Summary
As school days come to an end, many graduates start their journey as professionals in an office setting. Of course, romance will never die, even in a stressful environment like the workplace. Many mangakas also use this opportunity to appeal to a much more mature audience, usually in the Josei genre,a category of manga marketed to women, typically 18–30 years old.
These specific audiences may be bored with high school romance with pubescent teenagers because they cannot relate to it anymore, and want something new to reflect their new experiences. Luckily, many well-written office manga romances will satisfy the craving for something fresh and intriguing.
Updated November 18th, 2024 by David Heath:Though they’re not as common as high school romances, there’s no shortage of office romance manga out there. It might suggest somethingabout work culturein general, in that people go from being kids struggling through paperwork, school cliques, and gossip, to growing up and going through the same at work. Some countries, like Japan, even make the kids wear drab suits as uniforms too.
At least office romance manga offer some escapism, where love can bloom over the photocopier, glances can be exchanged over the top of TPS reports, and one accidental CC in an email can lead to one’s feelings being revealed. This time, this list has a few more intriguing additions, from some quirky BL tales to some stories that flip the office romance script on its head.
14Dakishimete Tsuideni Kiss Mo
MyAnimeList Score: 6.83
Dakishimete Tsuideni Kiss Mo(“Will You Be the One For Me?") revolves around Asahina, a regular office worker who has to face the harsh reality of being in a complicated but sweet relationship, and her journey towards her desired marriage. As fate would have it, she fell in love with an employee at her workplace. But to her surprise, he is much younger than her byabout eight years.
Despite this, they try everything in their power to make the relationship work, with the question of how Asahina will get her happy ending. This manga offers a realistic depiction of what it is like to be a 30-year-old woman who is ready to settle down and finally be in a committed relationship but is faced with obstacles along the way.
13Dekinai Futari
MyAnimeList Score: 6.99
Another manga that was adapted into a live-action TV series,Dekinai Futarifollows Nao Shirafuji and Takahito Kurose, former high school lovers turned enemies in the office. Their journey starts with the fierce rivalry between them in their company, as they each try to outdo each other in the sales department. They fight and bicker like no other because their high school love ended on a rough note.
As the plot progresses, it is explained that thebreak-up was causedby the hurtful words that Kurose said during their first time. It left Nao with confidence issues in love, leaving the two as bitter enemies. However, things change when they’re partnered up for a project, forcing them to work together instead of against each other. It could give them the chance to reconcile their issues or be a recipe for disaster.
12Kake Kara Hajimaru Sayonara No Koi
MyAnimeList Score: 7.03
A romance story involving bets is definitely not a new thingin the shojo genrewith high school characters. However, how will it play out in an office setting?Kake Kara Hajimaru Sayonara No Koi(“A Farewell’s Love That Begins With a Bet”) offers one scenario. This manga tells the story of Nao, who one day overheard her colleagues making a bet with Satomura that he could make Nao fall in love with him.
Nao is a strict and stern worker, infamously known among her colleagues as the Ice Iron Lady. Yet ironically, she has had a secret crush on Satomura all this time, and she’s willing to use this bet as a chance to charm Satomura for real. However, the question remains about how Nao will manage that in the end. The manga was adapted into an 8-episode live-action series in 2023, starring Hirona Yamazaki (Monster Huntermovie) as Nao and Yuta Koseki (Lovesick Ellie) as Satomura.
11Senpai, This Can’t Be Love!
MyAnimeList Score: 7.11
Some office manga go into the specifics of what their workplaces do, though many stick to leaving them as generic offices since the nitty-gritty details aren’t always imported. Love between coworkers, bosses, secretaries, etc., is rarely spiced up by TPS reports, graphs, and economic details. However,Senpai, This Can’t Be Lovespecifically cites that it takes place at an animation studio, as love blooms between an expert CG designer and his newbie understudy.
After years of plying his trade in the US, veteran designer Atsushi Yanase returns to Japan, where he’s tasked with showing rookie animator Yuki Kaneda how things work. At first, Yanase was quite happy to teach Kaneda the intricacies of CG animation, but after a while of handling his cold attitude, Yanase felt like he did something wrong. But it’s actually the opposite: Kaneda adores Yanase and just has extreme difficulty expressing his feelings. So, he’s got to figure out a way to express himself to Yanase or risk losing him for good.
10Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu
MyAnimeList Score: 7.48
Office romances can have some curious premises, like involving magic or niche interests.Manly Appetites: Minegishi Love Otsudoes something similar when the suave and sophisticated salaryman Yusuke Minegishi tries to find his way into the heart of his colleague, Mamoru Otsu, through his stomach. When he’s not trying to rise up the ranks in the workplace, he’s taking care of Otsu’s catering needs just to make him happy.
