REVIEW: ‘My New Boss Is Goofy’ Episode 3 — “Paws Paws Paws”

Animated by A-1 Pictures,  My New Boss is Goofy (Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen) is here to take the Buddy Daddies-sized hole in the Fall anime season, and it only gets cuter in Episode 3. A workplace comedy that uses romantic comedy elements to tell the story of Kentaro Momose (Koutaro Nishiyama), a man debilitated by trauma from his last boss and his new boss Yusei Shirosaki (Yuuichirou Umehara), who is as clumsy as he is compassionate. Last episode, Momose and Shirosaki went to an amusement park on assignment and bonded over the night sky when the train back broke down.

Now, in My New Boss is Goofy Episode 3, “Paws Paws Paws,” the boyfriend energy of the duo grows even stronger when they find an abandoned cat in a box. Only Shirosaki hasn’t met a cat that didn’t hiss at him. Told from the perspective of the cat and Momose, this episode gives audiences a window into who Shirosaki is outside of the office. While the audience gets moments of boyfriend moments like Shirosaki obsessing over Momose, briefly asking how the cat is, and then giving him the key to his house on the train to work, Episode 3 is about Shirosaki as a character.

As a series, we’ve learned deeply about Momose. We’ve seen his trauma displayed in every episode and how Shirosaki’s kindness takes care of him. But up until now, we haven’t had the chance to understand why Shirosaki is that way, letting his care for others overshadow his common sense, resulting in his goofy behavior. With the cat, Shirosaki opens up his home and heart to the little thing, trying to anticipate the cat’s every need reading books to learn how to take care of his new pet.

Shirosaki’s care for his new pet comes out in all of his actions, whether it’s dropping his laundry off of the balcony because he was paying attention to the cat, hitting his shin while playing tag with it, or taking his time to come up with the right name. It’s sweet to see how much Shirosaki cares for his pet and how much he wants to involve Momose in the process. He makes the choice to name the cat Hakutou by combining his and Momose’s names, and it’s a gesture that captures their connection.

At the same time, though, My New Boss is Goofy Episode 3 is also fantastic when it comes to showcasing Shirosaki’s kindness because we see it through Hakutou’s eyes. Abused and neglected, just like Momose, this little cat is trying hard to keep his guard up and pretend that he doesn’t want to get close to a new owner after being left by his last one. It’s cute to see the dance between the two, even more so, as Shirosaki refuses to stop trying to be the best cat dad he can be.

My New Boss is Goofy Episode 3 is slow, ultimately. We only get more insight into Shirosaki’s life, and we see how the series handles how the company sees Momose and Shirosaki’s relationship. While it’s slow, it is more than enough to keep fans in love with the series. We may not see too much in the way of story development, but character development is the focus. While I wish there were a larger overarching narrative, the slice-of-life concept is something that pays off in emotion, and as we start to see other characters in the series react to Momose and Shirosaki and learn more, well there is sure to be more fun daily moments to come.

My New Boss Is Goofy Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.