This was a very fun and silly read and I had a good time with it. I had to pause my reading and come back because the secondhand embarrassment I felt after that one specific scene with the tablet search history was too strong.

The Dashing Daddy and His Icy Protege is a BL that follows Makoto, our titular Zaddy, who has erectile dysfunction, and Ren who seems to have cured his ED.

This was just pure fun, quick and light-hearted. It certainly has it's humorous moments as well as some more wholesome.

Despite certain events, this volume ends before Makoto even entertains the idea that he might not be straight, but I think I'm in it for the long haul. Can't wait for the next volume to see how the story progresses.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protege is an adult m/m romance manga that has humor, laughs, and a very hot older main character!

We get the silver daddy being super good at everything, but dealing with a secret bedroom issue. His protege accidently finds out, and hilarity ensues. I liked seeing how obsessed his protege is with him, and we get a peek into his past as well.

Overall this was a funny first volume, though it's a bit of a slow burn at getting them together.

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé is BL and it's good that there are more books then just one. Now Fumito has time to grow the relationship. Takanashi is forty and running the 2nd sales division at Itsuboshi Trading Company. His subordinate is Hiwatari, who's been in love with Takanashi since forever. By forever I mean his childhood, since we get flashes from the past. Takanashi is impotent and Hiwamari ends up getting to know that. These two end up spending time together and some feelings spark, but gladly the pace is slow and even credible on some level. Usually I'm not a fan of corporate BL, since the work life is bland enough to not even make a good background story. You never know what the firms are actually even doing and in this case too, what are these guys even doing at work except mysterious "sales"?

The art looks good and the rhythm is nice too. All in all the story seems interesting enough, although the ending feels cliched... This kind of BL seems to offer always the same, now there's just more books to do it. Basically the next part shows where this is going and if it's a good thing or not. There are already five books to the series.

A ridiculous but fun boss vs employee yaoi manga.
The ‘icy prince’ has a crush on his boss, the ‘dashing zaddy’. Their secrets might just bring them closer…

I went into this book entirely blind to the concept or the themes, I saw the title on NetGalley and hit request in the same instance. Thank you for the ARC.

This volume covers the developing relationship between Takanashi, a CEO within a company, adored by his colleagues due to his charisma and good locks, and Hiwatari, a subordinate regarded as icy and harsh. Secretly, Hiwatari is in love with his boss and Takanashi struggles with low self-confidence due to his ED. Got to say, that was a first in terms of plot twists I've read. However, I was hooked. There was some office hijinks with missing product samples and jealous coworkers, but the over arching interactions between the two stem from a complaint made against Hiwatari that Takanashi tries (and fails) to address amidst the two growing closer. It reminds me somewhat of Mobsters in Love with the dynamic between the characters being not only superior and subordinate, but with outwardly collected younger man who's secretly head over heels infatuated and oblivious older man. It's very much a two cakes situation as I adore it so much.

I can't wait to continue with this series, it's a fun lighthearted read that doesn't take itself too seriously but still carries some weight in the necessary emotional scenes.

What drew me initially was the cover. I loved the art and so I dove in without knowing anything about the manga other than the obvious (it being a BL). I really wanted to like it but I found the story to be kind of bland. The humor wasn’t my cup of tea. Using ED as a gag got tiring quick. I don’t think I’ll be continuing on with the series but I appreciate Netgallery and the publisher for giving out a free electronic copy of the officially translated version. Thank you!

Gimme the next copy RN

What more can I say? Hot business daddy and his handsome stoic protege. I want more!

(I want less of their backstory, though. Not into the whole knowing the love interest as a minor thing. Theenks xoxo)

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for allowing me to read the eARC of this manga.

I have mixed feelings about this first volume. I do like a good age gap romance, but something was a bit little off for me. The artwork was amazing though, it really caught my eye. The clean lines, expressive character designs, and impeccable fashion sense bring the characters and their world to life.

The story itself, however, feels somewhat stagnant. While the initial setup is intriguing and occasionally funny, the plot doesn't progress significantly throughout the volume. There's potential in the core concept, but the execution did not quite land for me.
 
My biggest concern arises from the short story included at the end, "25 and 11." This reveals a childhood connection between Takanashi and Hiwatari, far beyond the brief meeting I inferred from an earlier interaction in the volume. This unexpected backstory introduces a pre-existing familiarity that feels unnecessary and potentially problematic. It complicates the romantic dynamic in a way that distracts from the promising emotional beats the main story was building.

Despite the narrative choice, regarding the childhood connection, I see potential in the overall concept and enjoyed this lighthearted and stylish read. I will definitely give volume two a chance to progress more.

I had so much fun reading this book!

Mr. Takanashi is one of the company's top performers. He is charismatic, super hot, and very popular, especially with the ladies. However, he has a huge problem with ED. He is so embarrassed that he doesn't even go on dates anymore.

That all changes one night when a young Hiwatari spends the evening with him. Mr. Takanashi revealed more about himself, that he wants to and Hiwatari somehow fixes his problem.

They slowly become closer and they slooowly start to open up.

An office romance, with a slow burn, lots of humor, and a pretty guys.

Highly recommend it

Oh my gods this was absolutely hilarious. I could not stop laughing. I need to pick up volume two asap to find out what happens next.

