Boyfriend on Demand

A Tale of Two Worlds — One Worked, One Didn't

VR World:
Out of all the cameos, Seo Kangjun's arc (ep 3-5) was the only one that actually worked for me — and personally, the only episodes I genuinely enjoyed in the entire 10 episode run. It had a storyline, buildup, and a convincing ending — his episodes made you feel the magic of the VR world and then its brutal reality, showing exactly why this world is both addictive and dangerous.
The rest of the cameos barely left an impression. They appeared and disappeared without adding much to the story. All of them were handsome in their own way — Lee Suhyuk deserves a special mention — but Seo Kangjun had that screen presence that naturally pulls all the focus. His episodes were the most visually stunning, with the dates and OST perfectly matching the mood. Honestly, once his arc ended, the rest felt dull in comparison.
Real World:
The real world storyline was forgettable and didn't add much to the overall narrative. The main couple didn't work for me either — no chemistry, no buildup, no tension, and the confession came completely out of nowhere. Nothing about their dynamic felt earned.

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Suddenly having an AI boyfriend doesn't seem so crazy

This is my first drama of jisoo's. I didn't watch snowdrop nor that other one she did. So I came in with no expectations nor bias. Her acting was good. Honestly some crying scenes were a bit tough on her but she protrayed her character's charm and immaturity quite well.
A lot of the characters were funny and relatable. If a IRL boyfriend on demand vr comes out. I would be first in line. I volunteer as tribute!!!

My main issue with the drama was her character Seo Mi Rae. She was a coward and at times annoyed me with her refusal to face her feelings and evolve. But when she eventually did, the payoff was so good. Seo In guk was amazing as usual. The chemistry was great especially towards the end and i like as they didn't waste time on the conflict that arose with goo yeong il

My second issue was the choi siwon jumpscare. I dont want to see his MAGA thick skinned face in my shows again

All in all an easy drama to digest, has a lot of gorgeous men and fun times

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When Clout Replaces Storytelling, the Result Is a Mess.

When I read the premise, I was actually looking forward to this drama. The concept of hyper virtual reality is not new, but incorporating it with love and relationship dynamics was something that genuinely interested me. Unfortunately, the drama did not deliver on that front. It was a great opportunity for the makers to explore how humans have become increasingly detached from each other and obsessed with perfection, to the point where the only place left for them to seek emotional refuge is no longer the real world.

I understand that they wanted to make it a light-hearted romantic comedy, but even that requires a cohesive and systematic story flow. This drama suffers from several plot holes, which should have been the core of the narrative buildup. For starters, why did the female lead break up with her ex? We are told that he “changed,” but what exactly changed, and to what degree that breaking up became the only option? Instead of stretching the Seo Kang-joon arc, the drama should have used that time to explore this properly so that we could understand why Mirae is so afraid of being in a relationship. A character making such choices needs a solid emotional foundation.

Secondly, we get to know that the male lead liked Mirae from the very beginning, but that is only from his point of view. Mirae never truly learns about how he cared for her behind her back. Because of that, she never had any real reason to develop feelings or even gratitude toward him. She clearly didn’t like him and even found him somewhat obnoxious, yet weirdly and shockingly he turns out to be her “ideal image boyfriend.” Lmao. Make it make sense. At this point it became obvious that the writing was simply trying to push the lead couple into falling in love without building any narrative base for their relationship that would actually make atleast a little sense.

Now the thing is, female leads in k-rom-coms are often written very one-dimensionally. Not all of them, but the majority are, and Mirae is no exception to this kind of sloppy writing. However, weak writing alone does not stop good actresses from making such characters feel believable. Many actresses have managed to portray these roles beautifully and bring charm and emotional authenticity to them despite the limitations of the script. Unfortunately, Jisoo couldn’t do that here.

For me, the biggest problem with Jisoo as an actor is that she never lets go of “Jisoo the person” while acting. She probably believes she is being natural, but acting does not work that way. From Snowdrop to Newtopia to this drama, she largely comes across as "Kim Jisoo" reciting lines with weak delivery, bad diction, a flat vocal tone, and mostly monotonous facial expressions, occasionally slipping into exaggerated ones. I watched a few of her interviews and noticed that her mannerisms, habits, and overall presence are almost identical to what we see in her dramas as well. This is the reason none of her characters feel lived-in but rather cosplayed, and they never leave a lasting impression on the audience. She brings about 90 percent of her real-life persona into her characters, which is the last thing an actor should be doing. At this point she genuinely needs proper acting training. How long is she planning to rely on BLACKPINK fame alone?

