Absolute Boyfriend tells the story of a special effects make-up artist (Minah) who recently broke up with her long-time actor boyfriend (Hong Jong Hyun) that ends up with the perfect robot boyfriend (Yeo Jin Goo) delivered to her.
Minah plays our make-up artist Eom Da Da. She had done her best to support her boyfriend through his acting career, but when she begins to feel she will always be second to his career, she breaks things off. But she never expected a robot programmed to be the perfect boyfriend would wind up living with her and showing her how to love again.
Yeo Jin Goo is Young Goo/Zero Nine, the perfect robot boyfriend. And Yeo Jin Goo was all kinds of adorable in Absolute Boyfriend! He gets to show his more cute and fun side, and he’s flashing that huge, bright smile right from the beginning.
Then of course, he’s made to be the perfect boyfriend, so he’s ready to be there and help Da Da at any given moment. He also has plenty of sweet things to say, and did I mention he likes to wear a variety of fun outfits including sometimes just, and I mean just…an apron? He really is the perfect boyfriend!
Hong Jong Hyun plays the star actor Ma Wang Joon. He kept his relationship with Da Da secret for seven years in order to further his career, but he is left alone when she breaks up with him. Eventually, he tries to win her back, but he never expected to be in a love triangle with a robot!
Finally, Hong Seo Young is the wealthy heiress Diana. She has a few screws loose, is quite terrible to her staff, and tends to break many of her toys…including multi-million dollar robots made special for her. She’s no joke.
I’ve been waiting for Absolute Boyfriend for quite a while, and luckily, it ended up being quite enjoyable for me! That didn’t seem to be the case for a lot of fans though. So read on for a bit of what to expect.
It’s actually a pretty basic drama with a simple set up. It’s mostly cute fluff that’s easy to just go with. This isn’t a drama to take too seriously. Not all of the science make sense, and you’re likely to notice some logic fails here and there. But that’s not the focus. The focus is on the relationships and love triangle between two people and a robot.
Da Da isn’t really thrilled at all when Young Goo lands on her doorstep. He follows her around and causes trouble, and she’s just plain frustrated with him. Of course, she eventually warms up to our lovable robot as she realizes how helpful he is and how much she enjoys being around him.
Things aren’t simple though as Da Da still has to contend with lingering feelings for Wang Joon. SPOILERS: We learn later on in the drama that Wang Joon actually pushed Da Da away on purpose after receiving threats in the mail about her. So he actually still loves her but is left to watch as she falls for someone else. END OF SPOILERS
This is the kind of drama where misunderstandings abound. Some simple communication would solve a lot of problems, but instead, lack of communication leads to suffering for all involved. Be prepared if this sort of thing frustrates you.
The wealthy Diana was a bit underutilized, but she briefly becomes more prominent around the middle of the drama as she becomes a bigger player in the story and spices things up. She causes a fair amount of trouble for Da Da, Young Goo, and Wang Joon with all of her games. She really is something else, and I never did like her at all!
Issues of humanity and how they extend to a robot are touched upon. Young Goo has a lot to learn and discover on his journey to be like a human. Also examined are the complications of a relationship between a human and a robot. And you can bet everyone has an opinion on the matter. These are the kind of issues I enjoy being explored in stories like this.
I found the drama to have quite a laid back pace. Since the plot is fairly basic, there really are a lot of normal scenes as well as plenty of cute ones between Young Goo and Da Da. Honestly, I would normally find a drama like this slow, but luckily, rather than finding it slow, I found it more cozy.
It’s a fine line though, and everyone might not have a similar experience and could find it draggy and meandering. This is a case where I think you really need to love the characters and atmosphere, otherwise you will likely find the plot too slow, particularly as the drama progresses. Although be prepared for the angst to really ramp up towards the end.
But at the core of the drama is relationships. And I did really enjoy Young Goo and Da Da together. They share some very heartfelt moments as he learns from her about life and love. They are also very passionate about protecting each other which was nice to see. I really enjoyed their sweet conversations and just seeing them interact.
Then they have to face some incredible hardships that test their love for each other. It’s heartbreaking to watch their struggles, and I truly wanted them to find a way to overcome their challenges and be happy. All in all, such a moving relationship.
ENDING SPOILERS BELOW
Those last several episodes of the drama really put my heart through the wringer. And I loved it! Young Goo and Da Da had to face the ultimate challenge…his impending meltdown which is basically his death.
Young Goo shouldered a lot of the burden as he kept it a secret for a while. When faced with the horrible decision of being reset and surviving or keeping his memories and melting down, he chose to keep his memories and accept death. Though he kept it secret for a while, of course, Da Da eventually found out. She was understandably devastated.
My heart was broken watching their last days together as they tried to find joy in spending time together and not to regret the future they wouldn’t have. They made some lovely memories, but the time eventually came. Young Goo melted down, and Da Da was left alone. My tears were flowing!
Now my thoughts on the ending. We got our customary time skip and update on everyone. We see that Da Da remains friends with Wang Joon and still very much loves and misses Young Goo. She then gets a surprise last chance to say goodbye to Young Goo’s body at the lab which was quite touching.
Then it happened. Just after she left him, his thumb moved! The final of scene of the drama shows her being greeted by a man carrying an umbrella, but we can’t see his face. She looks delighted to see him.
Of course, I would always prefer a more concrete last image of our couple together and happy, but it’s another one of those times where I thought the implication was strong that it was Young Goo.
She was friends with Wang Joon but didn’t love him anymore (I think they were mostly trolling us with the umbrella in his car), and then the scene of Young Goo’s thumb moving was foreshadowing his ability to be fixed and return. I also thought the look and build of the man in the final scene looked like Young Goo. So in my opinion, Young Goo and Da Da got their happy ending, so I was very satisfied.
END OF SPOILERS
Absolute Boyfriend is best viewed with the right set of expectations. Don’t expect anything too grand, don’t take it too seriously, expect a bit of messiness with its execution, and just go with the flow for what is a simple but cute series with some relationship angst and a touching journey of a robot trying to find his humanity.
My Rating: 8/10
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