Bara Workplace Romance Manga “Who’s Got Dibs on the New Guy?” Review

Brett H.
May 14
3 min read

There’s a very specific kind of pull that bara workplace romance stories live on. Somebody starts a new job, walks into a room full of giant men with zero boundaries, and suddenly their entire workday turns into flirting, panic, and absolute disaster. “Who’s Got Dibs on the New Guy?” by Terujirou understands that formula perfectly and pushes it hard from the start.

Kou Ohya is not trying to become the center of attention. He just started working as an assistant for photographer Atsushi Tokuyama, and he already feels out of place. Kou’s built like a tank, but mentally he’s way more awkward and nervous than the people around him. That contrast becomes the entire joke and appeal of the manga.

Three animated men in a playful embrace. One man looks surprised with his shirt open, revealing muscles. Text reads, "Who's got dibs on the new guy?"

Buy Who Gets Dibs on the New Guy?

Why This Bara Workplace Romance Works So Well

The setup spirals fast when a model fails to show up for a shoot. Atsushi decides Kou should fill in instead, and the situation immediately shifts from workplace comedy into aggressive flirting and sexual tension. Kou spends most of the manga trying to process what’s happening while Atsushi completely steamrolls him with confidence.

Black-and-white manga panels from the bara workplace romance manga “Who’s Got Dibs on the New Guy?” showing Kou Ohya posing during a photography session. The scenes focus on muscular adult male characters, awkward modeling poses, and close-up expressions as Kou struggles through the intense studio environment, with Boys Love Universe branding in the corner.

What makes this work as a bara workplace romance is how chaotic the office environment feels. Nobody acts normal. Everybody seems way too comfortable crossing lines, teasing Kou, or openly checking him out. The story keeps throwing him into situations where he’s flustered, embarrassed, or overwhelmed while the men around him treat everything like business as usual.

The Twin Brother Twist

Then the manga gets even messier once Kou realizes Atsushi has a twin brother, Kazushi. That’s where the “Who’s got dibs?” part really kicks in. Instead of one dominant older guy chasing after Kou, now there are two of them circling him from different angles. The manga turns into a loud, competitive mess of flirting, jealousy, and workplace tension.

The Art Style for a Bara Worplace Romance

Terujirou’s art carries a huge part of the appeal. The men are thick, hairy, muscular, and expressive in that classic bara style. Kou especially stands out because he looks physically intimidating while emotionally falling apart every few pages. The facial expressions sell almost every scene. Half the comedy comes from Kou realizing way too late what kind of situation he walked into.

The Photography Studio Setting and Bara Fanservice

The photography studio setting also gives the manga a reason to focus heavily on posing, body presentation, and physical attention. A lot of the early scenes revolve around Kou being adjusted, positioned, stared at, or told how to move his body. That power imbalance becomes part of the flirtation, especially because Kou is inexperienced compared to the people around him.

Manga panels from the bara workplace romance manga “Who’s Got Dibs on the New Guy?” showing Kou Ohya during a tense photo shoot with photographer Atsushi Tokuyama. The black-and-white pages feature muscular adult men, close physical posing, and exaggerated comedic reactions in a studio setting, with Boys Love Universe branding in the corner.

At the same time, the story never feels especially serious. Even when things get heated, the tone stays playful and exaggerated. The manga knows it’s ridiculous. It leans into misunderstandings, over-the-top reactions, and the absurdity of Kou accidentally becoming the obsession of multiple giant men at work.

Three electronic products with pink accents on a dark patterned background. "LOVENSE" is centered in bold pink text.

Fans of Bara Workplace Romance Will Probably Love This

Fans looking for bara workplace romance manga with dominant older men, muscular character designs, and messy office hookups will probably have a good time with this one. It moves quickly, wastes almost no time getting into the tension, and keeps stacking awkward situations on top of each other until Kou barely knows what’s happening anymore.

“Who’s Got Dibs on the New Guy?” feels horny, funny, awkward, and packed with the kind of oversized bara art that Terujirou fans usually show up for in the first place.