This story was a little goofy and didn’t fully hit for me but I am excited that the publishing industry in general is producing more stories with older and/or gay characters and I want to encourage that.

I enjoyed this first volume a lot! When I found out a major part of the plot is that the older man has ED, I was a little worried this would be annoyingly raunchy, but it was actually fairly tame and takes the time to develop a relationship between the two men. I'd absolutely continue in this series!

This was a nice and fun read however it just didn’t resonate with me fully. I enjoyed the bulk of the story and I even liked the plot it just didn’t deliver in the way that I thought it would have. I really enjoyed the animation as well

The age gap between the two was okay up until it's revealed that they knew each other when one was a minor and was involved in his life beyond meeting by happenstance once. There's a small bonus scene after the manga where it shows them interacting together around this stage of life that threw me for a loop when it seemed a bit too much considering their ages.

Aside from that, when the book focuses on their present lives, I think the romance is written decently. The romantic moments where Hiwatari is standing up for Takanashi layered his character to be less of this "by-the-books workaholic". He's thoughtful and I can see why they end up trusting each other so quickly. The art is so pretty when they're caught in a moment flustered by the other. I also really liked Takanashi being the friendlier of the two despite his age since it subverts the usual expectation of the old stoic businessman. The business talk in the beginning felt slow to me, but the story felt more interesting once Hiwatari and Takanashi start spending more time together.

Right now, the first volume doesn't have much, so it's a very casual read with more humor and a few sweet moments between the two. The erectile dysfunction plot pushes a lot of the development funnily enough, so I'm curious to see how things develop from there.

I loved the art and the story, however the ML knowing Hiwatari when he was a child and not just a brief meeting but actually being in his life threw me off. I couldn’t really enjoy it because I couldn’t get passed the idea that he knew Hiwatari at 11 when he was 23.

Volume 1 of The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé by Fumito lays a solid foundation for what could become a standout series. I genuinely enjoyed the story and found the artwork stunning—detailed, expressive, and beautifully suited to the tone of the narrative.

Fumito handles the "age gap" trope with surprising finesse, helping readers digest what can sometimes be a polarizing dynamic. The classic "grumpy/sunshine" pairing is used to great effect here, especially with the added layer of well-timed comedic moments. One character, the more cheerful of the two, struggles with erectile dysfunction, while the grumpier lead allows his unspoken crush to cause chaos in his own life—a refreshing inversion of typical romantic dynamics.

One challenge for this kind of slow-burn romance is competing in a market saturated with more sexually explicit titles. Because this volume doesn't include any major romantic or sexual payoff, some readers may find it lacking the “spice” that keeps them hooked early on. Fumito takes a risk by focusing on emotional buildup rather than physical intimacy, which may not work for everyone—but it's a bold and thoughtful choice that could pay off in the long run.

I liked the style in which this was drawn and enjoyed the story in general. It's a lighthearted comedy read.

What attracted me to this story was the age gap and the forbidden aspect of them working in the same office.

What put me off was finding out that the leads met when the youngest was a child (11) and the elder was 23. I couldn't get past that. The storyline surrounding the erectile dysfunction is very prominent, so much so that the story doesn't have much to offer besides that as all situations lead back to the ED and miscommunication, but the jokes didnt land for me. I guess I was hoping for more secret pining and cute (secret) dates and just getting to know both men past who they are in the office.
This story has potential if it moves past the ED storyline and doesn't make it primary for the entire run.

I love how clueless Takanashi is, his protege has been hinting and dancing around and total oblivious. Then again, he was oblivious towards anybody, until....

The funny antics are great. More importantly, I appreciate the translation, which is done well. You have no idea reading a cute BL and the translations doesn't make sense really ruin what sensei is trying to convey with the story.

Thank you NetGalley & Kodansha Comics for the ARC. Hope I get the other volume too, because I have a feeling that this story will be great!

Title: The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protoge Volume 1
Where I Read: e-ARC provided via @netgalley and @kodanshamanga
.
The RayView: ✨✨✨✨
The HeatRay: 🔥
How It Be Spicin’?: 0.5🌶️
.
TW: Erectile Dysfunction. Age Gap.
.
We meet Makoto Takanashi, the second sales division team manager at Itsuboshi Trading Company, who is the 40-year-old knockout taking the office by storm in both performance and looks. Nearly every woman wants him but there’s a problem - Takanashi has erectile dysfunction. In enters Ren Hiwatari, an equally attractive 26-year-old icy man who seems interested in only one thing and that’s work. Secretly, however, he’s Takanashi’s number one fan and after an unexpected evening of spilling drinks and truths he learns his boss’ biggest secret only to prove him wrong! Hiwatari promises Takanashi that he can help solve his boss’ ED problem but will he be able to?
.
Okay. How adorably funny was this novel? All the miscommunicated mishaps had me rolling my eyes and giggling under my breath. I did, however, have to dock it a star. While I have zero issues with an adult age-gap romance, I don’t like that Takanashi knew Hiwatari since he was 11. While, so far anyway, it appears it’s completely one sided on Hiwatari’s side with no inkling that Takanashi ever encouraged such emotion, it’s still 😬 to me. Hopefully it continues to lead in that direction but as I’ve never read more than this novel, time will tell.