Thank you to netGalley and Kondansha for the eARC!

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protege was a fun read for a BL manga, with mid adult aged men navigating their issues and setting up their future relationship. I really thought the pacing and the story was fun and compelling, not taking itself too seriously, but also making the characters likable, relatable, and more human. The main downside I think is the localized title name, I think zaddy is already a worn and aged slang term, and it will not age well in the long run. But also, the original title called the older man a monster so maybe the cringe name is just part of the charm,

This first volume was a blast! It was the perfect combination of humor, potential romance, and engaging characters. I really appreciate the way that our 40 year-old lead was treated and represented on the page. I also appreciate that his budding relationship with his younger co-worker represented open communication even in "awkward" situations. I look forward to the next volume and seeing their relationship progress.

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé is an office romance. The main character, Makoto Takanashi, is very good at his job, so people are often jealous of him. He seems perfect at the first glance, but he’s struggling with erectile dysfunction.

Ren Hiwatari works at the same company, and he’s in love with Takanashi, and he wants to help him with his little problem.

This manga is really funny. I’m rating it 3* because plot wise not much has happened so far, but I really want to read the next volume.

You’ll definitely like this, if you enjoy hilarious stories or age gap romances.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a very cute BL. I really enjoyed that the story wasn’t rushed (so nothing serious happened in the first volume), and I loved how flustered these boys get over eachother. The age gap trope was also done very well. I can’t wait to read the next volume.

Thank you NetGalley & Kodansha for a free digital copy of this manga in exchange my for honest review.

I read this via Net Galley

Volume 1 of The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé probably isn't a 5 star read, but I'm bias and enjoyed it enough to still give it 5 stars.

This is a comedic office romance featuring Makoto Takanashi (40) and his subordinate Ren Hiwatari (26). Takanashi is handsome, popular, and top salesperson at work but he has a secret... he's been dealing with erectile dysfunction for about a year. Meanwhile, Hiwatari is a hard worker but has resting bitch face which scares his coworkers. He's also got a huge crush on his team leader Takanashi. Through a series of silly moments, these two men grow closer and get to see another side of one another.

Somehow their relationship feels like it's moving fast but also slow, which I think works given it's a comedy. There are shirtless/naked scenes and a bit of suggestive moments but no "spice"

I mention some spoilers in my goodreads review.

I thought this was cute. I’m excited to see the next issue. It cut off at such an important part! Also the art is good and it was pretty funny

Thanks a lot for the ARC for the first volume of this series!

I've previously read Yutori Has His Eye on His Boss' Body from Fumito (available on Bookwalker, INKR etc.) before and I remember making a mental note on their gorgeous character designs and upbeat tone. Also, I can never say no to the younger top x older bottom dynamic. It's just not in my genes.

The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protege delivered a much better experience! The art is more refined, the comedy is ramped up, the premise is great and it's never at the cost of its characters. Very sincere, fun and simply perfect volume! Cannot stress enough how excited I am for the continuation, thank you for licensing this series!

A light hearted BL about an older man with ED and his younger work subordinate who’s in love with him!

Enjoyed this thoroughly and can’t wait for vol 2!

Thank you Kodansha and Netgalley for my ARC of this!

This was a funny book, I think there was some good humor in it and the characters had a good dynamic. I just couldn't get into the story all that much, it might be because there are more volumes to it so the pacing was slightly off but I did think the main duo had a funny and interesting dynamic that could lead to a really good relationship.

This was silly and fun! Not a whole lot happened though. This is very obviously a part 1 setting up for future parts of the story, so for that I'm a little disappointed. There's a lot of obliviousness and misunderstandings happening, but things got resolved rather quickly. Looking forward to seeing how things progress in the next installment, as the end of this one has left me hopeful for what's to com

I freakin loved the first one and i am also thinking about getting the others too because their chemistry is STUNNING!!!

Such a good start for a really funny story, I read it so quick. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Actual rating 3.5 (mostly for the ick factor)

I don't normally go for age gap romances but I didn't mind the 14 year gap here. This was cute and a little funny but I could have done without the side story of them knowing each other since Hiwatari was a kid and the short bonus story of them at the end when Takanashi was 25 and Hiwatari was 11 and them having a nap together - serious ick vibes which I am pretending didn't happen. There is nothing from Takanashi that this was sexual in any way but still...

I have no idea what to think about this, but I can say with certainty that it was a fun and hilarious read!

I landed on a 3. It works for what it is, just wasn't what I wanted. I do feel like I'd read more of the series.

3⭐⭐⭐

This is a fun manga. It's a BL with a silly premise and a workplace drama. It is a very fast read that revolves around older man kink and the older man's (40 year old, he talks about it a lot) struggle with erectile dysfunction. It is a nice take on his shame around it and overcoming it to be able to talk about it and maybe even heal from it/ get help maybe. I also think the main characters are super cute.

If you have an issue with the love interest having known the main character when he was a kid you will have a problem with his. It seems like from flash backs that the love interest worked with his father and the teen/ 10-13 year old hung out with him and had a crush on him since then.

All and all this is a cute manga and the art is GREAT. I don't think I will personally continue with it, it just isn't as much my speed as other mangas are, but nothing is really wrong with it!

Review by Nic @polycraftory on Instagram, Tumblr, and Tiktok, where I do book reviews and crafts with my polycule. If you are curious about my thoughts on more books, you can find me @businesswife on Storygraph. You can also find content warnings on my Storygraph review of this book. You can also find my reviews @polycraftory on Goodreads.

5/5 stars ⭐️
Let me just say (or yell) I NEED THE NEXT PARTS OF THIS STORY ASAP!!!
A wonderful and hilariously heartwarming story about a CEO and his downstairs problem that is no longer a problem when a chance encounter with another employee at the company has his “tower” rise again. LMAO
Great great great art work!!!
Thank You NetGalley and publishing for the chance to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

It was really surprising. Like I really thought it would be full on smut but it was super sweet and thoughtful. Their relationship is sooo slow and so well written. I'm so looking forward to reading volume 2 !!

I mean how could I resist this title and description??? This was such a funny read. Both leads are total disasters when faced with each other. The hijinks are indeed wacky. But there is some heart there, not a lot but enough. I wish it was a bit longer or progressed more but it's just volume one so there's time for that. I just wanted to see some of their dynamic once the relationship shifts from coworkers/hero worship to more. Guess I'll have to read volume 2. Twist my arm why don't ya?

This is so funny I couldn't stop laughing every few pages. It's just the right balance of romantic tension and earnest humor (especially when dealing with the shame around ED and just smashing through those walls). I love the feeling that Takanashi and Hiwatari are genuinely falling for each other, even though it's still early days, and the mutual protectiveness is just perfect. I love that we're getting more workplace romances, and the age-gap and long-term pining is just a cherry on top. I'm definitely looking forward to volume 2!