However, Otsu doesn’t care about his charm or the way he impresses everyone else in the office. He’ll take his food, but he’s adamant he won’t fall for his routine. Even so, Minegishi isn’t doing this on a whim, and wants to find some way to convince his grumpy coworker that he’s got genuine feelings for him. It’s a rather sweet BL tale that tackles its subject in a light and funny way. Compared to, say,Sweat & Soap, it’s practically chaste in its unusual direction.
9I Have a Crush at Work/Can You Keep a Secret
MyAnimeList Score: 7.50
Romance stories are usually about the chase, where one character tries to get their love interest’s heart, then ends when they get it.I Have a Crush at Work(akaCan You Keep a Secret) does things differently by starting off with the two leads together, and then seeing how they continue from there. Yui Mitsuya loves Masugu Tateishi’s helpful and humble attitude, while Tateishi loves Mitsuya’s cute smile and antics. In any other way, they’d be the perfect couple. Their bad luck just saw them meet as coworkers.
To avoid making things awkward in the office, they do their best to keep things professional and hide their affections. But they’re so tempting to each other that they find it hard to resist. Each time they find a moment to smooch or hug, they risk exposing their relationship to everyone else in the workplace. For Tateishi and Mitsuya, it’s a test of patience each day to avoid fueling the rumor mill. It’s proven popular enough to get an anime adaptation, which is due to air in January 2025.
8Daily Report About My Witch Senpai
MyAnimeList Score: 7.53
If realistic settings feel plain for some readers, maybe they’d like a fluffy story that blends the office with fantasy.Daily Report About My Witch Senpaiwill give readersplenty of warm, fuzzy feelings, making it the perfect light read to ease busy minds. It’s about Naoto Misono, a hard worker who’s the calm and collected type, rarely shaken by anything. Except for Shizuka Hoshino, his senior at work.
She’s honest, easy to read, clumsy, and to top it all off, is a witch! Though she always seems all over the place, she always makes sure to go out of her way to help Misono. Before he even knows it, Naoto ends up falling for her. However, becoming her boyfriend isn’t easy as he has to face off against plenty of obstacles, going through her overprotective brothers and love rivals to express his feelings for her.
7My Senpai Is Annoying
Adapted into a popular anime,My Senpai is Annoyingfocuses on Futaba Igarashii, an office lady who has the bad luck of being both shorter than average and looking young for her age. Her workplace senior, Harumi Takeda, teases her constantly for looking like a kid and treats her like one, driving her up the wall, as there’s not much she can do against him since he’s so big and tall.
Yet he also looks out for her often, giving her refreshments when she’s pulling long shifts, keeping her company when she’s sick, and giving people who try to creep on her a knuckle sandwich or two on the train. He annoys Futaba for both being an overgrown jerk and for being a sweet man who threatens to steal her heart. It’s a sweet manga that handles its contrasts well, so it’s no wonder it caught on well with readers.
6The Ice Guy And The Cool Girl
MyAnimeList Score: 7.68
The Ice Guy and the Cool Girlis another light read that combines the natural with the supernatural. Himuro belongsto a supernatural racethat can cause blizzards and freeze up whole floors, especially when he’s overwhelmed by his emotions. His coworkers have to deal with his Arctic-like powers, but they can usually handle it as he’s such a nice guy. But lately, his emotions have made things frostier than before for everyone.
What’s made him go out of control? His coworker and only crush, Fuyutsuki, never fails to make Himuro’s heart skip a beat with how she can effortlessly figure out simple solutions to his over-the-top problems. The plot is fairly simple, as the regular girl is cooler under the collar than the literal iceman. However, it’s that simple contrast that makes this manga a delightful romcom, with its sweet story and cute characters.
5365 Days To The Wedding
MyAnimeList Score: 7.70
365 Days to the Weddingshows what happens when a plot to avoid a rough job placement goes too far. Takuya Ouhara and Rika Honjouji are workers at the JTC Travel Agency, which is planning to expand via a new office in Irkutsk in Siberia, Russia. It needs a manager, but neither Takuya nor Rika fancy that kind of promotion. They’re much happier staying in Tokyo. Luckily, they find out their boss is only considering bachelors for the new placement.
So, Takuya and Rika could get off the hook if they married each other! The only problem is they know nothing about each other. But to avoid getting sent to Siberia, they have to convince their colleagues they’re deeply in love, are engaged, and will be married soon. How long can they keep up the ruse? And what happens when they begin getting feelings for each other? Those intrigued will have to check it out via Seven Seas Entertainment to find out for sure.
