Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (Novel) Vol. 2

i appreciated the pacing in this book much more, especially in where it chose to end, feeling more like a natural cliffhanger ending rather than the previous one, which felt anti-climatic and abrupt. it takes the same satirical tone throughout as the first one, and still continues to play with and subvert popular danmei tropes (while unfortunately falling prey to others, namely some possible misogyny, though the book does mildly critique misogynistic tropes. mildly.)

this entry found it's footing much easier than the other, likely because the novels are one book split up. still, if you enjoyed the first one, and don't mind an unideal romance (and if you don't.... why are you here and how did you get this far lol) you'll definitely enjoy this one.

naturally, due to the horrific working conditions the seven sea's workers were forced to endure, translation issues abound. it doesn't affect the story itself clarity wise, but odd or missing punctuation and jokes that don't land very well aren't unusual. (though that is often due to me being unfamiliar with the cultural references or turns of phrases and it being explained to me after the fact.) hopefully with the official recognition of the seven sea's union, later volumes will be better.

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teagstime's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

!!!! I put off reading this one for so long, simply because I knew it'd make me sad + I didn't want it to be over! I just absolutely adore this book 💖

Tbh my emotions are a complete mess rn, as I was ! Sooo weepy ! Throughout this volume !! I love Luo Binghe so much... He's never done anything wrong, actually, and I will accept no Binghe slander! His emotions are so so interesting and heartbreaking, and I simply can't wait for the next volume to reread the rest of his spiral 💔 (jk I can totally wait bc my heart isn't ready!)

Just the few things we got to see in this novel are already horrifying enough... Literally destroying his brain to punish himself, and doing it regularly enough that he's basically going thru the motions at this point? Not only preserving the corpse of his shizun, but sleeping with it? Despairing when he loses it bc that's 'all he has left' ?? Bro... That shit hurted💔

And ofc, everyone else was amazing too! I love love looove Shen Qingqiu, in all his stupid goofy glory. His commentary this novel truly had some bangers, I was pleased to have still laughed multiple times despite reading all this before! 🙇

Not to mention, we're finally getting some development and self-awareness! It only took him multiple years + dying to realize Luo Binghe is his own person & not the same stallion protag from PIDW! I'm so proud of him :') Now if only we could get him to reflect on his emotions for 1 (one) second.

While we're in spoiler mode, I was also ecstatic to see more Gongyi Xiao, rest his soul 💔, as well as the introduction of Zhuzhi-Lang! I love that funky lil snake dude so much. Xizhi-lang.... 🥺👉👈

Anyway!! As it's 6am, I'm not the most composed in my thoughts. I'm just having an incredible time rn
TLDR; I love this book so much 😭💘

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rensreading's review

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challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

hoooo boi did everything go to shit in this volume. i’ve read the OG translation already so i had an idea of what i was getting into, but i truly did not feel very prepared. so much was jam-packed into this. it wasn’t necessarily hard to keep track of, but some of the minor details being changed in later scenes did trip me up here and there.

i missed luo binghe so much and his unhinged era? to die for, literally. the misunderstandings trope was used to the fullest here though so if that’s not to your liking, just know its resolved 70% of the way through the volume and isn’t going to reappear in the next three volumes thankfully. im not a huge fan of it myself so i was getting annoyed that they just wouldn’t TALK to each other instead of pointing fingers.

shen qingqiu being terrified for the better part of the story was concerning, to say the least. it definitely made sense when you think of how lbh treated the original goods, but sqq failed to factor in how his ooc-ness would cause ripples in the story. specifically when it came to the kind of person he had helped mold lbh into becoming when he was his disciple.

i still find it strange as hell that lbh fell for the closet thing he had to a father figure in his life though. that’s taking daddy issues to an extreme, especially when he just keeps throwing himself at his shizun hoping that sqq will finally hold onto him. they have the potential to be great but lbh absolutely needs to learn what the fuck consent is and how to abide by it. sqq’s glass closet was funny to watch but also sad as hell. i feel like someone definitely shoved comp-het shit down his throat as a child and its stuck with him ever since.

as for the majority of the content warnings, i cant even begin to explain them so i won’t. just know they’re a part of this and if you can’t handle that, skip this book and move on with life. this is one of mxtx’s funnier novels but the tone shift in this volume has left little room for humor. its reads a bit like a soap opera, which isn’t bad. just means its extra dramatic in front of a crowd when it really doesn’t need to be.

oh and lqg? i would die for him. its so obvious he has a crush on sqq. and the fighting with lbh because they’re jealous? very obviously a shitty wife plot point sqh cooked up and i will not be thanking airplane for that

once again, fuck the system!

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aardwyrm's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The weird silly joke MXTX continues to quietly be the most messed up. Problematic AF. Very satisfying.

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