan menggantikan Night untuk memasak dan urusan lain. Tapi lalu Night kembali... dalam ukuran mini. Rupanya Night yang asli butuh waktu lama untuk diperbaiki sehingga dibuatlah versi mini darinya untuk kembali pada Riiko gara-gara Night ngamuk dan nyaris menghancurkan lab saat dibawa ke perusahaan. Seperti Night yang asli, Night versi mini ini pun sangat posesif pada Riiko. Imut sih. Well....

Ya gitu deh. Riiko akhirnya tinggal bersama Soushi dan Night versi mini. Sumpah deh. Orangtua Riiko terlalu banyak memberi kepercayaan yang tidak semestinya pada Riiko dengan membiarkan gadis SMA kelas X itu tinggal sendirian. Huffh. Parah.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I had mixed feelings about the previous volume, this current fourth installment did not really work for me at all. The newly introduced figure turned out to be programmed in a predatory way, and it was no fun watching the victim of this maliciousness struggle before the plot line was quickly wrapped up without addressing the harm caused. Much of this volume could have been reworked or simply left out completely. Perhaps that is why this plot line never figured into the television adaptation.

[Nicole Bunge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally we find out a littl emore baout Gaku- the nutty salesman from Kronos Heaven. Frankly, I'm happy I gave up on Shojo Beat, and any type of 'monthly' instalments. It REALLY helps to have the author comment columns when it comes to this.
The author is very... silly. Imaginative as hell, but silly. At least you know that going in, because she tells you there's no logic to what she decided for the plot. It's escapism. The end.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another series I'm grateful that Goodreads suggested to me. And I didn't realize that I was already familiar with this author/illustrator! I loved, loved, loved Alice 19th and Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, so it's no surprise this series is excellent as well.

And honestly, I'm not sure who I'm rooting for more, Night or Soshi.

[L. J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girl orders robot, robot is hot, girl and robot fall in love. They are cute. Plot is non-existent really; it's just "look at the unnecessary drama between the lovers-to-be!" So, yeah, it should've just been entirely wholesome. Maybe I should lower the rating. Eh, it was decent enough, so I guess this rating can stay.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another guy makes a play for Riiko's affections (and her body.) It's strange that a plotline about attempted rape, which I found completely terrible in Ai Ore!, could be rendered so much more palatable here. I think the humor helps, and the greater amount of realism in the characters' feelings.

[MJ Codename: ♕Duchess♕ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The series was cute up until the introduction of a random childhood crush and the sexual assault undertones and potential rape of a 16-year-old girl popped up. I don’t even care to finish to find out what happened.

[Kat (idangerous) · Rating 3 out of 5]

tell me the next one is better? This one was....* ***** slaps the taller guy on cover*
says it all lol

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s sad but a great continuation of the story. A little more sci fi than the first three. Still a lot of fun.

[M. Langlinais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ended better than it began.