The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

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“Can’t I properly read stallion novels anymore!”

Shen Yuan transmigrated into someone who’d tormented the young male lead almost to death, the scum villain Shen Qingqiu.

It must be known, the original Shen Qingqiu ended up being carved alive by his disciple, Luo Binghe, into a human stick, a human stick!

Ten thousand “f*ck your moms” rampaged through Shen Qingqiu’s heart:

“It’s not that I don’t want to cling to the male lead’s thighs, but who made him so f*cking black. The type who seeks thousand-fold retribution!”

Why have all the female lead’s scenes been forcibly given to him.

Why, as a scum villain, does he need to constantly sacrifice himself, blocking knife and gun for the protagonist!

Shen Qingqiu: “…I think I can still save him, one more time.”

Associated Names
One entry per line
Chuan Shu Zijiu Zhinan [Animation]
Hệ Thống Tự Cứu Của Nhân Vật Phản Diện
Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong
Scumbag System [Animation]
SVSSS
Система «Спаси-Себя-Сам» для Главного Злодея
Система власного порятунку для мерзотного лиходія
ตัวร้ายอย่างข้า...จะหนีเอาตัวรอดยังไงดี
クズ悪役の自己救済システム
人渣反派自救系统
穿书自救指南 [Animation]
인사반파자구계통
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me (35)
Transmigrating into a Mob Character to Rehabilitate the Villain Plan (33)
The Reader and Protagonist Definitely Have to Be in True Love (31)
The Founder of Diabolism (24)
The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (14)
Who Dares Slander My Senior Brother (14)
Recommendation Lists
  1. read/reading
  2. Completed
  3. BL + GL
  4. Have read
  5. Read it

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redknight2004
redknight2004 rated it
December 28, 2018
Status: c47
I love this series so far, especially the MC, the ML's 'Shizun'. The MC is hilarious, extremely so, especially when he just cries over some of the character's s*upidity while improvising with a straight face. My favorite type of character, let me tell you. The ML is kinda obsessive that it scares me a little, but the fact that he cares for his Shizun in that he's just an emotionally stunted child, well, that comforts me a little. I just love MXTX's novels!
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PotatoCakes
PotatoCakes rated it
June 8, 2018
Status: Completed
Probably one of the best isekai novels written. The plot is intricate, the characters are well rounded, and the story is both dramatic and hilarious at the same time.

Unlike many other novels in the genre, the entire story is focused on one world and the same 2 main characters. This allows the world to be better developed and the characters to be a bit deeper. The intermittent interaction references to the real world and system interface are well timed and provides both comedic value as well as tension relief.

The characters... more>> are well written. The MC is not too clueless or utterly useless. He has clear goals, motivations, and rational thought. The ML has realistic reason to be in love with the MC other than "instinct" or "first-sight", which many other BL novels default to. The plot is fun and the twist at the end was enjoyable. The extras were fluffy and fun. Would highly recommend reading this. There are multiple translations of varying quality (may not be listed on this site). <<less
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rICKY
rICKY rated it
May 10, 2018
Status: --
dude I need to gush about this novel. there's so many interesting things about it.

... more>>
Spoiler

I think it's cleverly structured (love the restrictions in the beginning to keep the MC in "character" ha. that was pretty smart), and I enjoy how the system isn't overwhelmingly present but is more used a plot device to move things forward occasionally. It doesn't feel like this universe is some sort of weird game to the MC where he's just detached. In fact, my favorite moment is when the MC realizes he's been treating ML like a chess piece. Sure, he always has had real feelings for ML, but in that moment, he realizes that he didn't have to strictly adhere to the "system, " and realizes the true impact of his actions on ML. I think he sees ML for who he is for the first time, instead of some caricature of a harem king from the original novel.

Another interesting plot point is that in the end, the "villain" is ML's deep insecurities over being his perceived abandonment by the person he loves. Which is truly subversive because the final boss isn't some overpowered dude that the characters have to take down, but rather a truly intangible thing that is only overcome with love (or okay...a badly written smut scene...). It's in line with the way the whole novel seems to be dismantling genres and labels.

