Yall, if you don't like it, don't read it :)

Imma preface this by saying that this is more of a general response to ur points which r rlly commonly regurgitated among a certain type of bl manhwa and manga fan. So know that at the v least I'm not aiming to insult u + this reply is gonna be long lol.

1. I agree that there's been a trend of "calling out" and immediately assuming that stories featuring problematic/sensitive themes r romanticising said themes, which is probably linked to the decrease in media literacy. HOWEVER, while portrayl doesn't necessarily equal endorsement, portrayl of problematic themes also doesn't equal story depth and inaccurate portrayls only serve to further strengthen stereotypes. My point being that pretending that a story has more depth bc it features sa/rape or telling ppl "if u don't like it, don't read it" r just as anti-intellectual as immediately writing off the story as bad bc of those themes (and tbh there r VERY few bl stories or stories in general i can name that even passably depict sa/rape and mental illness so I can even somewhat understand the assumption).

2. Maybe I'm reading too much into what ur saying but I've definitely seen some readers feeling superior that the manhwas/gas they read r more gory, contain darker topics and r overall more graphic and looking down on ppl that just wanna read fluff. Different ppl have different tolerances and can v validly want to avoid reading stories w rape/sa. Also, being desensitised to reading abt horrofic things rlly isn't a flex (yes ik u said thay should just go read fluff of that's what they want but this is more abt the WAY that u said it than what u said). And quite honestly, while I'm also tired of the no plot, no depth, no drama, just fluff stories, I'm also tired of the mc does smth that the ml doesn't like, ml sas him, mc and ml live happily ever after rinse and repeat "plot". It's just as boring imo.

3. The ppl ur complaining abt r ur peers. They have read the manhwa and have just as much of a right to give their opinion in the comments section as u do. Just bc u don't agree w their opinion doesn't make them "pissy angry losers". Circling back to my 1st point, the reason I said the "if u don't like it, don't read/ comment" attitude is anti-intellctual is bc it encourages the formation of echo chambers, which is exactly what ur issue seems to be; u don't want anyone to say anything negative abt the manhwa, however I think it's interesting to hear abt different perspectives + it prevents u from becoming stuck in a thought pattern. I do understand that hearing the same shit over and over again abt how the sa is disgusting can get annoying + yes wanting to assault the author is too far but that still doesn't mean any criticism abt the same is invalid.

4. No one is stopping u from reading and enjoying the story and the whole "ur ruining this for me" response to criticism rlly is just guilt trip-y lmao

THISSSSS THANK YOU you literally worded it PERFECTLY

Saying while they’re basically calling out the problematic romanticization of abusive behavior..something can have just as much depth and lore without raping or threatening to kys to a partner that’s about to leave you..it’s not in-depths and gorey, it’s problematic..and even then-I agree, it’s still a book and you get to like it but you have no say in other peoples opinions on that matter, respectfully..

You put this in words so well omg thanks

Tbh I agree with the previous person who said that there are too many comments about how this story is awful because it has sa and is a dark romance. Not saying that people have to shut up and not comment (freedom of speech and all that), but going to the comment section and constantly seeing only those types of comments instead of a discussion about the actual story gets old really fast. I think it is very clear from tags that this is a toxic romance. They chose to read a toxic story instead of a healthy one, so how is commenting that "toxic romance is bad" is intellectual? Of course it's bad irl. That's why people come to enjoy it in a fictional world not a real one. I think it is an interesting discussion of why people enjoy these types of stories, but these sorts of discussions are better as video essays or topics on online forums. It's like deciding to follow a recipe for strawberry cake, when you don't like strawberries and then rating the recipe one star because of that. I just think that it's redundant commenting how this story is unhealthy when it clearly shows it in the tags

I do understand your point but based on my experience, I love it when people have the same opinion as me and just express it in three simple words though it would be nice to talk about the actual story and what’s happening and talking about why this is wrong and this would make sense instead of arguing about it with people who think otherwise.. usually when people read a toxic romance, they think that maybe there’s gonna be something to redeem the book.. so like a red redemption arc.
When I start reading toxic, I have hopes that they learn later on that what they did was fucked up and they both grow as people and not some boring old cliché manipulation shit that happens in every other typical “toxic” book.. but then again that’s just my opinion and if you don’t like it, you can just keep scrolling until you find one that you actually like and would love to reply to, or post your own that you would like to have a conversation or discussion on that has to do with the book instead of complaining about other people sharing how they feel about a book.. some people may be tired of others complaining about how this is toxic and nasty behavior just the same way as how people who would think It’s nasty and disgusting behavior would probably be annoyed at people normalizing this shit in the comments as well, it goes both ways.
/pos

I get what ur saying, i.e. I agree that the same repetitive ass comments complaining abt the same thing get annoying, but I would say that these comments do serve a purpose; ppl who r thinking abt reading the manhwa and read the comments to determine if they should r warned abt the sa/rape/other sensitive themes that they may wanna avoid. Furthermore, I would say that ur strawberry cake vs toxic stories comparison isn't actually 1:1. Ofc some ppl probably do read this despite knowing they won't like it just to rate it badly BUT some ppl may just be trying to give smth new a go or they may actually like toxic stories and r just disappointed at the poor execution. Taking me as an example lol, when I look for a toxic story, i want smth that explores each character's viewpoint and thought patterns to show y their relationship is toxic. I also prefer mutual toxicity without a power imbalance. So by my standards this story is actually mediocre to bad despite me not disliking toxicity. Smth else I wanna add is that a story setting out to be a "dark romance" or "toxic" does not excuse glamorosation of rape, sa, mental illness, etc + imo saying smth is a dark romance is often just a way for the author to avoid responsibility for shitty writing, i.e. lazy characterisation and reinforcement of misogynistic stereotypes (I'm thinking abt booktok dark romance books when i say this btw). All in all, I'd argue that the case is more that someone is trying to bake a strawberry cake and uses a bad recipe and then leaves a bad review as a result. Like, unfortunately not all stories r unrightfully "hated" lmao

I think that's the point - toxic romances can go two ways: they either have some sort of redemption and/or growth or they can go on a darker route where the toxicity persists and maybe gets worse. Both kinds of story telling is valid, but only the latter gets hate. I think at the point where you can see there's no redemption, the people who like the healthier variety should understand that it's just not their cup of tea and move on rather than keep reading and hating on the story. Personally I like both types.
And I don't mind comments saying they don't like the manhwa, but when it's pages upon pages of those types of comments and they're not even about why the story is bad itself, but that toxic romance is bad, it's just too much. I struggle to even find comments about the actual comic. And I think that I and the other commenter have the right to say that the comments are getting too saturated with the hatred towards the toxic genre just like you said you have the right to comment that you don't like it. I am not trying to say that people shouldn't share their opinions about the book, but that they should restrain themselves from flooding the comment section with the same comments not relating to the chapters.
And I don't think that discussing the most recent chapters is normalising toxic relationships. Personally as an adult I'm just capable of discerning that this is fiction and irl this sort of behaviour would be inexcusable.
Btw I'm not trying to hate on you, just have a calm discussion