-- 5/5 Stars -- ★★★★★​

Trigger Warnings for Home Office Romance: Mild Sexual Content, Miscommunication, Mild Harassment

Home Office Romance is a stand-alone manga by Kintetsu Yamada. In this manga, we follow Natsu Izumi and Nokoru Mitsuhashi discovering one another as neighbors during the pandemic. By the end of the first chapter, Mitsuhashi introduces this story as "how my wife and I first met."

Adorable, adorable, adorable! I absolutely loved this manga. This is a unique and realistic twist on the grumpy-sunshine trope with Izumi not always being a sunshine and Mitsuhashi not always being a grump. I really loved seeing their romance develop through both the anxious and the loving moments. Their love truly started out as neighbors trying to be... well... neighborly. Mitsuhashi even takes time to recognize that they may not have every truly met without them both needing to go to school and work respectively from home.

All in all, read this. It's so cute and such an easy read. If you're looking for a realistic, sweet romance manga, Home Office Romance is for you! Thank you to Kintetsu Yamada, Yodansha Comics, and Netgalley for an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

First Manga, and this was so cute! Love the small inner conflicts and how the characters were written!

This story really hits home with the feelings we all experienced during the early pandemic, focusing on themes of loneliness and finding little bits of happiness. The artwork is fantastic, adding so much to the emotional vibe of the story. Even though it tackles some heavy topics, the manga keeps a cheerful and positive tone, making it a heartfelt read. Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

3.5 stars rounder up to 4, but this was so cute! I usually don’t read manga so this was new for me but I saw it on NetGalley and the cover was so cute I thought I’d give it a try. My only complain would be that I wish it was longer to get to know the characters better. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read it, will definitely be reading more mangas from now on!

I absolutely loved this! I adore Sweat and Soap so when I saw this I knew I was going to adore it. This manga is so cute and charming with adorably loveable character. This also felt so real especially since the pandemic is still so fresh in everyone's mind. Overall I absolutely adored this standalone story. I also can't wait to see what Yamada has next.

It's rare to read a fun, light romance set during the lockdown that so many of us experienced just a few years ago. I was surprised and delighted by how well this story played out in just one volume.

Nokoru may seem dreary and awkward on the surface, but both Natsu and the reader get to see him as someone who works very hard for himself and others. His world feels small but safe, so when Natsu slowly but surely becomes a part of that world, you feel the love between them grow through their friendship and shared interests. I really enjoyed this story.

Looking for a satisfying single volume tale of love in unexpected places? Pick up Home Office Romance and dive into a slow-burn romance between an over-worked computer programmer and the archeology grad student next door. When lock-down happens they start to bond over a balcony garden, but their enforced proximity enables the two to meet and discover each other. It just goes to show that a dark cloud may actually have a silver lining! Kintetsu Yamada does a nice job of bringing her main characters to life and making them believable. The attention to detail helped create the atmosphere that allowed the storyline to bloom into a manga that I enjoyed and will reread!

Thanks Netgalley and Kondansha for the chance to read and review this title!

😷📚⏳💻🛏️
my rating: 3.8/5
pub date: 12th nov 2024

thanks to netgalley and the author and the publisher for giving me a chance to read and review this ARC.

opinion:
izumi (fmc), an archeology graduate student and nokoru (mmc), a software engineer, are both precious beings where they were forced to stay in their own apartment units because of the pandemic and slowly their friendship grew upon random occasions happening to them; borrowing each others' books, helping to set up a bookshelf etc. then it blossomed into something more towards their relationship as they are both neighbours too.

this manga is definitely an easy to read and gives me cozy feeling and comfort along with the illustrations looking so adorable and detailed in expressing the emotions of both fmc and mmc. this is the first manga of mine in a long time and i'll be checking out more manga from the author definitely.

Who says you can’t find love from home?

Home Office Romance by Kintetsu Yamada is a standalone manga and is so freaking cute and relatable. People often say opposites attract and there’s no exception here. Nokoru, a software engineer and Izumi, an archeology grad student are neighbors and when they are forced to work from home, things begin to blossom.

It’s a really adorable journey for Natsu Izumi and Nokoru Mitsuhashi. I like that they are total opposites and have to find that balance. Especially for Nokoru, the introverted programmer who barely socializes. It was fun to see the things they had common ground on as well as Izumi’s forwardness from the start.

It’s definitely relatable and has room for others to feel a sense of something they may have also experienced during the lockdown. As a whole, this was interesting to read and gave a nice wholesome story. However, the biggest issue was that the order of reading the word blocks was a bit confusing. Sometimes it was left to right and sometimes it was right to left, same with up and down. It could have been a bit clearer or at the least indicated from the start for first timers.

I like the artistic design of the illustrations, the lines show the frustration as well as other emotions. There were also beautiful colors in the beginning and the greyscale version pops as well. Great job here!
If you enjoy the cute love stories in manga form or webtoons, this is for you. There’s not much drama in it, but there are moments of conflict that push the story forward and make things interesting.

Another manga by the author is Sweat and Shop, check it out!

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of Home Office Romance from Kintetsu Yamada via NetGalley

3.5⭐️s I haven’t read a manga in years. This was cute. Coming November 12th. If you want something super easy to read, this is a good one. A super introverted guy, Nokoru, meets his extroverted neighbor, Natsu. Nokoru has lost his work life balance. They are in the middle of the pandemic. This allows Nokoru to start working remotely and providing more time to pick up old hobbies. Natsu is a a grad student of archeology and is stuck home until her dig is rescheduled. In the mist of a pandemic, you’ll see how they build a relationship even overseas.