But my favorite aspect is that ML isn't cool at all and is just a overpowered crybaby. And that is depicted as "happiness" instead of being a demonic overlord that has 3000+ wives. Like yea, ML is super useless and a crybaby but f*ck it! He's happy, infinitely more happy than having all the power in the world and basically any pretty girl he wants.

Only disappointment is that it's never really revealed to ML about MC's true identity (like how he's transmigrated blah blah). Like yo...i have a hard time believing that ML and MC can be in a relationship w/o this coming up accidentally at some point. But else wise - a super super interesting BL novel. So many tropes are dismantled (and ok f*ck, I kno, BL tropes are EVERYWHERE in the novel but at least the het tropes are dismantled??) and it makes for a refreshing, touching read.

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Fujoshi4747
Fujoshi4747 rated it
April 23, 2018
Status: c28
I frickin love this MC, he is smart without being black bellied and the ML is still a pure cinamon roll for now. I love their interactions so much!!!
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Unbekanntoffel
Unbekanntoffel rated it
January 21, 2023
Status: Completed
2.5/5

I hate this with the passion of 10000 stars. I love this with the passion of 10000 stars.

I love hating it, I hate loving it. My first Chinese BL novel and it was some tr*shy cliche sh*t like this.

... more>> I read this years ago but never left a review. I also read it in chinese even tho my reading skills weren’t that great yet. The ONE thing I remember is thinking ‘The MC never once displayed any signs of romance towards the ML. What kind of dogsh*t romance is this?’

Please read better novels. <<less
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Galaxy 007
Galaxy 007 rated it
May 20, 2022
Status: --
I have read all three of the Novel of this author. And heavens official blessings is always my fav. But this one is not one of those. Why? I like our main character he is funny, good, smart enough. But Luo binge. I don't like much of his character. At first when he was a kid he was just so adorable I loved the story. But later he was just so obsessed with shen. All he could see was shen. He doesn't care about any other. If shen says save the world he would if he says destroy it, he would do that too. Does he even has his own personality ???. It felt like if shen wouldn't have accepted his love he would have just locked him and forced him untill he accept : (. And also I don't even remember what was happening in the end. It was kind of messed up. We never end up knowing how he even end up in a novel ?? And also how the author himself end up in his own novel?? Was is not necessary to explain that ?.
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PotatoTrousers
PotatoTrousers rated it
November 25, 2021
Status: Completed
Instead of directly telling you how I feel about this story, I'll tell you an incident of mine called, "I regret recommending this story to my friend" or "Why the HECK didn't I read ALL of the reviews"

About a few chapters in before the madness begins, I was very happy about this. The MC is very funny and relatable with his cool outer disposition that hides his inner turmoil. His internal curses and rants to the system are one of the things that got me hooked to the MC... more>> and one of the things that I looked forward to as the chapters go on. Besides that, we also got introduced to the ML of the novel, who portrayed a 'White Lotus' type of character in his earlier years. After reading "The Husky and his White Cat Shizun", I was excited for how both of their relationship will unfold and how the characters develop as the plot goes on, since the male lead will at some point have a lot of it considering the novel's description.

So without completing the novel all throughout, I recommended it to a friend of mine who also shares the same preferences as mine.

And mind you, not just a normal friend of mine.

Basically, my friend had gone through a manipulative relationship that involved a ton of fights and lawsuits filed against each other until the bastard was sent to jail. One of the lawsuits involved is r*pe, and you probably know where this is going.

So yeah, she red it uhh- all, and it dumped pounds of salt into her still healing wounds. I still feel so bad and s*upid for not reading the reviews back then.

I don't even know if this is the right place for me to tell all of this. The gory and bloody r*pe part at the end, she can accept as the ML seems to be out of it given the magical setting this is in, but the s*x scene at the extras and the MC's willingness to just accept the situation and leave everything behind seems to be what pissed her off considering what she's been through.

