Rating: ⭐⭐.5
This is my first Manga I've read in a while so I'm not going to be any good reviewing it but I really like that art style (which is a big thing for me) I enjoyed it but felt a bit too young for me with how the characters responded with each other just wasn't my kind of thing but the plot has lots of potential.

This story is funny and adorable. The art work is amazing and the story line was great. I like how these two characters found out their identity from for the game. Also like that they work out everything and became closer. Throughout the manga you see Hanshmoto and Shirasesan get closer from being coming friend then to a relationship. There are a few misunderstandings throughout this manga, towards the end everything works out. I like how slow they take things so it doesn’t overwhelm Hanshmoto. Then there Kumada a high schooler becomes close to both of them through the game. After the misunderstanding is resolved he still plays games with them. Overall this story was good read and would recommend it to anyone interested in sweet romance bl.

tl;dr
A very sweet read for anyone who likes their romcoms with an endearing lead and a ton of misunderstandings.

Thoughts
I've never been a fan of miscommunication in romance, but I sure do love it in comedy. Thankfully, this romantic comedy leans more towards comedy with the misunderstandings (which are numerous), making this a very silly read for anyone looking for something light. Hashimoto's an average salaryman, chipping away his days doing basically okay work at his office job, and straining under the pressure of his strict (and unfairly attractive) boss. But at least he can relax online playing MMOs with his friend Uma, who is always a supportive listening ear. They eventually decide to meet up IRL after discovering they live nearby, and Hashimoto is devastated to discover that his best friend online Uma is none other than his demanding boss. The boss Shirase is less devastated, possibly because he might already be developing feelings. Too bad Hashimoto hasn't quite caught on. What follows is a series of sweet interactions, a heap of misunderstandings, and a romance triangle with a third player as our leads attempt to navigate their interactions and their feelings. The jokes land pretty well - there's one panel in particular of Hashimoto and Shirase sitting next to each other that made me laugh out loud. No spice, but the interactions are undeniably romantic, which makes this a very pleasant read with attractive artwork, and more that one relatable entanglement.

**Thank you for the ARC!! All opinions are completely my own.** 4 stars. Cute and heartwarming story that is chock-full of misunderstandings.

I love this! The plot was adorable, love how clueless the male lead was. It was so cute and sweet. The angst was great. I really thoroughly loved this and want more!!!!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the free arc in exchange for my review :)

Despite the fact that I’ve never once played an RPG game, I am always a sucker for this setting being used as a setup for two people meeting online and discovering their partner’s identities in the real world. It’s usually a little ridiculous, but it there’s something charming about how the big reveal usually plays out with and this book was no exception.

I think I like this setup so much because it is a very practical and realistic use of the mistaken/hidden identity trope that is hard to manufacture in other environments. I usually like it to drag on a little longer than it did here in this first installement, at least with one half of the couple knowing their gaming partner’s IRL identity. But I thought the way the reveal played out here was realistically awkward. And I liked that.

This was a very cute first installment to a series, maybe even a little more fast paced than my preference. I think my one gripe would be the love triangle aspect not neeing to exist at all (especially considering who is involved), but hopefully that can just dissolve as the series continues.

Thank you to the publisher Kodansha Comics for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

Review to come June 9th on blog/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

What if your best friend in a game turns out to be your evil/demon boss? That is what happens to Hashimoto! And that sets the premise to this really fun and great manga that I seriously enjoyed tons! 

Meet Hashimoto, he has a not so fun job, mostly because of his demon boss who is constantly on his case about things (later we learn that his boss just wants Hashimoto to find his full potential, but yeah, he is not going about it that well). But he has a place to escape to, a game! It is an online RPG-ish game and he has best friends there. He vents to them about his demon boss (which I would do as well) and he has a great time doing quests and getting better and higher in rank. But what when they decide to meet up? And what if we find out what not just Uma, but also Kuma is someone close to Hashimoto? I just had such a laugh how all of these three online were actually in the same region/same city. I mean, we knew it of the boss, but that another online friend of Hashimoto is also someone who is nearby? That just made me snort. I love it. 

The meet-up and all that followed after was just a delight. A chaotic delight because a lot of misunderstandings happen. Remember Kuma? Well, he is also around as he also had a meet-up at the same place just for his guild, though he doesn't tell them his username, instead plays with an alt. And he doesn't know that Uma and Hashimoto know each other as boss-employee. Oh no, he thinks they are dating (he was part of their conversation and then also heard some other things that can easily be misinterpreted afterwards when he came back)… and he has had a crush on Hashimoto in the game for ages. This leads to many hilarious moments as Uma/the boss has no clue what is going on  and why Kuma is attacking him/having this attitude, and Hashimoto is also clueless (though that is just Hashimoto's default setting, I felt for Uma/his boss). There are a ton of misunderstandings and what makes sense to one person doesn't make the same sense to another, and yes, at times it gets a bit much (and annoying), but I also didn't mind it entirely. In fact, it mostly just made me laugh seeing the chaos develop and grow more and more. 

