My Absolute Boyfriend (2019)

It was a chore and a half finishing this drama, but I can now say with hesitant satisfaction that it’s over.

In a society that has been enraptured by the potential of AI and robotics, it’s unsurprising that there’s been a recent influx in dramas that deal with such topics. Despite being based off an older manga, My Absolute Boyfriend is yet another title to add to that list. It addresses the issue of robots assimilating into the human world, a problem that is bound to become increasingly relevant over time.

It all sounds interesting, but I wouldn’t recommend this show to anyone who is in need of a captivating storyline. As is the case with most Korean dramas, the first couple of episodes are all fun and games. The further it gets, though, the faster it tumbles downhill. You’d think that this show should be about the struggles of a robot in human society, and it is…but only in theory. Instead, My Absolute Boyfriend overflows with unexciting conflicts and equally unappealing supporting characters. It’s a romcom that pretends to be intricate and emotional, but lacks any of the proper delivery to make it a worthwhile watch.

Ma Wang Joon is one of the least likable second leads I’ve ever had the bad luck of experiencing, yet he rears his ugly head so many times that it makes for a rather toxic drinking game: take a shot every single time you want to punch him smack in the jaw. His constant, unnecessary interventions in the main couple’s relationship stunt its development so much that it’s hardly satisfying when they’re together. It’s like its own subgenre of jump-scare horror—every time Da Da and Young Goo are having a moment, I’m not enjoying it; I’m nervous, waiting for Wang Joon to poke his head around the corner and interrupt. Diana isn’t much better. Despite her intriguing introduction, she ends up as an incredibly boring villain and contributes nothing but shallow inconveniences to the story. All of the conflicts are uninteresting and oftentimes feel unresolved.

Frankly, the number of episodes does far more harm than good and put the writers in over their heads. The amount of sloppy writing in this show is too much to bear and makes the main relationship a tad unbelievable. Had the drama been shortened to 16 or even 12 hour-long episodes, the story would have been so much tighter and left no room for such plot filler.

What’s truly odd about My Absolute Boyfriend is that the acting is good. While the overall performance of the actors and actresses is nothing to rave about, they’re all pretty impressive, especially for a drama that’s ridden with flaws. I can only sadly imagine what could have been if it were written better. For example, Yeo Jin Goo does an excellent job of portraying a puppy-like boyfriend robot and is exemplary when it comes to showing raw emotion. Yet, his talent mostly goes to waste because the writers have no clue as to what the hell to do with their own main character and just push him off to the side for a disproportionate amount of time. Similarly, Min Ah, Jong Hyun, and Seo Young all have the capacity to act well, but their characters are too flat for their acting to feel completely natural. This becomes increasingly obvious over time, when the writers are so busy trying (and failing) to make the story itself interesting that the characters lose the traits that make them compelling.

Altogether, I would have to recommend a pass on this show. Even if you’re a diehard fan of one of the actors, this can be a tough one to get through (I’ll voluntarily admit that I persisted in watching because of Yeo Jin Goo, and even then, it was a struggle). In an industry that pumps out romcom after romcom, My Absolute Boyfriend isn’t particularly special whatsoever.

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(For in-depth review/analysis with spoilers: https://dramavixen.tumblr.com/post/186224304109)

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I'm going to start by saying, I will defend this drama in this review so please if you don't agree, feel free to ignore me.

I don't understand the amount of hate and scorn this drama has been collecting from basically before it even aired. I get it might not be your cup of tea, but no need to destroy it without even giving it a chance. [To defend the robot/human category I should write a whole article on its own, but. Ever heard of Bicentennial Man (1999), with Robin Williams? I, Robot? Or, most recently, the tv show Westworld? We've always been intrigued by the possibilities hidden in the A.I. realm, so really, what's so weird or wrong or hateful in a drama that takes this concept and turns it into a love story?]

I really loved the original manga and I've been waiting for a transposition that would do it justice, and honestly, My Absolute Boyfriend did not disappoint (much, but not because of the plot, which wasn't that different from the original material). I mean, this drama didn't pretend to be something it wasn’t - it's a rom-com, cute and light and fluffy, and you'd probably enjoy it much more if you don't start watching it with too high expectations.

Yeo Jin Goo’s ability to jump from a dramatic role (The Crowned Clown) to this one is fantastic, and he tackles the both of them with the same professionalism, despite the raw difference. As terrifying as he was in the role of a psychopath king, he is just as adorable in the role of a newly awaken robot built to be a Dating Companion, and clings to his girlfriend with the same eagerness and enthusiasm of a pup (every time he called her 여자 친구 my heart melted a little). At first he simply follows his code, which is why Eom Da Da doesn't trust him, or his feelings; of course, she's also dealing with the abrupt end of her seven-years-long relationship with actor Ma Wang Joon, so that's why she's cold and tries to keep a distance between herself and the robot.

