Villainy & Romance in Scum Villain's Self Saving System | SVSSS | Shen Qingqiu & Luo Binghe 

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"He's very wrong about most things." The most accurate description of Shen Qingqiu ever.

The idea that traditional masculinity and the rejection of feminine values is damaging to everyone is also seen in Tianlang-Jun himself. He was just a guy who enjoyed human things (which the demon realm laughed at) and he fell in love and wanted nothing more than to stay next to his beloved, yet they projected onto him a traditional masculine idea of "powerful conqueror" that he wasn't, and he was unjustly imprisoned for years, thus building his resentment and leading him to fit the stereotypes they pushed on him. I love scum villain so much, as funny as it can get at times, I love the tragedy within and how plainly sad a lot of the stories are

The fact that Shen Yuan was a 20 something internet troll with no real life experience really said something about his mindset throughout the story and how much he had to grow and mature along side a kid not that far from his age 😂

"Shen Qingqiu, an emotionally repressed idiot" lol

i don't understand how people think this is a story with no depth - sure it isn't as long or complicted as tgcf or mdzs but the themes are complex and the characters are multilayered and well written. It is a pretty dark story too, just because SQQ is oblivious to his own feelings doesn't change that.

It feels like everybody loves mdzs and tgcf (which is totally valid they are amazing and i love them too) but a large portion of readers disregard and discredit svsss even though it is, IMO, just as masterful as the other two. It's shorter, less obviously in-your-face about the romance because of the unreliability of the narrator, and features darker and even problematic topics, but that does not in any way make it worse than the other two. Also, there are a large portion of readers who also seem to believe that SQQ does not love LBH and just 'settled' to be with him in the end, or even that he's actually straight (lolol). I understand that it may take a second read through to fully appreciate this (It did for me, to be completely honest) but it is so obvious in the way that SQQ gushes about LBH's everything all of the time that there is something more going on there despite his claims at heterosexuality. I did like how his acceptance of LBH's bisexuality and feelings for him was a fairly casual affair and SQQ was kind of just like alright we're doing this cause it definitely had the potential to be messier with how far in the closet he was. The closest thing to a sexual identity crisis was realizing that men could see him sexually and maybe he should consider that in interactions with them in the future. Another thing about their relationship that I adore is how they handle their sexual relationship. When people talk about their sex life, especially compared to the other MXTX couples, LBH is criticized constantly for causing SQQ pain but in my honest opinion I think the fault here is not with LBH but with SQQ. I love that their attempts end poorly because that is the realistic outcome for two people who don't know what they're supposed to be doing. I love that extra where Binghe finds the fanfiction and uses it to talk about sex, learn, and improve; I love that Binghe is taking the initiative to make it as good as possible for Shen Qingqiu with what little experience and knowledge he has and I love that he is eager to practice and is remorseful over the fact that it isn't all good for SQQ. Meanwhile, SQQ does not communicate how he is feeling well at all and seems to make little to no effort towards actually making it better for them. I love SQQ but LBH gets all the criticism when he's honestly the one I firmly believe is the better of the pair here. Another observation that I've made is a lot of fans claim that they would prefer Shen Qingqiu to have ended up with Liu Qingge because they view him as better for Shen Qingiu than Lou Binghe which is valid for shipping purposes, whatever (I've definitely read some sqq/lqg content and it's cute im not an anti i promise), but I love the idea of LQG being a subversion of the ever-popular love triangle trope. He's a character of (nearly) unparalleled beauty, skill, and power who acts to fiercely defend SQQ's dignity often by directly facing off against LBG who he has a clear rivalry with. MXTX seems to lean heavily into implying that maybe this is a love triangle and LQG is acting this way because he loves SQQ romantically, too, even going so far as to write that one extra with the ambiguous prophecy and flustered LQG. But no, it turns out that the truth is just that LQG is not in love with SQQ he's just like that, even being described as asexual multiple times (not that SQQ can be trusted with identifying anybody's sexuality). And I love that so much for him because love triangles are a pretty ridiculous and often depressing trope; I love that the truth is just that LQG is friends with and has loyalty towards SQQ and this is his way of expressing that. Anyway all that to say fuck love triangles we stan BFFs that would fight the world for your honour. I also love that the SQQ and LQG meeting is basically SQQ more or less acknowledging that he pictured LQG, who is very traditionally masculine, to be ugly but the fact is that LQG is very beautiful - there are connections here about gender roles and beauty that I'm struggling to elaborate on but the point is I love how much MXTX was able to pack into LQG as a supporting character. Something I thought of just now to connect the previous two ideas is that SQQ needs somebody like LBH to bounce his personality off of. Someone who can cover his weaknesses and contrast his personality. Someone who can cross that communication barrier. Perhaps LQQ was designed to be a foil in this respect because could you imagine the communication difficulties between SQQ and LQG when discussing anything of import in an emotional relationship? Tsundere x slightly milder tsundere is not a recipe for success... It would be totally out of the question for either of them to read fanfiction about themselves to better their sex lives, for example. Things would stagnate without someone like LBH to them to bounce off of. Sorry I went on a bit of a rant just had some thoughts I had to write down especially about how some fans view see LBH. I will defend LBH every time. Edit: I didn't even get to touch on how Binghe is the most 'wife' character across the mxtx pairings. He's supposed to be this male power fantasy protagonist but he is more than happy to do all the cleaning, the cooking, the paperwork, and being emotionally vulnerable especially in the context of sooking to SQQ to get what he wants. These are very stereotypical traditional housewife qualities and that feels very significant in the context of the novel.

