Boyfriend on Demand

A Standard Romcom Experience!

This is a show that repeatedly had me second guessing all my theories regarding it.

I loved the story and pacing the most. It stays lighthearted throughout even when talking about real world dating dynamics and past hurt. But this drama takes a unique concept like VR dating and makes it even more unique with it's quirky plot twists and enjoyable character dynamics.

For eg. Making a character like Gu Yeongil who resembles Park Kyeongnam was a genius plot point. Not only does it reveal Mirae's inner feelings for Kyeongnam without excessive telling and without her even realizing it because she made Yeongil, it also gives the story the necessary conflict to progress Kyeongnam and Mirae's relationship further in her real world. Likewise, having other supporting characters also use the game made it feel much more realistic and the world of BoD more lived in other than a simple plot device. Also loved how the VR game itself helps Mirae learn and grow and complete her character arc from being heartbroken and fearful to healed and brave.

I also loved Jisoo as Seo Mirae and Seo In Guk as Park Kyeongnam's chemistry. They naturally formed a team and their dating era was very easy to watch and follow. I loved the reciprocity in their relationship even though Mirae was infuriatingly prickly at points in the beginning as well as childish. Once they started dating, she became the sweetest to Kyeongnam and very involved which was refreshing to watch. I especially enjoyed all the gentle and tender physical touches in this show, from the loving way Mirae cradles Kyeongnam's face to their easy hugs and cuddles.

This drama shows real world love surprisingly realistically making the VR game a central part of the story but always in tandem with the development and progress of the lead's relationship. Also must mention the obvious thought and effort put info fhe VR game concept itself, from the packaging that looked creepily realistic, to the ads on deatures like texts and calls from the VR boyfriends, the safiricalway the show mocks capitalistic culture with endless subscriptions and how every VR BF is trained to keep customers hooked to the actual product which is at the end of the day, a plain business. It got me wondsring how a drastically different show coukdvebeen possible with this same concept, one that was much darker dwelling in on tbe parasitic nature of a game like this if it really existed in our lives, a reality we kight be heading to much sooner than later!

This drama on the other hand thankfully ends on a beautiful note encouraging bravery even when we know things can inevitably get scary such as finally allowing oneself to open to another relationship after the bittersweet end of an old one.

Seo In Guk is one of my all time favorites and he shines in this drama in every frame, both as Kyeongnam and Gu Yeongil. The vulnerability he brought to Kyeongnam and the heartbreaking way in which he delivered that love confession in ep 8 particularly standout and has gone staright to my top 10 favorite confession scenes of all time and my favorite scene in this entire show. Big props to the writer for the perfect dialogues too.

Jisoo is truly the star of the show both role wise and in execution. She brings life and color to Mirae and the drama as a whole and shines most in the lighthearted moments and with comedy. She struggles a bit evidently in emotional scenes, especially with crying, particularly obvious when opposite an actor like Seo In Guk in the confession scene in ep 8 and other sadder moments.

The supporting cast makes the world of BoD feel warmer and the cameos are perfectly placed. From Seo Kang Joon and his incredibly expressive eyes who plays Seonho who is a highlight to Lee Soo Hyuk, Lee Jae Wook. Ong Seong Wu, Kim Young Dae and all the others, the show creates a perfect balance between the VR subplot as well as Mirae's real world relationships.

My only complains were that I wish Kyeongnam's character had more depth written for him, a short backstory or something exploring his talent in drawing, and that I wish the drama relied more on showing rather than telling in revealing Kyeongnam's feelings from the first moment they began instead of a rushed montage limited to one episode. Both Mirae and Kyeongnam keep saying things without the drama showing them which was pretty frustrating. I think this has more to do with choosing to begin the story right in the middle of Mirae and Kyeongnam's established office dynamics which in my opinion, should've begun from the first moment they met as strangers to how they became rivals up to the present. This seems to be an unfortunate trend these days with dramas choosing to show thos natural progression of feelings and the "falling in love" part which should be the hgihlight of romance stories anyway, and instead rushing this most importsnt aspect into a preinstalled formula of characters already having feelings from the first episode.