In hindsight, it also feels like a disrespect to actors who are far more skilled and talented but still struggle to get opportunities. At the very least, if someone is given these opportunities, they should justify them by putting in proper effort.👀

Now to our male lead, I have watched Seo In-guk in other dramas and he usually delivers solid performances. However, with this kind of weak character writing, there was very little he could do. His character simply lacked a defined personality, although he still performed decently with what he was given.

As for the chemistry between the leads, as I already mentioned, the story never built a proper foundation for their relationship, so the connection between them already felt forced rather than genuine. But that still doesn’t completely excuse the lack of acting chemistry between Jisoo and Seo In-guk. The kiss scenes and moments that were supposed to feel heartfelt came across as rehearsed rather than lived-in. It was very obvious that they were acting as a couple instead of making the audience believe they actually were one.

Overall, the show is below average. Honestly, I doubt people would even be talking about it this much if it weren’t for Jisoo’s BLACKPINK fame, those crazy cameos and the excessive exposure from Netflix.

That said, I never recommend people to watch or avoid something solely based on my opinion. Read the synopsis—if it interests you, go ahead and watch the drama. If you enjoy it, that’s great if not that is fine too.

Also, don’t blindly praise or hate dramas or actors just because you are a fan or a hater. Blind praise never helps actors improve, and extreme negativity can break an artist’s spirit. Constructive criticism lets them know where they lack in skills, and if they truly care about their craft, they will work on improving.

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Is this the future - pretty, coy, well-behaved and insecure female leads?

How the times have changed! In "Absolute Boyfriend" (2008) the female lead tested one option of a custom-made artificial partner as alternative to real life dating - under financial duress and with a sense of shame. Now the female lead still feels shame to partner up virtually - and does so without telling even her closest friend - but has to test a lot virtual partners (900 are available) and one custom-made partner to feel strong enough to date in reality.

There are the two things in the drama's scenario that seem really problematic to me:

1. I have problems with the way the drama constructing female relationship fantasies as virtual hands-on- and power-fantasies: Would you not consider it unethical when there were 900 life-like virtual female slaves catering to every need of their male customers? I didn't like this concept at all. It's degrading to all parties involved. The female protagonists don't really like that concept either - otherwise why would they be ashamed to use an app?

2. To construct romantic relationships as one-sided dominant-subservient relationships means that the producers never meant to portrait AI-relationships to be a real alternative for their female protagonists, be there postcards and telefon messages in real life or not. No, every girl will find her male partner in real life if she wills it to be - but only if she's pretty, well-behaved and well-dressed (extremely important, it seems, considering the amount of screen time for the female lead trying on dresses). For that end the producers include the one older single female who is the Nr. 1 manga writer. She is shown as single, demanding, not well-behaved and not pretty - and ridiculed every time she has screentime. But: The manga writer is working hard, she has a lot of stress staying on top - and she's considering her AI-Partner much more her equal than the younger girls and stays loyal to him. Relationships are not about clothes and shapely legs alone, drama writers!

Though in my opinion the acting in "Boyfriend on demand" is really good and carries a rather bad story I'd rather have less perfect pictures and blingbling and more of the depth of older Korean dramas like " Dalja's spring" (달자의 봄) of 2007.

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A fun rom-com

This one was fun.

The whole virtual boyfriend thing was so ridiculous (and scary). I think they were trying to go for a swoon worthy male options but all of those scenarios were really fun to me. All of them looked a bit weird on this show though, I wonder if they edited/filtered their faces cause all those actors are usually very handsome.

I liked how slowly Mirae and Gyeongnam relationship developed. We could see that he liked her even before his virtual lookalike appeared. I would have loved to see more scenes from his pov.

They handled the aftermath of the app as well as they could. Its just such a weird situation. We get to see that Mirae healed from her insecurities by herself so it took the weirdness away.

The sets and locations were so beautiful!!! The budget was put to good use. The cameos were such a fun addition too, I wished they didn't reveal it before the show aired.

I would have rated this higher if we had some more episodes of them dating in real life and dealing with the whole app thing in a more detailed way.

The acting was just standard rom-com acting, I wish Jisoo's next project is something a bit dark.

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Cute, Short, and Unexpectedly Fun

I decided to watch this drama mainly because of the male lead, since I already like him as an actor. Even though my expectations weren’t particularly high at the beginning, the drama turned out to be a pleasant watch overall. It’s not a groundbreaking series, but it’s definitely enjoyable and I would still recommend it to people looking for something light and easy to watch.

