What do you think?
Rate this book
Shut-In Shoutarou Kominami Takes On the World
"Shy" + "Lonely" + "Chicken" = Shlocken?!
After not leaving his house for several months, Shoutarou Kominami by chance lands a part-time job in an attempt to break free of his less than human existence and "shlocken" personality. But unbeknownst to the former shut-in, his new boss is a manga artist, and Shoutarou is about to become his muse?!
After not leaving his house for several months, Shoutarou Kominami by chance lands a part-time job in an attempt to break free of his less than human existence and "shlocken" personality. But unbeknownst to the former shut-in, his new boss is a manga artist, and Shoutarou is about to become his muse?!
- GenresManga
588 pages, Paperback
Published February 26, 2019
3 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 27, 2025
Honestly more 3.5 stars, but I'm bumping it up because it was fun. I was pretty excited when I was looking up the preorder for My New Boss is Goofy Vol. 1 and discovered that the mangaka had another series (bundled into a 3-volume omnibus format) already published in English.
It's...honestly pretty chunky to read all in one go, so I took a break about halfway through to read some other things. I was also starting to wear out a little bit on the gag manga format, especially when it got to the kind of stupid plotline of Kominami's uncle disappearing from his life for 12 years because of some silly comment he'd made as a kid. And then the reunion being a bit anticlimactic after all of that.
But there was a lot I really enjoyed. The central setup is that Kominami is a painfully shy "shlocken" (shy lonely chicken...I think it's a made up word for this series?) who sits around in his apartment, reading classical literature and avoiding real life while his family pays his bills. His mother finally tells him she's cutting him off and that he needs to get a job, which sends him into a panic and then, fortuitously, into a partnership with a gag manga artist who wants to gain inspiration from his sholocken lifestyle.
Except Kominami is painfully sweet and naive, too, and assumes that Kitazono is actually a psychologist who's writing a book about how to help shlocken overcome their difficulties and reenter society. He happily accepts every "mission" Kitazono assigns him, writing a journal of his activities, which Kitazono uses to write his gag manga. (Which would basically be this series.)
In the process, Kitazono actually does help Kominami reenter the world, gaining confidence and an odd assortment of actual friends. This includes Kitazono's editor and assistants, another socially awkward mangaka, and a celebrity chef who pretends to be flamboyantly gay in order to pull in better ratings but then ends up falling for Kominami during a tragically funny cooking class.
I was expecting more from the bond between Kitazono and Kominami, to be honest...the Goofy Boss anime, which I adored, was chock-full of fanservice and genuinely sweet moments, and at points it felt like this story was going to head in that direction. But it's really just a story about an odd friendship and a guy who eventually figured out you don't have to be a certain way to be a part of the wider world.
Kominami becoming an author (through his journals, initially, at Kitazono's suggestion, and then through his own works) makes a lot of sense for someone who'd initially been cut out of school friendships because he was too book-smart and too buried in stories to relate to anyone properly. Can't say I really saw that coming, but it is fitting. Plus it provides a way for him to stay connected with everyone who'd mattered to him, who largely (other than Saionji) are a part of the publishing industry.
I liked how the gag manga reveal finally happened - Kitazono told Kominami the day he got a certificate in the mail making him a counselor, of sorts. Not a true psychologist, but something he'd put hard work into so Kominami wouldn't feel like he'd been lying to him the entire time. It was a surprisingly sweet gesture from him, and Kominami appreciated it.
One of my favorite chapters was when Kominami visited Kitazono's parents' house (mansion, they're extremely rich) and found out a bit more about Kitazono's childhood and how he'd wound up as a manga artist to begin with. He was a rich, spoiled kid who'd never had to work for anything, so when he entered manga contests and failed and failed until he succeeded, all on his own merit, it truly meant something to him. It's those little bits of extra depth that pull this series out of being too ridiculous and just a pure joke.
I have to admit I'm never the biggest fan when the humor in manga gets too punny...I don't like puns in general, but when it's wordplay in translation, it just...doesn't really work. The whole haiku chapter was kind of a bust on that count.
Not a top favorite like I was kind of hoping it would be, but it was fun, and I'm glad I discovered it. Now here's hoping the Goofy Boss manga is as wonderful as the anime was.