And I also agree with her, I really love the characters and their hilarious interactions as their personalities clash (I wished there were more character interactions, especially between the peak lords), but other people normalizing and even accepting this kind of manipulative and abusive relationship is what threw me off. I would've really love it if the second ML was the main ML (Sorry BingQui's, but LiuShen seems healthier) , given how the second ML cared for the MC when the main ML was yeeted away and the succubi extra. But I guess I'll just find that happiness in the fanfics then. <<less
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UltimateRighteousHero
UltimateRighteousHero rated it
August 29, 2019
Status: --
Honestly, this novel was really interesting at the start and I basically couldn't wait for the next update but then it went downhill quickly. The plot idea was quite good but the characters disappointed me greately. For me it's not nearly as good as MDZS written by the same author both in terms of plot and romance. Relationship between MC&ML is too one-sided and I don't like MC doing everything for the sake of survival while completely ignoring ML's feelings. If you're looking for a worthy replacement of MDZS, I... more>> recommend you to skip this one. <<less
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Platos_Redhaired_Stepchild
Platos_Redhaired_Stepchild rated it
October 24, 2018
Status: --
This is Mo Xiang Tongxiu's funniest and 4th wall breaking-est novel. There is a little drama and sadness and gorey parts but there wouldn't be a satisfying happy ending if the MC & ML didn't have to struggle a bit to get there.

Like a lot of "transmigrated into a book as the villain/canon fodder" BL novels, the MC has to hug the thighs of the Hero so that he spares him from the fate of his host body.

If you read and liked "Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me",... more>> "As the Minor Gay Rival in Het Novels", "This Way of Transmigration Is Definitely Wrong!", or "The Villains' White Lotus (Whitening) Halo" or "Pulling Together a Villain Reformation Strategy" which are kind of obviously inspired by Scum Villain, then you'll probably like the original. <<less
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erhu
erhu rated it
April 7, 2022
Status: Completed
This was my first danmei and also incidentally one of the most exciting reading experiences I've ever undergone, each page renewing my general sense of disbelief that would at times lead me to genuine laughter building into tears. I can thus confidently say this is also to date one of the funniest books I've ever read, though that should not put "serious" readers off as there is also stellar plot (with some unpredictable twists and turns - causing my disbelief), stellar world-building, and, of course, complicated and well fleshed out... more>> characters. My only criticism would be that by the novel's conclusion, there are still many unresolved issues regarding the protagonists' relationship, though I can easily overlook this as Scum Villain was the author's first work. I don't doubt that MXTX has improved on this aspect in her following novels and I look forward to reading them. <<less
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Arie_Fu
Arie_Fu
January 20, 2022
Status: c66
This is my first chinese novel that I read because I was tempted by watching the untamed.

It honestly disappoint me, the world building is bad. There's no clear method? Way? Technical? Explanation on how it all works. It all just use the original pidw as reference or explanation, so nothing stimulating to read for me. If I wanna say it crudely the author just come up with something and then boom there it is.

As for the character I honestly didn't like Luo binghe. I can't put it to word but... more>> after he fell to the abyss it became easy to hate him. He progressed the same as the original pidw even after experiencing different experience from original luo binghe, the only difference is his obsessive feeling toward sqq is different (someone he like instead of enemy).

Overall I did not recommend it if you were looking for something really good. Many people seems to like this story but personally its just not for me. <<less
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azure-san
azure-san rated it
October 20, 2021
Status: Completed
So, I see many complaints from the reviewers about Luo Binghe. The thing is, I myself am not really fond of Luo Binghe (ML), but when I see others criticizing him I feel like it's indirectly criticizing MXTX, which I feel annoyed about.