Furthermore, I don't know if you read the side stories but the original Luo comes back the one with the harem and Luo and Shen defeat him together and send him back to his world. While he pleads with when to come with him. Suggesting the Luo who got the power fantasy is not happy with it. all those women/ power and Its empty.

I honestly had no idea SVSSS was supposed to be "deep." I just thought MXTX was screwing around for shits and giggles. Good to know that the intricate messages of TGCF and MDZS didn't come out of nowhere and it was present in SVSSS.

One of the things I always wished the author had reminded the audience throughout the book is how YOUNG Shen Yuan actually was when he died. At 20 years old and considering what life he led, he basically had no experience in life at all. He was flying off the seat of his pants at literally every turn and yet we the audience fall for it because his act is just That Good, because his second life was on the line. We literally hear his inner monologue CONSTANTLY and yet forget he's just a kid. It puts a whole new light on everything he does, says and thinks, and it's such a slap to the face when the realization dawns on you.

in the after math he is distraught, out of his mind with greif... shen qingqiu: I am NOT out of my mind with grief. Absolutely not.

It's such a relief to see someone else out there who understands this work instead of just seeing it as "good enough for a jerk off". MXMX is a Writer. Capital W. And while her novels are some of the biggest names in the BL genre, it often seems like it's not for the right reasons. So much so that most adaptations fail to well interpret them because "it's just two boys kissing to make girls giggle". Her works are GOLD, yet incredibly underrated not only by society, but also her own fandom.

Omg I always assumed that scum villain is too niche to get a video analysis, but I’m so glad I was wrong

the best description i was able to come up with to explain to a friend what wuxia is, was kinda like this "medieval high fantasy, but make it chinese and everyone looks gorgeous".

bingqiu has fundamentally altered my brain chemistry

1:03:44 I NEVER caught this moment until now that this is one of the first times Binghe sees/reads through Sqq’s mask. Binghe was ready to fight again when he woke up and seeing Sqq’s cold apathy would’ve made it worse, yet being able to see the physical toll Sqq endured in protecting Binghe FINALLY allows Binghe to better understand how his shizun operates. Is there still confusion? Yes, but that does not diminish that Binghe is starting to see through Sqq’s mask.

