This manga is exactly what the title promises: a lighthearted, ridiculous, and genuinely funny BL office romcom—with a side of workplace chaos and, yes, erectile dysfunction.

Takanashi is a charismatic 40-year-old sales manager who keeps turning down office flirtations due to his bedroom struggles. Enter Hiwatari—a younger, stoic coworker who’s secretly admired him for years. Cue awkward vulnerability, secret feelings, and a surprising amount of heart, all wrapped in over-the-top, chaotic comedy.

While I enjoyed the volume overall—it’s quick, silly, and entertaining—I was uncomfortable with a specific detail: it’s revealed that the characters briefly knew each other when one was 11 and the other 29. Nothing romantic or inappropriate occurs at that time, and the older character has no feelings then (the younger one did), but I still wish this backstory had been omitted entirely.

That said, the series has potential, and I’m curious to see how their dynamic develops in the next volume.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a DARC in exchange of my honest review!

I received an early copy thanks to NetGalley for an honest review.

Where should I begin with my review? I knew what I was getting into, but I was still disappointed.

Let me start with the pacing; it felt all over the place. It was rushed, not allowing the story to breathe. We were moving from point A to C too quickly, which caused me to get lost in the overall plot. Finally, around chapter 4 (the last of this volume), it seemed to have found its footing, but it was a little too late, as there were times I considered DNFing.

The sexual innuendos and jokes were not my cup of tea. I understood that it was trying to lighten the mood, but they just felt flat.

Also, I’m sorry, but I do not approve of the mangaka's decision to have our younger character meet our "Zaddy" when he was a young boy. That just rubbed me the wrong way. I don't mind age-gap romances, but not like this.

This was a cute manga. I thought the title was interesting and was interested in the concept so I was looking forward to giving this a read. All-in-all, I did enjoy reading it though not much has happened so far. This is only the first volume so I look forward to seeing what will happen next in the story!

This was overall a funny read, but it was nothing special. I would say this is a very lighthearted, quick, fast-paced and funny read,

f there is anything the fujos love more than BL, it is a BL featuring an appropriate age gap in a workplace setting! (Note: the fujos in question may actually be just me.) First of all, office romances in fiction are always SO FUN! The flirty looks during work hours, the sneaking around, the questioning of your sanity for pursuing something at work?! It’s taboo enough to be thrilling but not enough to be off-putting. And then you have age gap romance! Someone in their 40s/50s losing confidence in themselves, only for a hot 20-something to remind them that they are irresistible? Yes, please!

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé was written with me in mind. Created by Fumito and published by Kodansha, this manga follows Takanashi, a hot 40-year-old manager at a trading company, who drives all of the ladies crazy. Little do they know, he’s been suffering from erectile dysfunction, and his self-esteem has taken a huge hit. Nonetheless, he continues to be excellent at this job. So much so that he doesn’t realize one of his direct reports, Hiwatari, has taken a liking to him. Now, to be fair, Hiwatari hasn’t let on much to this fact. He’s also stone cold -everyone at the office is scared of him. Yet, when Hiwatari has the opportunity to get close to his dream man-ager, he takes it! (hehehe)

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé has a lot of funny gags and misunderstandings, not unusual for this type of BL. As per my usual, I found this charming. The funny moments are extremely well done (talking about you, embarrassing meeting moment) and are truly laugh-out-loud funny.

My favorite part so far has been Takanashi’s character. First of all, even though he’s 40 (which is a baby in real life), everyone finds him hot! Most anime and manga treat anyone older than 30 as geriatric patients, so it’s very refreshing to see someone like Takanashi. But on a deeper level, Takanashi is going through some things! He’s a man who, on the surface, has it all, but in reality, is suffering from this sexual issue. And then it turns out he also has a bunch of haters at work due to his success. He’s trying his best in many different areas, and it’s nice to see this setup of events that will challenge him and make him grow.

