Member Reviews
This was super cute and such an easy read! I didn't realize too that there are multiple volumes, so the relationship does continue. I thought it was a single volume, especially with how long it is, but what a pleasant surprise that it's not. This reminded me a lot of Cherry Magic! and My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999, Vol. 1.
A funny and sweet office drama featuring the infamous miscommunication trope! I really liked the slow emotional development of the relationship. As opposed to many BL with adult aged characters, the characters in this felt like they were adults, which helped me relax into the escapism of the office romance plot instead of feeling icked out.
Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
This manga is a typical BL story with the familiar tropes and dynamics fans of the genre would expect. However, it introduces a twist with a love triangle, which adds an element of surprise. Normally, I’m not a fan of love triangles, but it was handled decently here. Overall, it's a decent read but doesn't stand out as particularly special or innovative within the genre. If you're looking for a straightforward BL manga with a slight twist, this might be worth your time, but don't expect it to break new ground.
I chose to read and review this ARC voluntarily and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was a very cute gaming centered romance where the game play mentioned was easy to follow and we got to see the characters meet and develop their relationships with each other over time.
This volume focuses mostly on the two main characters getting to know one another and balancing the fact that their work relationship is one of a boss and employee. A high school character with a crush on one of the main characters also appears often and provides a fair amount of comedic relief as well as creating a few pivot points for the plot
It is definitely what I would call a slow burn with Hashimoto being adorably dense and not quite realising the extent of both Shirase and Kumada’s feelings for him. A lot of endearing misunderstandings that had me smiling and intrigued me to finish this book in one sitting and staying up until 3am to do so.
I personally adored the one kiss scene we got in this volume. I loved how it was censored in such a teasing and adorable manner and it was my favourite panel.
This book was wholesome and I will be buying the physical volume and volume 2 when they’re released.
This was super cute and so sweet! I loved the gaming aspects as well! Not sure how I feel about the weird love triangle, though.
Thank you Netgalley and publish for the ARC in exchange for a review!
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.
I really enjoyed reading this and will be picking up a copy as soon it releases. 💕
It was well written and I really enjoyed my time reading it.
Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Genre: LBGTQIAP+, BL, work romance, romance
★★★★★
Butting heads in the office by day to being attached at the hip in a video game at night. A surprising romance between an unlikely duo.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Such a cute and fun read! I felt like I finished it in the blink of an eye and I am so eager to get my hands on the sequel! Our story follows an office worker, Hashimoto who just cant seem to see eye to eye with his boss, Shirase. To escape reality and blow off steam, he plays and online game and vents to his friend. They set an irl meeting, and much to his surprise, the friend he’s been confiding in is none other than his boss!
I don’t know what it is about them, but I’m so obsessed with video game and workplace romance tropes, so I knew this book would be right up my alley. I was further influenced because my bestfriend, who read it ahead of me, assured that not only would enjoy it, but insisted I start it right away. Who am I to ignore my friend’s wishes?? Hehe. The romance between Hashimoto and his “demon boss,” Shirase, had me snorting with laughter (quite literally). The plot and art were great, and the dialogue was too good to me. I wasn’t expecting the story to be as funny as it was!
Besides Hashimoto and Shirase, we do have a third lead character introduced in the story who adds more depth and character. To be completely transparent, I think they're my favorite character. I won’t name him, BUT if you have read the book, please comment his name!! I need to find my people. I am a fan our our main lead couple, don't get me wrong, but I just love this character on their own. They added such a bright contrast alongside our two other leads. I truly cannot imagine the story without them.
The level of miscommunication between our three main characters was so out of hand and comedic, I found myself facepalming out of secondhand embarrassment. I kept yelling at my phone, begging them to clear the misunderstandings. Clearly, they couldn’t hear me, BUT I couldn’t help myself.The misunderstandings/miscommunication added a layer of hilarity and tension that kept me hooked and invested in the story. It was a rush of amusement and frustration as I hungrily flipped the pages, hooked and invested in the story. It just made the book all the more engaging.
But don’t get me wrong, this story is not at giggles and snorts. Beyond their blossoming friendship/relationship, their boss/employee dynamic also grows and develops beautifully. It provides a lot of insight into the minds of our characters and I felt like I was able to understand them on a deeper level. I’m really looking forward to seeing how their relationship progresses in future volumes.
Volume one was so good and I’m itching to get my hands on the folding sequel. The blend of humor, romance, and character development has left me eagerly anticipating the next installment. If you're a fan of workplace romances with a twist, this should definitely be on your tbr. I can't wait to see where the story goes and how the characters continue to evolve. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Hashimoto and Shirase's story :)
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this!
This manga is adorable and everything I wanted it to be. A lighthearted and fun romance and I can't wait for the next volume! I know the plot will thicken but this is a promising start.
A very light gaming centered romance. If you are a fan of manga or manhwa centered around in-game interactions between characters with cute avatars you'll probably like this. This is a very slow burn. This volume mostly focuses on the two main characters getting to know each other better and realizing they may have judged the other too harshly. There are some romantic elements, but it is very tame. The one kiss we do get is actually censored. This series is currently ongoing, with 3 volumes out in Japan. If you enjoy office romance, gaming romance, misunderstandings, boss/employee dynamics you will like this. And it is pretty wholesome.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an arc of this book through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As the title suggests, this is a super cute and fun romance between a man and his boss who discover that they also know one another through an online game. I thought that this concept was really creative yet realistic. I really enjoyed jumping between the two of them in-game and in real life. It was a really funny scenario, especially when they were first figuring it out. I also enjoyed the addition of another online friend who has a crush on our main character as well. The miscommunication that came from that was very funny. I think my only issue would be regarding the pacing of the relationship. I didn't expect things to develop as fast as they did, especially when it seemed like their work relationship was quite negative. It would have been more fun if it took longer for them to discover their identities, as well as taking time to go from the work relationship to friends to lovers.