Like, you know, disregarding Binghe's flaws and unlikeable character, I think MXTX has successfully written a character suited to the identity he has. Luo Binghe is a Demon. A f*cking Demon in Genes, status, and identity.
Now, don't you know that actually Demonic Cultivators, most of them have... more>> the mentality of:
"If I can't have it, you can also stop dreaming to have it! Destroy!"
"If I like something, I will forcefully take them whether the person wants me or not!"
So, not to mention the mentality of a REAL DEMON! They must have a queer and unorthodox mindset.
Binghe's possessive, obsessive and manipulating personality is actually, very much in line with his identity as a f*cking REAL DEMON. See? Isn't MXTX actually is very successful in creating a character to be in line with their setting?

Secondly, many readers seem to be repulsed by Binghe's decision of sleeping with Shen Qingqiu (MC) 's corpse for 5 years. Like, okay, that's indeed morally disturbing. But, let me remind you again, what is Luo Binghe? He is a f*cking Demon! REAL DEMON! His morals and mindset can't be compared to our comfortable mindset nowadays! Especially, in a fantasy setting like SVSSS where resurrection is something Available, Being Dead or Alive, being a corpse or living human, all of them are just a MERE STATE. We should not use our common sense nowadays in the fantasy world setting, because the culture is different. And lastly, because Luo Binghe is a f*cking REAL DEMON. If anything, his action of preserving SQQ's corpse is very much in line with his identity as again, a f*cking REAL DEMON.

LOL
I can't believe how much I repeat the words of REAL DEMON, because Luo Binghe's identity as a demon is indeed something that makes all of his disturbing and unlikeable characteristics rise. While the actions might make us dislike him, it is also proof that MXTX is successful in portraying a character with the identity of a REAL DEMON.

Now, some people might immediately compare Luo Binghe to Hua Cheng from TGCF. Yes, I know, Hua Cheng is a Ghost King, that in some sense is also a Demon Lord. But Hua Cheng is a lot more lovable than Luo Binghe.
BUT! Did you guys forget a f*cking important factor here??? Hua Cheng is a f*cking THOUSAND YEARS OLD DEMON LORD!
What about Binghe? HE IS JUST A DAMN 20 SOMETHING BEANSPROUT DEMON!

Hua Cheng's maturity is a matter of fact.
While Luo Binghe's immaturity and Chuunibyou tendency are actually also in line with his status as a Beansprout Demon Lord.
Luo Binghe is like a 12-year-old boy equipped with a gun.
He owned a terrifying power level, but lacked in mentality and experiences, leading to the irresponsible action that he had done in SV.
See? MXTX is again, very successful in portraying a character who was given a dangerous power while still lacking in mentality and experience.
I don't like Binghe's Chuunibyou tendency, but I absolutely would hate it if people use to criticize MXTX, because, MXTX in fact has done her best in HONESTLY PORTRAYING A CHARACTER BASED ON THEIR IDENTITY AND STATUS, regardless of likes and dislikes.

In the end, though I actually am not really fond of the MC/ML romance dynamic, and even though Shen Yuan (Shen Qingqiu) is not in the category of those protagonists whom I admire and fascinate toward, I am sorry about that, BUT! I absolutely would hate it if people use it to criticize MXTX's creation in Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan (Shen Qingqiu) characters, because NOPE, the way MXTX wrote LBH and SY is very much in line with their identity, a REAL DEMON, and a Transmigrated Otaku. <<less
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Onelazygirl
Onelazygirl rated it
October 11, 2021
Status: Completed
Well for me this was strong 3.5

The plot was interesting and the comedy was on time but the main problem I had while reading was:

I never once felt that the MC ever loved the ML
... more>>
Spoiler

MC really did care about the ML, he risked his life to save the ML (even though he knows the protagonist never dies) but still I never felt that he loved him. His "love"for ML was like giving it to a kid. What I mean is that if kids want something and it is not bad for them so most people will give them what they want.I felt MC's attitude towards"love" was this.

There was this instance where the MC said (in his mind ofc) that what ML went through was indirectly his fault because author's write books for readers (I read it some time back so I am not sure if he actually said it this way but this was what he meant) and he feels guilty for that.I mean are you kidding what kind of ridiculous logic is it to fall in love with someone. MC never admitted that he loves the ML or even likes him (not even in his mind).