Scum Villain is such a beautiful series and it's really nice that there's a video essay finally giving it the proper passion and thoughtfulness that it deserves. Shen Yuan is someone that I deeply identify with so watching his journey accepting himself and Binghe's love was truly touching. You managed to capture the beauty of Scum Villain's story and themes perfectly, and I may or may not have cried during the final minutes of the video haha

Cr*p, I lost myself at that, "Successfully Rage Quit." 🤣🤣🤣

You basically have a perfect narrator/documentary voice. Audible should hire you

i came across this video when i was reading SVSSS for the first time and while i was enjoying the book on a comedy level and really liked spending time with the characters, i wasn’t looking for a deeper meaning. then i watched this video and the analysis of the themes absolutely blew my mind and gave me a completely different framework for reading the rest of the book! it’s become not only one of my favorite books but also one of my favorite fictional queer romances period, one i will just talk about for hours on end to anyone who will listen because i’m SO impressed with what genuinely nuanced, thoughtfully written queer characters SQQ and LBH are, and the like shockingly realistic(?!?) progression of their relationship given all the issues they’re working thru. NEVER expected the book that opens with a guy called Peerless Cucumber screaming at an invisible god-computer about unlocking his OOC function to make me cry irl over its poignant exploration of queer love but here we are... anyway, this video is a huge part of what got me so deeply invested in SVSSS and i revisit it all the time. fabulous, eloquent, incredibly thoughtful analysis- i always find something new to appreciate about it :’)

Wow! I'm so happy to see someone discussing the themes of Scum Villian! I feel like people misunderstand it so much and it really does have such a deep and meaningful story that I love. You brought up so many brilliant points, many that I hadn't even thought about! I adore this video

My thoughts on this are probably going to be completely incoherent, but this was a wonderfully done essay and I can't help but also tie in extra sort of back up evidence to support it by looking at the original fates of Shen Jiu (or Original Shen Qingqiu) and Luo Binghe. It's mostly revealed through the side chapters, especially for Luo Binghe (or Bing-ge as I'll call him) after he gets to see SVSSS Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe being happy together. He returns to his life as the world-dominating king with a harem of 600 something women, and is- completely unfulfilled and devestated with a singular wonder if he could have ever had his teacher love him the way that one did. Bing-ge is the ultimate power fantasy in the novel version of events, but yet none of it actually satisfying for him as a character because the emotional depth and honesty and is just completely absent in all his relationships. Shen Jiu's original fate in the novel is- sort of similar. We get some looks into what his backstory was after plot-relevant things happen to Shen Qingqiu and he finds himself having to delve into the history of the character who's place he took, and we find out that Shen Jiu was a slave child, sold off to a rich family with a young master who abused him badly (the exact extent is unclear but Shen Qingqiu calls the guy a pervert, so one can assume the emotional and physical abuse wasn't the end of it). That history is what would have explained Shen Jiu's characterization in the novel, if the author hadn't thought the audience would dislike it. As a result of this backstory, the Shen Jiu in the original novel is a distrustful, emotionally repressed, vindictive, and somewhat tortured character, who can't even have a conversation longer than 5-phrases with his former childhood friend. He's a survivor of trauma, stuck in a society where he can't afford to be emotionally honest or vulnerable even if he did want to, and it leads to this heartbreaking death where his childhood friend, who still cares about him but also is so pressured by the society around them in his own ways that he could never just have that conversation or trust again, also dies in an effort to rescue him. It's heartbreaking, and if I had more words I could probably explain how it ties into those themes of gender roles, trauma, and etc. that you talked about here. I've read all of MXTX's novels now, and while I love tgcf and Grandmaster Demonic Cultivation, I think SVSSS is still firmly my favorite of the three because of how it explores these characters breaking out of their pre-determined roles and come together for a much happier and healthier fate.

Thank you so much for examining the tragedy under layers upon layers of ridiculousness that is SVSSS. I once read the very fitting observation that, told from Luo Binghe's perspective, SVSSS would be a completely different book - and definitely not a comedy. This is the first video I saw that talks about the gender subtext of MXTX's writing, which I always found fascinating (Xie Lian getting stabbed by a hundred swords, anyone?) Thank you so much for making this essay, I occasionally got chills listening to it.

