A very sweet manga showing how a couple fell in love during lock down! I thought this manga was so cute, and I loved all the art and seeing them fall for each other! I recommend this for anyone looking for their next cozy read!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cute love story. Different from the ones ive read so far. Nokoru-san's character as a software Engineer was intriguing. I loved how we could see his thoughts and how he approached his once in a lifetime love. As an inroverted character myself i could relate to a lot of how his brain worked. Natsu san was also soo cute and i loved her extrovert energy.

There were some laugh-out-loud moments which i really enjoyed. A love story with a lot of everyday scenes and a pinch of humor. This was soo good. Will definitely keep an eye out for more of this author's work in the future!

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one-shot!

A cute little romance, slice of life story set during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike a lot of other Covid related media or stories this one isn’t depressing.

It’s a one shot so it’s fairly short and there’s not much slow burn here but it’s enjoyable and fun to read.

I had so much fun reading this book in one sitting. The story hits home especially after having gone through the pandemic and it's really sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from start to end. All in all, I recommend you to read this book for the wholesome plot and finding love where it's been waiting right in front of you all along.

A very cute adult romance!

This single-volume manga starts at the beginning of the pandemic. Nokoru is a systems engineer who starts working from his apartment and gives it an upgrade. Now that he’s spending more time at home, he meets his neighbor, Natsu, a graduate student in archaeology. They have different personalities, but as they spend more time together, their relationship develops,

I enjoyed this a lot! It was very cute, and depicted a mature, adult romance that develops slowly until someone makes a move, and still has all the uncertainties and awkwardness of a new relationship. The two leads, Natsu and Nokoru, are charming characters with distinct personalities and interests, and they encourage each other in their pursuits. Their relationship moments were so sweet and I loved seeing them grow close. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This was so cute! I absolutely loved Sweat & Soap, so I was really excited to read this. And it didn’t disappoint!

We follow Nokoru as he begins working from home during the pandemic. Now that he has more free time, he decorates his apartment and balcony. One day while enjoying his balcony space, he meets his neighbor, Natsu. From there, they begin chatting and spending time together.

I really loved the slow burn nature of their relationship, and loved the difference between introverted Nokoru and extroverted Natsu. There were so many sweet moments between these two as they got to know each other and as their relationship grew. Definitely recommend!

A cute one-shot about two neighbors falling in love while they work from home during lockdown that hits all the beats it needs to and some more on top of that. I loved how it addressed the drastic shift in priorities and mindsets that happened when we were all driven to stay at home in such a way that both worked for the characters and the romance and felt realistic.

I also loved the fact that both Nokoru and Natsu feel like real adults, with career worries and abandoned childhood dreams, even in a one-shot, and in true Yamada fashion, their relationship doesn't shy away from the physical side. I loved watching these two fall in love and move into the future and the world together - it's a great exploration of how sometimes we get stuck in the idea of what things should be and it's not always a bad thing to be forced to revisit your priorities.

An outgoing Archeology student meets modern day Levi Ackerman.

This story is Nokoru's way of looking back at the events leading up to how he met his wife. It's modern times and Japan is on lockdown for a deadly virus. Nokoru's office has him working from home, occasionally going into the office once or twice a week. This change was positive for him, as he was able to omit his tiring commute and turn his small apartment into a sanctuary. This also gave him time to meet his neighbor, Natsu.

The two quickly find themselves growing closer, and as Nokoru navigates this new territory, Natsu finds herself bringing her ever analytical and detail-orientated neighbor out of his shell.

This is the same creator as Sweat and Soap, and she honestly never disappoints. Home Office Romance is a cute story of two people finding love during the pandemic. It was humorous, well written, and drawn beautifully. 5/5 stars

I have to admit that I asked for that ARC just based on the cover and the title.
I didn't even check who the author was and when I did I did not recognise them. BUT then I started reading it and the drawing style + the way it was written made me have a flashback from a looong time ago when I started reading those type of romance graphic novel and one of them was Sweat and Soap!!
I knew I was going to enjoy my reading time and I did !

I've don't think that Ive ever read something set during the COVID era but it did help with that story.
The love story evolve fast but it did not bothered me much (it's a one shot it was to be expected)
It was sweet and I liked that it did felt forced on the characters .
The meet out of nowhere, they interact like normal neighbours then became friends and after months start a relationship. That's what I like.

