The first volume in this series is so good! I was laughing the entire time I was reading and the narrator is amazing (I think is the author narrating, but it’s so good) I can’t wait to continue on this series. I feel like is going to be one that I will love to read.
I really love this type of cliche manga.

A cute age gap office romance. Takanashi is a 40 year old team lead with ED, and Hiwatari is his 26 year old subordinate who appears cold on the outside but is actually quite excitable on the inside. The two start spending a little time together after an invitation to after work drinks.

This gave me slight Old-Fashioned Cupcake vibes, but a little goofier. It's pretty cute overall and doesn't take itself too seriously. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to a progressing relationship. The art is really nice too.

Well, I thought this was a one-shot, but when I got to the end and Hiwatari was only then promising to help Takanashi with his ED, I realized this was only volume one. 🤷‍♀️But the story is so hilarious and sweet that I'm totally down for another volume. I hope it gets even more spicy, please.

If you want a good age gap workplace romance manga, this one is for you! I love the characters so much. I really like the pace of which their relationship was developing and just the general pace the book. It wasn't too slow and it wasn't too fast in my opinion. The ending of this book makes me want to reading volume 2 so much more. I'm happy I gave this a chance and I'm excited to continue on with the series.

The title and the premise is definitely promising for "The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protege." The art is pleasant enough to look at. But it fell short of my expectations in terms of execution. I am told that Takanashi is charming, but not really shown much of how he is charming. Hiwatari's personality only appears to inhabit two extremes. The "working in a trading company" shenanigans were a touch more amusing than the actual relationship between our two main characters. Perhaps the characters will grow on me, but I am not that interested in another volume just to see if it will get interesting.

Love popping onto NetGalley and seeing something that was already on my to-read list? And fujoshi, fudanshi, and fujin alike, there is no disappointment here! Just a laugh out loud awkward age-gap romance between the hottest 40 year old in the office and the strict subordinate (who, let's be real, melts entirely at this older man immediately which had me cracking up). Volume 1 is these men getting to know each other in both a personal and comedic fashion (not always at the same time), spicy with nothing explicit, and I already have volume 2 on my 'isn't out yet here's the date it comes out' spreadsheet.

The art is gorgeous (nice to see we've graduated from the land of no-nipples) and I love a dude down bad for his object of interest and said object realizing, oh, wait, I want that too.

Can't wait for volume 2!

DNF. I tried to read this one but could not get into the plot or the characters. I decided to put it down.

The cover totally caught my eye — suave older guy X cool and collected younger coworker? Yes, please! Or so I thought...

The story follows Mr. Takanashi, a 40-year-old star employee at Itsuboshi Trading Company, who’s known for his charisma, success, and, well, being a total zaddy. Practically every woman in the office has tried to shoot her shot — but Takanashi turns them all down due to a rather personal secret: he has ED. Enter Hiwatari, his 26-year-old subordinate, who's all ice on the outside but has secretly admired Takanashi for years. When they end up spending the evening together, things… escalate — and not just emotionally.

I really wanted to enjoy this, but the story felt kind of messy. The POV switches back and forth between Takanashi and Hiwatari in a way that made it hard to tell who was thinking what. The internal monologues didn’t always line up with the scenes, and the pacing was a bit off.

Also, the chemistry between the leads felt oddly forced. We’re told that Hiwatari has harbored feelings for Takanashi for years, but there’s no real explanation why. And Takanashi, who’s been pretty clearly established as only into women, suddenly… flips the switch? It didn’t really sell me on the romance — not because people can’t change, but because it just felt abrupt and unconvincing.

All in all, not quite what I hoped for. There’s definitely potential in the concept (older boss with a secret + cold protégé = spicy setup!), but the execution didn’t quite land for me. Might give volume two a try if I hear it improves, but for now, this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

Always excited to see a BL that focuses more on older men than high school or college goers, and this is one of the funniest that I've read in a while (maybe since Manly Appetites?)! Ren is hilariously dedicated to his boss, and I'm excited to see how their budding relationship will progress further in the next volume.

I am absolutely loving this manga so far! It's an age gap office BL manga, and we're learning about the main leads with each new chapter. It's fun to see their unexpected sides and I cannot wait to continue reading this manga!

I'm usually on top of the BL releases, but The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé somehow flew under my radar, and I'm so glad I found it! As a huge fan of the black cat/icy character archetype, Hiwatari is instantly a favorite. I often dive into manga without reading the full premise, which led to some hilarious moments, and I was laughing out loud throughout. Even with the age gap, the series is fun, and Takanashi doesn't feel his age outside of work. I'm really excited to see where the series goes next and how their relationship develops!

