I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did—but wow, this story hit all the right notes for me. As someone who’s met close friends through online gaming, the premise immediately had my attention: two gaming buddies with amazing chemistry online find out (awkwardly!) that they actually know each other in real life... and one is the other's boss. 😳

What made this so special for me is how real the connection between the characters felt, even before they knew who the other was. Their online chats reminded me of late-night convos I’ve had with gamer friends—funny, supportive, a little snarky, and super comforting. Watching that dynamic crash into the very different vibe of their workplace relationship was hilarious and kinda gave me secondhand embarrassment (in the best way).

I adored both the main characters, especially how grounded they felt. The gaming scenes were fun, the art was cute and expressive, and the story had just enough romantic tension to make me smile like an idiot while reading.

If you’ve ever had an online friend you felt closer to than anyone IRL, this manga will speak to you. It’s sweet, funny, and low-key, gave me butterflies. Can’t wait to grab the next volume!

This was my own fault for not paying attention to the fact that this is the same author of The Yearning Fox Lies in Wait. I've read this twice now because back in 2022 I don't recall this being classified as a series, so I read it again to see if anything was changed to warrant making this into a series. I will say the plot had much better execution to it, but I found it a little cringe at times. Also, the love triangle? Why?? It felt so unnecessary, but now that this is going to be a series I'm curious to see where this leads to.

I just felt like they were both completely oblivious and I know that's the appeal and it is cute but I was also screaming at the book for them to realise.

This was cute, but you really have to just kind of skate straight past the boss-direct report relationship, because after the first reveal (when the protagonist is terrified that he's about to get fired and his boss is so oblivious that he doesn't even realize he should say "I'm not going to fire you") it's really not a thing the manga touches on. On the other hand, the boss DOESN'T do anything to abuse his power, so there's that. There's a love triangle but it's remarkably good-natured on all sides; the protagonist is very oblivious but not in a grating way. Ends with a kiss, no sex scenes.

This miscommunication, the comedic, facepalming but heartwarming, kind of miscommunication? I can get behind.

ML1 is a gamer who befriends someone online. They create a rapport, a friendship, and ML1 complains about his boss a lot. ML2...is his boss. Unknowingly. They don't know who the other person is IRL until they decide to meet up.

There's humor, there's a small love triangle (not really a love triangle, more like a love corner) and there's a patient guy and an oblivious golden retriever other guy. It's all great fun and I'm really happy I picked this up.

Also this is one of the longer manga volumes I've picked up in awhile! thanks for keeping me fed.

"Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss!" is a fun and heartwarming read. The story is a great reminder of how surprising life can be.

3.5 stars!
"Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss!" is a cute and quirky manga that definitely brought some laughs. Hashimoto is this perfectly average salaryman who's dealing with an impossible boss, and his only escape is his online gaming buddy, Uma. Spoiler: Uma is actually his boss, and the whole dynamic of the story comes from their hilarious misunderstandings. Honestly, Hashimoto is *so* oblivious that it’s kind of impossible not to chuckle at his complete lack of awareness.

I love how Kumada, the third wheel in all of this, adds to the comedy. His confusion over the situation is honestly more entertaining than anything else in the story. But, even though the premise is fun, I feel like the romance doesn't fully land. It’s there, but it takes its sweet time to develop, and the characters’ emotions are a bit too subtle for my liking. Shirase, in particular, is pretty emotionally distant, and while that makes for some interesting drama, it can get a bit frustrating as you want things to move forward.

The art is good, nothing super fancy, but cute enough to fit the story. One thing that bothered me a bit was how the kiss scene was sort of censored by a lamp post? It felt a little awkward in the context of the manga. There’s also a slight hesitation in showing the BL aspects, which is weird given how the book is marketed.

That said, I still had fun with it, and I’m curious enough to pick up the next volume—mostly for Kumada's antics, if I’m honest! Definitely a light read for fans of gaming and misunderstandings.

