I’m actually really shocked that this is volume 1, because this story has a pretty firm story arc and happy ending. Which…makes me nervous. So I’m definitely getting volume 2 when it comes out.

I appreciate that this doesn’t drag on the big reveal (online friends being coworkers) for too long. Maybe a third of the book? Enough to establish the dynamics and set up some awkwardness and panic when the reveal comes, but not enough to make you mad at constant rug-pulling.

If anything, the reveal allows for more drama, as Hashimoto (the subordinate) ends up unknowingly in a love triangle. But, somehow again, the love triangle doesn’t make me mad! It’s sweet, if anything, with both ends of the arc not even having so much a RIVALRY as a friendship with shared interest…it’s just that interest is a cute guy.

And there’s also no “I’m only gay for you” stuff! Oh, how far manga has come! :D Hashimoto shows interest in his boss’s physique, but it isn’t accompanied with panic or disgust by either. It’s indulged, even.

This scratched just the right itch for sweetness without syrup. Romance without schlock. I am genuinely looking forward to volume 2, and have put it in my release calendar!

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

This was so fun!

Hashimoto is a quiet office worker who enjoys spending his free time playing online games. He games with two other players who he vents to - especially about his boss! His boss is a hard ass and Hashimoto feels like he is pretty hard on him. Eventually he and another player decide to meet each other in real life and to hashimoto’s surprise the friend he has been playing with has been his boss!

Will his boss hold his venting against him and still play games with him?

I enjoyed our main characters and the love triangle! I will definitely be reading another volume if there is one!

Wow, 300+ pages flew by as I read this all in one night. "Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! [Vol.] 1" is a charming BL manga that many working adults and/or gamers would probably relate aspects to. Rest assured the gamer terminology is beginner friendly where I don't think you need a heavy "video game lover" background/lingo to understand the video game aspects of the story.

As others mentioned, the art style and the main couple's romance both have charm to them. The dynamic of the boss and the protagonist, Hashimoto, develop from an one-sided "enemies-to-lovers" relationship. The story leans kind of heavy on the "misunderstandings" from how Hashimoto and the boss's perspectives differ on a situation (hence the "one-sided enemies" outlook in the beginning for Hashimoto) and then without stopping throughout the story. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I agree with the majority sentiment that the "misunderstandings" and "dense protagonist" tropes are much better than other examples I could think of.

Minor gripe with the "rival in love" character being a high school student when the other two characters are adults. I could see if he was made as a freshman or early college student instead. But that didn't stop me from enjoying this character as a different "blunt" type of personality from the boss, playful, and youthfully headstrong.

I look forward to seeing what volume 2 would add to this romantic story, if given the opportunity. As it is, I'm grateful to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher(s) for this advanced copy to read. Thank you.

I loved the pixelated-style artwork for the 'table of contents' page! A very minor thing but I was looking at the page for about 3 minutes.

This is a very sweet romance and the leads are embarrassingly cute 🩷

This is pretty cute. A fluffy, bl, video game read with lots of humorous bits. The main character is a bit slow on the romantic uptake but it's embarrassingly cute.

"Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss!" is a sweet and fun romance with such lovable characters! The gaming sections were fun to read about too. I really enjoyed meeting and getting to know these characters. There are so many sweet and cute moments! This is a charming manga that will make you smile. So sweet, lighthearted, and fun! The miscommunication trope in this story was done well. Even readers who don't like that trope will most likely enjoy it here. It was really cute to see how clueless Hashimoto is sometimes! The art style is beautiful! I really enjoyed reading and will continue this series. 5 stars!!!

Thank you very much to the mangaka Nmura, Kodansha and NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity of reading this book and for providing me with a digital copy to read and review honestly.

First, A BIG thank you to NetGalley, The Author and the Publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the banter!
I must say, normally I hate it when there is so much miscommunication between the characters. But it didn't bother me this time. It was to expect and cute. Also, most of the characters weren't empty headed, which also contributes to the cuteness of the miscommunications.

The build up was there and real and sooo, soo tense!!!
I would have loved a bit of spice but it wasn't necessary. I would expect more spice in the next volumes though.

Can't wait for the next one!!!

This was such a silly and goofy read. With so much humor and fluff that i thought i was going to keel over laughing sometimes.

I am absolutely going to continue reading the series from this point. I love the characters, and all their little quirks, including the utter cluelessness of the main character. SO MANY HINTS FROM SO MANY SIDES… Jesus Christ, he’s slow on the uptake, but that’s his charm.

