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Post by jewel on Nov 3, 2014 21:13:21 GMT -5
"Absolute Boyfriend" is a Taiwanese drama starring our Korean actress Gu Hye Sun, most famous for "Boys Over Flowers." Her two leading men are played by Jiro Wang (the robot boyfriend) and Xie Kun Da (the boy-next-door). The story is about a lonely girl who keeps getting rejected by all her crushes. So she orders a "perfect boyfriend" online, thinking at first she'll just try it for fun since there's a free 2-day trial period. The rest of the story is, I'm assuming, about her trials and tribulation caused by having her robot boyfriend around.
Episode 1:
Guan Xiao Fei (our main girl) confesses her love to a co-worker named Shi Guan. He shoots her down and introduces her to his current girlfriend. Dejected, Xiao Fei takes up an offer made by a mysterious man Lei Wu Wu: a made-to-order boyfriend. It arrives early in the morning and Xiao Fei is flabbergasted. Nevertheless, she gathers her wits enough to activate the robot with a kiss. Just then her next door neighbor Zong Shi appears, demanding entrance. Xiao Fei has her robot hidden in another room and is very anxious to get rid of Zong Shi. Just then the robot boyfriend decides to test his sneezing function.
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The first episode was super fun. Very, very cute. I just love Gu Hye Sun. The two main guys I really like lots too. Although the guy who plays the robot I find a little strange - he's got a fifteen-year-old choir boy face with the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sort of disturbing...
I liked the scene where the guy and little Xiao Fei do that hand thing. I heard that the reason we wear our wedding ring on the left fourth finger is because there's a vein that runs from there to our heart. Don't know if it's true though.
What came as a pleasant surprise is this: I thought I was gonna not like relying completely on the subtitles but it's actually refreshing that I'm not constantly thinking how good/bad the translation is. It probably isn't that good but since I don't know Taiwanese it all sounds great to me. And you know what's funny? - if you look carefully at Gu Hye Sun's lips when she's talking you can totally tell she's speaking Korean. She must've spoken Korean and then they dubbed her. Very interesting.
Wasn't it cute when her friend Mei Jia tells Xiao Fei that she looks like "the Korean actress Gu Hye Sun"? ha ha, that was funny!
I love these 45 minute episodes - short and sweet!!
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Post by bird11 on Nov 3, 2014 23:40:38 GMT -5
Thanks for starting the thread- it will be good to watch something light-hearted and funny. I liked the "hand thing" that the guy and little Xiao Fei did, too. It reminded me of something I used to do in high school-- you put a chair near a wall, lean over and put your head on the wall and then try to lift the chair off the ground-- women can do it, men can not--it has to do with muscle structure if I remember correctly. I am glad you brought up the subtitles, because even though I know very little korean, these subtitles just seem off a bit when the characters are speaking. Did you notice the "blurred" screen when they showed the naked robot-- I thought that was so funny! I mean it's a robot! Did it have to be anatomically correct? Couldn't they just have him wear boxers? If this stays this funny, I think I will really like this!
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Post by jewel on Nov 4, 2014 10:31:04 GMT -5
Did you notice the "blurred" screen when they showed the naked robot-- I thought that was so funny! I mean it's a robot! Did it have to be anatomically correct? Couldn't they just have him wear boxers? Ohmgosh Birdy, you are so cute I can't stand it. One of the robot boyfriend's function is - as the robot himself put it so delicately - "to do it," so of course he has to be anatomically correct!!
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Post by sageuk on Nov 4, 2014 11:32:09 GMT -5
Why's a Korean starring in a Taiwanese show?
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Post by jewel on Nov 4, 2014 18:09:13 GMT -5
Dunno. There's another Taiwanese drama called "Skip Beat" which stars our SiWon and DongHae of Super Junior. And I think Kim Bum is in some Chinese drama too.
