I requested this before I realised it was by the same mangaka as Yearning Fox which I read a few days ago, but then when I saw the cover as I started reading, I realised, and that just made me more excited to read it!

Whilst this manga is very different thematically to Yearning Fox (except that they’re both BL), I was thoroughly taken by the story! It pretty much does what it says on the tin, in that Hashimoto who regularly complains to an in-game friend, Shirase, about his demonic boss, and Shirase who regularly complains back about workers at his company not performing well, decide to meet up and realise who each other are.

Add in another gamer and a whole load of misunderstandings, and you get one of the funniest mangas I’ve ever read (my cheeks hurt after reading it 😂). It’s so silly and light hearted and so very very wholesome!!

This probably could have been a self-contained story (it’s about double the length of an average manga volume) but it only covers the progression of /how/ they get into a relationship, rather than whilst they’re together. So I looked it up and there is more coming and I can’t wait!

Hashimoto is your average office worker - a corporate slave who gets pushed around by his demon boss, Shirase. His only solace is an online game where he can finally relax (and share his woes) with his online friends. This sanctuary is threatened, however, when he agrees to meet up with his closest online friend, only to discover him to be the demon boss he's constantly complaining about.

I had so much fun with this manga. At any given point, I was either chuckling as I watched the miscommunication unfold, or cringing from second-hand embarrassment. I then had a smile on my face as I watched this awkward friendship bloom into an adorable BL romance. The art style of this manga was also really well done.

I had a great time with this, and was surprised by how much story this singular manga contained.

I read this and then immediately went back and re-read it, it was that cute. I had a grin on my face the whole time from the antics and interactions - I really appreciated that most of the focus was on the real-life interactions and that the reveal of each character's in-game vs real-life personas was fairly early on as I think it worked better for this sort of workplace setup than having the identity mishaps draw out longer. There were plenty of misunderstandings anyway, and Hashimoto's absolute denseness is played for a lot of laughs - though I have to wonder just HOW dense he is when his first thought at learning he's sharing a room on a business trip is "I want to see his abs" and it doesn't even register as something to examine more closely. LIKE REALLY. Shirase certainly has his hands full trying to work out a relationship with him. I do have to say that some of the translations for the misunderstandings and dual meanings get a little clunky for the flow of conversation, but not enough so to detract from my enjoyment.

This volume mostly covers all of the misunderstandings and getting together, and it looks like the next volume will cover them actually being a couple, so I'm looking forward to that!

Hashimoto is an ordinary office worker who plays an online video game and complains about his boss and work to in-game friend Uma. But Uma turns out to be his boss Shirase. They went through the awkward meet up and eventually got closer to each other.

It’s a slow build up to their relationship, but it’s a super cute and funny story! The art style is beautiful with both real life and a fair amount of in-game chats. There is a 2nd volume as well and I’ll definitely check that out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the review copy!

Hashimoto is good at on-line gaming. Too bad the same cannot be said about his day job. Hashimoto complains about his “demon boss” to his on-line friend, Uma. Uma suggests they meet in real life. Shirase is always on his co-worker’s case. He lends a sympathetic ear to his on-line friend’s work complaints. Shirase convinces Aaaaa to a meet up, only to find out they already know each other.

Hashimoto’s cluelessness leads to many misunderstandings, not only with Shirase but with another on-line friend. It makes him so likeable. Shirase has the patience of a saint. He willingly accepts (and adores) Hashimoto’s denseness. Shirase does not mind that Hashimoto constantly talks about the game they enjoy playing together. They make a great pair.

The manga’s title straight up summarizes the story’s plotline. It is such a light-hearted and cute story with comical relief.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw the comp titles for this manga were Cherry Magic and Candy Colour Paradox I knew I had to read it!!

This story is super wholesome and I highly recommend checking it out!!

5 stars!

This manga is hilarious and is a must read! When you realize your boss is your online friend moment was just too funny and I literally giggled so much AHAHHAHAHAHHA

This story made me laugh a lot, it's also a very good example that you never know who is on the other side of an online game. Our main character does not like the way that his boss treats him sometimes and also really likes to play games with his friends online while talking about his boss. One day he meets his online friend only to find out he is his boss. Things get a little awkward but they work it out and become very good friends and the story is super cute. Can't wait to read more of this story and see where things go.

Honestly this had me kicking my feet and squealing. It was just so damn cute. I loved our dense Hashimoto as a main character, causing massive misunderstandings in his wake. Didn't love the high schooler crushing on him, but since it didn't get any traction it wasn't as offensive. Overall a super sweet little love story.

I had so much fun reading this. I loved this because many times when this trope is set up, it's catfishing, but this time, it truly is two people who happen to cross paths in multiple ways but never realize it. I love being able to see both the real-life story events and also the online events because it allows me to see multiple sides of the characters. It was a cute and fun read and the art was great. I loved seeing this dynamic and I can't wait to see what happens in the future because I think there is si much potential in this story and their relation

This was much better than I thought it would be. I hadn’t read the synopsis and went in blind. It was so good! I like the whole idea of it. I enjoyed learning about different ghosts in Japanese folklore. It made me smile and was funny. I’m looking forward to the next instalment! Soon, please!

Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! 1 is such a sweet, closed-door, friends-to-more romance. Chock full of delightful misunderstandings, cute boys and a love triangle of confusion this manga is such a cozy read that feels like a hug. If you can put the naivety of the characters aside, this is a lovely story that is sure to leave you with a smile!

Would definitely recommend this to others, especially those looking for a short, complete and sweet love story.

I did receive this for from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute, well done, first volume. There are some really genuine moments of hilarity. It takes a while for the romance aspect to come into play and there isn't much too it but I have high hopes that we will see more in volume 2. I think the buildup of "do I actually like LIKE this person" was done very well. There's not anything particularly problematic aside from the fact that they are boss and subordinate and even then, Shirase doesn't use his power as a way of controlling or manipulating Hashimoto like you see in other typical workplace BL. The addition of the other online player and his constant misunderstandings with Shirase were funny and a good addition to the story.