Beatrice

The concept of an extremely advanced holodeck-esque dating simulation subscription game in the modern capitalistic society is the hook of the series as well as the most interesting part though this being a light rom-com rather than Black Mirror means the surrounding ethical implications are on the periphery, maybe even paid lip service to, but sadly not explored. The female lead Mi Rae knows that the pricing tiers are exploitative, but rationalizes herself into subscribing anyways.

Like anything, you can do so with your free will and it won't be unhealthy if you can set boundaries for yourself, but with all the very real psychosis triggered in real life by relying on an disembodied chatbot, an utterly realistic one that's virtually undistinguishable from real life is the slipperiest of slopes. The virtual boyfriend Eun Ho was the most realistic of the bunch, rebuffing the player enough as a simulacrum of sentience and they way he's emotionally upset when the player wants to leave or end subscription is so insidious. The realistic food which includes taste and texture sounds amazing, but I could see how it may be misused as a replacement for actually eating. There's a lot of pit falls and perhaps if this game really did exist in the real world, the solution it would use would be similar to the ones printed on cigarettes with warnings about potential triggers for mental health issues. It was fun how Mi Rae's friend Ji Yeon speed runs the game, a spin off showing exactly how she solves all 901 boyfriends would be amazing.

Gyeong Nam is neurodivergent coded and Seo In Guk plays the subtle personality differences between Gyeong Nam and his virtual counterpart Yeong Il very well, easily differentiating them beyond hair color, glasses, and fashion. He and Jisoo as Gyeong Nam and Mi Rae doesn't have fiery chemistry, but the writing is understandable enough as to why the characters would be drawn to each other. Jisoo's acting is serviceable, she just hasn't found that break through to the next level yet. It's not as noticeable a lot of the times because Gyeong Nam has a low key personality, but in the scenes when those emotions come through, their acting levels are pointedly night and day. The author Yun Song fully prefers to keep her month to month subscription game boyfriend which the show presents as a happy ending for her without comment or caveats. Mi Rae lets go of her customized virtual boyfriend to be with her real life dream man. It's kind of weird the show wants it both ways instead of having a strong stance even as a romcom. They seem afraid to be alienating the future virtual AI boyfriend having audience.