Thank you so much for this essay. SVSSS is one of my favorite novels of all time and it's so rare to find anyone discussing it outside of the fandom. I love it so much for its subversive and complex characters and themes and how manages to weave comedy in with incredibly dark themes that I appreciate more and more with every read-through. You went so deep in your analysis and gave some more insights on this fantastic novel. Thank you so much.

This is by far the most beautiful story i have ever read. It is so well written and MXTX was only, i think, 17 when she wrote it. A true masterpiece, despite being the forgotten older sibling to her other two series.

I love SVSSS, and I love how different it is from MXTX's other two novels. We get to see a main leads expressing his passionate emotions repeatedly. He time he does it, both SQQ falls more and more in looe with him. However, I hate that in the English published version, the hilarious term "papapa" had been taken out.

on my third time watching this essay bc it seriously made me appreciate the original work so much more

An hour plus video on SVSS content, but it made my day. I love fiction. I love books. I love characters in love. 🥺

Thank you for making an in-depth video on svsss. It's my favorite mxtx novel and also my number 1 danmei of all time. I adore the idea of an aloof, elegant master who is too good for this world. But just as you said real people can not fit into small boxes. So the contrasting character of Shen Qingqiu with his own inner monologues make it so much more real, let alone hilarious. Svsss is tagged as a comedy on jjwxc but if you view this from the pov of Luo Binghe it so quickly becomes a tragedy. Infact the line between comedy and tragedy is very fine just like the line between love and hate.

This was so needed! This did such a good job covering the psychological issues for this couple but did miss one thing...how Binghe does have a demon element to him and especially how he can control others with blood. He's so overpowered as the protagonist in a couple ways that make SQQ's fear of him make more sense. I think this point though does not take away from your analysis of the novel as sound criticism of hypermasculinity that's not only educational for the characters but for the readers. I love how the novel makes its side characters become so much more interesting than their original versions.

I binge read the novel, I cried, and I am so happy someone took the time to care and do a deep analysis of its themes and story. Thank you

When you condense and concentrate on just LBH and SQQ's relation like this, the story is a lot easier to understand, because this story definitely had a lot going on and it's kind of confusing on a first read 😅 this video was very helpful~

This is so good! People always write svsss off when it is such a good story (and Luo Binghe is one of my fave mxtx characters). I'm not the most eloquent or thoughtful person when it comes to stuff like this so I love it when people break down the themes and narratives that I might have missed. Thank you for a great video and I hope you get a chance to do more danmei in the future :D

Didn't expect to see this subject among your content but as a fan of the series. I'm happy to see it and this is great. Well done.

I just love that MXTX has given us 3 closeted, disabled, unreliable narrators and the ride is completely different each time.

this video is absolutely perfect, it describes and explains scum villain so accurately and highlights the absolute masterpiece that this novel is. thank you for making this video, and renewing the feelings of love and adoration for svsss. the last 15 mins literally made me sob like a baby. brb going to reread all 4 books

This is an amazing dressing down of the plot and relationship between SQQ and LBH! 10/10, your insights are amazing and have brought so much more meaning to a novel I already adore! Fantastic work ❤️

Ooo incredible analysis!! I love Scum Villain anad you've explored the themes SO well and thoughtfully, thank you so much for this!!

I adore Scum Villain and this has made me love it more. Thank you!

I'm so happy to have found this video. I feel like the novel is often misunderstood so it's a joy to see it so well analysed ! Especially the fact that it is a very "meta" read. And the themes of masculinity !! All I can say is thank you ❤

I put off watching this video after seeing it in my recommended a long time ago because I was a little afraid that this would be a video negatively criticizing a work that I already felt was often misunderstood, so it was a huge warm surprise to see that this is one of the best analytical pieces of the themes of the series that I've seen so far!!! Luo Binghe in particular is a character I think is often villainized by readers who cannot see him past the surface level, but you did an amazing job at describing exactly what I felt the first time I read the story - that he is meant to be a realistic depiction of someone who went through deep trauma that is romanticized in PIDW (and the types of stories it parodies), and how awful it is to actually experience what he goes through without that filter of "badassery". I loved your take on how Shen Qingqiu's rejection of femininity, both from societal expectations of men and from his distorted knowledge of PIDW's setting as a badass male fantasy harem novel, is a huge downfall in their relationship, and how him accepting femininity in himself and Binghe is a huge step in healing for both of them. I also love the editing when it gets to 1:06:52 it really captures the intense mental breakdown of Binghe at that point in the novel! I love love love this video!!!!!!!