Last time I read a manga I was maybe 15 years old. I just recently got back into it, and this was a pretty easy read in my opinion. A cute story that made me want to turn page after page.

This was so cute and felt like a nicely developed single volume. Thanks so much to Kodansha and NetGalley for the DRC!

I really enjoyed the natural progression of their relationship and how forward and honest our FMC was. Had she not made the first move, I don’t know where they’d be right now. But the package delivery scene was both hilarious and chefs kiss. Love women who take what they want. Also him finding a new gig so he can travel? A dream!

As a big fan of Sweat and Soap, I’m so happy to read another one of the mangaka’s work and hope to read something again from them soon!

I loved it so much!!
It was so cute and wholesome and gave me butterflies.
The writing was super well done and flowed so well, and the art was incredible! i adored the isometric balcony drawing at the beginning!!
4.5 ⭐️

Home Office Romance (Telework Yotabanashi) from the creator of Sweat and Soap - ⭐️ 5/5 Stars

Release date: November 12th, 2024

Tropes
💞 Opposites Attract
❤️ Wholesome Romance
😷 set during the Pandemic 
📖 Standalone
Review

This manga is an absolute gem! Nokoru and Natsu’s interactions are marked by open, honest conversations, and both characters are incredibly likeable. The story brings back memories of lockdown but in a comforting and uplifting way, showing how even during uncertain times, love can blossom. It beautifully illustrates that romance doesn't need to be grand or star-crossed; love can thrive in the small, everyday moments too.

I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting! The whole manga has this unique and cozy vibe, making it one of my top 5  rom-com mangas. I need this manga to be an anime so bad—it’s that good!

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

I rarely read one-shot volumes with short chapters but I liked how the story progressed and didn’t feel like it felt particularly rushed. The drawing was clean and not too busy and the dialogue was enjoyable. As a work from home-r myself and someone who loves Japan, I got a lot out of this work. I would definitely look out for further works by this artist!

I picked up this manga because it looked like a short, cute, contained romance, which is something I'm always down to read. To my delight, this manga delivered on every element that it promised via the cover and blurb! There's a sweet, welll developed romance, with two characters that you get to know and learn about with each passing page. I felt this manga was perfectly paced for a standalone, short, sweet story, but I enjoyed the time I spent reading it! I'd definitely recommend it!

This was beautiful. After reading Sweat and Soap from this same author, which is 10/10 one of my favorite mangas of all time, I was elated to see this available here!

I devoured this in one sitting. It was short, sweet, and watching their relationship blossom was beautiful. I got emotional toward the ending, and loved how it wrapped up.

This is honestly the embodiment of 'if he wanted to, HE WOULD.' I loved it. All of the stars.

[Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.]

Amidst the COVID pandemic, systems engineer Nokoru has started working from home. This introduces him to Natsu, his next door neighbour, who has all the spirit that he lacks. And fate will take it from there.

This is a charming little romance one-shot from the mangaka behind the brilliant <i>Sweat & Soap</i>, which means it comes in with a very impressive pedigree. Now, it’s not quite that series’ equal, but it’s very good for what it is.

Part of its strengths and weaknesses are derived from it being a single volume. When there’s a moment that threatens to send Nokoru to jealousy town, he kind of just mopes about it a bit and moves on. He’ll learn that he has nothing to worry about soon enough, but I’m glad this gets all glossed over quickly.

And that’s not really a spoiler; it’s revealed right away that this is a story of Nokoru meeting his wife, so we thankfully dispense with the ‘will they, won’t they’ for a change and get to watch these two become close. It also lets the story end off in a more romantic place than just the traditional wedding; it’s a smart little touch.

Nokoru is believably awkward and also a decent lead; most of the story is about him rediscovering his zest for life and travel that his job and the pandemic have stripped from him. And Natsu is the perfect person to remind him of it all.

Now, Natsu is a little trickier, as she has all the makings of a manic pixie dream girl, so she is all energetic and has a cool job and is way into Nokoru, who just happens to be her type because she can see his soft side underneath.

And, to be fair, Nokoru is polite and helpful and concerned about Natsu even before they date, plus they connect over his elaborate balcony set-up and begin sharing books and manga. It’s not entirely that way, even if it looks like Natsu is a trope.

