Cute! Kind of reminds me of Wotakoi but BL instead. Excited for the rest of the series.

Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of this manga!

This is a cute little story. While it is technically a romance, it isn’t particularly romantic. Mostly just cute and silly. It’s a quick and easy read with nice artwork. I recommend giving it a read if you want something cute and light to read.

5/5 Stars. This started off so embarrassing and awkward, but in a good way! …And it stayed embarrassing and awkward, but in a good way! Oh my, these three idiots. As the title implies, Hashimoto is a young office worker who befriends a player online and goes to meet him after a year of playing together, but comes to find out it’s his “demon” of a boss. If that’s not bad enough, there is a young, high-school boy in the mix with these two adult men (nothing inappropriate happens there!). Hashimotoa is so oblivious and honestly Shirasa and Kumada aren’t much better! “I thought he was going to say he was in love with me or something…” *headdesk* *headdesk* The story is a little trope-y, but I didn’t mind it and I love the artwork! I loved this manga from start to finish. No spice, but this BL is definitely intimate and romantic, and a fun addition to the miscommunication romcom genre. Bonus points for consent!

What a fun manga it was! I loved all the misunderstandings between the main characters and the gaming references.

(The link to the full review to follow.)

Really cute concept, and thought it was well down. I enjoyed the illustrations, and they felt very fitting towards each character and their personality. I found the way each character interacted with each other to feel very real and very realistic. The concept of playing an online game with other people, while one of those people so happening to be your boss was also really funny.

Hashimoto is an office worker, who doesn't like his boss. And complains about him a lot, to his online friend. They spend a lot of time playing the game and talking. When they meet IRL, it turns out that his boss is his online friend. Things are awkward at first, but slowly they get close offline too.

It's the sweetest love story, the kind that makes you go awww. A slow-burn romance, with a bit of miscommunication and a lot of cute moments.

06/28/2024 || Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! 1 by Nmura || #TurnsOutMyOnlineFriendisMyRealLifeBoss #NetGalley #BL #HappyPrideMonth

Thank you NetGalley, Nmura, and Kodansha Comics for making this e-ARC available!

Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author and myself.

All of my thoughts are my own~

I have a mixed rating for this:
5 stars for the lovely illustrations and the overall plot and story line - miscommunication tropes aren't always my thing, but I loved the way this manga managed the trope and amended the issues!
3.5 stars for having a minor (that they express is a minor in HS) interacting with a young adult with romantic feelings. I am not the biggest fan of how this kind of thing works but I am willing to keep going with the series to see if this gets resolved and healthy communication and boundaries are put in place. It seems like that is the pathway this series will take and has started to take with the first volume, but I am still so iffy!

All and all, this is a lovely, sweet, slow paced slice of life BL that I cannot wait to read more of!
Hashimoto spends his free time playing a hit online mobile game where he vents and unwinds after his day of dealing with his "demon boss", Shirase, who seems never satisfied with his work! Through building a year long friendship online, Hashimoto (AAAA or A-San) has decided that he wants to met up with his pal and partner in game UMA-San which ends up being his very boss he has been complaining about!!!

Without spoiling much else, the pair meets another online friend, Salted Salmon, who is a minor who has a crush on Hashimoto. Throughout the entirety of the first volume, Hashimoto seems to be navigating life, communication, friendship, and feelings/relationships. Shirase is extremely patient and encouraging and almost seems to guide Hashimoto into thinking more about situations and making his own choices about things without any interference (which I really loved seeing!!)

The ages are not given (that I could find), but there is a 5 year age gap between Shirase being older and Hashimoto being younger and Salmon being a teen. Again, the crush Salmon has on Hashimoto seems to be one sided only and I hope it will eventually subside and turn into genuine friendship.

ARC Rating 4/5 ⭐️ This was a great mm enemies-to-lovers manga romance. The romance was sweet, cute, funny, and wholesome. The artwork and drawing style was really good, alongside the storyline.

It follows Hashimoto, a salaryman and his gaming friend who is unknowingly to both of them, his boss.

I really enjoyed the storyline, characters, and amazing artwork. It was cute, sweet, and magical, and the illustrations really brought the story together.

Thank you, NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Nmura, for sending this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

A Fun and Heartwarming Read!

"Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! 1" is a delightful ride that had me laughing and rooting for the characters the whole way through!

Hashimoto, an average salaryman, has a rough time at work thanks to his perfectionist boss. Shirase just trying to figure out how to be a effective boss. Hashimoto finds solace in his favorite online game, where he vents to his best friend "Uma." When they finally meet, Hashimoto is shocked to discover Uma is actually his boss!

This manga is funny, cute, and well thought out. The romance feels realistic since the characters are adults, making it even more relatable. If you’re looking for a feel-good read with a unique twist, this manga is a must-read. I can't wait for the next installment!

reelllyy rreally sweet and cutr story about an pffice worker who's just a bit clueless and the his manager.
i loved how their relationship developed and kumataro was adorable!
funny, sweet and a perfect story for boys love enjoyers and those new to the genre!

This is a sweet and fluffy rom-com that is sure to give anyone a good boost of serotonin when needed.

A fun read but I found there to be a lack of chemistry between Hashimoto and his boss. I was totally shipping Salted Salmon with Hashimoto instead.

Such a fun read!
Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy.

