The Spring 2025 Manga Guide

My New Boss is Goofy

What's It About? 

Forced to change jobs after being constantly bullied by his old boss, 26-year-old Momose Kentaro is understandably anxious about what's in store for him at his new workplace. After all, what if his new boss ends up being just as cruel? However, Momose's fears vanish once he meets Shirosaki Yuusei, a deadpan yet competent manager who is anything but scary. In fact, he's actually a little...goofy!

My New Boss Is Goofy has a story and art by Dan Ichikawa, with English translation by Julie Goniwich. This volume is lettered by Nicole Roderick. Published by Seven Seas (April 29, 2025). Rated T.

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

When the manga a source of an anime series makes it into English after the anime has already streamed, the question is “Is it worth picking up?” In the case of My New Boss Is Goofy, the answer is, “Yes, if you liked the anime.” While that perhaps seems obvious, I phrase it that way because it turns out that the TV series was impressively faithful to the source material, so there isn't anything new here for those already familiar with the series.

As far as I'm concerned, that's not a deterrent at all. Dan Ichikawa's feel-good workplace romp – which could easily be classified as a rom-com if you have your BL goggles on – is equally delightful in both forms. I'll admit that's at least partially because of one specific character: Hakuto the tsundere kitten. While the whole story is delightful, the chapters featuring Hakuto are laser-targeted to hit you in the heart. He's a kitten dumped by his owner in a box by the side of the road, and the poor little furball is busy telling himself that he ran away, because it hurts too much to admit otherwise. Main protagonists Shirosaki and Momose pick him up, with Shirosaki (the eponymous goofy boss) ultimately adopting the kitten, and if you're an animal lover, this will hit you hard. Hakuto's narration shows just how much it means to him to have a new home and family, and that serves as a stand-in for what Momose can't quite express: how much Shirosaki means to him, as well.

That's because Shirosaki is miles better than Momose's previous boss, who was so awful that he gave Momose medical conditions both mental and physical. Ichikawa makes that obvious in the contrast of the two boss' names; “Shirosaki” has the word for “white” in his, while Momose's former employer is “Kurono,” which contains the word for “black.” Shirosaki's kindness and ditzy antics soothe Momose in the same way that they heal Hakuto, and while the entire thing is passed off as a comedy, it's impossible to escape the true warmth that forms the book's foundation. Sure, there are silly scenes, such as Shirosaki being so scared by an amusement park haunted house that he hides his face in Momose's coat, but they wouldn't work as well as they do without the relationship the two men share in the first place.

My New Boss Is Goofy is a near-perfect blend of silly and sweet. This volume doesn't use side characters Aoyama and Kinjo as much as it could and the art isn't fantastic (although it also isn't bad), but it really is the sort of book you grab when you need a pick-me-up. It may not cover new ground, but it doesn't need to to be a delight.