This manga caught my attention on Netgalley. Since I'm a huge fan of Wotakoi, I just had to check it out. Thank you to the publisher for providing this volume as an eARC!

Hashimoto is an average salaryman who struggles a lot at work. His strict boss, Shirase, always criticizes him and demands a lot of overtime. After work he finds a lot of comfort when he logs in to his favorite online game where he can meet his best friend with the username Uma and complain. They get along so well that they organize an offline meet-up and anyone who has read the title will be able to tell that this can only turn out to be very chaotic.

The premise is hilariously fulfilled in that aspect. The comedy thrives with all the different levels of knowledge from the characters. There’s so many misunderstandings! Readers who hate this trope will probably not like this manga, but I enjoyed myself immensely. The developments become so absurdly funny, because all the characters constantly avoid having a straight-forward conversation like their life depended on it.

The focus of this story is less about secret game identity and more about the relationship that blossoms between Hahimoto, Shirase and their third online friend who they also happen to meet at different points in real life. While that does sound more restrained, it does not get boring at all. There are always changes in their friendships, their behavior at work and within the game. Especially when said third friend starts to contribute massively on all the misunderstandings. The romance blossoms very slowly, but it serves for even more comedy potential.

There is not as much emotional depth in this manga as in others, but it’s enough for engaging characters and a highly entertaining read. Another positive aspect is the length of the volume - there’s many pages that provide a lot of reading time! There will be sequels as well, which is something to look forward to.

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this manga to fans of nerdy and wacky rom-coms. Only if your tolerance for dense characters is very high, though. It’s a great story for when you just want to laugh out loud!

This miscommunication trope was frustrating and almost went too far but it was still just silly. I wish Kumada wasn’t in high school and was aged up slightly. And that the mmc Hashimoto wasn’t so oblivious to everything but overall a fun read.

I loved the concept of this book. Sadly, the results didn't engage me as much as I had hoped. After reading, I didn't care for either of the characters and felt many online moments distracted me from the main story. This Manhwa is just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

A very sweet and silly read, that had me giggling many times while reading. Love the game characters and how the characters finally met IRL.

I feel that this is a YA read, with too many tropes squeezed into this, but that's what it made so fun to read.

This was a very sweet and easy to read manga. The title pretty much gives the plot away – Hasimoto badmouths his boss to a friend in an online game, not knowing that his friend is actually his boss.

There are multiple misunderstandings, mostly because Hasimoto is ridiculously dense, but they serve to further the plot and character development and are comical rather than angsty.

It was definitely cute and easy brain fluff.

The manga was cute a little drawn out on the oblivious part of the two MC's but altogether I did enjoy the read. Something I can definitely continue in the future as there will be more volumes to it. I can easily see this being turned into an anime and getting hype.

2.5 stars.
Sadly enough not as interesting as I had hoped. Might continue the series if I find a free copy of the next volume, but otherwise... probably won't continue.

cute plot, cute story, funny moments and characters! the main character is so funny with how oblivious he is and how he keeps missing the hints from other people lmao

This was really cute. I’m new to manga so can’t make a comparison but it was entertaining. My only complaint is that it felt like at points is skipped the story and felt a little lost. Def lot on emphasis on online gaming.

Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! (Volume 1) by Nmura is a manga style graphic novel that was originally published in short form online.

Hashimoto is a perfectly average salaryman, working a repetitive office job, made all the worse by his stylish, strait-laced boss, who insists everything be done by the book. Whatever he does for this perfectionist, it's just not good enough! Thankfully, Hashimoto can go home to his favorite online video game, where he can unload on the forgiving shoulders of his best friend, whom he knows only by the name "Uma." The duo make plans to meet in person, but when they do, Hashimoto is horrified by a revelation that will change his entire life.

Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! is a fun and engaging graphic novel. I thought the characters were interesting and I enjoyed the layers of interaction. I thought the artwork was well matched with the story and added many little extra bits of important information. I really enjoyed the story and will be looking forward to the next installment- or looking up the author's online postings to get a head start on reading the next volume.