MC's "love" was mix of guilt, indulgence for a kid (well the ML acting all pitiful and crying in front of the MC), fear for ML distroying the world or killing him.

And there first time (facepalms) was I am not sure r*pe or dubcon. Because MC allows ML to do him so that ML will not destroy the world. But in MC's heart he does not actually wants to do it. He made psychological preparation for it but doesn't actually wants it. And the way ML did to him was (well you can say I had a psychological shadow because all of the blood and pain).

Now the ML his "love" according to me came from nowhere. What I mean is:

before falling in to the abyss he just had a kind of crush on our MC (I can't say it was love he started viewing our MC in that way) and when he came back from the abyss he was all in love with him.

Like seriously more than "love"I felt it was obssessivness (like trying to capture the only source of light in his dark world). He wanted MC by his side because MC was really good to him.

But what he felt was not "love". Time and time he manipulated the MC (acting pitiful for me it's a kind of manipulation). He was extremely possessive and obssessive. He definitely had few screws lose in his mind.

Actually I don't know if I was not reading carefully put I don't remember MC accepting to stay in the virtual world.

when ML was hell bent on destroying the world the system did said something but I don't think so it was about staying in the virtual world forever

those who will feel that MC is doing a great sacrifice for the ML by staying in the virtual world let me tell you author never mentioned that MC had a good life (if it was then I don't remember) his decision was smart because he actually had everything in the virtual world. People who care for him, who loves him, who respects him. He is powerful. His life is perfect in the virtual world.

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So why would a person whose life is perfect in the virtual world will choose to leAve.

Now lastly I want to say is this book is medicore for be because I can't connect with the characters in the novel.I can't bring myself to feel for them especially the main characters.

If you are thinking whether you should read this or not I think give it a try the plot is interesting and it's funny. The romance is not the strongest point but still if romance is not that important to you so yah give it a try. <<less
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Esmerdala
Esmerdala rated it
August 24, 2021
Status: Completed
The first time I read this was back in April, at first I thought that this was a pretty good bl that was funny and was just a good read (sorry for the simple phrasing). But after I read the reviews, I started to realize how the story is a bit (maybe even more) problematic.

... more>>
Spoiler

So basically, at first I thought it was honorable (?) that MC gave up a lot of things just for the ML and thought that their relationship was pretty nice, but then I realized that the MC is only in a relationship with the ML is because he's the protagonist and if you refuse him or make him mad you'll suffer. Now that I think of it, MC really just views ML as a student that he cares deeply for. I also think that it was pity that made MC be in a relationship with ML (plus the fact that he's the protagonist).

The s*x scene was extremely painful (for me and presumably others) to read. It wasn't even written in the sexy forceful way (I know someone already said this but I didn't have any other words to phrase it) where it's like 'I kinda like it buts it's wrong' instead it was written in the way where it's like the MC doesn't want it but has to do it to save the world, basically sacrificing himself for others.

The ML starts off as the white lotus character which then blackens (which was pretty promising in the start) but he somehow came off as a very flat character (one-dimensional). He has many moments where he's being unreasonable even though the MC keeps sacrificing himself for him, just basically being very ungrateful (example: MC talking to others and ML getting jealous saying stuff like 'Does Shizun not love me anymore? I'm gonna destroy all the stuff he cares for and make him only have me (which sounds very sadistic to me) !')

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And to be honest I really think that the MC was better off with one of the side characters (LQG) who respected him and actually liked him (shown im the extras). #JusticeForLiuShen <<less
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DiavoloDigitale
DiavoloDigitale rated it
May 31, 2021
Status: Completed
I wanted to love it so much, and I really did in the beginning. But then I fell, fell so low, just like Icarus, who flew too high, and now my pain is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

I loved everything that happened before, hm... let's call it "the fall from grace". The teacher-student interactions were so precious, I could not get enough of them. But the older Binghe got, the less I wanted to read the continuation. The story was still quite enjoyable, but I abruptly stopped being a... more>> fan of the main couple. Their relationships are so unconvincing, as I see no love there, just the final concept that the author wanted to arrive at and a failure at the stage of execution. Shen Qingqiu really just goes with the flow, he doesn't show real attraction or understanding of the situation, just pity... And their miserable artificial relationships made me really upset in the end.

