Thank You for Taking Care of Our Boy Banri Volume 1 Review

“As the manager of a famous talent, you spend your days in a glamorous world, surrounded by dazzling people. It sounds like quite the dream job. But those dreams are a big fat lie.”

Love and Heart mangaka Chitose Kaido returns to the West with the new manga Thank You for Taking Care of Our Boy Banri, which follows a college student turned temporary talent manager. But does this new Yen Press series impress? Let’s find out!

Our story follows Nanase Akashi, who is using her summer break to work as a temporary manager in her sister’s talent agency. She’s been paired with Banri Narita, a rising star who has quickly become the face of the agency. He’s known for his good looks, polished acting skills and all-round friendliness on set. However, the real Banri is nothing like his persona. When it’s just Banri and Nanase alone, he quickly becomes demanding, uncaring and a total tyrant. Nanase is beginning to see why he can’t seem to keep a manager for long…

The real problem is that Banri sees Nanase as just another fangirl, and his biggest concern is that she won’t be able to keep up and will only prove a nuisance to him. To her, it’s only a summer job, but Banri argues that his life depends on her abilities. And although they fight like cat and dog, Nanase has absolutely no intention of letting Banri’s attitude stand in the way of her doing her best. This might be a temporary role, but she does dream of working in the entertainment industry after college.

As Volume 1 goes on, Nanase does begin to gain Banri’s respect, and ultimately she finds herself being placed in the role of his manager part-time even after returning to college. Banri is still often overly demanding, but he understands that she’ll go above and beyond for him when he really needs it. And Nanase is starting to see that for all Banri’s faults, he takes his work incredibly seriously. That and his tyrannical ways might be a front to protect himself from the harsher sides of the industry.

This is a shojo series currently running in LaLa magazine, so of course there’s a sprinkle of romance here and there. Nanase was a big fan of Banri prior to meeting him, and despite what he puts her through, she can’t help but be smitten with him in his more vulnerable moments where he gives her a glimpse of his true feelings. But the focus for this first instalment certainly isn’t on any kind of relationship between the two; instead, it’s on the ups and downs of managing a talent like him.

Of course this isn’t a series like [Oshi no Ko], which goes to great lengths to depict the twisted nature of the entertainment industry. But it doesn’t pretend it’s all sunshine and rainbows, either. There’s a dramatic storyline involving the tabloids posting fake news about Banri and Nanase, which feels somewhat stereotypical of the genre, but it is certainly rooted in truth, as these things do happen. The tabloid reporters are absolutely ruthless in Japan.

I also like that Nanase is a slightly older lead. Often these romances involving actors/idols, etc., mean the talent being quite young (like in Tamon’s B-Side) or having an age gap. But Nanase being college-age and looking to get work experience in the industry makes a lot more sense for how she got into this position rather than having to contrive a reason. And it allows Kaido to create more mature storylines, if they wish to.

The series started life as a one-shot that then became a serialisation after popular demand, so we have four chapters in this volume which include the ‘Chapter 0’ that started it all. While I’m not a huge fan of Banri due to his attitude (though he is growing on me!), I do really like the story Kaido has going here. Especially coupled with the artwork, which feels very polished and flows well. The character designs for Banri and Nanase are both attractive and expressive, and given their experience, Kaido is good at using two-page spreads to capture the most important moments and ensuring they shine. Certainly by the end of the volume you find yourself rooting for these two.

As mentioned, Thank You for Taking Care of Our Boy Banri Volume 1 comes to the West thanks to Yen Press and has been translated by Athena and Alethea Nibley with lettering by Dietrich Premier. The release reads well, and I think the translating duo did a good job of capturing the back-and-forth bickering of the two leads. No extras to speak of, which is a shame, but it doesn’t look like there was anything on the Japanese side either.

The series is ongoing in Japan with 5 volumes currently available. Sadly, here in English Volume 2 doesn’t appear to be in the schedule for the rest of the year, so, like several other Yen Press series, we’ll be waiting until 2027 to carry on the story. Given how much I enjoyed this first volume, I’m on the hook for more, but it is disappointing not to have any more to look forward to anytime soon.

Overall, Thank You for Taking Care of Our Boy Banri is off to an interesting start. Some readers are likely to be turned off by Banri’s attitude, but with actor/manager stories being so popular, I think there are plenty of shojo fans who will really enjoy this. Especially given Nanase is a slightly older lead than we tend to see, which is refreshing in its own right.

A free preview can be read on the publisher’s website.
Our review copy was supplied by Yen Press
©Chitose Kaido / HAKUSENSHA Inc