To the surprise of no one, I also love Hiwatari. An obsessed younger man who’s a little bit delusional?! What’s not to love! We also get the vibe that Hiwatari has been chasing after Takanashi for a very long time. I’m curious to see how that puzzle piece will fit into the story later.

This is such a cute read, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the story will play out.

I have to say whoever translated イケオジ(Ikeoji) as Dashing Zaddy is very creative (lol) and after seeing the title I just had to read this!
The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé is a BL manga that follows a 40 year-old businessman Takanashi (who is known as an Ikeoji aka handsome middle-aged man) and one of his subordinates, the 26 year-old Hiwatari (who is known for his icy cold attitude). One thing leads to another, they end up spending the night together and Hiwatari finds out Takanashi's secret problem.
I liked the art style and this was a lighthearted, hilarious read! Both MMCs are very awkward and their thoughts had me laughing out loud.
I did feel like the translation could've been better but this was a great start and I think fans of age gap BLs will really enjoy this!
～Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

I was going into this expecting it to be a good vibe but sadly i just couldn't get into it. I don't mind the age gap but i felt the relationship was super forced and overly sexual. I wished this would have been paced better so i could root for the characters but it just did not happen. I can say if you like whacky BL with a lot of sexual energy then this may work for you.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kodansha, and Fumito for the chance to read this arc in exchange for my honest review!

This was funnier than I expected! As someone with a soft spot for slice-of-life romance comedies, especially ones about working adults, this was right up my alley. Both love interests are endearing in their own ways, and seem to be building a nice base for some romance.

For a comedy BL (and I’ve read many), this is a great pick if you like something silly with occasional sexual jokes and a tiny dash of slow burn (just because not much actually happens in this volume). That said, it’s probably not the best fit if you’re craving a cute office romance full of stolen glances and pining or something super smutty right off the bat.

Though I did enjoy this and will likely read the rest of the series once it’s translated, one thing gave me pause: the younger love interest seems to have fallen for the older one when he was a child and the other was an adult. It doesn’t come across as grooming (the older guy doesn’t even seem to recognize him now), but it’s worth noting. Oh, and heads up: erectile dysfunction (ED) is discussed a lot (it’s in the description, after all). If repetitive ED talk (particularly as a quirk/joke) isn’t your thing, you might wanna skip this one.

It’s been a long time since I started or read a new BL series and I have to say this was an interesting change from previous ones I’ve read. Particularly given the corporate setting and world. I did like the pace of romance was slower and more believable than just an instant connection. Nothing wrong with instant love or attraction but I like a bit of slow build, particularly when it’s a sort of opposites attract vibe.

Overall I did enjoy this one and liked it was aimed at a more mature audience. I will probably continue this series but not on a instant buy or preorder time frame but more when I have spare room on the to be read or a bit of spare funds. Overall though it is an enjoyable BL manga and has nice artwork as well as a sensibly paced plot.

This manga was mostly set up of the two main characters opening up to each other and learning to trust each other. Mostly set up and not enough happening for me but could be a good BL going forward.

Finished reading
The Dashing Zaddy and his Icy Protégé by Fumito
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Pages: 166
Genre: BL, manga
The Dashing Zaddy and his Icy Protégé, Vol. 1
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First of all, thank you @netgalley for providing me with this copy!

Let me tell you about this manga. I love it! 😂 It really was the kind of distraction I needed right now!

We have Ren, who's known as the Icy Prince at the office, because he always has a stern face and can lash out pretty quickly when irritated, but he has impeccable looks.
His boss, Takanashi, is 40 years old, has incredible looks, all females in the office are crazy for him, but he has a huge secret. He is impotent and hasn't been able to get hard for more than a year.
Ren has a huge crush on Takanashi, and one day, he finds the courage to ask him out for dinner that evening. And so, the adventure begins.