Except there’s also a very helpful design note from Yamada at the end that makes it clear that Natsu’s charms are entirely her own, but based on the notion of a bewitching creature from a folk tale.

I’d normally let that lie, but it really recontextualizes some of the book’s earlier scenes in a much more fascinating way and this is the rare manga that almost benefits from a second read through just to see how that interpretation of the character plays out.

The romance is pleasantly understated and I love that it has the feel of a relationship between two adults. They grow closer and closer, make their intentions known, and then go from there. It’s not quite as steamy as <i>Sweat & Soap</i> got, but it doesn’t ignore the physical side of things.

It’s been enough past the worst of the pandemic that this is more of a reminder of those dire (yet necessary) years where lockdowns were enacted and people could hardly move around. It’s a good setting, honestly, and I appreciated the proper mask use here amongst the other details.

I wouldn’t say the chemistry is perfect, Nokoru takes a while to come out of his shell, but it’s very clear that these are two people who make one another better and this is really a story of confinement to a small space working out for the best.

And, finally, boy is it nice to have another adult romance story. High school ones are fine, but they’re a dime a dozen. This one has such exciting moments as getting groceries or sharing a bag of chips, but they’re so much more interesting because of how less often we see them.

4 stars - really dang good and very recommended. It does a great job with its limited page count - that may not give it incredible depth, but it also lets it avoid some of the common tropes and pitfalls in romance manga.

"Home Office Romance" is a the story of a blooming romance at the height of Covid in Japan, while both main characters are forced to work in near isolation from home.

What more can I say besides the fact that I absolutely loved this story? It made me giggle and kick my feet in the air almost every chapter and that's a very hard feat for a romance, let alone a straight one, to make me feel.

The art style, without being super out there, has an original feel that distinguishes it from other romance manga that I've read, without mentioning the fact that it's also very polished. No single panel or chapter felt rushed out or like a first draft or like this was a second serialized work from the author.

Most importantly in my opinion, the story felt REAL. I felt like the author was really drawing the story of how he met his wife, not reading a romance manga. A lot of manga tends to be very tropey and formulaic, so this one was a breath of fresh air. Neither the problems that arose from their work, nor the conversations they had as neighbors, nor the mental ruminations from the characters felt overdone for the sake of comedic efect nor forced to create a false sense of conflict and urgency for them to get together. And also, because of the short nature of the story (only this one singular volume) it was also told very thightly, every chapter connecting with the next one, nothing being used as filler or irrelevant to the plot.

I will 100% recomend this to everyone I know. It's a short and super sweet read that won't make you feel like you wasted your time for a relationship without chemistry.

“Home Office Romance” is a sweet romance manga about two neighbors working from home during the pandemic.

I only started reading manga this year and this is the first one volume romance that I read.

Sometimes is hard to create a good live story in a short book, but this is the example that it can be done. The story between Natsu and Nokuru develops slowly and so sweet.
Also, the fact that I also work from home made it relatable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and Kodasha Comics. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Book Review: "Home Office Romance" by Kintetsu Yamada

Kintetsu Yamada, the creator of the beloved "Sweat and Soap" series, returns with another heartwarming romantic comedy, this time wrapped in the peculiar setting of the COVID-19 lockdown. "Home Office Romance" is a standalone volume that captures the tender and humorous possibilities of love blossoming under the unusual constraints of pandemic life, where neighbors become office colleagues and the balcony becomes the office water cooler. Through the lens of romance and slice-of-life storytelling, Yamada weaves a tale of love, connection, and personal growth that feels both relatable and refreshingly light-hearted.

Plot Overview
The story introduces us to Nokoru, a hardworking professional who has been pulling grueling overtime hours in his demanding job. With the arrival of the pandemic and the sudden shift to teleworking, Nokoru is thrust into a new lifestyle that not only saves him from his daily commute but also allows him time to explore neglected hobbies and interests. One of these is creating a lush garden on his apartment balcony—a serene space that becomes a gateway to the heartwarming romance at the core of the story.

Enter Natsu, Nokoru's cute, soft-spoken neighbor who is a graduate student in archaeology. While their lives prior to the pandemic were physically close yet worlds apart, the lockdown's enforced distance becomes an unexpected bridge between them. As they begin interacting over their shared love for gardening, the story carefully navigates the challenges of building a relationship in the time of "social distancing." Whether they’re chatting through masks or exchanging messages from their balconies, their connection deepens in ways both endearing and grounded.