But none of these flaws are gaping holes considering the tone of show remains consistently lighthearted. Other than the slightly rushed pacing between Mirae's initial reluctance to give love a chance again with Kyeongnam and her immediately throwing in all the enthusiasm into beginning a relationship with him one kiss later between ep 8 and 9, the show has a consistently solid pace and tone.

To end with: this is a thorough romcom meant to be enjoyed without too much analysis. I would recommend it for those who enjoyed shows like Business Proposal and Spring Fever.

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Really good but kind of flat

I really liked this drama for it's light hearted plot. The arc wasn't as usual k-dramas which i found refreshing, although I can understand if some find that rather boring. There isn't much happening in the story itself. Characters barely get a chance to develop. I liked the storyline between Jisoo and Seo Inguks irl character from the start and how she overlooked all the small things he did for her. I also enjoyed the parts of her getting closure on her past relationship, it was something I could relate to. However I did find the act of them breaking up a bit weird and more of a misunderstanding. Also he called her and then never again, there was definitely more potential.
What bothered me the most is how this drama fails to adress the technology of the game and all the ai it must use. It could've been more critical and deeper especially since it was mentioned that people indepted themselves to play and the plagiarism.. also how people playing clearly showed symptoms of addiction. I was hoping for a bit more dispute about the risks that the game came with and a social stand point.
In the end it remains a quirky rom com without depth which is totally fine but could've been more. I liked it nevertheless because I do enjoy light watches, just the topic itself was kind of screaming for more attention.
It did kind of play out how I was expecting from the start with Seo Inguk also having and ai version of him. Also the ending was a bit rushed? He did learn about that 901 character but there was no real reasoning or talking about it, he was just suddenly okay with it. They also never mentioned the missing mole on the ai vs irl him, which could've been a funny moment.
I also want to mention I kind of almost thought we would have an inception moment and everything would've turned out to be a game but yea well for that the storyline wasn't deep enough and somehow the game wasn't the center while being the center, if you know what i mean.
All in all I would recommend this, yet I feel it could've been so much more.

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Better than Expected

I was really excited about this drama because the cast was just !!! However, I got a bit nervous when I started seeing all these posts complaining about Jisoo's acting. Note that I've actually never watched her in a drama but like her as a whole! I actually found her portrayal of Seo Mirae to be quite good! Perhaps it was a character that suited more of her style.

The storyline was fun, and I enjoyed the use of the VR "game" in the storyline. However, at some point, I did start to fast forward through more of the VR storyline (mostly the secondary characters) just because I wanted to see more of the main couple's storyline on my screen! Honestly, the relationship was so cute that it had me wanting that for myself as well.

The pacing of the drama probably could have been better (i.e., some of the conflict in the latter episodes probably could have happened a bit earlier so that we could have a more developed storyline after the fact). It felt like the last two episodes really tried to pack a lot in, and some of the earlier episodes probably had more fluff than it needed. The 10-episode length, however, would otherwise have been good as it might feel draggy if it went longer.

All in all, I quite enjoyed the drama (and stayed up late to finish it). I also love Seo Inguk and Seo Kangjoon and might go digging for some of their older stuff as my next drama!

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At first feels like an ads, later become one of the relatable love story

1. Story : Modern take about relationship ambiguos and problem in recent time.
2. Acting : everyone feels natural, enjoyable comedy take, and seriousness in both Main perspective, especialy the ML POV for me is sore relatable.
3. Music : its fine, but not special whatsoever
4. Rewatch Value : Definitly gonna watch it gagain some other time for the main, but not the VR part, its feels like a filler.

An Early VR part of the drama are feels like an ads of something but its fine as it got an good amount of screen time, except seo eun ho part are unecesarryly streched and too long, i had to skip this most of the time.
It get to the good story part on ep 5 till the end, with a really good ending fitting of the story.

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10/10 the best.