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Post by jewel on Nov 4, 2014 20:17:15 GMT -5
Episode 2:
After work, Xiao Fei happens to overhear Shi Guan (the guy who rejected her in episode 1) and his friends talk rudely of her. She follows them to a restaurant and hears more of their insults. No longer able to contain her anger, she throws a glass of water in Shi Guan's face. As he is threateningly looming over her, Robot Boyfriend appears and saves Xiao Fei. Zong Shi (her next-door-neighbor and friend) happens to be there too and wonders who the mysterious guy is with Xiao Fei.
Later while out shopping, Xiao Fei's cellphone falls out of her hand. Robot Boyfriend again saves the day by flying mid-air to catch the cellphone, landing safely far below from where they were. Not only is he perfect in looks and can fight like Bruce Lee, he has superpowers too! Xiao Fei is so happy with him she gives him a name: Night.
Back home, Night is the perfect housekeeper. He cooks, cleans and keeps Xiao Fei from being lonely. Xiao Fei is beside herself with happiness. The next morning, however, Lei Wu Wu from Kronos Heaven Website comes to collect the payment for Xiao Fei's purchase. To her dismay, Xiao Fei discovers the free two-day trial period is over, and the price for her perfect Night is astronomical. Our heroine decides there's nothing she can do but moonlight to pay her debt.
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Gu Hye Sun is so good with her expressions and mannerism. I could almost believe she popped out of one of those manhwa/manga books. I love watching her. And who can help but like Night? He is so sweet and thinks only of his "darling." Very cute. I like Zong Shi too. Do I detect a bit of jealousy when he sees Night with Xiao Fei???
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Post by Knov1 on Nov 5, 2014 7:31:50 GMT -5
Why's a Korean starring in a Taiwanese show? There's several Korean actors that have starred in Chinese dramas and movies too. It seems they get paid better than they do in Korea but are still cheaper than Chinese actors.
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Post by bird11 on Nov 6, 2014 8:44:23 GMT -5
Watched ep 2 Like the opening theme song..... Loved it when Robot Boyfriend hits the table to show the guys what will happen to them if they make his girlfriend sad again and then the table falls apart at just the right time.. Not to be picky.... I get that the Robot shows up in PJ's because he has no clothes, but that night when Xia Fei asks him to sleep next to her, he is wearing clothes? Why not have him change?? I thought it was so funny when Lei Wu Wu said they consider the robot used after they "do it"-- as I type this I thought "Well, maybe that wasn't so funny, How many people have felt used after "doing it"?!?!?!? Interesting...... The only thing that kinda bothers me is the robot's "Superman" actions-- how can that NOT draw attention? In the real world that would have been all over You-tube in a flash-- it makes a great scene in the drama, but still I would think it would freak people out to see someone jump out a window or jump off a bridge/landing like Night did? Question: I can see why she picked "Night" for his name (off the package), but do you think it might have more meaning than that? Especially since they are always mentioning them "doing it"?
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Post by Knov1 on Nov 7, 2014 0:09:06 GMT -5
Question: I can see why she picked "Night" for his name (off the package), but do you think it might have more meaning than that? Especially since they are always mentioning them "doing it"? If this follows the manga then no. She just picked the first thing she saw. He's always talking about doing it because he's the "night series" model.
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Post by bird11 on Nov 7, 2014 19:15:25 GMT -5
Thanks, Knov-- I didn't even realize there were differnt series to pick from, I thought it was one robot and you chose what options you wanted... liked being by your side when you are sad.
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Post by jewel on Nov 7, 2014 22:58:05 GMT -5
I wonder what the "day series" model is like... super intelligent and filthy rich so you can bring him home to your mother??
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Post by jewel on Nov 7, 2014 23:31:47 GMT -5
Episode3:
Xiao Fei gets a job at a night club along with Night. But when some customers get too friendly with her, Night beats them off. Literally. Of course the owner doesn't stand for this and they are both fired. But Lei Wu Wu comes to them and tells them he would waive the payment for Night if Xiao Fei is willing to collect data for Night to "fully comprehend the complexity of a woman's mind." Reluctantly Xiao Fei agrees. On their way home, Night is so happy he hugs Xiao Fei. Just then Zong Shi happens by and sees this and walks pass them without a word.
