As far as significant content warnings go, the title speaks for itself: this is a romance manga about a woman who falls for her employer. The good thing is that you can know pretty immediately if this is one of the romances you’d prefer avoid because it’s hardly fresh in the genre and also one of those cliches that doesn’t work for all readers. It’s more window decoration than anything, because, to be completely honest, there aren’t really any instances in which Samejima has any control over Natsumi in a professional setting, but it’s still worth mentioning.
Another important point to be aware of before starting this is that the author KamuC frequently undermines their own storyline. The plot, workplace politics excepted, is initially supposed to revolve around Samejima asking Natsumi, who is referred to as “Hamu-chan” around the office because she reminds people of a cute, active young hamster, to date him. This two-volume omnibus succeeds admirably in that regard; it’s definitely a sensual enough workplace romance manga to be released under the Steamship imprint of Seven Seas! However, this ends up being a bit of a letdown if you’re expecting something more from your romance novels than just reasonably non-graphic sex scenes. The volume is less enjoyable since KamuC establishes a number of more intricate narrative points that are eventually dropped.
The idea that Samejima should consider Natsumi’s preferences in bed instead of following his own path is foremost among these shelved plotlines. It’s nice that he stops when she wants him to, but he seems much more interested in touching the parts of her body that he likes to than the parts she finds enjoyable. For instance, she doesn’t particularly enjoy it when he plays with her breasts when they first start sleeping together. Rather of letting it go in subsequent meetings, he purchases an online ointment that claims to increase breast sensitivity. He is making an effort, to be sure, but ultimately, it’s still very much about what he wants instead of what she wants. Because this is fiction, she applies the lotion, and it works, but that’s not the goal; instead of making it a shared experience, it turns her body into a vehicle for his enjoyment.
It’s quite unlikely that KamuC intended for that to be the takeaway. Romance literature has a rather tumultuous past, and many writers, regardless of nationality, still struggle to let go of the “old school” clichés that were common in the 1970s and 1980s. (And, to be completely honest, began in 1919 with the release of The Shiek by E. M. Hull.) This is a perfect example of how difficult it is for the genre to break the notion that the woman’s body exists primarily for the guy to perform like an instrument that also delivers orgasms. As the book progresses, Samejima learns to collaborate with Natsumi more on that front, and she begins to love their physical relationship. My boss is still a giant; he handles all of my needs with incredible skill! never fully lives up to the term, and Samejima never really considers Natsumi’s needs in isolation, though he makes an effort, it must be admitted.
But My Boss is a Giant falters in the plot department even in the absence of that specific romance cliché. The narrative introduces two formidable adversaries, a guy and a female, who are both after Natsumi. Their roles are so undeveloped that the main connection is never in any way threatened by them. The impulse to include as many sex scenes as possible stymies the story’s emotional trajectory, despite the fact that emotions and sex don’t always have to conflict, especially in the romance genre. Unless you’re reading it for the sex parts, of course, Samejima and Natsumi’s story suffers since they have no reason to be in love. However, even that part is a little lacking—the picture isn’t physically comfortable enough to make that not matter, and it’s not as explicit as previous Steamship releases. Though perspective and fundamental anatomy are incorrect enough to be obvious, we’ve all seen worse.
The chibis are cute, and it’s a great idea to utilize a shark to symbolize everything Samejima (the word “same” means “shark” in Japanese), especially when it comes to his penis. The translation reads fluently and the pages are organized neatly; the only uncomfortable passages are the typical ludicrous “dirty” banter that is part of the genre. The biggest issue here is that, while it isn’t terrible, it is only mediocre compared to other TL manga that has been widely published in English. Being able to be picky at this point in the steamy-for-ladies releases doesn’t feel bad because it indicates that these releases have become much more common in English-translated manga.
The novel My Boss is a Giant is flawlessly ordinary. It doesn’t always have the best art and doesn’t have a strong storyline, but it nevertheless delivers on its promise of a sensual relationship between a small woman and her employer, a big guy. It is true that there are terrible things in the world in addition to better ones.