It's a sweet first volume of an ongoing series and I am looking forward to reading all the rest, because I love me some grumpy x sunshine tropes and Ren becomes so caring and almost desperate for Takanashi's love, that even Takanashi cannot stay undisturbed 😏

If my library gets the second volume I will read it but it didn’t feel like I needed to go out of my way to read the second volume. The premise is interesting, two closed of men find that they can open up to each other and feel safe being themselves. Also young guy has been in to the older one since he was a kid cause he was there for him during a difficult time.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kondansha Comics for the opportunity to read this book.

I went into this book blind. Our Zaddy is 40 and thinks he impotent. His love life journey in this story is delightful and left me wanting to know more. Very lighthearted and at times comical, yet also sad. I feel compassion for the Zaddy, as life at 40 at times can be difficult compared to your 20’s. A great read!

Funny, awkward, and spicy. I didn't know what to expect from this manga, but I thoroughly enjoy it. Takanashi is a 40 year old salaryman, who is dashing and charming he usually enjoys the company of women, but for over a year he has been dealing with ED. Too embarrassed to go to the doctor and fending off aggressive advances from him female supervisor, he has just been stressing over it. Enter Hiwatari, Takanashi's 26 year old subordinate, who has a bit of hero worship from when he was a child and Takanashi helped his dad's failing business. A clumsy mistake leads to Hiwatari trying to warm up Takanashi, which leads to Takanashi blurting out that he has ED and that it just won't work. But lo' and behold, it stands tall and proud, much to Takanashi's amazement. A slow-burn romance begins and the slow obsession of being in each other's presence. This was a wonderful and hilarious manga and I am really excited for the next volume to continue the story.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

After being pleasantly surprised by Senpai is an Otokono, I was hoping I would enjoy this, but it really wasn't for me.

The title says it all and there is very little more to it beside the surprisingly sexless constant talk of erectile dysfunction and boners...

The author's note at the end is explicit that older men are their kink and they used to work in a similar job as shown here. I love that for them and I'm glad they are following their bliss. However, for me this just wasn't as cute and fun or even as gay as I was hoping.

I get that this is a fantasy, but I am clearly just too much of a anarcho commie to feel anything but revulsion for CEOs and the Red, White, and Royal Blue of it all.

Also, I'm not sure about the whole 'erectile dysfunction because you don't know you're gay'

The short at the end, 25 and 11, shows the characters in a tutor and schoolboy situation with the older falling asleep during a session and bringing the child in to snuggle with him, which...YIKES.

This first volume is just a set up for the story. This is a fun age gap workplace BL. I liked the art and the set up for the story but nothing was too outstanding about the plot yet. I want to continue reading to see if it gets more interesting.

This was a fun start to an age gap office romance yaoi. I liked the artwork and look forward to the next volume.

I received a digital ARC of this manga from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun start to a BL office romance. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two leads and I’m glad to see that things weren’t rushed. I’m curious to see how their relationship develops from here on out.

When I picked up this age gap manga romance, I definitely didn’t think it would be about an older man with ED (erectile dysfunction), so that was an interesting thing to jump into. And even though he may have spent the last year with a flaccid ween, one look at his much younger her subordinate sends his full function to get erect.

So now that they’ve gotten closer, does that mean that the second volume will be wrapped… cuz I hope so!!! 🥵

First off let’s just say I did not know what to expect going into this manga. Only thing I knew about was a 40-year-old man has erectile dysfunction and there’s a younger guy involved. I like the manga storyline so far. I also love the art style of it. And for the two characters, they are not as what the world sees them. I like the fact that in the manga, it says don’t judge a book by its cover. Because even though there are some characteristics from their private and public life, they are not what they seem. Maketo what I like about him is he started to discover himself and open up to Ren . And he’s letting Ren see who he truly is. For Ren what I like about him is he is upfront about how he feels. Also, he’s willing to do anything for the man who cares for. I do like how the manga ended. Because it shows that there’s gonna be more to their story. Also, there’s gonna be more trust gained between these two. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next volume.