Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Absolute Boyfriend (Taiwan and Japanese Versions)

Absolute Boyfriend (Japanese Version)
 

Summary

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 mentions wanting a boyfriend. To thank her, he directs her to his company's website, Kronos Heaven. When she visits the site, Riiko finds it's a site to create your perfect lover. Thinking it's a game, she customizes and accidentally orders one. The next day, her new lover arrives. Following the instruction manual, she kisses him to wake him up and configures him to be in love with only her. She names him "Night." Three days later, she is shocked to learn that she only had him for a free trial for 72 hours. The salesman, Gaku Namikiri, tells her that she must now pay 100,000,000 yen for Night, however, they will waive the fee if she helps them to collect data about how women think and feel to help perfect future models.

Riiko must now keep Night's true nature a secret from everyone around her. She also soon finds herself in a love triangle between Night and her childhood friend Soshi, who declares his love for her out of fear he will lose her. As the series progresses, Night begins to develop real human emotions, enabling him to truly love Riiko but also resulting in system malfunctions. When Riiko almost loses Night due to the malfunctions, she realizes that he is the one she really loves. She apologizes to Soshi, who moves to Spain with his brother to live with their dad. Night and Riiko spend a few happy weeks together, during which they go on dates, get their picture taken together, and purchase matching rings as symbols of their undying love


Absolute Boyfriend (Taiwanese Version)

Summary
Guan Xiao Fei has never had a boyfriend and has been rejected by every guy who she ever confessed to. When she returns a lost cell phone to a strange salesman, she mentions wanting a boyfriend. To show his gratitude to her, the salesman named Lei Wu Wu gives her his business card and tells her to go to his company's website, Kronos Heaven. At the Darling Store section of the site, Xiao Fei could create her own customized absolutely perfect lover. Having fun with the idea and not realizing what it really means, she sets her preferences and makes an order, intending to keep it for the free 2-day trial and then return it.

The next day, she is shocked when her new lover arrives. Following the instructions, she kisses him to activate him and later gives him the name "Nai Te" (taken from the model name Nightly 01). Just after exactly 48 hours has passed, the salesman appears at her door to inform her that she did not return the product within the 48-hour trial period. Therefore, Xiao Fei must pay 100,000,000 NTD for Nai Te, which is already a generous 70% off discount since she is the first buyer of the product. Later, as Xiao Fei struggles with finding part-time work, Lei Wu Wu is able to negotiate a deal with his company. The fee would be written-off if she helps them to collect data about how women think and feel to help perfect future models. The only other condition is that she will have to keep Nai Te's identity a secret. If she accidentally says it, then she would have to pay the fee.

Xiao Fei must now hide Nai Te's true nature from everyone. She soon finds herself in a love triangle between Nai Te and her childhood friend Zong Shi when he confesses his feelings for her. As Xiao Fei spends more time with Nai Te, Nai Te starts to develop real human emotions, which allows him to truly love Xiao Fei. Who will Xiao Fei choose as her absolute boyfriend.


Drama Review
From Japanese comic book to live action drama, I have to say that the Japanese are really fantastic in creating interest which eventually leads to popular idol drama. Comparing these two versions of absolute boyfriend, it was not easy to choose which version I like best. However, based on the flow of the script and the acting skills of the actors and actresses, I concluded that Japanese version is better than the Taiwan version.

No doubt, Jiro Wang has a great body. In the first episode, he demonstrated his muscular and well-toned body. Subsequently, we get to peek on his muscular every now and then. Mokomichi Hayami has a well-toned body and he is an eye candy too. After some consideration, I decided to cast the vote to Jiro Wang in terms of the ‘look’ department. I am glad that Wu Zun did not take up the role of ‘Night’ or else the drama maybe more dull because of his limited acting abilities. Despite the fact that Wu Zun is a favorite among young girls, I am not in flavor of him taking up this role. Jiro on the other hand is at least watchable although his expression and acting skills can be exaggerated at times. It is better than a plain expression throughout the whole series.

Saki Aibu and Ku Hye Sun are ‘the girl next door’ type of girl. They are both suitable for the role. However, I preferred Saki Aibu because of her cuteness and her ability to fit into the role without trying too hard. Whereas, Ku Hye Sun is pretty good in the Barker King, but her acting skills in this drama get a bit boring as time goes by maybe because of the language barrier. Her limited acting abilities and expression needs to be polish as she continues to act in other dramas. To make matters worse, her voice was dubbed by another person whose voice does not sound nice. This is the main problem when they engage foreign talents to act in idol dramas.

Between Hiro Mizushima and Kun Da, I think Hiro Mizushima is a better actor. From the moment Kun Da appeared in the drama till the end of the show, his acting is dull. I think there is nothing much to mention about his effort here because he appears more like a robot in this drama. Basically, his facial expression does not change much. However, I do not blame him because he is lack of acting experiences. On the other hand, Hiro Mizushima is a charismatic actor who is able to showcase his talent without trying too hard.

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