It's...honestly pretty chunky to read all in one go, so I took a break about halfway through to read some other things. I was also starting to wear out a little bit on the gag manga format, especially when it got to the kind of stupid plotline of Kominami's uncle disappearing from his life for 12 years because of some silly comment he'd made as a kid. And then the reunion being a bit anticlimactic after all of that.
But there was a lot I really enjoyed. The central setup is that Kominami is a painfully shy "shlocken" (shy lonely chicken...I think it's a made up word for this series?) who sits around in his apartment, reading classical literature and avoiding real life while his family pays his bills. His mother finally tells him she's cutting him off and that he needs to get a job, which sends him into a panic and then, fortuitously, into a partnership with a gag manga artist who wants to gain inspiration from his sholocken lifestyle.
Except Kominami is painfully sweet and naive, too, and assumes that Kitazono is actually a psychologist who's writing a book about how to help shlocken overcome their difficulties and reenter society. He happily accepts every "mission" Kitazono assigns him, writing a journal of his activities, which Kitazono uses to write his gag manga. (Which would basically be this series.)
In the process, Kitazono actually does help Kominami reenter the world, gaining confidence and an odd assortment of actual friends. This includes Kitazono's editor and assistants, another socially awkward mangaka, and a celebrity chef who pretends to be flamboyantly gay in order to pull in better ratings but then ends up falling for Kominami during a tragically funny cooking class.
I was expecting more from the bond between Kitazono and Kominami, to be honest...the Goofy Boss anime, which I adored, was chock-full of fanservice and genuinely sweet moments, and at points it felt like this story was going to head in that direction. But it's really just a story about an odd friendship and a guy who eventually figured out you don't have to be a certain way to be a part of the wider world.
Kominami becoming an author (through his journals, initially, at Kitazono's suggestion, and then through his own works) makes a lot of sense for someone who'd initially been cut out of school friendships because he was too book-smart and too buried in stories to relate to anyone properly. Can't say I really saw that coming, but it is fitting. Plus it provides a way for him to stay connected with everyone who'd mattered to him, who largely (other than Saionji) are a part of the publishing industry.
I liked how the gag manga reveal finally happened - Kitazono told Kominami the day he got a certificate in the mail making him a counselor, of sorts. Not a true psychologist, but something he'd put hard work into so Kominami wouldn't feel like he'd been lying to him the entire time. It was a surprisingly sweet gesture from him, and Kominami appreciated it.
One of my favorite chapters was when Kominami visited Kitazono's parents' house (mansion, they're extremely rich) and found out a bit more about Kitazono's childhood and how he'd wound up as a manga artist to begin with. He was a rich, spoiled kid who'd never had to work for anything, so when he entered manga contests and failed and failed until he succeeded, all on his own merit, it truly meant something to him. It's those little bits of extra depth that pull this series out of being too ridiculous and just a pure joke.
I have to admit I'm never the biggest fan when the humor in manga gets too punny...I don't like puns in general, but when it's wordplay in translation, it just...doesn't really work. The whole haiku chapter was kind of a bust on that count.
Not a top favorite like I was kind of hoping it would be, but it was fun, and I'm glad I discovered it. Now here's hoping the Goofy Boss manga is as wonderful as the anime was.
November 8, 2025
Ah yes, right at the end of the year, and I know what my longest book of the year on Goodreads Wrapped is going to be XD
It's actually crazy that Ichikawa-sensei, mangaka behind My New Boss is Goofy, a manga about a man emotionally healing after being physically and emotionally abused by his power-harassing boss, also created a manga ABOUT a man being physically and emotionally abused by his power-harassing boss... and that's Shut-In Shoutarou Kominami!
A lot of this was kind of difficult to read. Yes, Shoutarou is a difficult person because he's such an untreated agoraphobe that even simple tasks are impossible for him. But two words kept coming up in my head as I read this: "mean spirited". A lot of this manga is incredibly mean spirited and involves punching down on people who are struggling. Even if Shoutarou is difficult, he's essentially being bullied in each chapter by someone he's put his trust in, and that's really hard to read. The other protagonist, Kitazono, is such an insufferable asshole-- he treats Shoutaoru like he's subhuman just because he's mentally ill. Sometimes that felt downright upsetting. The ending of the manga tries to twist this into something that's all been a fun adventure, but it really is a horrific situation if you think about it for more than two seconds.