The side characters are great, they're a nice distraction from MC and ML, but they will hardly be able to distract you if you read the intimate scenes. I wish I knew that in advance and skipped everything so that it would not influence my opinion in the end, but I didn't. If you love pain and blood mixed with s*upidity and cheesy fake love confessions, then this might just be the thing for you. Otherwise, don't even bother.

Gave the novel 4/5 for the sake of my initial feelings towards it. <<less
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Misa07
Misa07 rated it
May 26, 2021
Status: Completed
Uhhhhh........ this one is weird. I loved the beginning, it was very very funny, and I loved it. But then halfway through the novel it just gets unreasonably s*upid.

The Plot:

The beginning was so strong oh my god. The setting is pretty common among the transmigration novels, but it was still pretty decent. The comedy was on point, hella funny and I genuinely loved it. But then, halfway through it, the character growth nearly stops, and the actions of the characters makes no sense, along with the plot. It does not... more>> make you laugh anymore and is just flowing for the sake of moving on tbh it feels like an Indian serial if you know what I mean .
Spoiler

I also hate the s*x scene towards the end, like???? What was that? That was neither romantic nor required for the plot, it could've been easily avoided.

[collapse]
An overall 4/10 and the only reason it gets 4 is because of the beginning comedy.

The Characters and CP:

I loved the MC in the beginning. He was a tired millenial who just wanted to read a good novel and it was relatable. But somewhere along the story, he just gets increasingly s*upid, and by the end of the novel I was also dying of second hand embarrassment.

The ML however, I disliked him since the beginning. Idk I just don't like crying, clingy love interests. I really had no expectations for him, except for maybe a little character development, and he does have a character development, just in the opposite direction of what I was hoping.
Spoiler

I hate the fact that he forced the MC to drink his demon blood and whatever just to be able to control him like, why???

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The side characters are okay, but not memorable. I don't even remember their names nor their role (except for that one guy who was always with the MC and his sister who shipped the CP. And I don't remember their names anyways) 2/10

Translation:

Good. I have no idea about their other projects so I cannot say more about the translators but they're good enough that you understand the story.

TL;DR: Ehh plot with even more Ehh characters. Go ahead if you wanna try, but I'm not reading it again <<less
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CommonFig
CommonFig rated it
December 10, 2019
Status: c50
It would have been a great read - at least a 4 - if the main point of this novel (romance) was done so much better. But before that - the reason why the main character does what he does isn't really well backed up imo:

... more>>
Spoiler

"coolness points"? Why does it matter?

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The MC doesn't actually have a good reason to do what he does, and the characters around him don't react at all to the radical personality change. But this is tolerable. However, what I couldn't handle was the ML! He's genuinely crazy and I feel like he really didn't have to be.

Spoiler

Just an example: it's implied that he tried to f*ck a corpse.

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He's crazy that I can't even ship this guy with anyone because I feel genuinely bad for the MC who ends up with him (presumably. I couldn't handle the psychopathy and dipped halfway through the book). <<less
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Ferroh
Ferroh rated it
October 21, 2019
Status: Completed
As usual for other novels. The first chapters are great haha. SQQ's thoughts are really entertaining. Imagine a stone-faced man, who's secretly always internally screaming. Most of what happens are misunderstandings, but I guess it's the novel's charm?

But I can't let off this novel that easy, can I? Here comes complaints and some criticism.