Finally i found the time to sit down and write about BOD… and honestly, i don’t even know where to begin.
after such a long time… she finally came back and I didn’t expect it to feel this personal. Watching Jisoo as Seo Mirae didn’t feel like watching a character written for a series. it felt like watching someone who could exist next to us in real life. someone who wakes up already tired, who carries responsibilities quietly, who keeps going even when she has nothing left to give. There was something so raw in the way she showed that exhaustion not dramatic not exaggerated, just there… in her eyes, in the way she moved, in the pauses between her words. You could feel that Mirae wasn’t just physically tired, but emotionally drained too like she had been pouring into everything except herself for a long time and that’s what made her so close to the heart.

when she escaped into that virtual world, it didn’t feel like fantasy for the sake of romance, it felt like a form of survival. Like she needed a space where things were gentle, predictable, and kind. A place where love didn’t come with confusion or disappointment and I think that’s what made it hit even deeper because a part of us understands that feeling the need to step away from reality even for a moment, just to breathe. Jisoo made that transition so natural. she showed how Mirae could smile a little more there, how her shoulders felt lighter, how her eyes softened… and yet, there was always this quiet awareness that it wasn’t real.

and then slowly, everything begins to shift. Not in a big dramatic way, but in small almost unnoticeable steps. Mirae doesn’t suddenly become brave.. she hesitates, she doubts, she holds back… but she still tries and that’s what made her growth so beautiful and so real. It wasn’t about becoming a completely different person, it was about learning how to face reality with a little more courage than before. Choosing something uncertain over something safe. Letting herself feel again, even if it meant getting hurt.

what stayed with me the most is how Jisoo carried all of this without forcing anything. She didn’t try to “show” emotions in a loud way she let them exist quietly. The way her eyes would linger, the way her expression would change so slightly, the way she would pause before reacting… those small details told the story more than anything else. It felt like she trusted the character, and in doing that, she made us trust her too.

I didn’t just watch Mirae’s story I felt it. I felt her loneliness, the kind that doesn’t need words. I felt her comfort in that imagined world, and the fear of leaving it behind. I felt her confusion when reality and fantasy started to blur and that quiet courage it takes to choose something real even when it’s imperfect.

and honestly… I felt proud. Not in a loud, overwhelming way but in a quiet, steady way that stays with you because Jisoo didn’t try to be something she’s not. She didn’t try to overpower the role. She simply understood it, respected it, and gave it something real. She allowed Mirae to be soft, awkward, unsure, and still strong in her own way.

this didn’t feel like just another role. It felt like a step forward something deeper, more grounded, more human and maybe that’s why it stays because it wasn’t just something we watched… it was something we recognized, something we felt, something we carry with us even after it ended.

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Light and fun

I liked the concept and the execution was decent too but there were a few things that disappointed me. I'll cover those before discussing what I enjoyed.

The drama relied heavily on advertising the star studded cast but when it actually came to their appearance, some of them were barely there for more than a minute. That was my biggest disappointment. Don't advertise something if you can't deliver it. I really wanted to see more of Kim Young Dae. Like a full date. They did him so dirty.

Jisoo's acting received a lot of flak and though it wasn't particularly good, it wasn't awful either. Maybe because I recently saw worse. The plot and editing does help a lot. I did find her behaviour cringe when she was paired opposite Seo Kang Jun especially in ep 3. I didn't particularly enjoy her chemistry with any of the leads. In fact I couldn't understand why Seo In Guk's character would like her based on the faces she made around him. It made him look like a creep at times for pursuing her.

On to the good - The plot of a woman being able to date multiple good looking men virtually was cool and fun. The acting of the men were quite good. At least the ones with longer roles. I really loved Seo Kang Jun's character. I also loved Yoo In Na! I kinda wished she was the FL because she looking so stunning and charming. Even Jisoo's friend's character was so fun! I liked both the authors too. I kinda liked how Seo In Guk's character changed and the behind the scenes moments from his POV were great.

There was no dull moment while watching the drama so it's great when you're bored or need to watch something light.