With these big flaws in mind, I will say too though... a lot of parts of this were pretty damn heartwarming. I especially loved the chapter where they practice making haikus, and the introduction of Shoutarou's uncle, who just loves him more than anything regardless of his behavior and phobias. Their relationship ended up being so heartwarming. The book definitely got better in the latter half once our full cast of characters really solidified, and the ways in which Shoutarou is growing becomes more apparent.
I'll be real -- I struggle with agoraphobia, have for years, so I saw myself in Shoutarou in many ways. And I appreciate the fact that the manga doesn't try to cure him of it, or provide a magic solution to ease his anxiety. He just... does it scared. Exposure therapy and allowing yourself to make mistakes and embarrass yourself, doing anything but hiding away in your house, is such a powerful way to conquer agoraphobia. So when I saw him bumbling his way through, it made me smile and think to myself, "He's actually doing it! Good job!"... which made me realize that my times going out and being brave, even if I felt like a failure for making social mistakes, are such a "I'm really doing it!" moment too, worthy of being celebrated.
I feel like this manga is good for people who are fans of Life Lessons with Uramichi Onii-san. Something that's a little edgy, very funny, but also heartwarming at times. Also, I love Ichikawa-sensei's art style very much, and the character designs in this one were charming. I will miss this cast a little bit!!! Glad I could finish before the end of the year, too. What a ride!
It's actually crazy that Ichikawa-sensei, mangaka behind My New Boss is Goofy, a manga about a man emotionally healing after being physically and emotionally abused by his power-harassing boss, also created a manga ABOUT a man being physically and emotionally abused by his power-harassing boss... and that's Shut-In Shoutarou Kominami!
A lot of this was kind of difficult to read. Yes, Shoutarou is a difficult person because he's such an untreated agoraphobe that even simple tasks are impossible for him. But two words kept coming up in my head as I read this: "mean spirited". A lot of this manga is incredibly mean spirited and involves punching down on people who are struggling. Even if Shoutarou is difficult, he's essentially being bullied in each chapter by someone he's put his trust in, and that's really hard to read. The other protagonist, Kitazono, is such an insufferable asshole-- he treats Shoutaoru like he's subhuman just because he's mentally ill. Sometimes that felt downright upsetting. The ending of the manga tries to twist this into something that's all been a fun adventure, but it really is a horrific situation if you think about it for more than two seconds.
With these big flaws in mind, I will say too though... a lot of parts of this were pretty damn heartwarming. I especially loved the chapter where they practice making haikus, and the introduction of Shoutarou's uncle, who just loves him more than anything regardless of his behavior and phobias. Their relationship ended up being so heartwarming. The book definitely got better in the latter half once our full cast of characters really solidified, and the ways in which Shoutarou is growing becomes more apparent.
I'll be real -- I struggle with agoraphobia, have for years, so I saw myself in Shoutarou in many ways. And I appreciate the fact that the manga doesn't try to cure him of it, or provide a magic solution to ease his anxiety. He just... does it scared. Exposure therapy and allowing yourself to make mistakes and embarrass yourself, doing anything but hiding away in your house, is such a powerful way to conquer agoraphobia. So when I saw him bumbling his way through, it made me smile and think to myself, "He's actually doing it! Good job!"... which made me realize that my times going out and being brave, even if I felt like a failure for making social mistakes, are such a "I'm really doing it!" moment too, worthy of being celebrated.
I feel like this manga is good for people who are fans of Life Lessons with Uramichi Onii-san. Something that's a little edgy, very funny, but also heartwarming at times. Also, I love Ichikawa-sensei's art style very much, and the character designs in this one were charming. I will miss this cast a little bit!!! Glad I could finish before the end of the year, too. What a ride!
April 19, 2024
4/24 This took me a while to get through - for some reason it felt really long (and I've read collected series before) - but it was a fun and funny story that wasn't too cringe-worthy (secondhand embarrassment is unpleasant for me) and had a really sweet ending. Glad I pushed through and read the whole thing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews