"I don't know why I just can't hit it off with girls," said 26-year-old Han, who declined to give his full name. "It seems that nothing I do or say impresses them."
As a lawyer and a debating champion in his university days, Han is an articulate public speaker - but when it comes to starting a conversation with a girl he fancies, he's at a loss for words.
"I don't know why I just can't hit it off with girls," said 26-year-old Han, who declined to give his full name. "It seems that nothing I do or say impresses them."
Han, dressed in a blue football jersey and a pair of jeans, is one of six men attending a workshop that promises to turn losers in romance into suave lovers, after paying four million rupiah (356 dollars) for a three-day, 20-hour course.
In a quiet restaurant tucked inside a department store at one of Jakarta's biggest shopping malls, six men listened attentively to an instructor from Hitman System, which describes itself a professional consultancy that helps men "manage romantic relationships that are modern, healthy and happy."
"Because of our culture and religion, Indonesian men are sexually repressed," said Kei Savourie, one of the three founders of Hitman System, who like the other two changed his name as part of a transformation from a self-described loser into a love expert.
"Our parents keep telling us that we have to be financially stable before we start thinking of courting a girl," said Savourie, who has his left ear pierced to project a self-assured image.
Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world, and both religious and traditional values place significant emphasis on marriage.
Even though many hold conservative views on pre-marital sex, it is not uncommon.
Hitman System has turned more than 2,000 shy, dateless men into smooth talkers since it was created six years ago, said Savourie, who was an art designer before becoming a love guru.
The company also offers courses in other major Indonesian cities such as Surabaya and Yogyakarta, and recently opened classes for women, called Loveable Lady.
Its popularity has prompted the emergence of copycat services, Savourie said.
Many Hitman System students are high-income professionals, including lawyers like Han, he said.
During one session on a Saturday, participants were asked to introduce themselves to female strangers at the Central Park mall in West Jakarta.
One of the more embarrassing exercises requires the men to show two photos of themselves - one showing them smiling and the other not smiling - to a woman, and ask her which one she prefers.
A nervous Han - who once won the best speaker prize at an international university debating contest in India - whispered curses, approached a shop attendant and hesitantly showed her his two photos taken on his mobile phone.
The woman appeared puzzled, but she pointed to one photo and said: "I think this one has a better angle."
"I think this course is good for my self-confidence," said Han, a junior lawyer at a Jakarta law firm. "Things are easier said than done, but I'd like to try."
Savorie and co-founder Lex dePraxis, a linguistics graduate, said the idea of Hitman System came from personal experience of being rejected.
"It's fair to say we were smart and multi-talented but we saw that those guys who were often involved in college brawls and didn't seem to have a future got all the girls," Savourie said. "We wanted to know what the girls saw in them."
His advice to men: Don't come on too strong.
"Indonesian men are too serious and too pushy," said dePraxis. "They are too busy making money and by the time they are 30 or 35 they want to settle down but don't have the skill to create engaging and fun conversations."
Geary Maverick, himself now a relationship consultant in the city of Bandung, said his former girlfriend broke up with him after she found out that he learned his romantic skills from Hitman System.
"Her reaction was antagonistic," he said. "She said that everything I said or did was not genuine and simply a manipulation."
But he said his current girlfriend was understanding and supportive of his career.
Janatul Aliyah, a financial manager at a retail company, said she approved of the services offered by companies like Hitman System.
"I like the idea of men being more loosened up," said Aliyah, wearing a pink Muslim headscarf. "Love should be easy, and not sentimental."
Love consultants try to turn losers into seducers
"I don't know why I just can't hit it off with girls," said 26-year-old Han, who declined to give his full name. "It seems that nothing I do or say impresses them."
As a lawyer and a debating champion in his university days, Han is an articulate public speaker - but when it comes to starting a conversation with a girl he fancies, he's at a loss for words.
"I don't know why I just can't hit it off with girls," said 26-year-old Han, who declined to give his full name. "It seems that nothing I do or say impresses them."
Han, dressed in a blue football jersey and a pair of jeans, is one of six men attending a workshop that promises to turn losers in romance into suave lovers, after paying four million rupiah (356 dollars) for a three-day, 20-hour course.
In a quiet restaurant tucked inside a department store at one of Jakarta's biggest shopping malls, six men listened attentively to an instructor from Hitman System, which describes itself a professional consultancy that helps men "manage romantic relationships that are modern, healthy and happy."
"Because of our culture and religion, Indonesian men are sexually repressed," said Kei Savourie, one of the three founders of Hitman System, who like the other two changed his name as part of a transformation from a self-described loser into a love expert.
"Our parents keep telling us that we have to be financially stable before we start thinking of courting a girl," said Savourie, who has his left ear pierced to project a self-assured image.
Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world, and both religious and traditional values place significant emphasis on marriage.
Even though many hold conservative views on pre-marital sex, it is not uncommon.
Hitman System has turned more than 2,000 shy, dateless men into smooth talkers since it was created six years ago, said Savourie, who was an art designer before becoming a love guru.
The company also offers courses in other major Indonesian cities such as Surabaya and Yogyakarta, and recently opened classes for women, called Loveable Lady.
Its popularity has prompted the emergence of copycat services, Savourie said.
Many Hitman System students are high-income professionals, including lawyers like Han, he said.
During one session on a Saturday, participants were asked to introduce themselves to female strangers at the Central Park mall in West Jakarta.
One of the more embarrassing exercises requires the men to show two photos of themselves - one showing them smiling and the other not smiling - to a woman, and ask her which one she prefers.
A nervous Han - who once won the best speaker prize at an international university debating contest in India - whispered curses, approached a shop attendant and hesitantly showed her his two photos taken on his mobile phone.
The woman appeared puzzled, but she pointed to one photo and said: "I think this one has a better angle."
"I think this course is good for my self-confidence," said Han, a junior lawyer at a Jakarta law firm. "Things are easier said than done, but I'd like to try."
Savorie and co-founder Lex dePraxis, a linguistics graduate, said the idea of Hitman System came from personal experience of being rejected.
"It's fair to say we were smart and multi-talented but we saw that those guys who were often involved in college brawls and didn't seem to have a future got all the girls," Savourie said. "We wanted to know what the girls saw in them."
His advice to men: Don't come on too strong.
"Indonesian men are too serious and too pushy," said dePraxis. "They are too busy making money and by the time they are 30 or 35 they want to settle down but don't have the skill to create engaging and fun conversations."
Geary Maverick, himself now a relationship consultant in the city of Bandung, said his former girlfriend broke up with him after she found out that he learned his romantic skills from Hitman System.
"Her reaction was antagonistic," he said. "She said that everything I said or did was not genuine and simply a manipulation."
But he said his current girlfriend was understanding and supportive of his career.
Janatul Aliyah, a financial manager at a retail company, said she approved of the services offered by companies like Hitman System.
"I like the idea of men being more loosened up," said Aliyah, wearing a pink Muslim headscarf. "Love should be easy, and not sentimental."