Sometimes miscommunication can be an infuriating trope but this one is adorably done. Hashimoto is completely oblivious to everything which makes the misunderstandings more believable.
Gorgeous art, especially Shirase, with the cutest in game art.
No heat because Hashimoto is uncertain about being in a same sex relationship and Shirase puts no pressure on him. There's little more than a kiss which is, unfortunately, obscured by a street light.
I'm looking forward to the next volume.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this at first. It felt a little anticlimactic at the beginning, but as it progressed it did build up well. This has probably been the only love triangle I’ve ever enjoyed, but omg the wait felt like it took forever! I really enjoyed the ending and I’m looking forward to checking out later volumes.

This was an interesting premise. I thought it was cool how the men got connected by video game chat room. I liked it!

Thank you for letting me have a copy of this title for review.
I got to the halfway point and then just kinda gave up. I don't like the characters much.

Aww this was so so cute! I really loved the concept of this! The illustrations add to the story and I can't wait to follow along with the rest of the stories !!

This was a really cute and silly comic about discovering people close to you aren't as bad as you may think. It is a series and as far as I know there is no definitive number of volumes. Hashimoto works a normal office job but his boss is pretty anti-social and hard on him. So, after work he spends his time in a mobile game messing around with friends and talking trash about his boss. However, unbeknownst to both of them, one of his online friends is his boss. They plan to do a meetup because they happen to live in the same area... This comic is silly and fun without too much unnecessary drama.

This manga was just so cute! I shipped Hashimoto and Shirase so freaking hard. They had such a great relationship dynamic. The moment where the puzzle piece fell into place? Absolute perfection 😍 There are quite a few misunderstandings that happened throughout the story, but I felt like it was done in a tasteful way, not in the way where you’re screaming at the characters to just talk already. Hashimoto’s cluelessness was just adorable. I was pleasantly surprised that the BL lovey-dovey bits weren’t graphic at all. I’ve read so many BL manga with graphic sex scenes, but it was nice to have one that’s just all fade-to-black. I’m not sure if this will change in future volumes once the MCs really get closer, but at least it’ll fit the pace of their relationship a bit better. Overall, I just really loved this manga and will definitely be continuing with the series.

ty to netgalley & the publisher for a copy of my arc :)

really cute, short, & sweet manga.

hashimoto's obliviousness is endearing, and there is a lot of miscommunication and overall chaos, but it written and shown in a lighthearted way. i am not usually a fan of miscommunication re: very big topics that should be discussed, but this was silly and fun and did not impact anyone's life in a negative way.

shirase is so UwU online and then so -_- irl and i kinda love it? that is all.

excited to see more of this series :)

This is a cute slice-of-life romance. There's not much weight to it, which could be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. It's a perfect choice for people who are gamers or like workplace romances.

I loved this book! It was super cute, and I'm excited for the second one. I enjoyed the characters a lot, and how they interacted in different contexts.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this arc!

5/5 stars

This was a really cute manga, with a really sweet slow burn romance and pretty funny miscommunication lol. Normally I hate the miscommunication trope but it was done in a really non irritating way in this, they're all just airheads that need to use their words hahahhaha! I really like how sweet and respectful the romance is between Hashimoto and Shirase. This was also just so wholesome! I loved it, and I'm glad it was so long so we could see how their relationship developed; I would've felt dissatisfied if it ended any earlier tbh. I really enjoyed the art style as well, the scenes showing what they're doing/saying in the game were really cute hehe. I can't wait to read more!!

A pleasant read that I look forward to continuing to see how the story unfolds. I really enjoyed the art style especially in the game.

This is a well drawn and humorous manga story about a young man with a fussy boss (we have all been there) who is a perfectionist. Hashimoto’s boss is never happy even though Hashimoto tries his hardest.

He works off his frustration by gaming and he makes friends on line with others. He finds a sympathetic ear with one online friend but when he arranges to meet up with his online buddy he finds out that the friend is actually his boss!

Oh dear! Well what happens next? Read it and see. Good artwork and a thoroughly entertaining story.


Copy provided by Kodansha Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.