Thank you to @netgalley, Kodansha Comics, and the author (Kintetsu Yamada) for the advanced reader copy. #netgalley #manga #homeofficeromance #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookstagram

This is such an excellent slice of life romance! Home Office Romance features two introverts that fall in love during a global pandemic. I have been waiting for something like this to be written and so happy it is in manga form.

This was such a cute read. It made me feel cozy and warm inside even with the reminder of the pandemic. I loved seeing the relationship between them evolve during uncertain times.

I felt myself smiling a lot while reading this. It’s a perfect read for low angst, drama free, organic relationship.

I'm a recent fan of this author's other series, Sweat & Soap, so I was excited to get my hands on their new title! I love romance manga, and this was totally unique in how it showed a relationship that started during the pandemic, along with all of the hurdles that would come with that. The couple was so perfectly matched in that they were different but got along so well and opened each other up to things they wouldn't have normally experienced. Even though this was a one-shot that wrapped up perfectly, I wouldn't mind a full series following this couple!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for me to review!

There is no mystery here. Just very mundane, very cute interactions between two neighbors caught indoors by a global pandemic, who fall in love! It's a cute read.

All I needed to know to be sold on Home Office Romance was that it was from the creator of Sweat and Soap. I mean, it makes sense. When someone creates something that I love, I will end up loving their other works. With Home Office Romance, this was absolutely the case.

Home Office Romance is a one-shot by Kintetsu Yamada that takes place during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. It was a bit surreal reading a story that displayed the events of 2020 because it still feels like a fever dream sometimes. Although it seems like a minor detail, I feel like the pandemic subplot adds a lot of nuance to the story and drives the actions in small ways. Covid really changed everything so seeing it as a backdrop to a romance that likely would not have happened otherwise was cool.

In the story, Nokoru is a 30-something-year-old systems engineer who starts working from home due to the lockdown. His life has been work-eat-sleep-repeat, so he’s apprehensive about a change of routine at first. Once he realizes how much time he gets back, he leans in and sets up his home office.

One day as he’s out on his balcony, Nokoru meets his neighbor, Natsu, as she compliments his garden. Natsu is a graduate student whose studies are being delayed due to the lockdown. The two then begin an interaction, slowly becoming friendly and then becoming friends, and finally more than friends. Since it’s a one-shot, they progress quickly.

I enjoyed Home Office Romance, particularly because it is through the perspective of Nokoru. Given his age and profession, it’s obvious he is a bit socially awkward and overthinks things – a lot. His viewpoint is enjoyable because it contradicts what is so clear to the reader. It’s obvious from the beginning that Natsu is shooting her shot with him in various ways, but he is cautious not to misinterpret her intentions. When Natsu finally makes the first real move by kissing him, he’s so caught off guard, that he almost misses his chance to let her know he’s on the same wavelength.

As a woman, I love stories told through the perspective of men, especially when they’re down bad. It’s charming to see Nokoru at his big age tripping over himself because of Natsu. He’s so intrigued by her and I love how he sees her. She is quirky but incredibly smart and sociable. She flusters him and causes him to open up little by little. Natsu through Nokoru’s POV is mesmorising and I think it serves to showcase how despite what we think of ourselves, we can drive someone crazy, in a good way.

The only downside to Home Office Romance was that it was a one-shot. On the one hand, it’s the perfect length for a fun and quirky romcom. But on the other, more selfish and greedy hand, I couldn’t get enough of Nokoru and Natsu’s chemistry. Yamada truly has a way with making couples feel so real and relatable, and making their awkward moments charming. I could read a hundred more chapters of their adventures traveling the world together. I hope Yamada will bring them back in the future for more.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Books for this ARC -

It's been a while since I've read a manga, and this one was delightful. I absolutely loved the contrast between the homebody character, Nokoru, and the adventurous sunshiney Izumi. The art style was amazing - I don't think I've seen an art style so detailed in a minute. However, the one thing about manga and graphic novels that tends to get me is their length - it's not the author's fault, I just never feel quite satisfied or ready to part with the characters after 200 pages.

3 stars ✰

nokoru and natsu were so cute in this wholesome, drama-free, romantic standalone manga <33 this was a book with not many events going on (bc they were literally in a pandemic) but for some reason i really enjoyed it? idk sometimes stories with a smooth and easy love that flows is just what i need and this one was really nice. also the art style was so beautiful, I thoroughly enjoyed it 💌

thank you netgalley and the publishers for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

This was such a cute and fast-paced manga revolving around two neighbours connecting during the pandemic.

While most people may think that this is a simple story it was everything I wanted and needed. It was nice seeing the two get to know each other more and watching as their relationship developed over time. The communication between them was perfect and just felt so realistic. I could easily read more about these characters and I'm gutted this is a standalone.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between the outgoing FMC Izumi and the extroverted MMC Mitsuhashi. Although the premise was simple, this was such a soft and sweet romance story between neighbors. I just wish their journey would have continued, as I would happily have read more volumes. It was a very enjoyable one shot.

i freaking loved it !!! 😭

🦇 i don't usually enjoy stories that have covid going on, but in this case it was mentioned so little that i didn't mind at all, it felt believable.
🦇 i loved that the mc nokoru was this awkward guy who loved reading fantasy manga. honestly what a cutie!
🦇 the romance was hot at some parts, i was giggling lmaoo.
🦇 i also enjoyed the fact that nokoru was also a gamer and he played together with his girl, it was sooo relatable.
🦇 also a man flying 36 hours for you ???? husband material.
🦇 his balcony was also goals. honestly i wish i had that irl, i'd make it into a reading nook real quick lol.
🦇 the artwork was also really well done and honestly the whole story was believable. i wish i had more time with these characters though, i shipped them so hard. 😭
🦇 if you haven't read it and want a cute romantic manga, please give this one a try—i loved it so much and highly recommend reading it!