This Manga is funny, cute, and well thought of. The main idea of the story so far is simple enough to enjoy it but it still has an interesting development. I like how Hashimoto is not the typical overly shy guy who doesn't take any decisions out of fear, but he's just unaware of what others mean and accepts his faults. He's a direct and sincere character, I like that. I also like the love triangle that it's shown in the story. It's so funny how direct the characters can be and that still creates some misunderstandings.

I like that the love part in the story doesn't seem forced or instantaneous as the main characters are already adults. It's more realistic in that way.

Overall, I love it. I'm looking forward to reading more of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comica for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a short, sweet and funny manga, where, as the title says, the main character Hashimoto has an online friend he knows through a game they play together. He complains to this friend a lot about his insufferable boss—only to find out, when they meet up irl for the first time, that his online friend is his real-life boss!

Hashimoto is adorably oblivious to how he’s seen by other characters, especially Shirase, but also their other in-game and irl friend Kumada. It made for a lot of misunderstanding, which in turn made me laugh a lot.

Hashimoto and Shirase are adults working together in an office setting, and Kumada is a high school kid, but all in all this manga read very much like YA. There’s no spice whatsoever, and one very chaste kiss you can’t even really see on the page. That being said, it seemed that they were taking their relationship/dating very slowly, and I’d definitely be interested in reading volume 2 of this story to see how the characters and their relationship continue to develop.

Awkwardly endearing.
The story of AAAAA and U.M.A is as lovely and simple as its is hilarious.

From Secret identity to miscommunication trope, all of the basics of this romance brought a hilarious element to the story. As the title speaks, the two coworkers coincidently begin to get along online but the true story begins when they first plan a meet up. From there, the series of awkward, surprising and caring events unfold.

It was 4 star read for me because it felt like the romance was more about realizing their feelings rather than falling for each other. It could also be because as a 1st book in the series it was the preface, an opening of what is to come. I can't wait to read more of AAAAA and U.M.A and see their relationship develop,

This was such a fun and cute manga! I love all the online tendencies of the book. Cant wait for the next.

Such a cute and fluffy read! It does feel like this could be a complete standalone novel in itself so I’m curious to see how the author will expand on the storyline. I really liked each of the characters—they all felt very mature, and I was so relieved to see a BL manga that didn’t feature/romanticize a toxic relationship or MCs. The miscommunication plot lines were about as strong as the conflict got, but there definitely was a lot of (comedic!) miscommunication! This is to say if you’re looking for any *serious* drama, or are averse to comedic miscommunication tropes, this might not be for you. I also felt like the depiction of romantic gestures once they were together definitely wasn’t very strong; I understand that this might be something the author is saving for future explorations of their relationship and I appreciated the wholesome, slower progression to lover that’s so often missing in BL, but this might not be the best for people who enjoy more explicit (for lack of a better word! 😆) romance. The art style was so cute, and overall it was a good slice-of-life BL!

This was a super cute slice of life manga about 3 oblivious boys who were so confused and just wanted to play games on their phone! I thought it was super cute

This story was really cute. I didn't have high expectations going into this story though. Just from the cover it is giving me renta vibes. If anybody reading this doesn't know what that means, it's a website where thou rent each chapter. They tend to produce things quantity over quality. Which is fine. I wasn't expecting anything amazing from the story. But it was cute and kept me engaged.

The story revolves around office worker Hashimoto who's life outside of work revolves around a phone game called LIA online, and his relationship with his friends in the game. Things get more interesting when he finds out who they are in real life and one of them turns out to be his boss. Of course, this story wouldn't be complete without a romance, so once they get to know each other more in real life, sparks start to bloom. It was fun to read about how oblivious Hashimoto was to the advances of his friends, but in the end it was nice to see his flustered face when he accepts he has feelings for one of them.

My favourite part of the story was transitions between things taking place in the real world and how things happen in the game. The art style for the story also really fits the game avatars. I really love the designs for the avatars too. They are so cute and really match who the characters are. Really makes it feel like the characters designed them themselves.

That being said, I have to say the plot was lack luster. Though I enjoyed the characters, there wasn't anything going on in the story that felt high stakes enough to make me invested in the story. All that goes on are some miscommunication. The premise of the story also isn't that original. Lots of stories have the exact same premise. It would have been more fun to read if there was one more curve ball thrown in there.

So overall, it was fun to read. An easy, light hearted story. But there is nothing in it that would make me want to grab the second volume if there was one.

First off all, I love the formatting of the chapter numbers - small details like that really add to reading experience and immersion. This was a fun read! Even though it says it volume 1 of the series it definitely feels complete on its own. Miscommunication is an often used tool in rom-coms and it can be hit or miss for me but the way it's used in this story I enjoyed it! The misunderstandings between the characters were always funny and didn't lead to frustration or hurt. It was amusing to see the boss type lololol with a complete straight face. While the characters were fun I was a bit meh about their romantic relationship and they didn't really have any 'aw that's cute' moments together in my opinion. I think the gaming aspect could have been shown in more detail, it felt like it was left vague and generic on purpose.

As the title says, this is a story about a guy whose online friend turns out to be his demon boss. It is a really cute story. I love Hashimoto's reactions. They are super funny and cute. Also, I love how wholesome this story is. It is really hard to find BL stories that are wholesome and don't involve abuse or toxicity. That is one of my favorite things about this book. The only critique I have about this book is that the story felt a little slow at times. There were moments when it felt like the story was just being dragged out. If you are looking for a wholesome BL with a bit of a slow burn, then this is totally for you.