Crying. Sobbing. Keeled over shaking.

MDZS will always be my first love, but when it comes to fanfic, SVSSS has so many cool angles to explore! In MDZS, we mostly deal with moral and justice angst, but in SVSSS, if it's not crack, a lot of my favorite fics tackle deep existential conflicts and really push how relationships can have organic development.

God that image at 1:04:12 hurts so bad… I was waiting for it to pop up but I still wasn’t prepared for that shit. ALSO I WISH WE COULD GET A VID ABOUT LIU QINGGE CAUSE HE IS SO UNDERRATED

Fascinating video, it almost feels unfair being so into subversion of a genre one isn’t into.

WOW this really helped me recontextualize and better understand svsss after finishing it several months ago - thank you!! i think this calls for a reread

back when this video first came out it convinced me to read scum villain, and now im revisiting it as a devoted fan with handmade cosplays and 400$+ of merch.. lets see how much i still adore this video

You so masterfully explained this series. Ive seen many debates on whether SQQ had romantic love for LBH or if it was just resignation bedause he knew LBH wouldn't let him go. But after reading SVSSS for a second time...I see so much more than i did before. And you talk about a lot of it. THANK YOU for gracing us with this video ❤. More people need to watch this.

This video pushed me to read SVSSS. And I'm so glad it did. SVSSS has altered my brain chemistry. Thank you for this awesome analysis!

OH MY FUCKING GOD. This video is- insane. I just found it and the way you analyzed the story? Absolutely marvelous. I am honest to god sobbing rn. I will ask for more chinese novels bc the way you did this video was a fucking masterpiece and I am so amazed by everything I have no words

I just finished reading all 4 books and this is such an amazing summary and analysis of the books and story I loved it so much

I feel like eventually people will recognise SVSSS as the masterpiece it is. It’s great it’s the best imo

Wow.. this was an incredible watch and I'm so glad I did, it really made me reevaluate the way that I saw this story

I'm astonished anyone had the idea to make a 1:14:51 long video about svsss, literally how long it took me to read the first book

Thanks for this video! The leads of this story truly deserve to be studied under a microscope 😅😊 while mdzs was the first mxtx novel I read, overtime svsss has overtaken it as my favorite bc it's the one I find the most re-readable.

when i first read svsss i didnt truly understand its meaning, this explanation helped me really grow to understand and love scum villain.

god i love scum villain. i love this video, too. it brought up good points and metaphors i didnt even think of. theres so many things id like to comment on, but its just too many thoughts for me to comment. i just want to read scum villain for a third time now.

Subbed for the videogame vids, and pleasantly surprised by another overlap of interest: danmei! SVSSS was one of my first danmei, so the subversions at first went over my head, until I binge-read the other novels in the genre and came back to SVSSS. Thank you for this vid

Thank you for this video. Scum villain is my most favorite of all the three mxtx novels. It's funny, emotional and absolutely amazing. People just sometimes miss things in the book and misunderstand it. I literally read this book at least 50 times. It's really dear to my heart.

THIS IS SO GAY AND I JUST, I'VE NEVBER WANTED TO READ SOMETHING SO BAD IN MY LIFE THANK YOU

Lots of people talk about how shallow this series is compared to MXTX's other series'. But I think the problem is that somehow, MDZS and TGCF are more obvious with their symbolism, deeper meanings, and tragedies, while you have to look harder at SVSSS to see these things.

This video was wonderfully done. You touched on themes I hadn't thought of concerning the book, but helped me to see the more hidden layers. This story was way more than a deconstruction of the xianxia genre. Thanks for the video.