What makes "Home Office Romance" truly stand out is its ability to craft an office romance when the office itself has dissolved into personal spaces. The familiar rom-com trope of workplace flirtations and growing mutual attraction gets a creative twist, with their "workplace" being their homes, their desks separated by thin walls. The charm of the story lies in the authenticity of their budding relationship, where physical distance is replaced by emotional intimacy, and a shared experience of coping with lockdown becomes the foundation for something deeper.

Characters and Chemistry
The strength of this manga is rooted in its likable, well-rounded characters. Nokoru is a refreshing male protagonist—he’s not the typical aloof or overconfident hero. Instead, he is earnest, hard-working, and reflective. His initial exhaustion from the demands of his job speaks to the pandemic experience many can relate to—the stress of juggling work in a home environment. His rediscovery of simple joys, like tending to his balcony garden, is symbolic of the unexpected benefits some found during lockdowns: a forced pause that allowed for self-reflection and reevaluation of priorities.

Natsu, on the other hand, is a delightful counterpart to Nokoru. She’s intelligent, independent, and driven by her passion for archaeology. Her character radiates warmth and curiosity, which makes her the perfect balance for Nokoru’s more reserved nature. The two share a natural chemistry that grows organically throughout the story. What’s particularly charming is how they bond over shared hobbies—gardening, archaeology, and simple joys of daily life—without rushing into grand romantic gestures. It’s a slow-burn romance that feels deeply sincere.

The secondary characters are kept to a minimum, reflecting the isolation many experienced during lockdown. This choice works well in focusing the narrative on the growing bond between Nokoru and Natsu. The small cast allows the story to delve into their emotions and inner worlds with more depth, exploring how the pandemic has impacted them individually and together.

Themes and Atmosphere
"Home Office Romance" taps into the universal experience of living through a global pandemic, and Yamada does a wonderful job of portraying both the difficulties and the silver linings. While some manga might treat the pandemic as a backdrop, in this story it is integral to the plot and character development. The forced physical separation amplifies the emotional closeness between Nokoru and Natsu, allowing the reader to appreciate how even in tough times, human connection finds a way to flourish.

Yamada explores the idea of personal growth in isolation—Nokoru’s time at home enables him to slow down and rediscover forgotten passions. The enforced lockdown also challenges both characters to reflect on their priorities, making the romance not only about finding love but also about self-discovery and adaptation.

The manga deftly balances light-hearted moments with deeper reflections on the emotional toll of the pandemic. From Nokoru’s frustration with work to Natsu’s academic struggles, the challenges they face are grounded in the reality of lockdown life, making the characters more relatable and their journey more compelling.

Art Style
Kintetsu Yamada’s art style continues to shine in "Home Office Romance." The character designs are clean, expressive, and charming. Yamada excels at conveying subtle emotions through facial expressions—whether it’s a shy smile, a concerned glance, or the warmth in Natsu’s eyes as she talks about her research. The detailed backgrounds, particularly Nokoru’s evolving balcony garden, provide a lush and calming visual contrast to the mundane indoor life of lockdown.

The panels that depict the growing connection between Nokoru and Natsu are filled with quiet tenderness. From the way they exchange gardening tips to the moments where they silently enjoy each other's presence, Yamada’s artwork brings an additional layer of emotion to their relationship. The depiction of their balcony conversations feels cozy and intimate, emphasizing the closeness they develop despite the physical barriers.

Conclusion
"Home Office Romance" is a delightful and heartwarming manga that offers a fresh take on the romantic comedy genre in a time of unprecedented global events. By weaving together themes of love, isolation, and personal growth, Kintetsu Yamada has created a story that resonates on multiple levels. Nokoru and Natsu’s romance is not only charming and believable but also a testament to the resilience of human connection in the face of adversity.

This one-volume manga is perfect for readers looking for a feel-good, introspective romance that blends humor and emotion with the realities of pandemic life. It’s a quick, fulfilling read that leaves you with a smile and a sense of hope—a reminder that love and joy can be found even in the most unexpected places.

Highly recommended for fans of rom-coms, slice-of-life stories, and anyone looking for a light yet meaningful exploration of relationships in our modern world.