I loved how it all came together in the end, how everything gets solved in the end, and I loved that Uma/the boss and Hashimoto got closer as the story got further along. I was definitely rooting, especially when you find out that the boss isn't the worst. He just needs a bit more human skills. Haha. 

I also loved that we got to see plenty of game bits, chats, and more. I was afraid that with Uma/the boss and Hashimoto knowing each other we would lose that, but no it stays and that just made me very happy! 

The art was also really fun!

All in all, a manga full of misunderstandings, hilarious situations, an oblivious MC, games, and more! I would recommend it!

Super cute storyline with an intriguing and engaging protagonist. I'm interested to see how the romance develops.

This is the first volume of a series, and it tells the story of Hashimoto and Shirase. They are friends in an online videogame, but they don’t know each other in real life. One day, they decide to meet up outside the game. That is when they found out they are boss and employee in real life. At the beginning, it was awkward from Hashimoto’s side because he complained a lot about his boss with Shirase. In other words, he complained about his boss with his boss. However, Shirase wasn’t mad with him because Hashimoto’s complaints allowed him to grow professionally.

Opinion:

This manga is funny and addictive. I swear it took me an hour and a half to read it and I didn’t want it to end. The characters where the typical couple were one of them is slow in a real-life things. In fact, I started reading it because it said that if you like Cherry Magic, you would like this manga, and it wasn’t lying. The truth is that Hashimoto and Shirase are very alike with Adachi and Kurosawa. I’m not a fan of misunderstandings, but in this manga, I like it. It was very funny seeing Kumada, Shirase and Hashimoto misunderstanding the situation about the game and the couple thing. In the case of this manga, this misunderstanding allows Shirase to discover his feelings for Hashimoto. Although, is not difficult to know what Hashi feels about Shirase.

My favorite part was the business travel. Hashi was praying to have the opportunity to see Shirase’s abs. Who fantasizes about his friend and boss abs without having romantic feelings toward him? Also, it was more incredible when Shirase tells Hashi if he wants to touch his abs. Yes, this couple would make you laugh a lot.

Turns Out My Online Friend Is My Real-Life Boss is a very entertaining manga that would make you laugh with the occurrences of the characters. If you are like me, you would also giggle with Hashimoto and Shirase’s sweet moments. Without any doubts, I can’t wait to read the second volume. Also, receiving the ARC doesn't influence my opinion. The oficcial release date of this manga is May 28.

Reading this first volume was one of the sweetest, nerdy, feel-good moment I ever had. Most of the time, I dislike the miscommunication trope, but it does make a lot of sense in this story and it wasn’t as annoying as I expected it to be. On the contrary, all the secondhand-embarrassments were perfectly measured and made me laugh so loud. All the characters are super adorable and relatable in some ways. And I’d like to compliment the art, which is so clean and very enjoyable to look at. I’m really looking forward to know what happens next !

The story was super cute and I really enjoyed it. The characters were relatable and the semi-love triangle didn’t feel forced. The artwork was also good.

Fun, lighthearted boys' love! The main character is supremely dense, which is funny, but does mean the book moves a little slower than I would've preferred. I'd definitely read a second volume, though!

3.5 stars. What a lovely start to a manga!

It was amusing to see the two characters playing the game and chatting online right next to each other but not noticing the link. I was worried this bit would go on for too long, as so many manga rely on keeping the miscommunication going to extend their story, but it resolved really quickly which was great. The story then switches to a new kind of mix up, and the comedy keeps changing and developing.

The art captures the personalities of Hashimoto and Shirase really well, showing the more flustered aspects of A-san and the cool vibe of U.M.A.-san both in and out of game. I liked the two different styles and thought it added a nice contrast to the story.

Overall this is a sweet co-workers/online friends to lovers story that is funny and very cute. The ending makes me want to immediately pick up volume 2, so I'll be continuing the story for sure.

This was a short and incredibly sweet manga, the art was well done and the story overall was easy to follow.
The main characters are somewhat oblivious and although we got romance toward the end it felt like a long time coming for less payout than I’d want.

I usually enjoy more adult manga and novels but this was cute for what it was and I had a fun time reading along.

Recommended: yes!
for a sweet and silly story about unexpected friendships, gaming and connections, lots of laughter and smiles

Thoughts:
This story had several things that drew me in just from the basic premise. People who end up getting to know each other in a different context or without realizing who they are and developing a better understanding of each other will always warm my heart. But add in those awkward moments once they realize and have to merge their two images of each other in their minds and it's definitely going to make me laugh, too! This one also had an unexpected bonus of miscommunications that I actually -LOVE- where people are having a conversation with two very different ideas of what is being discussed. This made me cackle so many times and I absolutely loved it.

Our main character is surprisingly but sweetly naive. It's done in a lovable and realistic way, rather than in a way that makes the character feel too childish or like he's just a submissive fetish mirror for the older partner in the story. I appreciated how pure he was, both because it led to some of those double-conversations that made me laugh, but also because it just made me happy to think those people do exist. Hopefully, anyway.