I discovered scum villain and danmei through your channel! I’m so excited to see you doing a video about it! Also your descriptions of sqq had me dying lmao

For as funny as the book is, it is in equal parts tragic. The misunderstanding, the pain, the grief, the themes of toxic masculinity and feminine stereotypes. There are a lot of moments that had me crying.

This is so well made, I can finally understand the whole story on a different level.

Thank you so much for the in-depth dive regarding SVSSS! It was the second book I read by MXTX (after Heaven’s Official Blessing) and probably my favorite of her works! You were amazing in summarizing it as well, while giving your opinion, commentaries and thoughts of the world, too! I simply have to ask are you going to do something similar for the other MXTX works (or Danmei)? 👀👀

Thank you for such a detailed essay! I've read this novel long ago and didn't think much about it but your perspective on this story makes so much sense that I consider rereading the book! I especially liked your take on transmigration as a metaphor of a mask for society and not just a way to make protagonist's life harder

Haven't watched this one yet but wanted to post fresh. I was briefly in the hospital when your classics of Japanese horror came out so only found out about it last night. Although your gaming side is what I have much more familiarity with, it was a really interesting piece. A little unsettling at times with the cultural differences... but in an eye-opening way. Great delivery that has a real authoritative quality to it. Because of the subject matter, you clearly put a lot of time and effort into research in comparison to those who cover more western or current work. Fantastic video.

52:02 isn’t that the mantra of this entire series

SCUM VILLAIN VIDEO ESSAY!!! Two of my favorite things combined thank you for this 🥺🥺

i love seeing people talking about scum villain, out of the three mxtx, svsss is the least talked about but it’s so so good :( ♥️

I'M WEEPING OMG!!! bravo! that was an excellent video, i was full-screened the entire time because it had me so enraptured!! :D

svsss has always been my favourite really loved this analysis ❤

THE video essay of all time, this was so fun to watch!! thank you so much for this!

I read the novel and I liked it but with your explanation I realized how beautiful this story really is

I love this breakdown of MXTX first novel I love all series equally but this is such great meta breakdown!

Thanks for the video I really needed it 😊😅

Great video!!!

this is a good ass video! the meta narrative and themes of this book really drew me to it like no other danmei has and I'm glad to see more people appreciating it

10:41 Favorite line 1 50:08 Favorite line number 2

i am SO obsessed with this video im beggingggg for one on tgcf

Your channel needs to blow up already. These videos are amazing x

This is the most comprehensive summary of the book I’ve found so thank you so much😊

I'm crying, this is such a good analysis

Absolutely a great job! Thank you so much ❤

beautiful analysis, i love how much love and care was put into this!! SVSSS is an extraordinary story

I found this video and i was so interested that i read all the novel first before watching it. Thank you!

This was... holy moly. This was everything! I'm baffled... I love it - Thank you!🤩💚💚

Wonderful analysis video!

An excellent bit of literary criticism. Thank you for this.

Such a good video! SVSSS is my favorite danmei novel, and I love SQQ and LBH, but never really stopped to analyze it like this. Going to reread it once again ❤ There’s not much content on YT about this book, so this hour long video was such a treat! I would love to listen to so much more about them

I love this story. Thank you so much !!

Im so fucking happy. I have been into Scum Villain since the fan translations.

Man i love scum villain, wish we could get a season 2 😭

22:27 The skinner was not actually killed here, from the extra of the novel, we learn that she has not died.

How I just find about it now?? My favorite horror game channel also talk about SVSS? Whaaat , am I dreaming??

Very interesting analysis! Not done with the video yet but I wanted to say thank you so much for doing this in advance, I got complex feelings about SVSSS, but overall its my fave novel by MXTX because of the cast, her only one novel that got me this invested into them

Omg Im crying watching this till the end 😭😭😭. Thank you so much for making this video 💕💕💕

That was so sweet. I can’t wait to read it ❤

Ughhh i can no longer read straight romance unless it's dark fantasy. But a good bl or even a bad one, I'll lock myself in, read all that I can then scour the internet for fanfiction 😩💜 i love it so much