picture courtesy of Fuji TV

Warning, there might be some slight spoilers ahead.

So yesterday, my friend and I finally finished watching the drama, Zettai Kareshi. The live action version stars Hayami Mokomichi, Aibu Saki, and Mizushima Hiro.

A very brief summary of the drama: Izawa Riiko (Aibu Saki) works in the office of a famous pastry distributor, Asamoto. She has absolutely no luck with love or her job. She wishes to one day have a normal marriage and make her career dream come true: to become a famous pâtissier (pastry chef). One night at a bar, she is confronted by a strange man who has an interesting proposition for her. Thinking it’s nothing too serious she agrees to answer some questions about her ideal boyfriend back at his company and then goes home. Within a few days, a very big package is delivered to her house from that company and inside the package was a very tall naked man.

She obviously doesn’t know what’s going on at first, thinking that it could be a dead body, etc… but when she calms down, she realizes there are instruction manual with the body. She starts to put things together from the other night and realizes that it’s a robot and to activate it, she must kiss it on the lips. Hesitantly, she kisses the robot and he awakens in all his glory. When he awakens, he is ready to do whatever she may wish of him but of course, she’s very freaked out by all of this (Robot or not, a very tall, good looking naked man standing in the middle of her living room all of the sudden). Even though he is specifically set to be her ideal, she never thought any of this would actually happen and the idea of having a robot boyfriend (despite being perfect) is absurd. Since he is a robot, he doesn’t really have a name other than 001 (because he’s the prototype) so Riiko at least gives him a name, Night. Throughout the rest of the drama, Night continues to try to make Riiko happy, despite Riiko being mean to him while trying to figure out things in her own life.

But of course, it wouldn’t be a romantic drama if there wasn’t at least one rival. The rival in this drama would be Asamoto Soushi (Mizushima Hiro). The lazy son of the CEO of Asamoto, Soushi at first just seems like an irresponsible brat that’s just interested in messing around with the money and power he has because of his position in the company. As the series goes on, you realize there’s more to him than just that. He ends up being a great guy who helps Riiko out a lot and tries to help her fulfill her dreams and all he really wants is to revert the Asamoto Company back into what it was when his Grandfather ran the company before it became a big corporate company. Night may be the ideal boyfriend, but Soushi has a big advantage over Night: he’s a real person.

Towards the end of the series, Riiko has to choose: fulfill her dream and become a pâtissier and live a normal life with Soushi, or take a chance and spend her life with Night.

The original story was written by Watase Yu (who is also famous for her series, Fushigi Yuugi, Ayashi no Ceres, etc) and there are a total of six volumes of the manga. Watase Yu is rather known for her dramatic and a lot of the time, very sad stories… so I was bracing myself when I watched the drama. The majority of the drama is very, very funny and cute but there are some moments in the drama where my friend and I found ourselves crying. By the last episode, we were both bawling. Even with reading and watching other Watase Yu series such as Fushigi Yuugi, I felt myself letting my guard down because the series is so cute and funny. The last episode is slightly deceiving as well so by the end, it was game over for me. I don’t cry that often when watching dramas or movies… but this one did the job. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I will just say this: I wished so much that he would have moved even a little bit. If you saw the drama, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I don’t think they could have picked a better person to play Tenjou Night than Hayami Mokomichi. He pretty much stole the show. Mokomichi had the look and somehow brought the character to life. His smile, his awkward facial expressions, cute mannerisms, and overall his innocence had us cheering him on from the beginning. We wanted it to somehow work out with Riiko and Night, despite the fact that we could feel the same apprehensions as Riiko did because in the end, Night was a robot. However, Night’s rival, Asamoto Soushi also made things difficult… because he was also someone that we sort of wanted Riiko to end up with. Soushi is such an awesome guy that you can’t help but root for him too. Towards the end of the series, you’re as confused as Riiko is on who she should be with. I guess it would be a little easier if you knew that Night was only a robot and just that, but as the series goes on, you realize that he’s not only acting solely based on his program… but he seriously has feelings for Riiko and is able to feel loved and hurt.

Aibu Saki did a great job as Riiko. As a viewer, Riiko can be a very frustrating character at times. But of course, if she was nice and the perfect girl, there wouldn’t be much of a drama. Mizushima Hiro did a great job as Soushi as well… even though it was slightly creepy in some of the scenes where he was eating. It looked like he hadn’t eaten for years. The supporting cast includes big names such as Maya Miki, who plays the bar owner Fujiko who looks out for Riiko, as well as Sasaki Kuranosuke who plays Namikiri, 001/Night’s creator who ends up being somewhat of a parent to Night. At first, Namikiri only saw Night as another project, but when he realizes that Night not only is a success, but starts to feel actual emotions and is able to make memories for himself, Namikiri finds himself wanting Night to actually be able to find happiness for himself.

To add to both the cuteness and sadness of the drama, the ending theme Okaeri by Ayaka is perfect for this series. I think most of the times that I found myself crying, that song was playing in the background…

Mokomichi fans will have a ball with this drama considering for a lot of the drama, he’s at least shirtless. Plenty of fan service in this series, but I thought it was done tastefully. It was done for comedic effect. Seeing Mokomichi hit his head on the entrance of doors over and over because of his height was hilarious. Not to mention, Mizushima Hiro is eye candy himself. I know girls will enjoy this series but I’m not sure about guys… If you’re a guy that likes shojo manga storylines… you might like it.

I highly recommend this drama but with a warning: it is written by Watase Yu. The majority of the drama is super funny and cute… but the sad parts are insanely sad. If you are looking for a funny romantic drama with bits of serious dramatic scenes mixed in, this is a great series.

In a recent manga review by Kitagawa Ikuko for the Daily Yomiuri, Kitagawa wrote, “He is tall, good-looking, smart and always there for you. He can wake you up in the morning, rustle up delicious food, leap from a rooftop to protect you and can become small enough to fit in your pocket…huh?”

“The man is a robot, created and customized just for you.”

“In Zettai Kareshi Riiko is a high school girl who has never had a boyfriend and has no luck in dating any of the boys she falls for.”

“When Riiko returns a mobile phone she has found to its owner–a salesman with a penchant for strange cosplay outfits–he thanks her by recommending his online Web site that sells “boyfriend figures.”

“Out of curiosity, Riiko decides on a three-day free trial for a customized 182-centimeter-tall model, with a kind nature, who is devoted to her. The next day, she gets a huge package containing a naked robot, which is activated by a kiss. As soon as she kisses him, he wakes up, smiles and introduces himself as Riiko’s boyfriend. His mission is to be her perfect man.”

“Despite her embarrassment and concern, the robot–named Night Tenjo–is infatuated with Riiko and displays his affection at any time in any place. Though she is able to deal with him as the end of the three-day trial period approaches, she decides to return Night, but misses the deadline by a few minutes and is forced to buy him for 10 million yen, having also carelessly agreed to optional extras, such as “being smart,” or “excellent reflexes.”

“Instead of shelling out all this cash, the salesman suggests that Riiko provide Night with as much data as possible about “woman’s minds,” so that the manufacturer can use the information to create better-quality “female-satisfying” figures in the future.”

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