I didn’t know Bang Min Ah before this drama, but I liked her despite some awkward acting in the beginning – it almost feels like this was her first job and she still needed to get her footing right. But she’s a very expressive actress, and made me cry almost every time she was even a bit sad (she’s either really good or I’m simply too empathetic, lol). It was a bit annoying at first for how she acted towards Yong Goo because instinctively I wanted to protect the pure robot boyfriend, but she managed to grow on me.

As time passes, however, we start to notice a change in Yong Goo: whereas his code should make him act in a certain way, he defies all logic and does all the opposite, to the point where he even manages to 'wake himself up' from a reset that would have supposedly taken all of the memories he had with Eom Da Da – thus preventing from ever remembering her. As his love for Eom Da Da grows, so does his intelligence evolve and advance, making him become self-aware: he wants, he feels, he longs for thing he shouldn’t – he pretends to be loved just as he loves, placing the first stone towards him becoming more human.

[The man who built him used to read him “The Happy Prince” before he was released in the world (something that tells you how this story will end from the start, so you keep watching all the cute and fluffy moments with a bitter sweetness that make them all the more precious), so really, Yong Goo was made to be a hopeless romantic: it’s not surprising that he ended up developing those kinds of feelings.]

Of course, the drama has its flaws. Like the one-dimensional "villain", Diana, who really is nothing more but a spoiled little rich girl; she’s the original owner of Yong Goo, the one who paid for him to be clear, who was however famous for destroying her robots and being generally an awful person. Which is why the man who built Yong Goo kidnaps him and sends him to another owner instead of her – he loves his creation too much to risk letting him end in the wrong hands. Ugh every time Diana appeared on screen I had this urge to hit her, which is bad because I don't like violence, but, you know - one of those sharp slaps that kdramas are so famous for?? That wouldn't have hurt. Instead, we get to watch her act badly and gloat as she hurts people, purposelessly.

And don't get me started with Ma Wang Joon - the personification of Can't-Take-No-For-An-Answer. The guy believed that he and Eom Da Da never actually broke up, so had the nerve to be jealous and annoying whenever he saw her with her new boyfriend, without all the stupid consequences of that behaviour. They were trying to justify him in the beginning with the unoriginal "he's being an ass and a terrible boyfriend because he's being threatened and doesn't want to put her in danger", but you can imagine how that worked out for him. Spoiler: it didn't. Even the writers shrugged and gave up on that storyline at some point, lol.

Some episodes are slower and more boring than others, something that can happen with 40 episodes to fill when one does not have a clear idea of what to do with the characters and the plot as it’s evidently the case with the writers. It’s like that meme – they’re a little confused, but they got the spirit. I personally wouldn’t have given Ma Wang Joon so many scenes with the protagonist: there are way too many episodes with him as the lead in the relationship with Eom Da Da, considering that they didn’t plan to make them go back together – something that it’s very, very unclear up until the last ten or something episodes, by the way and that leaves you with some weird aftertaste because you wasted too much time with him instead of deepening the relationship between Da Da and Yong Goo: it’s as if they did want to make her go back with her ex-human-boyfriend, but changed idea half-way and didn’t know how to salvage that storyline. Letting it just die and – ruining the flow.

So, the plot could have been better developed, no doubts – we could have done without a few characters or some useless plot points – but that doesn't take away too much from the final product. It's a sweet, funny, uncomplicated love story between a young woman who has been disappointed by love and is now a bit cynical because of it, and a gentle, kind robot who falls for her so much that it breaks him, in the end, and makes her fall in love with him in return. Loving her makes him human, and he prefers to 'die' instead of losing all memories of her love to save himself. Damn, the last six episodes made me cry like a fountain, but it was worth it. I never felt like his feelings for Eom Da Da were forced or fake – it’s pretty clear that the poor robot truly loves her, you can’t help but cheering for him. #protectYongGoo2k19

I personally think that the cast made a marvellous job with the (objectively scanty) material they had been given - something that with another crew of actors would undoubtedly be cringey and a bit lame, they managed to turn it into something pleasant to watch and lovely to enjoy. The actors did a good job, and made me watch the whole show without skipping a single scene, keeping me entertained until the end.
I would definitely recommend it, and 10/10 would watch again.

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A nice romance with an adorable male lead

My opinion is probably going to be biased as hell but I need to defend this drama.