Considering the drama only has 10 episodes, I think the writers managed to structure the story fairly well within that limitation. The episodes are about an hour long and they go by quickly. You can tell that certain storylines probably couldn’t be expanded much because of the limited number of episodes, but the pacing still works and the ending didn’t feel rushed to me. The male lead was definitely one of the highlights for me. I really liked his character and he kept the story engaging. As for the female lead, this was actually the first time I saw her acting. I had heard some criticism about her performance before starting the drama, but personally I wasn’t disappointed.

The romance itself felt a bit different from many other dramas. While the male lead already seemed to have some level of attraction toward the female lead and actively pursued her, the female lead was emotionally stuck after her previous serious relationship. She was clearly afraid of entering another relationship and going through the same pain again. Because of that, the story needed a very gentle kind of love to help her slowly overcome that fear, and I think the male lead’s personality fit that type of story very well.

However, my main issue is that this emotional aspect wasn’t explored as deeply as it could have been. Her fear is introduced, but she seems to overcome it quite quickly. The male lead does pursue her and offers reassurance and validation, but I felt like the story could have benefited from a bit more emotional conflict or drama to make that development feel deeper.

That said, the drama seems to intentionally go for a softer and lighter romance, so perhaps that was the tone they were aiming for. Still, I think with a few more episodes the relationship could have been developed in a more meaningful way.

The simulation concept was also interesting. The virtual “boyfriends” added some fun moments, and I have to admit they were all quite attractive, especially the personalized boyfriend who basically looks exactly like the male lead. That part was actually pretty amusing.

Production-wise, I don’t have many complaints. The cinematography and overall production were good. At the beginning, the 3D simulation effects looked a little strange, but considering the story revolves around a virtual dating simulation, it actually makes sense that it doesn’t look perfectly realistic.

As for the side characters, they didn’t receive much development. The female lead’s friend was a bit frustrating at times since she seemed to only think about dating. I also wish we had seen more awkward or funny moments between the main couple, and the storyline involving the female lead’s ex felt like it was simply left behind without much exploration.

Overall, this is a soft, light romance with an interesting concept and good chemistry between the leads. It may not have the deepest emotional development, but it’s still a pleasant watch for viewers who enjoy short, relaxed romance dramas without too much heavy conflict.

Rating: 7/10

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My Honest Review

I just finished watching this and honestly, I enjoyed it—but I also have mixed thoughts.

First of all, I don’t think the concept itself is particularly new. The whole idea of dating simulations, virtual reality romance, or falling for someone who isn’t technically human has already been used many times in dramas. Whether it’s AI, robots, or characters inside a game, this kind of premise isn’t exactly groundbreaking anymore. Because of that, the drama didn’t feel very unique to me at first.

What did feel a bit different, though, was the female lead’s personality. She’s more goofy and awkward rather than the typical romantic lead who’s obsessed with love. At the beginning she isn’t interested in romance at all, and while that could easily come off as a “not like other girls” trope, the drama eventually explains her backstory, which made her behavior make more sense.

Another interesting idea was how the virtual world worked. Instead of making it a strict dating game, the drama presents the characters as optional relationships you can explore. However, the show never really explains the system fully. For example, can players reach an actual “happy ending” with those characters and does the route/game en after? or can can the players keep dating the characters for as long as they want? I felt like the drama introduced a concept that had a lot of potential but didn’t explore it deeply enough.

As for the acting, I actually think Jisoo did a decent job. I’ve seen a lot of criticism saying her acting was cringe or bad, but personally I didn’t feel that way. Based on the personality of her character, her reactions felt appropriate to me. She wasn’t overacting, and she wasn’t completely flat either. Since I haven’t watched her previous drama, I can’t compare her improvement, but in this role I thought she was perfectly fine.

Seo In-guk, on the other hand, was great as expected. I’ve only seen him in Doom at Your Service before, but he’s always very charismatic on screen and did well here too.

My biggest issue with the drama was the romance development between the main characters. From the very beginning, the male lead clearly seemed to have feelings for her. The way he acted around her made it obvious that he liked her, so their ending wasn’t surprising at all. But the problem was that we barely saw any real development from her side. For most of the drama she doesn’t seem interested in him at all, and then suddenly near the end—when there are only a couple of episodes left—her feelings change.