At home, Zong Shi is in a foul mood and takes it out on his poor clueless brother. To cheer him up, Qing Shi invites Xiao Fei over for dinner. When she appears Qing Shi skedaddles, leaving Zong Shi and Xiao Fei alone. After a rather uncomfortable dinner together they argue about who should wash up and in the process breaks a rice bowl. As Xiao Fei is walking away in frustration, Zong Shi hugs her from behind. She is shocked.
Sensing Xiao Fei's distress, Night crashes through the wall, knocks Zong Shi away from Xiao Fei, and carries her back to her apartment (through the hole in the wall). Just as the dazed and confused brothers are wondering exactly what had happened, Lei Wu Wu and the cleaning crew appear and quick as lightening they fix the wall, clean up the debris, pick up the broken pieces of the bowl and disappear. Oh just before Lei Wu Wu leaves, he performs one little thing: erases the Yan brothers' memory of this whole incident.
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This episode was fun enough. I just didn't understand that whole cross-dressing business of Night at the night club. I really found Zong Shi and Qing Shi cute - just liked the way the two brothers interacted with each other. And Xiao Fei seemed really bothered by the fact that Zong Shi ignored her outside their apartment when he saw Night hug her. But I guess it could be because he's her friend and not because she has any other feelings for him. Then when Zong Shi gave her that back hug... wow! I think they make a very cute couple.
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Post by Knov1 on Nov 8, 2014 1:28:27 GMT -5
Thanks, Knov-- I didn't even realize there were differnt series to pick from, I thought it was one robot and you chose what options you wanted... liked being by your side when you are sad. Sorry. That's what I meant. There's one robot but she chose all the options (at least in the manga she does) including the "night series" options. She doesn't take the whole thing seriously. That's in part why she didn't put much thought into his name.
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Post by jewel on Nov 10, 2014 23:47:21 GMT -5
(So not doing the synopsis write-up any more - too much work!! Don't know how some of you do it, with those long historical dramas too... am totally in awe of you!!)
Episode 4:
I was sad to find out that Xiao Fei's best friend Mei Jia turns out to be not such a great friend after all. That was a bad moment for me.
Loved the flashforward when Xiao Fei is an old woman and Night (still young as ever) is feeding her, with all these people staring.
So funny when Night comes to work at Xiao Fei's company and he is so frank with everyone. Especially when he tells that male colleague Sky that his estrogen spiked!!
You know compared to "The Princess' Man," this drama doesn't have a whole lot going on. So I don't have much to say. It's fun tho and am enjoying it.
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Post by jewel on Nov 13, 2014 19:47:26 GMT -5
(Birdy, I'm posting episode 5. I realize you haven't posted for episode 3 yet but don't feel pressured to do so. Take your time - we'll discuss as you post - I have pretty good memory. But I hope you don't mind if I post at my pace. It's just that if I go too slow I tend to lose momentum and then lose interest in the drama altogether. I'll try not to go too fast.)
Episode 5:
This drama is pretty light but it's fun. It's actually so light I end up having not much to say.
So the three mean secretaries are trying to take Night away from Xiao Fei. And when they don't succeed they lock Xiao Fei in the luggage compartment of the bus. That was pretty awful. I don't understand why Xiao Fei is so nice to the girls afterwards.
I felt very sad for Night when Xiao Fei got mad at him for pushing her "friend" Mei Jia. Why is Xiao Fei getting mad at him? Shouldn't she EXPLAIN to him why he shouldn't have done what he did? Doesn't she realize he's a ROBOT and doesn't have normal feelings and understandings like a regular human being?? And she doesn't even know the whole story!!
I really don't like the whole fake best friend thing. I much prefer K-drama where they're open enemies. I find it hard to believe that someone would pretend to be best friends with somebody when she really hates her.
Zong Shi seems always to be there for Xiao Fei when she needs him. He's sweet.
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