About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series My Purrfect Boss!.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to domestic abuse, blackmail, sexual assault, drugs, drugging, violence, attempted rape, and dubious consent (dubcon) as it appears in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Sunwoo has just graduated, and what tremendous luck! He's also just earned his first corporate position out of college. Bonus: he's got a super cute and cool manager, Manager Kang, whom he's super pumped to work for. Unfortunately, Sunwoo is struggling to make it work in this new environment. He's clumsy, makes careless mistakes, and, as a result, ends up as enemy number one to his beloved Manager Kang.
Desperate to at least get back into his boss's good graces, Sunwoo takes every chance he can to apologize and make it up to Manager Kang. Unfortunately, most of Sunwoo's effort leads to only more clumsy mistakes and awkward encounters, pushing Manager Kang further away from him. To drown his woes, Sunwoo goes drinking. On his way to his next location, he sees Manager Kang having dinner alone. As desperate as ever, he rushes in and offers to pour Manager Kang a drink.
Just as every attempt has gone thus far, this one ends in total disaster. Sunwoo ends up spilling alcohol all over Manager Kang's lap, and in his drunken stupor, Sunwoo tries to clean it up, which puts him in an intimate and awkward position. Flushed and panicked, Manager Kang rushes out with Sunwoo chasing close behind. It is in a nearby alleyway that Sunwoo discovers Manager Kang's big secret: he is a cat anthromorph. With this new information, Sunwoo is drawn to Manager Kang more than ever, but how can Sunwoo tame this feral cat?
Review:
As always, let's start with the art. The art is stunning during the sex scenes, but it is either pretty plain or rough every other time. Manager Kang, in particular, often looks super disproportionate with his slicked-back hair and cat-like features. It does get better throughout the series and does look really lovely in future panels, but it still isn't the cleanest art I've ever seen in manhwa. It also isn't all that detailed and often looks really flat with minimal shading. Those sex scenes are perfection, though, especially for Manager Kang. He looks delectable, to say the least. You can tell that Cuke Soap really took their time during the sex scenes, and I thank them so much for that because it is lovely.
I have to talk about their personalities next. These are pretty trope-y characters, which isn't surprising based on how short this is (38 episodes, including the side stories), which doesn't leave much in the way of character development or exploration. As a result, we end up with Manager Kang as the stereotypical, cat-like tsundere bottom character and Sunwoo as the more dog-like, clumsy, but sweet top character for the first season. That classic combination works very well, but it doesn't get much deeper than that. If you like deep character studies or large swaths of character development, then you will most certainly be disappointed. This relies heavily on our preconceived notions of character tropes so the story can focus on the sex and what little narrative movement there is.
The unfortunate part of relying so heavily on these character tropes is that they almost seem like exaggerated versions of them, which I know is for comedy. However, I can very easily see how it could be perceived as cringy rather than comedic, particularly with how unnecessarily angry Manager Kang gets and just how clueless and clumsy Sunwoo is. I am particularly susceptible to cringe and will often have to take breaks when reading something that is too cringe-y. I didn't have to in this case, but I definitely would find myself twinging over some of the comedic scenes in this.
During the second season, it is worth noting that Manager Kang's tsundere trope seems to disappear almost entirely, which is a bit odd, but it was equally refreshing to see more than just the tsundere. Similarly, we get to see a jealous and gloomy Sunwoo, which doesn't stray too far from the dog-like trope but does add some level of dimension to his character, which is much needed. Unfortunately, Manager Cha, the big bad of this story, doesn't get the same treatment and is just an evil asshole for the sake of being an evil asshole. I wish we could have seen more of his relationship beyond the abuse he subjected Manager Kang to just to help give more of a background to his character, give Manager Kang more of a background, and just to fill out the world more. Finally, the idea of anthromorphs is cool, but it just felt like a second thought rather than a well-thought-out story element.
Results:
This is one of those good, short, sexy times without much substance. It's still a fun time, but don't expect to come away feeling like you've gone through a profound journey. I think it tries to do that with some of the darker elements, but it's so short that those moments can't have the staying power or depth they need to make a lasting emotional impact. It feels more like they were there for shock value than anything else. I think Manager Kang and the sex scenes are worth the read but don't expect much substance beyond that.
Have you read My Purrfect Boss!? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!