One thing I did enjoy about their dynamic was the rivalry between them. They constantly tried to outdo each other, which added a fun competitive element to their relationship. I wouldn’t really call it enemies-to-lovers since he clearly liked her the whole time. If anything, he felt more like a classic “pining male lead,” always hovering around her and trying to get closer to her.

Overall, this drama felt very light and easy to watch. It’s not emotionally heavy, it’s not something that will leave a deep impact, and the characters aren’t extremely complex—but I don’t think it was trying to be that kind of show either. It’s more of a fun, casual binge if you want something entertaining without thinking too much.

I actually finished it in one day. There were definitely a few cringe moments and some scenes I skipped, but overall it was still enjoyable. I wouldn’t call it an amazing drama, but it’s also not nearly as bad as some people are saying.

If you’re looking for something deep, emotional, or thought-provoking, this probably isn’t the drama for you. But if you want something light, funny, and easy to binge when you’re bored, then Boyfriend on Demand is definitely worth giving a shot.

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Sweet dreams are made of cringe

This drama has a lot to offer to the rom com lover, with a whole palette of male leads, friendships, work life blance, comics and what not. But there was just to much cringe, secound hand emberresment and bad acting/directing from the all but the male lead that I just could not rate this higher. Even though the Seos (Kang Joon and In Guk) s presence and characters could easiely be rated with a 10, they were just not enough to save this cringefest.

Jisoo, Love, sorry to say this she can not cry on screen, the way they let a top singer IRL sing badly in karaoke was just mean and so were about 90% of her mimics.

Other than that it was a fun watch, just mind the bad acting, embarrassment and cringe and you will be fine.

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I stayed longer than I should have just to see if it got better. Interesting concept tho

Boyfriend on Demand is the kind of show I didn’t actively seek out. I just sort of… stumbled into it. And after a couple of episodes, I quickly remembered why this genre isn’t really my thing. Still, I kept going. Partly out of curiosity, mostly out of stubbornness, and maybe just to see how far the show itself was willing to go with its concept.

The premise is undeniably appealing. In a world where everything is just a click away, what if love could be too? Seo Mi-rae, an overworked webtoon producer, signs up for a virtual boyfriend service that delivers exactly what real life doesn’t. Perfect partners, perfectly tailored to her emotional needs. No friction, no disappointment, just smooth, curated romance.

And at first, it’s entertaining. The fantasy sequences are polished and dreamy, almost like scrolling through an idealized version of love. But very quickly, that charm starts to wear thin.

By episode 4, I was already feeling the repetition creeping in. By episode 5, I was tired. Even by episode 8, when the show finally gives them some close-up moments, their relationship still feels stiff rather than natural. And what makes it worse is that Mi-rae still defaults to her virtual ideal boyfriend, as if the story itself doesn’t fully trust its real-world relationship.

What made it even harder to stay invested was Mi-rae herself. I understand what the show was going for, a modern woman overwhelmed by life, seeking comfort in something safe and controlled. But watching a grown woman become that absorbed in a virtual reality, to the point of dismissing everything else, was honestly uncomfortable. Maybe that was intentional. If it was, then fair enough, mission accomplished. But it didn’t make the experience any more enjoyable.

The most promising part of the story lies outside the app, which, considering the entire premise, shouldn’t be a surprise. And yet, the show treats it like an afterthought for far too long. Her colleague, the male lead, is everything the virtual boyfriends are not. He is imperfect, unpredictable, and human. And yes, he is very handsome, so the potential was definitely there. The female lead is charming too, so on paper, this should have worked.

But somehow… it didn’t.

Despite both actors doing their job, the chemistry just never clicked. Even for a slow burn, there was barely a spark. Their interactions often felt a bit forced, almost cramped, like the story was trying to push something that never naturally came to life.

And while we’re here, can we talk about the red hair? Because I’m sorry, but no. Theywere doing way too much. Every time he appeared, I was torn between focusing on the scene and being distracted by whatever was happening on his head 😩

Visually, the show remains stylish, and the concept itself is still solid. It raises a meaningful question about whether perfection in love is actually fulfilling, or whether it’s the messy, imperfect moments that make relationships real. But instead of fully exploring that idea, the drama stretches itself thin with repetition and delayed progression.

In the end, Boyfriend on Demand feels a bit like its own virtual boyfriends. Attractive at first, easy to get into, but ultimately lacking the depth needed to keep you truly invested.

I didn’t finish it because I loved it. I finished it because I needed to see how far it would go.

And honestly? Not that far.

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