There are at least 3 OST songs that I really liked and need to look up.

Overall, the show is light and enjoyable. Just wish we had some more screentime for some of the boyfriends so that and the lack of any sizzling chemistry were my biggest disappointments.

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Who Hasn't Wished for The Perfect Boyfriend

A relationship angst tale with a twist. A webtoon producer is asked to try a new virtual reality world where she can find and date her dream boyfriend and then write some reviews on the platform. Jisoo plays the webtoon producer. She is good in the part, depressed and full of angst as she just broke up with her long-time love, she agrees to try this dating app because she really isn't ready to date yet.

The Boyfriend on Demand platform steals the show. She gets to date one after another perfect men, who are played by Korea's leading male actors, and go on amazing dates. In one fantasy date, the writers recreated the scene from Singles Inferno where Dex single-handedly pulls his competitors with him as he gets to the flag first. The writers had great fun with the scenes surrounding using this platform, and it was very entertaining for the audience. If you are a fan of Kdramas, and reality shows, you will appreciate the BOD scenes.

Enter the male lead, done well by Seo In Guk who gets the award for playing the most stoic character. It was at least halfway through the drama before he cracked a smile. He is attracted to the FL from afar, but you can hardly tell.

Once the two begin to attract the attention of each other, the drama begins to slow down. I still stuck with it, but the last half, after Mi Rae decides not to spend so much time on the BOD app, the storyline definitely dulls a little. Still, all in all, it is a feel good drama with a nice ending that I can recommend. For anything else, go check out the BOD platform scenes. They are hilarious and well done!

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Jisoo plays an ordinary woman whom nobody notices? That requires a massive leap of faith. When she stands in front of her mirror and complains about her dark under-eye circles… but she has the most flawless skin in the world. It’s hard to believe she’s this insignificant, clumsy character. But, to be fair, her acting has improved. (She was already quite good in Newtopia, given the series’ delightfully daft tone)

She plays an adorable, heartbroken producer who’s getting over her break-up and taking control of her love life again. We figure that out pretty early on.
All her scenes with new virtual boyfriends are strangely good. It plays on clichés deliberately, so it doesn’t treat us like idiots. I've found myself laughing stupidly far too often to say anything bad about it. I’ll admit it, I liked it. There, I’ve said it ! The humour saves the day when it gets a bit saccharine.

This series is pure binge-watching (there isn’t even an opening credits sequence), a short, simple, funny, pinky, very pinky story… Pinky but blackened (this joke : illegal in 197 countries) by this dating game, which, when you get right down to it, is quite terrifying. Losing consciousness every time you start it up ? I’m not sure I’d like that. I’ve already played Dark Souls, ok ?
And what about her working hours... can we take this up with a trade union, please ? Both in the series and in Jisoo’s real life.

Gong Min-jeung, the "annoying" author, is the best. Keep it up, madam. Screw them !

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Nice Concept, flimsy writing, mediocre acting and a missed opportunity

The core concept on paper is good and matches with the current times; A VR device / service that offers AI-generated dating experiences and includes hundreds of themes. Things I liked about this concept, is that a few years ago it could have easily been regarded as pure nonsensical fantasy, but considering the current times and AI advances, it is not so unbelievable any more. The company behind the service putting rules to ensure profitability such as users during trial period having a limited amount of hours per theme, or that paying customers get extra perks and privileges also from a business standpoint felt believable. The ways with which the service tried to lure their dormant users to log back in, and to dissuade them from unsubscribing as well as most importantly the issue with addict-ability of such a service all felt well portrayed.

While at first I enjoyed the VR parts, especially when it seemed to suggest that the theme was inspired by a famous webtoon character in other terms the premise was allowed to be cheesy corny and cliched. Then we suddenly switched to another theme before we could even process the whole thing and what effect if any it had on our FL, then we were thrown into one new theme after another, so at this point as a viewer I started to feel that the virtual dating parts were no longer a plot device used to advance the story or provide a sort of character development, but rather it had turned into a filler material to provide eye candy points via cameos (I would be thinking to myself WTH am I supposed to be watching right now?), other than seeing how the FL was becoming addicted to the service and losing sleep and almost her grasp on reality, I can not say I noticed any major character or plot development thanks to it .