This is another show that talks about AI, which is a theme that opens possibilities to very deep discussions, but this drama avoids all that and sticks to a much simpler plot, something that I'm honestly grateful for cause they barely managed to come up with a decent, simple plot, nevermind if they tried to be fake deep about their messages. The show's not pretentious, it knows its strengths (romance) and sticks to them, so you also have to take it for what it is: a light, fluffy rom-com and that's what I am basing my score on.

The main couple is definitely the strongest part of this show and it's what keeps you watching it. As I said, the plot is nothing impressive, but the chemistry, romance and also Young Goo are the elements that allow you to look past its flaws. The robot is extremely endearing and lovable and will probably have you captivated from the start. He's super cute and his demeanor is heart fluttering. As the show goes on, he becomes even more adorable (if that's even possible), starting to develop emotions and resemble even more a human being and that's something I think this drama does well. Young Goo is an android and he suffers a lot of prejudice for that, even though he's probably better and more considerate than all of the humans in in the show.

Da Da was not the best character, I admit. She complains about her ex actions, but still treats Young Goo the same way Wang Joon used to treat her in the beginning. I also think the actress delivery was a bit stiff is some moments, but overall an average character.

Wang Joon was by far the worst part of the show. I didn't even hate the actual villain as much as I hated Wang Joon, that's how terrible he is. He is super entitled, egoistic and hypocritical. He couldn't bear the guilt that his distancing from Da Da was his own fault so he just blames Young Goo for all his problems instead. He's always minding other people's business and continues to pursue Da Da even after she shoots him down many times. When I rewatch this drama I always skip all the scenes Wang Joon is in.

Now onto the proper villain, Diana. She was interesting initially, but all her potential is wasted as the writers don't properly explore her background, they just mention it and that's it. Some supporting characters were good, such as Bo Won, Wang Joon's manager and Da Da's male co-worker/friend.

Towards the end, Absolute Boyfriend has some very bittersweet, heart-wrenching scenes that frankly took me by surprise since I wasn't expecting to feel so emotional by watching this drama. The actual ending, though, is a bit disappointing, I guess the writers wanted to leave it opened to interpretation.

Honestly I recommend this to any rom-com fan who wants a very cute and sweet romance story.

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I enjoyed how in the beginning it was light, silly, and just over the top funny. I always found myself cracking up at Zero Nine because he was like a puppy and kid rolled up into the body of a twenty-something year old man. The actor did an amazing job playing Zero Nine; even towards the middle where he is developing human emotions/understanding human emotions, you can still tell that he is a robot. I loved this because even though his character turned more human compared to the cute boyfriend robot from the beginning, the actor and director kept Zero Nine's initial robot quirks there. It was the attention to detail with his character that made this drama for me.
On the other hand, you have the other characters. I did love the romance between these two mains, and the ending made me ugly cry, but something just didn't sit well. I 100% felt the love that Zero Nine had for DaDa. It was DaDa I didn't quite understand. One day she just pulled a 180 and loved him with 100% of her heart, which is way more than we saw with the flashbacks of her and Ma Wang Joon. Maybe it is just me, but I don't believe the whole 180 turn. I don't buy it in real life and I don't buy it in dramas.
Then we have Ma Wang Joon. I do think he was a terrible boyfriend in the beginning and yes, she needed to dump him. I think there were two main things I disliked - 1) how he knew he was distancing himself from her for years and didn't care enough for her to treat her better and 2) how he thought their relationship was solely him making the decisions when he should have been communicating with her. After they broke up, I think it was just pure jealousy that she had met someone the complete opposite of him. I truly believe that their relationship was over a long time ago, and he only went after her to prove something to himself. And that is another thing I wasn't convinced with Zero Nine and DaDa's relationship - Zero Nine was the exact opposite of what Ma Wang Joon, all the things she wanted from Ma Wang Joon, was what Zero Nine thrived in. It makes me question DaDa. I read a lot of reviews before writing this one about Ma Wang Joon , and a lot of people pointed him the true villain in this drama, but I'd have to disagree. Yes, I thought he was a crappy boyfriend and person at times, but I also saw Ma Wang Joon's love for DaDa. Yes, I HATED when he blew up on both mains and basically dug himself deeper, but there were other times when he acted as a big brother, knowing that he saw how much he had hurt DaDa in the past and he doesn't want anyone else to make her feel that way again. He went about it in terrible ways, but the intention was there. I don't think I could hate him at the end of everything. He definitely needs to do some growing up.
The one person I disliked would have to be Diana. I loved how she was just this heiress who hates people and decides to make everyone's life miserable for no reason except for her own pleasure, but that's all she was. I thought she was going to have some kind of consequence or this huge redemption, but no. She literally was destroying robot after robot and stealing company property, and all she got out of it was she was put on the banned list. Like she has done so much that she could be sued for millions or in jail, but no. Also, she basically messed with Zero Nine and DaDa's relationship, especially towards the end which I will not say, and she did nothing to fix it. She apologized and then went away. She basically had enough money to spare to help out the situation, but she literally just left. They made you think that she was going to have this huge impact at the end and save the day - nope.

