Thank You for Taking Care of Our Boy Banri Review: Thank You for Taking Care of Our Boy Banri is a sharp, funny celebrity shojo follow-up that turns Tamon’s B-Side’s warm idol-worker dynamic into something meaner, faster, and more workplace-comedy than romance fantasy. Volume 1 is available now from Yen Press, and there is no announced release date for volume 2 yet.
This is the hook: Banri Narita is not a brooding celebrity waiting to be softened. Chitose Kaido shows the truth behind Nanase Akashi’s job almost immediately. In public, Banri is charming, considerate, and exactly the kind of actor people love to have around. In private, he is a terror who piles on unreasonable tasks and insults.
A celebrity manga with a workplace-crash angle
Nanase is pulled into the role by her older sister Mitsuba, the CEO of Infinity Pro, during her college summer vacation. The official reason is work experience. The real reason is that nobody else can keep Banri’s life from becoming a production disaster.
That setup could get old fast, but the manga gives Nanase enough bite to keep the dynamic alive. She does the job professionally, hides the chaos from crews, directors, producers, and fans, and fires back when Banri starts being unbearable. The result is a heroine who feels useful instead of decorative.
It is sharper than the usual celebrity shojo
If Tamon’s B-Side worked because it let you peek at the off-duty side of a J-pop idol and the employee closest to him, Banri pushes that same idea into more abrasive territory. The central question is not “Will the star secretly have a heart of gold?” It is whether Banri’s private behavior can coexist with his public image at all.
That makes the comedy land differently. Banri can be prickly, demanding, and insulting, but Kaido keeps cutting back with moments where he shows consideration in his own awkward way. A gossip-rag scandal leads to him telling Nanase not to worry and ruffling her hair, which is not a grand apology. It is also not nothing.
Why the rough start actually works
Starting with Banri as a genuinely terrible person is a risky choice, especially in a romance-forward genre where readers may expect slow-burn redemption. What saves it is Nanase’s confidence. She can take his barbs and send some right back, which turns their scenes into a duel instead of a misery parade.
The pacing also makes more sense once you know the series grew out of a one-shot. Chapter 0 delivers the premise with a lot of punch, then the full series keeps building from that same back-and-forth rhythm. That helps explain why volume 1 feels so compressed without feeling empty.
The show-business details do the heavy lifting
The manga’s best material comes from the machinery around the celebrity. Schedules, interviews, scandals, backstage appearances, and the constant need to keep Banri’s public charm intact all give the story a spine. Without those details, it would just be “rude star versus manager,” which would age quickly.
In one early proper chapter, Nanase helps Banri through a movie interview while he points out that she has memorized his entire schedule. That kind of detail matters because it shows how much of the celebrity fantasy depends on someone else quietly managing the mess. The romance is there, but the workplace is what keeps the story moving.
Who should read it
Readers who enjoyed Tamon’s B-Side will probably find a lot to like here. It has the same interest in the gap between public performance and private reality, plus the same pleasure of seeing how ordinary workers survive extraordinary celebrity nonsense. The difference is tone: Tamon’s B-Side is warmer, while Banri is more barbed.
People looking for a gentle romance-first shojo may want to adjust expectations. Banri is not instantly redeemed, and Nanase’s appeal is not that she quietly absorbs abuse. Her appeal is that she stays sharp, stays professional, and makes the chaos funny.
What comes next
What to watch for is whether volume 2 keeps balancing Banri’s abrasiveness with enough visible regard to make the relationship feel headed somewhere meaningful. The first volume does not overpromise; it simply proves the setup can carry jokes, tension, and romance without turning Banri into a harmless prince too early.
Thank You for Taking Care of Our Boy Banri feels like a strong second hit for Chitose Kaido’s celebrity shojo corner. It is funny, practical, and a little meaner than the genre’s usual fantasy, which is exactly what makes it stand out.
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