LBH & SQQ's relationship might be soft, adoring and #goals. It's a little toxic, especially after the Immortal Alliance Conference. But honestly, what the hell did I expect from the 'Male Yandere' tag? LBH is like a... more>> kid, who's stuck in a grown man's body. He is whipped. Although I still can't help but find ridiculousness from him immediately forgiving SQQ after what he had done because he protected him one time.

Also, MXTX has said that LQG & SQQ is canon. But other than a few scenes, I can't really see it (or that is just me being dense. Also excluding Succubi as it's an extra). If I wasn't aware of that small fact, I would never have guessed it lol. The same goes to MBJ and SQH. Again, not counting the extras. But we can fault SQQ for not noticing since we're reading from his POV (even if it's not first person). He is a bit oblivious.

I absolutely adore SQQ. Sarcasm always wins me over. But surprisingly, I like Yue Qingyuan a bit more. His fondness over SQQ is adorable. And I may be biased since this is my first transmigration novel, but I like this novel a lot. <<less
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silverphantom88
silverphantom88 rated it
May 22, 2019
Status: --
I love this extremely engaging novel. It doesn't follow the typical story of this sort of world. It's an easy to follow story despite having such hard to remember names (I speak Chinese yet I still remember Korean and Japanese names better). I loved the world-building, and whenever the main character points out a flaw in it, it just makes it funnier. I loved the personality of the main character, having a sharp tongue in mind constantly swearing while acting amicable on the outside. It makes him feel capable, unique,... more>> and all the more hilarious.

I actually like a lot of other characters in this novel. The main two have a very investing relationship that you never know what will happen. It's great, and keeps making me turn more pages to see what will happen.

The twist and turns of this novel are very risky yet oh so gratifying. It makes me so happy to reach the part of the novel where things start to happen. I love the MC, ML, and side characters but each twist in this novel makes each of these characters that much better. This novel was a great experience. <<less
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softmatcha
softmatcha rated it
May 17, 2019
Status: c77
Shout out to BC Novels for picking up this project and providing a beautiful translation.

At the time of this review, the translation's still ongoing, so I'm always elated to see the release of a new chapter. I've even re-read it from the beginning multiple times - partially to catch myself up to speed, mostly to relish the story again in all its ups, downs, and twists.

Scum Villain parodies stallion novels, specifically a badly-written stallion novel of quantity over quality, the sensational over the substantial, with gaping plot holes. Thankfully Scum... more>> Villain doesn't follow what it makes fun of and draws the reader into a very engaging story with complex, multi-faceted characters.

The characters! They're so dynamic, which helps the story feel robust. The author took a lot of time and care to breathe life into a large cast of personalities, which I really appreciate since it lets the main characters shine even more so.

I LOVE the main character, Shen Qingqiu.
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He's clever, capable, heroic, and highly compassionate, but not to an inhumane degree. Lastly, he is hilarious and the biggest contributor to the comedy relief throughout Scum Villain. His sense of humor is rather sarcastic; his more exaggerated reactions are kept to himself and don't disrupt the flow of the story in a way that irritates me. A big plus is that very little comedy relief is built off of immersion-breaking banter between the MC and his system, which is seen in so many other system-binding stories. More often, humorous exchanges are woven between characters, but Shen Qingqiu makes a fine one-man show with his internal roaring.

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Oh, Liu Binghe.
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As the ML, he seemed to follow the archetype to a T, and at first read I actually didn't like his character. I found him overbearing and tyrannical, sometimes to an overwhelming degree, and his stickiness deterred me. But upon re-reading it I was able to simultaneously notice more subtleties in his development and appreciate the bigger picture (beyond Shen Qingqiu's PoV), and Liu Binghe really grew on me. I can't help but feel for him, this silly man.

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It's hard for me to adequately describe the romance. That's definitely not to say there isn't any! Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe are very, very sweet, and they don't fit into the standard mold of MC/ML pairings, neither in appearance nor aptitude. Their relationship is slow-burning, but it goes beyond the usual attraction since they've invested much deeper affections along the way. So, to me, their growth is worth following. <<less
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