The story at this point could be said was somewhat going all places with no specific aim, and the development in real life was almost non-existent (other than some very minor things with the webtoon production job), then all of a sudden the ML confesses his feelings to FL out of the blue both for her and the viewer as well! And while we do later get a small glimpse with flashbacks showing the moment he started to become attracted to her, but to be honest especially considering how we were only shown almost only moments were the FL was being cold, ambivalent, or even sometimes acting with animosity towards ML, the whole love confession felt off at least imo. But that still does not compare to the moment the 901st theme's boyfriend was introduced. At that point I was thinking to myself (was there something I missed?!) Because even if she subconsciously gave his physical description while answering the survey it still felt rather forced.

The progress of their relationship into romance was not well done, the switch from rivals at work, to colleagues to crushes to lovers felt off. Not a problem of chemistry between the leads per se (honestly the FL's acting might have played some role in that but more on that later), it felt more like the writers within the airtime constraints balanced between focusing on the real life arc and giving us more virtual dating sequencing and they did the mistake of choosing the latter. If the real life characters and their relationship was given more air time and enough material to develop their romance and given us more swoon worthy moments than can leave an impression.

As I mentioned above I did not appreciate the FL's acting , I am not interested much into K-Pop so I admit I did not know who she was and was fortunate to have never watched her as an actress before, but I personally thought her acting was subpar. She could deliver the funny parts where she is frustrated embarrassed etc, but when it came to acting the emotional parts her performance was amateurish. Like some other idols-turned-actresses I could feel how she cared to look pretty on screen above anything else). It certainly didn't help that I did not personally like her pushy character (we are shown she was openly flirting with her class mate right in front of his GF)
The ML on the other hand, his performance was not bad though I have seen him do better jobs before, but the character here was 2 dimensional to begin with and the material he had to work with was lacking. Most of his scenes is either he being professional or stoic, when we later caught glimpses of him acting natural. cute or emotional it still didn't provide much depth to the character.

One final thought that I would like to add, is that as I mentioned above the concept of the virtual dating service was both fun and interesting , but I would have really appreciated if the writers had taken the opportunity to provide a deep social commentary concerning AI-Human relationships. Considering the real life cases where such warped human attachment to AI had left mental scars and even resulted in loss of life, it wouldn't have hurt if the writers could have tried to send a message of warning about the toxic effect of such technical advancements on mental health and human relationships. I realize perfectly well this is a fluffy romcom and I am not suggesting they turn the whole thing into a dark melodramatic take on AI, but just suggesting at the end that the addicted users like her BFF later came to realize the downside of it all and warned against it, rather we are shown a person who regretted having used the VR theme story in her own works tried to sell the device and stop using it but at the end still kept it and ended up sinking more and more in the delusion of virtual dating.

Would I watch again, no. Would I recommend, no (unless you are particularly a fan of the main leads). would I forget all about this drama in no time, absolutely.

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Boyfriend on Demand: A Fun Escape into a Little Fantasy

I recently watched Boyfriend on Demand, and it turned out to be quite a funny and enjoyable watch.

A boyfriend on subscription? Completely unrealistic. But yeah… we girls do live in our own little fantasy world sometimes, and the idea of dating handsome men like that is just… 🥰

What makes this drama stand out is how different it feels from typical K-dramas. There’s no second lead syndrome, no heavy childhood trauma, no forced childhood connections between the leads—it keeps things simple and refreshing.

What I liked most is how lighthearted the drama feels. It’s perfect when you just want to relax without overthinking. The chemistry between the leads is sweet, and their interactions have that comforting, feel-good vibe.

At the same time, it subtly touches on something very real loneliness in today’s world. We all want someone in our lives who adds a little extra happiness, and here, the lead turns to a virtual boyfriend to fill that emotional gap. That aspect felt surprisingly relatable.