If you are also a pure and naive soul, some of the jokes in this might miss you because it's definitely a lot of relying on winks and euphemisms and such to imply naughty things, more than outright saying them. So this might not make as much sense for younger teens or people in general who don't get sex euphemisms. Otherwise, you'll probably chuckle along as well. It was also nice for this to be set in a world where no one batted and eye or commented when guys were interested in other guys. It was just a non-event, and I loved that.

The art was great in here too. Sometimes with styles like this I have a hard time following actions, transitions, etc because it can be so sketchy but this made it easy to track where we were at all times in the story. The expressions were great as well, and added emotions that amplified the humor even more. One issue I had was with some of the characters looking very similar in early panels, where I would get confused thinking someone was talking to themselves, or trying to figure out which of the two was saying what line. That got better as I got more familiar with them, but it did slow me up a bit at first.

And the dialogue, y'all. Let's not forget about that because it was great. There was gamer speak, as expected when it focuses on bonding through gaming, but it was usually explained so folks not familiar with it will still understand. As a gamer who knew these terms and references I found this a little dull but I understand why it's done to not exclude folks from the jokes. The way gaming aspects like alt characters, gacha, and guild meetups were implemented echoed a lot of conversations and experiences I've had in real life, which is always nice to have a mirror of.

The ending felt pretty tidy, like the story could reasonably end there. I hope it doesn't because I'm really enjoying the play between the characters and would love to spend more time with them. Overall I definitely recommend this for a sweet and silly story about unexpected friendships, gaming as a way to connect with others, and funny miscommunications.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review!

*Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss!* is a Yaoi/BL manga that kept me guessing with the will they/wont they, slow-burning, romance. The story features adult main characters, which is always refreshing especially in a more innocent (no spice) BL. There's also a hint of a love triangle to keep things interesting. 👀

The title is pretty clear about the premise, some guys are friends online in a video game, not realizing they work together as Boss/Employee.
The main tropes for these guys are your typical popular, assertive senpai (boss) and an adorable, super clueless, cinnamon roll (employee). While I love the cute, oblivious character, I wished the senpai had realized his feelings sooner, but maybe I just live for romantic tension and a blushing babygirl. 😅

The manga is on the longer side, which means the will-they-won’t-they tension takes its sweet time to develop. However, the buildup is worth it, and now I can’t wait for Volume 2, set to release in August.

If you enjoy well-crafted character dynamics that keep you guessing, and a slow-burn romance, *Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss!* is definitely worth checking out.

love this! read on line ages ago and I'm so happy to see the author get a print run. I wouldn't recommend this to people who dislike the miscommunication trope but since I don't mind it, this was a delight. I liked that they showed a high schooler having a crush but not ending up with the older guy. super excited that this will be multiple volumes because I only thought it'd be one.

What a fun story! It started slow but when I realized I wanted to have volume two in my hands. It is a much longer manga than usual, it has 320 pages. But believe me, the chapters fly by and you are completely hooked.

Something that did not convince me much is a certain relationship that there is with a high school student (but it is not a reciprocated relationship).

Taking this detail away, the story is enjoyable, fun, crazy and I love that it includes things from video games. A great combination that makes Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! be a recommendable story.

Thank you Kodansha Comics for the ARC I read on NetGallley in exchange for an honest review.

An adorably cute modern love story.

While the title kinda gives the game away, it honestly doesn't matter as the chemistry between the characters is excellent.

The online personas vs Real life people is capture in a believable way, right down to how people are so much more confident online.

I loved all the misunderstandings and sudden relisations by each of the three protagonists. It adds an amusing edge to this already delightfully funny modern romance.

Trying to stay up on new manga coming out, this was a really fun last minute read. I might have mentioned it before, but I am a pretty avid videogame player—it’s actually part of my normie job—so I’m always extremely excited when I find a narrative that centres around that. In terms of shounen-ai (anime and manga that feature m/m romantic relationships), this was a really sweet low-spice option that perfectly captures the obliviousness of someone used to interacting through a screen.
Story-wise, Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! is pretty much what it says. Hashimoto is a recent graduate working an office job under a demanding boss, Shirase. In his spare time he plays an online game alongside a few internet friends, Salted Salmon and U.M.A, to whom he confesses all the highs and lows of trying his best but failing to impress Shirase. U.M.A, in turn, talks often about a co-worker he thinks has potential, but lacks skill who he doesn’t know how to properly motivate. A chance real-life encounter reveals the truth, unbeknownst to either they were in fact talking to each other all along.
I really enjoyed the relationship progression in this. It moves from enemies to friends and then to lovers, but neither Hashimoto or Shirase are particularly good at communicating or picking up on signals. Normally miscommunication isn’t my thing, but instead of acting as an obstacle in this story, it felt more like a means for the pair to get closer to one another and build trust as they worked through those misunderstandings. The result is something incredibly cute and very funny.
Personally, I would thoroughly recommend this as a quick, feel-good read.