Overall, I feel like some characters lacked while others shined in this regardless if there were good or bad people. If you want to watch a drama (that dragged in the middle) that will make you laugh at Zero Nine's adorableness in the beginning, and then ugly cry in the last 5 episodes, this is the drama to watch.
I stand by my rating of 9/10 - I loved Zero Nine throughout. He was the perfect boyfriend. I loved how cheeky and cute he was in the beginning, thinking that puppy love was love. I also loved as he started to understand others and what true love was, he turned from an adorable puppy who was ok with a one-sided love to this sensual and emotional person who also wanted to be loved. I feel like he was the one who struggled the most emotionally in this drama which is wild cause he is the robot. If you are iffy about this drama, I think Zero Nine's cute puppy attitude in the beginning and then all the emotional scenes in the last few episodes are 100% worth the watch. You will have to go through all the filler BS in the middle, but it is worth it to ugly cry at the end. Wild that a robot that learned what love was from a human was able to understand what love was, better than anyone in this damn drama. Understood what sacrifices you had to make and were willing to make for the person you love.

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The Diana character is obnoxious AF and doesn't really add anything to the central plot so far (it did briefly, but not it feels like they are just trying to SHOVE her into the plot anyway they can because she is the second female lead apparently), but she's SO CREEPY

I don't buy the romance between Zero Nine and DaDa, the are more like symbols to each other than actual people - To DaDa Zero Nine is someone who pays attention to her the way her ex never did, and to Zero Nine she's just "Girlfriend", and it is annoying how he never uses her actual name.

Nam Bo Won is okay most of the time, as is the rest of REAL Team

I like Ma Wang Joon, but not enough to watch the drama just for him, plus he did do various crappy things to his gf at the beginning.

Only character I 100% liked was his noona manger

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I've looked into the Japanese manga version and the ending was bittersweet. Most of the time, I go for dramas with happy endings since I don't want to feel sad and cry my heart out when it ends. So, I didn't plan to start watching this drama at all, thinking that a love between a robot and a human is doomed from the very start and would just lead to heartache. But my curiosity got the better of me and I pressed play. I kept watching after that and wished for more episodes. The male leads are gorgeous and the female lead's acting is believable. You can see great chemistry building up even if it's between a robot and human. The script is great too and will pull at your heartstrings: "We shouldn't throw something away just because it's old and worn out. Things become precious not because of what they're worth but because of the memories they hold". I'm definitely looking forward to how this version will end. Now, who's with me?

Update: I can't honestly say that I totally love this drama. It started with a good momentum but the sparks between main leads fizzled out towards the end. You'll also discover that the human ex-boyfriend was actually a good person who sincerely loves her. Although the robot was caring and loving, there were times when I wish she was dating a human. As I was watching this, I somehow couldn't wholeheartedly process a "love" between a human and robot. Although I understand the moral of the story that you have to cherish your feelings of true love and appreciate it in every moment, the reality is that you'll never grow old with a robot. The robot stays the same while the human changes physically.

I didn't regret watching this though because there were cute and fun scenes in between but I was taken aback by the haphazard ending. They could have made it clearer and not let the viewers make guesses.

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Worst K-Drama I have seen so far