With that being said, I quite enjoyed this first volume. I found this story to be charming and cute and I'm excited to continue the rest of the story!
This was so silly and sweet! Hashimoto was so oblivious but in such an endearing way! Shirase was the typical cool and serious type. The sort of "enemies" to friends to lovers trope in the manga was something that drew me in. The story went by quick, but it didn't necessarily feel rushed. The side characters also brought a lot to the story as well but didn't overtake the story. Overall, very cute!
This delightful and charming BL book is a joy to read. Its appeal spans a wide range of BL enthusiasts across different age groups. While it works beautifully as a standalone story, the author has expanded the series, much to the delight of fans. The artwork is visually pleasing, and the plot is well-paced, ensuring an engaging read from start to finish.
Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. This was an adorable manga but honestly very choppy in plot. I do also wish there were more volumes to flush the characters out. Because of these points, I have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars
A really cute story mixing the game world and real world together between a zero awareness main character and his boss.
I love the premise of this story but I also understand that it’s difficult to execute. Hashimoto is an office worker who struggles under his demon boss, Shirase. His only escape is the online game with his online friends, but when they plan a real life meetup things start mixing up!
The story can get confusing. There isn’t enough character and relationship building done through the game play, so when they meet up in real life it feels awkward and disconnected. This is true for later on in the story as well, when they should be more comfortable and natural around each other. The manga doesn’t do a good job in building their relationships through meaningful interactions.
The manga tends to be jumpy. It switches to past events quite suddenly and the smooth transition between the online game and real life interactions are missing. There are also quite a few time skips that sometimes cut off events awkwardly instead of using them to build on the characters and their relationships.
Hashimoto is a character who misunderstands a lot but he’s also the one who tells Shirase to become kinder. I think Hashimoto’s misunderstanding is what kept this manga going and interesting. He really has a creative way of looking at things. Also, I wanted to like Hashimoto and Shirase’s dynamics because there are some places that are really enjoyable and sweet, however the story doesn’t do justice with depicting their relationship and their feelings. It feels very vague and erratic.
The artwork is quite lovely. It’s crisp, clear and descriptive. There are a lot of descriptive backgrounds and iconographic panels used throughout. I also like the characters’ designs as they weren’t the typical office look but much cooler and relaxed. Unfortunately there aren’t many characters in this story, it’s just the main three but it works since the story isn’t complex.
Overall I enjoyed reading this manga but I would have loved it more if we could witness their relationship growing, instead of little pockets of events all over the place. Although this is volume one, it feels pretty complete with no noticeable subplots to be continued in this next volume. I am curious to know what volume two will entail.
Quite a long title, but also quite a great addition to the BL manga genre. As someone who reads A LOT of BL manga, some are obviously better than others, and I would genuinely lump this one in with the best of them. It features a lot of fun tropes, the leading couple is absolutely adorable, and it has lots of antics and comic relief sprinkled throughout that I genuinely found funny. So yeah, if you are big into the genre, I really recommend it. And, the sequel is dropping soon, and I will be absolutely grasping for it when that time comes.
This is a really fun, cute BL book. This will appeal to lots of BL readers of different ages. This does work as a one shot, but apparently the author has continued this series. The art looks good and the plot is well paced.
Super cute!
I liked the video game concept and how incorporated into the story it is. This was definitely a lighthearted and sweet read that I was able to get through within a day.
I really enjoyed how wholesome this was and the characters felt very natural, making it a read that I was able to enjoy every second of.
This manga was absolutely adorable. Not what I expecting at all. For them to go from manager/subordinate to friends to lovers was so sweet. I can’t wait for volume 2!
I really enjoyed this! A fun, light read about an employee x boss who unwittingly become friends playing an online game together for a year, and discover their real identities when they arrange a meetup. Most of the story is after this revelation with them trying to figure out how to interact after the realization as friends both in the game and out of it, and becoming closer.
The art style is charming, the characters are likable, and it makes great use of the potential for humor and misunderstandings between the dual identities, which feels fairly plausible given our employee character’s established personality of being very enthusiastic without thinking things through.
Another online friend turns out to also live in the area, and between the three multiple discussions are misunderstood in ways that added to the light silly tone.
I appreciated the slow build of translating an online friendship and in-person boss/employee relationship to a closer friendship in person throughout the story. I could understand some readers wishing to jump into romance or physical intimacy quickly, but the pacing seemed fitting for the characters and worked for me. Knowing there will be more volumes to continue their story helps too; we have more opportunities to see their romance develop.
I always appreciate stories that have characters just have a crush without a heteronormative expectation that they be shocked or embarrassed or have to process it, though those stories of course have their place.
We just have a lot of them, and it’s nice to see this one focus on the premise and be fun, without any internal or external homophobia to be addressed.
This was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to the second volume which looks like it comes out in August!
I received a complimentary ARC from Netgalley. I am leaving this review of my own choice and my views are my own.
This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.