Super cute BL manga. Giving this a 4 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A story of just missed chances and misunderstandings, two MMORG players don't realize they actually know each other in real life. The way that their game characters' conversations alter their real-life interactions is super cute. Also Hashimoto is an absolute dork and oblivious, which is cute, but also gives me lots of second-hand embarrassment. Cute read!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review from NetGalley.

This is a sweet, light-hearted BL manga with a Jenga tower style comedy of errors to it. The leads have a lot of chemistry, and while not exact opposite they balance each other well. Hashimoto is painfully oblivious and easygoing, and Shirase is cool and serious and very protective. I loved seeing their interactions and the divide between their work and game personalities. I do wish that the gaming sequences were given more detail as they felt inexpressive, especially for a visual story.

Overall, this was a really cute read that I caught myself smiling while reading it a lot!

⭐ Rating: 5/5 stars
🗓 Publish date: May 28, 2024
🌈 Representation: achillean romance

CW/TW:
Alcohol use


Aww I adored this manga so much!!

Hashimoto is such a sweetheart and clueless 90% of the time and we love him for it, lol. The art style was so cute, too!

There was a lot of miscommunication going on, which is generally a trope I don’t enjoy, but it honestly worked so well here! Mostly it was just comedic and worked out pretty quickly, so it was more fun than stressful.

I’m so glad I picked this up and I cannot wait for Vol. 2! A big thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC. All thoughts shared are my own.

This was a cute manga. I liked that the characters were adults. I feel like there aren't enough manga out there that portray healthy adult working relationships, but also stay clean enough to have in a library setting. This story has a lot of miscommunication, but it's done well and wasn't the kind that makes you want to slam your head into a wall - it's more the kind that makes you face palm and laugh. Thankfully the miscommunications are all figured out by one or both parties in a fairly fast fashion. I also appreciated that there wasn't a spicy scene thrown into the end of the story just because. I have no problem with a spicy manga but I don't like spice for no reason or when it was totally unnecessary. If there is more of this series I would continue reading, and if their relationship continued to progress in a more adult fashion, I would still continue to read it but would no longer be able to purchase it for my library.

Thanks to #NetGalley for a e-copy of #TurnsOutMyOnlineFriendisMyRealLifeBoss by Nmura to read and review.

Absolutely adorable! I was concerned at first and so worried with how they act and what the meet up would be like, so I'm glad it is resolved quickly. Wow though, I laughed so much. The misunderstandings with all the people who play together are just so possible and yet so ridiculous.

I'm really looking forward to reading more!

I thank Netgalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

I thought this was a cute read and also thought the story was nicely unfolded, it was an enjoyable read but I don't think I will continue the series though.

This is your general mistaken identity online chat- type romance. The main difference is that this one unfortunately isn’t that great. They two characters get revealed pretty quickly and they go from being best friends online and not really knowing each other in person to hating each other and being hella awkward around each other.
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC

I tried another Nmura manga after the first one I read didn't quite click with me. I think they just might not be the author for me. Cute, but not a lot of depth to the romance, or the kind of plot that keeps me hooked.

This was so cute and I ate it right up. The characters had such good chemistry online and off. I am excited to see where it goes!

I couldn't finish it--and I'm not sure if it's a me issue, or the editing, or what. I made it over half way through, but I had a LOT of trouble figuring out who was speaking, two main characters look VERY similar. I have to read right to left (which I'm aware is a cultural thing--that is very much a ME thing and has nothing to do with me liking or disliking the novel). I also often felt like parts were skipped, 2 people talking and suddenly the 3rd person came out of nowhere. Suddenly scenes changed out of nowhere. This got quite a lot of good reviews by others who received an arc, so maybe....I don't know. I can't be the only one who was getting confused, and getting whip lashed by scenes abruptly ending mid conversation between characters. I felt like this needed to be edited a LOT more in order to make sense and to have any sort of flow.