I did not choose to watch this K-drama, but someone else in our home did, wherein we watched it together. It was not necessary for this to be 40 episodes. This was such a drudgery to watch each episode. It was torture. I could not wait for it to be over. This was so unrealistic that a human would prefer to be with a robot that was programmed to love rather than to be with a real human that you had a relationship with for 7 years. There was no substance whatsoever to this K-drama. It was torture watching the robot and Uhm Da Da together in way too many nonsensical scenes. He acted like her puppy that she gave commands to and he obeyed. It was annoying hearing the word girlfriend over and over again from the robot. No one refers to someone this way. The actress was terrible at acting and cried way too much. She was over the top when she did not get her way like a child having a tantrum. In fact, she was a child, immature that never grew up but was in La La Land. Her father told her she should find someone that would love only her. I don't think he meant to have this type of relationship with a piece of metal. Uhm Da Da seriously needed a psychological evaluation. She could not possibly be in the right state of mind to think that what she was experiencing was anything close to love. It's a love robot, programmed to be that way. Duh. She would not be able to have children, grow old together or any of the normal things humans experience within a relationship. She voluntarily paid for the robot that was stolen and would be in debt for her whole life. She was the most psycho character. Next psycho was Nam Bo Won. Nam Bo Won had more feeling for a robot than humans. He stole property from the company he worked for and thought that was OK. He was selfish in pushing a relationship between a robot and a human for his own sick minded view of a robot needing to be like a human. Actually, what friend would encourage you to have a robot as a boyfriend over a real human. He knew about her 7 year relationship and frowned upon it because it would interfere with his personal agenda. He no longer worked for the company but monitored the faux relationship between the robot he created and Uhm Da Da. She had no problem with Nam Bo Won following them around monitoring their relationship and reporting it to the company he no longer worked for. This was for research purposes. Why would a company continue to have contact with an ex employee that stole from them a robot that would take a person 70 years or so to pay for and that was at a 90% discount rate? Wouldn't they be in jail? Nam Bo Won programmed the robot to act and think the way it did. Any of the robots actions stemmed from what he was programmed to do and from what the psycho Nam Bo Won would tell him to do. So in reality, Uhm Da Da fell for him not the robot. The robot began to meltdown because of experiencing love. What sense does that make? How can this be an Absolute boyfriend that melts down because it cannot handle the love it is receiving? And that is love? I cheered and clapped when the only means of saving the robot was intercepted. I could not wait until he would no longer be the focus. However, this was not the case. We had to endure more torture with flashbacks from their faux, cheesy encounters. When they went to a store to try on wedding dresses, it looked like a nurses outfit. She looked terrible in it and he said she was pretty. Of course he would tell her that, he was programmed that way to let her hear what she wanted to hear. The two actors did not make their relationship believable. It was forced and uncomfortable throughout the whole drama. This was a pure waste of precious time. I would rate it 0 and encourage anyone to look for something else to do with their valuable time. It was pure garbage and the worst K-Drama I have seen thus far.

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My review is short and simple: the acting of everyone is really really good, but the story was treated not so well. That's a pity. Anyway, even if I needed some time and I pause it, I enjoyed it so I don't have any regrets, especially becuse I love the main lead and his talent (<3). I don't want to add anything else, except for the final episode. Because of the original manga (if i remember well) the story should end with the girl having a "they lived happily after ever" with the robot, so I believe it is like this. I can't accept this ending without conclusion. That's all.
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My absolute boyfriend, korean version, could have been better.

First of all, I don't know if the other versions had better ending, but this one was not well concluded. I might as well say that the ending was kind of open, as it just leave you guessing who's who.

The performances, however, were really good. The love triangle might have been weak, but the leading couple had chemistry and were cute together, at least if you set aside the fact that the leading man was a robot.

Now, for the pacing, the drama started strongly and it intriguing to watch. However, it got boring after a while, because everything happened just too slowly and the events were going in circles.

So, six out of ten.

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To be fair, it was my choice to watch this show but to be honest, I'm not sure why I did watch this show at all. I've never rated a show this low unless I had dropped it but I went ahead and finished it. I read the reviews but I'm not one to let it stray me away but man, I should've listened. It's not a terrible show but it was a little excessive. It's an okay watch, I literally cannot stress enough how much of an OKAY show it is. To me, I don't mind Bang Min Ah as an actress; she played her part very well, when she was emotional I was emotional, I felt the chemistry between her and her ex boyfriend, Hong Jong Hyun did an amazing job at playing the ex boyfriend, I definitely understand what Da Da meant when she said it was over when she looked into his eyes but in reality; they had really amazing chemistry and I was anxious for her to know he did love her and planned to marry her and etc ya feel me? On the other note, she did deserve better because the first 2 episodes of when he called her a stalker was BS and it even made me mad. Fast forward to the whole robot part? I'm not a huge fan. Not a huge fan of sci-fi in general and I watched I'm not a robot; that was definitely different because she was a human pretending to be a robot; but one I didn't really like the age gap because I'm just not interested but Yeo Jin Goo is still young and feeling for acting so I don't feel like he's the best yet which is fine, he's still good. I just feel like it was over the top and the Japanese version is definitely way more worth it. I'm also on the line of where her friend was coming from because he's a robot and I know that was the concept of this show but damn dude, you couldn't stay with him or love him forever; you really couldn't. It just wasn't going to happen even though that was his purpose and I know you were getting attached, you were just in for a world of hurt and hurt is what had happened, so that thoroughly upset me too. So in the end, to each their own, to me, it was a waste of my time and it sucked because I knew the outcome and what was going to happen and was disappointed in the end for her because she should've known better but whatevs. lol

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