Size difference out of this world: ITKZ’s “The Titan’s Bride”

Read on Renta!

Japanese Title: Kyouzinzoku no Hanayome・ 巨人族の花嫁

ITKZ’s Twitter (X) / pixiv / fantia

It’s finally time for me to rant/write about my not-so-guilty pleasure in the Renta! catalog: ITKZ’s “The Titan’s Bride”.

(When I announced my intention, Sou jeered at me from behind her huge monitor, “You’re finally going there??”)

I still remember when news of an animation adaptation had taken some corners of Tumblr by storm way-back-when; now, this manga is past the 30 chapter mark and still going on. One reviewer on Renta! brilliantly describes it as a “shamelessly smutty fever dream”—but I would argue that enough fantasy story-building has gone into that good-ol’ isekai flavor that there’s enough plot to pad and support the gratuitous, giant x normal human smut. The art is wonderful, too; as someone who got into BL from reading shonen doujinshi, it gives me the same vibe. Coincidentally, ITKZ seems to be also active in doujinshi-selling events.

So, anyway, come with me into this review to talk about isekai and, uh… macrophilia.

Our story revolves around Kouichi, a high-school senior that’s just retired from his school’s basketball club to focus on his finals. The narrative emphasizes that Kouichi is admired by all, TALL, desired by girls, TALL, also dare I say he’s well-endowed down there, and did I mention TALL?

All of those traits are emphasized just for them to be toppled, when a ritual whisks him away from home and straight into a fantasy world called Eustil—where he’s immediately surrounded by humanoid, tanned giants. The tallest and most-intimidating of them all introduces himself as Caius, the first prince of the titan kingdom, Tildant, and announces that he summoned Kouichi there to be his bride. Then, he proceeds to marvel at how tiny his stature and a particular part of him are, and takes him away to bed for Kouichi to get his first nuptial experience… but the sight of Kouichi’s crying face stops Caius before he goes too far.

Caius is the beloved King-to-be, but, when he was supposed to marry his childhood friend, a prophecy warned that if Caius was ever bound in a union with someone from Eustil, the world would perish. Without a spouse, however, Caius would not be able to become the King of the titans, who value “prosperity” (and therefore fertility, love, family, etc.) over all. As a result, Caius had to resort to summoning “his fated bride” from a different world… and that ended up being the bewildered and wholly unwilling Kouichi.

The two come to an agreement—for one month, Caius will refrain from going all the way with him; until that time is up, Kouichi must make up his mind about staying or not.

A lot of things happen to bring the two together, ranging from a poisoning by a mythical aphrodisiac to visiting the country of beastmen. Caius’s love-at-first-sight aside, he does his best to take care of Kouichi, and, Kouichi, in turn, starts appreciating Caius and the kingdom of Tildant. Admittedly, as one who enjoys darker stories, their relationship might be too fluffy for my usual tastes, because they’re both pure, adorable himbos that love and support each other without fail; but, there’s always room in one’s heart for one such lovey-dovey tale.

While one could argue that the speed in which Kouichi goes from not wanting to be a bride to declaring his love for Caius is a little too sudden (which, to be honest, is not uncommon in romance stories), the attention that ITKZ brings to the table in this fantasy world makes up for it all. Eustil is so well thought-out that it can even give the furries in the audience a lot of elements and characters to be excited about.

But, setting furries aside, we need to address the titan in the room.

Though many would consider the attraction to giants a niche, The Hub’s frequently searched terms would prove you wrong; it’s called “macrophilia”, refers to the attraction to giants/giantesses, and boasts a very robust online community. Not to be confused with its twin, “microphilia”, which is the reverse, the attraction to tinies; the two go hand-in-hand, called upon as “Macro/Micro” (look up the tag on Ao3 and marvel at what comes up).

While “size difference” is a common appeal for many BL readers, it’s not quite the same as “size kink” (or saizu fechi in Japanese) which would be the equivalent of what English-speaking netizens refer to as “macro/micro”. However, our dear “Titan’s Bride” manages to snuggle right between those two categories, as Caius is only about double Kouichi’s size (what macrophiles refer to as a mini giant). With the repetitive emphasis on Kouichi’s comparatively small stature and physical weakness, it’s easy to tell that their size difference is part of the appeal—just, don’t make it a natural size difference, but one that only a fantasy setting can provide.

If size difference is your jam, “The Titan’s Bride” going a step further with it might open up new possibilities. If you’re a casual enjoyer of the isekai trope, ITKZ has you covered. If you enjoy stories of couples where both partners are sweet himbos in love, then this one is for you. And if you’re in for a long story with multiple chapters, then you’re in for a ride, because there are even more chapters to come!