Thank You so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an online copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

I love it when books give a twist to an otherwise boring trope. Misunderstandings in books are such a drag more often than not. However, in this book, misunderstandings carry every scene. It is such a fun and funny read that it's not impossible you'll get lost and end up reading the whole this, because that's what happened to me. LOL. This is such a wholesome book that not only did not disappoint but went beyond my expectations. I don't trust anyone that doesn't like this because there's really nothing to hate. Even if you think making a love triangle with a high schooler is icky, it was clear that there was no indication at all that it was taken seriously. It really seemed like a brotherly relationship between Hashimoto and Kumada. Overall, I love this. I can',t think of any aspect of it I'd changed.

I really enjoyed this manga! Usually the miscommunication trope aggravates me, but it was done in a way that it came across more like harmless misunderstandings that made the story more cutesy and humorous.

While the story lacked a true romance element or any intimacy, I feel that was explained well at the end of the book. I am looking forward to reading future volumes and watching how their relationship grows as they get more comfortable around each other!

Overall, I thought this manga was super cute and I really enjoyed reading it. It was filled with likeable and relatable characters.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i LOVED this manga. the 0.25 off is for the unrequited crush a high schooler has on one of the MCs and just that feeling icky. however! otherwise i absolutely adored this manga. miscommunication trope typically stresses me out too much but this was done well enough i was able to enjoy it a lot!!! the art was also so cute i adore the style.

This was cute and fun! I immediately thought the title sounded funny, and it was exactly as expected. I usually prefer longer, more slow burn stories, but this was nice as a fluffy short story with cute characters.

I was missing one thing though - the romance. Technically it all revolved around the romance in tbeory, but I wanted to see more kissing, hugs, more blushing! There really wasn't much of anything physical.

My favorite part was probably how cute their characters looked in game. In general, the art was quite pretty.

This manga is short and cute with a really nice art style. It was full of funny misunderstandings. Would have loved to have seen a little flirting as it felt like the romance element was missing. Hopefully the next volume has them acting more coupley.

The censored kiss pained me😭

I'm still interested in continuing reading when the next one is out as I'm interested to see how their relationship progresses.

I loved this manga! While the number of chapters puts this one on the longer side (just over 300 pages) I read this in one sitting and couldn't put it down! The romance was so sweet and I loved all of the characters. The art was amazing and the game character sprites were adorable ! The miscommunication between the characters could be a little irritating at times (in the best way) but I didn't mind this too much as it was all resolved nicely by the end of this volume. I'll happily read more from this series and author and will definitely be following this story in the future- though one of the best points about this book was how nicely it all wraps up by the end. It leaves you wanting more story but tying up the miscommunications and ending satisfyingly.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, the author and illustrator for the ARC.

I was enamored with this sweet, silly romance from start to finish. When Hashimoto realizes his online friend in his current favorite video game is actually his hardass boss, he expects to lose his job and die from embarrassment. Instead, their relationship softens into something real as they realize they've been closer than they realized the entire time.

I adored the characters here and the humor and miscommunication had me in stitches. Despite the Vol 1 marker, their story wraps up very nicely in this first volume, and I'm glad or I might have been able to handle the wait. If there are any continuations, though, I will be ecstatic.

This book can only be described as miscommunication. I stopped keeping track of how many there were after a while. Yet it was still very enjoyable.

It follows Hashimoto, who hates his boss, finds out that the person he has been playing games with is the aforementioned boss. After an awkward encounter and multiple misunderstandings, the two develop romantic feelings for each other. In true manga style, there is a love triangle blossoming with another fellow player.

I am stunned at the fact that this is over 300 pages. Usually manga volumes are not that long, but the author was able to create a quick-paced yet satisfying BL romance. If you don’t like the miscommunication trope, I would avoid this manga, but the revelation of those miscommunications were funny to read. I can’t wait to see what the next volume will bring.

This was a slow burn romance but that is what I liked about it. I loved the video game then meet up idea. I also enjoyed how they would introduce the other characters. It does a good job especially in the beginning to show how we percieve people from the outside and how it can be different when we meet and know them in a different setting. I thought this was cute. I liked the look of the graphics and it read easy and fun.
4.5

THIS WAS SO CUUUUTTTTEEEEE!!!!! Love love love. Hope it becomes an anime!!
The three central characters are the perfect compliment to each other, and being a gamer myself, I loved the panels where they were in the game talking as their character. The love triangle is a bit cheesy, but given Hashimoto’s adorable ignorance, it was just a bit of cute fun!

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for this ARC!! IM so happy I got approved for this!!
Review: 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟's
-》Review《-
The two main characters are Hashimoto and Shirase! The title is exactly what you'd expect. This manga was super cute and had all the tropes wrapped up in it! I absolutely love a clueless mc and gamer-to-real life tropes! I can't wait for the next volume(s)!!! The art was cute and the storyline was adorable!!

I thought this concept to be wonderfully quirky and overall it was really fun. It was exactly as I expected from the title and it was the perfect thing I needed to read after a hard day at work. It had me giggling in some scenes and getting second-hand embarrassment in others. I want more of this. It was so fun!