Of course, it’s a bit predictable, and some moments can feel cliché. But if you go in expecting something simple and heartwarming, it delivers exactly that.

Overall, it’s the kind of drama you watch when you just want to smile, escape reality for a bit, and unwind.

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It’s a lovely watch but definitely some lost potential

Let’s start with the main leads Seo Mi Rae and Park Kyeongnam similar yet polar opposites they are strictly committed to work and seem to be very much workaholics however Mi Rae’s personality can enjoy some fun hang with friends and what not whereas Kyeongnam is kinda boring seems like he gets up to work and only work.
I liked the VR idea but its execution was an overstep unfortunately we viewed far too much of the drama was Mi Rae and her VR boyfriends that we missed on perhaps any crucial element suggesting a spark between her and the male lead. He blurts his feelings in what we as viewers expected however not in a great way due to the lack of backstory. His feelings seem almost fake as we have no idea where it came from. Mi Rae is totally addicted to this VR idea so much that the drama is half VR and half reality which I didn’t quite like I wished for more interaction perhaps more insight into the male leads feelings his life the classic feelings of falling for each other it was almost blasted on us. Then came Gyeong il the character that looked like the male lead portrayed in VR as Mi Rae’s perfect man although it was funny I wished it was done way earlier maybe ep 4 so we could see more of the main leads interactions and the blur between reality and VR occurring. Basically the screenwriting was just not as effective as I’d hoped and the relationship was rushed it was bad enough we didn’t get a full backstory there was the issue of Kyeongnam finding the VR which took away from the couples screen time.
All in all I loved the idea the acting was on point and the moments we got between the couples was everything Kyeongnam was a gentleman very easy to fall for and appeared amazing in every way I just wish we could have viewed more of this instead of having him appear as boring and ignored in the first few episodes.
The rewatch value in terms of the last few episodes I probably will the rest of it though I will respectfully pass as it didn’t meet my standards.
I did however love this drama despite its flaws and would recommend to watch as something perhaps slightly different to our normal k drama tropes.
Jisoo and In Guk aced it their acting is amazing and they are very lovable characters. It’s a shame the screenwriters didn’t highlight their talents and give them the perfect storyline they deserved.

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Our Future T-T

The plot wasn't amazing but I thought it was a interesting concept, especially in today's world of AI chat bots. If we actually had a device like in the drama, I think the downfall of humanity may come due to how many people will spend their life in it (me included lol). The time that Mi-rae (FL/Jisoo) spends in the AI world is fun for a bit, though I don't like how much time it takes away from developing the main relationship between Gyeong-nam (ML/Seo In Guk) and Mi-rae. I feel like their "chemistry" kinda pops up out of nowhere in episodes 6 & 7, especially with the reveal that Gyeong-nam had been in love with Mi-rae the entire time. I think they have decent chemistry, I just wish it had longer to develop instead of speed-running the whole "will they-won't they" idea within 2 episodes. I was very surprised that Gyeong-nam actually chose to go into the AI world, I liked it though I guess it ended up being somewhat inconsequential, only serving as a vehicle for the whole "misunderstanding right after getting together" trope. I thought the ending was fine and I appreciated how uplifting it felt, though it felt a little too much like "everybody is happy now and all conflicts are resolved", especially with the writer Yun-song seemingly being on cool terms with director Hwang. This was my first time seeing Jisoo act and I'm surprised at how much I liked her, obviously she's not great or anything but I quite enjoyed her performance (I loooove her deep voice), I'm happily awaiting her next drama. I wasn't expecting to like this drama as much as I did. Unlike the last drama I watched (Resident Playbook), I did not get bored throughout this drama as it was able to keep my attention, mostly due to its shorter length of 10 episodes which allows for tighter pacing. I think 10-12 episodes is the sweet spot for a drama, as most 16+ episode dramas tend to come to a grinding halt in the 10-14 episode range as they're just padding to reach the ending.

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