My New Boss is Goofy – Episode 1

Content Warning: PTSD from workplace abuse

What’s it about? Momose used to have a boss who was so abusive that he gave Momose stomach ulcers. Luckily, Momose has been assigned a new boss, Shirosaki. There’s only one problem: Shirosaki is the clumsiest and sweetest person Momose has ever seen! How will Momose adjust to this new boss-worker relationship when he can’t stop blushing?

First things first: This show is fujoshi- (and fudanshi)-bait. This is a show you watch to cool down after a particularly intense episode of Bungo Stray Dogs. This is a show you watch to say “awww now kiss!” every ten seconds, and never be satisfied. When Shirosaki puts his hand on the protagonist’s hand instead of the mouse, a colleague sees it and says “Hey! Shirosaki is harassing him!” with a big smile on her face. That lady? Our audience surrogate.

Your feelings about the show will largely depend on your feelings about this kind of media. If you want shows where characters openly confess their feelings for each other in explicitly romantic ways, you will almost certainly leave frustrated. If you are looking for fodder for your next fic, this might be the show for you. 

To be honest, the show gave me anxiety. The opening minutes of Momose having a panic attack because he’s scared he’s pissed off Shirosaki, as somebody who has experienced abusive workplaces, were genuinely difficult to watch–the animation, which is quite expressive, put us in the mind of the protagonist, particularly the disorienting shot where the camera spins around him.

After the boss reveals himself to be the world’s most moe goofy goober, the show tries to bring you back to a sense of safety–where a nice boss is like a warm blanket. You can just imagine this being a workplace where people say “everybody here is family!” Yet I still felt anxious watching. After a bit, I realized that what was making me uneasy was the premise, which my roommate described as “man wants to suck boss’s dick for being nice to him.” This workplace is still unhealthy. Momose still works long into the night, and Shirosaki, while trying to be supportive, doesn’t try to stop him from doing that. But I suppose it is exploitation with a side of a warm hug, or a head pat at least.

I will say, it is quite satisfying to see a shoujo manga getting this level of adaptation. The art style is genuinely enjoyable, with the opening theme in particular getting some truly beautiful sequences. The manga has only two volumes out, which is quite strange for a series being adapted into a full 12 episode anime. If anything, this manga feels like it would have been better served with a shorts format, as it is largely told in vignettes rather than full-on arcs. As much as I enjoy watching Momose talk about wanting to bury his face in Shirosaki’s shirt (relatable), there’s only so many times in an episode you can watch Shirosaki make another comically clumsy move and Momose gush over how cute he is for it before things start to feel repetitive. 

Perhaps, given the short run of the manga so far, there’s a possibility in the future they will in fact get together? I think it’s unlikely. But it is still fun to watch it with a friend and scream every time the show suggests that they will one day. Which, I think, was how it was intended to be watched anyways.