Haru Yonezawa is an outstanding office manager who is looked up to by all of his teammates. He seems to be calm, cool, and collected, never getting his feathers ruffled by his grouchy boss. The truth is though, he has a secret hobby that he would die if anyone found out about it. Every night, after a long, stressful day at work, he unwinds by dressing up and roleplaying… as a dog. Looking for a new “master” to help meet his needs, he calls upon a call-girl, and who shows up, but none other than one of his subordinates from work!

Yonezawa-san is Done Being Human is a quirky, out-of-the-box office romance that leaves the reader intrigued from the get-go. The reader is introduced to a seemingly normal, straight-laced office manager who oversees pet products, only to be immediately immersed in Haru Yonezawa’s roleplay as a pet dog. This roleplay is part of his daily routine to de-stress from work and to help him “forget all the pain and suffering of being a human.”

After Haru’s girlfriend of the past year suddenly comes over and discovers his secret, she leaves him for keeping such a “gross” hobby. Despondent and a mess over the whole situation, Haru gives up his roleplaying hobby for an entire month, until it starts affecting his work life. After a night of drinking at home, he works up the nerve to try to find a girl online with whom he can share his hobby with. He schedules a house-call with a puppy owner call-girl, who, in a surprising twist, just so happens to be one of his subordinates from work, Shizuku Mitani.

After some embarrassing exchanges, they decide to go through with the initial roleplay, but things get a little out of hand after Haru gets a bit carried away, and starts licking Mitani. What follows is probably the only typical trope in this series, where the two return to the office the next day, unsure of how to act or present themselves. As the reader follows this pair, the peculiar relationship finds new boundaries as Haru discovers that Mitani actually has a boyfriend.

This story is intriguing as our characters find themselves in situations your average office worker wouldn’t dream of encountering, and the brief peeks of happiness the reader sees in Haru as he roleplays is a bit endearing. This office romance with a twist will keep the reader on the edge of their seat as each new unbelievable situation unfolds.

The characters are surprisingly cute and wholesome as they blunder their way through the awkward situations they find themselves in, while also coming across earnest and relatable. This story brings to light the positives of having a quirky hobby, and the benefits of surrounding yourself with others who enjoy the same things you do.

Overall, this story is endearing and quirky, and a good read for those looking to spice up their reading lists with something a little off-the-wall and out of the ordinary. Readers are guaranteed to be in for a wild ride as this offbeat office romance takes off in Yonezawa-san is Done Being Human.

Review by Alexandra Lang