Age gap office romance. Takanashi, 40, is the star of the sales team and the office hottie, lusted after by all women and hated by his peers who malign him behind his back and say he’s slept his way up. But that’s not possible, because he’s impotent.

Hiwatari, 26, is in Takanashi’s team. The older man has been his mentor since Hiwatari was a child, something Takanashi doesn’t seem to recall. At least it’s never brought up. Hiwatari is cold and efficient, demanding perfection, so much so that there’s a complaint against him for bullying. But inside, he’s dreaming of Takanashi.

Work and private life keeps throwing the men together. Hiwatari confesses his feelings and Takanashi finds himself thinking of the younger man more and more. Takanashi is straight though, so when nearness to Hiwatari gives him an erection, he dismisses it as a fluke. The first volume ends before Takanashi has even begun to entertain the possibility he might be into men.

This was a good start for a series. It wasn’t much of a romance yet and comedy was about awkward situations about erectile dysfunction. I don’t know if the men are actually suited for each other, and since Hiwatari has worshipped Takanashi since he was a child, it’s probably not grown-up love on his part, but perhaps the men will learn together. Art was good. I’d read more.

a light-hearted age gap office romance between a superior and subordinate. this was a very chill and relaxing read, as well as funny in moments. i think this will develop nicely! i hope as the series progresses, ren is able to convey his affection and they become closer. i do wonder if the author will directly address them having met when ren was younger though. i think that would be a fun scene to see.

thank you to netgalley and kodansha for the eARC!

😂 The name says it all, this is about a dashing ZADDY and his junior team member who’s seen as a stick in the mud but is actually a massive simp for zaddy. Add in that Zaddy has ED and ice prince is so obsessed and adorkable and I’m hooked.


Next please!

This was an absolutely hilarious first volume with hit lines such as "the image of a man roaring in joy from the cellular level." The art and storyboarding made great use of perspectives, expressions, and flow from each panel to the next to add to this hilarity. I always love a good BL of a middle-aged man, and the younger character is an endearing fan boy who I'm cheering on. I can't wait to read the next volume!

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

This book was not one for me and I couldn't enjoy it a lot but we have an M&M situation and a character saying his impotent and about his journey.

The story I didn't care about but I do see others enjoying this

This was so hilarious and cute!
It is typical romcom vibes where the characters manage to find themselves in so many awkward and hilarious situations that will have you as the reader kicking your feet and giggling like a maniac.
I also really appreciate that this isn't a standalone! I love when BL is a series so that the characters get the slow burn, more realistic development they deserve and enough time to progress their relationship.
Additionally, we finally see an age gap that isn’t creepy! yay!
I'm so excited to continue the series.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

It was a fun fast read that made me smile the whole time. The characters are charming, the story was really fun and the artwork was truly incredible.

I'll definitely be reading the next volume!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

This month, Kodansha kicked off their publication of a unique BL series. And in this one, neither guy is as he seems! Young go-getter Hiwatari is physically hot, but ice-cold personality-wise. His overseer, 40-year-old Takanashi, is the whole package in terms of looks, personality, and achievement. But the frigid Hiwatari is actually a sweetheart, and the dashing Takanashi suffers from ED. Or, well, he did. When Hiwatari gets close, it’s all systems go. But why? Takanashi can’t figure it out, but the reader almost certainly can.

This series is packed with cute and charming art, with a healthy dose of humor. The localization stays as lighthearted as the unsubtle visuals. If you prefer your BL humorous and upbeat, pick this one up at once.

Characters: 5/5
I loved how different they were and how they both had very distinct personalities.

Art: 5/5
Art was great. I really liked all the expressions & the colors in the first few pages were beautiful (this is not full color).

Story/Plot: 4/5
This was a simple, lighthearted, and fast-paced manga—perfect for age gap romance fans looking for something silly and fun. If you read the blurb and thought it sounded like your kind of thing, chances are you’ll enjoy it.

Writing/Dialogue: 4/5
No complaints. While some parts were a bit cringe, the translation was really well done. I did find some of the sound effects/onomatopoeia pretty funny & bizarre—I posted a few examples below under minor spoilers.

Giggles: 4/5
Pretty funny. I dunno, I think that stupid silly stuff mixed with a bit of dry humor is just totally my kind of humor. That’s probably why I’ve been so into manga lately—it just lines up with what I find funny.

Spice level: 1/5
I thought this was going to be a lot more explicit with how the first chapter went but it was actually much more on the wholesome side. Which is what I prefer so yay! That being said it looks the ‘cure’ for being impotent will be implemented in the next volume so it’ll probably be a lot more spicy.

tldr:
Cute, very silly, not too deep—a perfect light read, especially if you’re into older men.