drop if you want, but here’s what i think.

annioo May 6, 2024 1:15 pm

I read the codename anastasia novel a very long time before manhwa was announced. To be honest, I was so close to dropping it so many times, but I did end up finishing it (+side stories) because I was hooked by spoilers my friend gave me. Yes, there is rape, and there’s a lot of… generally unacceptable stuff. If you cannot handle this kind of behavior, please, i beg of you, to stop reading. There will be more of this type of stuff. If you’re going to continue reading despite that, then that’s great too! Zhenya may seem like the biggest black flag right now (and he is, don’t get me wrong), but I’m telling you that you will adapt (?not sure if this is the correct word) to it as you continue reading. It may leave a bad taste in your mouth as it did for me, but I think that codename anastasia (the novel, especially) is very well written. You might think that rape is a terrible plot device, and it most definitely is, but the story in my opinion is very well written. It is, in fact, one of my all time favorite BL novels. If you *can* handle reading this kind of plot, then by all means, please do not drop this unless you truly hate anything about it! This isn’t a plead for you to keep reading or spoilers for the novel, just informing you that codename anastasia is absolutely worth the read if you can get through the hurdles!

Responses
    -hoeforhange- May 6, 2024 4:19 pm

    Where did you read the novel?

    sapphics lover May 6, 2024 6:53 pm

    Rape isn’t necessary a bad plot device, but its how the rape is presented that matters.
    You say zhenya is a black flag now, but the readers “ adapt” really just says that all the terrible things he does get downplayed and overlooked.
    Are the readers meant to zhenya at the end of the story? Doesnt seem like it, which tells me all i need to know, because his character shouldn’t be redeemable.

    sapphics lover May 6, 2024 6:54 pm
    Rape isn’t necessary a bad plot device, but its how the rape is presented that matters.You say zhenya is a black flag now, but the readers “ adapt” really just says that all the terrible things he does ge... sapphics lover

    Readers meant to *hate zhenya

    hatdiggitydog May 7, 2024 12:45 am
    Rape isn’t necessary a bad plot device, but its how the rape is presented that matters.You say zhenya is a black flag now, but the readers “ adapt” really just says that all the terrible things he does ge... sapphics lover

    you're so real for this bc this story and novel is just built off of rape, manipulation, torture, and abuse. it's fucking horrible and questionable why they end up together, but it's just another typical BL where the victim ends up with the abuser.

    annioo May 7, 2024 12:07 pm
    Rape isn’t necessary a bad plot device, but its how the rape is presented that matters.You say zhenya is a black flag now, but the readers “ adapt” really just says that all the terrible things he does ge... sapphics lover

    Sorry, english isn’t my first language, so I wasn’t sure how to use the word. I don’t mean adapt and overlook the rape and sexual violence. I meant his deceptive personality, and how readers eventually come to get used it. I don’t believe that the author particularly made him likeable nor redeemable, even though he is supposed to be a male lead. He is a lot sweeter at the end of the novel, but i’d say that there is no distinct redemption narrative.
    I just personally happened to enjoy the novel, and my message was mainly directed to people who are interested in reading ahead of the manhwa. I didn’t convey very well, I apologize very much!

    annioo May 7, 2024 12:10 pm
    Where did you read the novel? -hoeforhange-

    You can read officially on ridibooks, but here’s a reddit link to some other sources for fan translations:
    https://www.reddit.com/r/ManwhaSauce/s/xz40Y5PZRS
    i suggest reading on scribd, which is where i read it, but it cannot be read offline.

    Peridot08 May 8, 2024 10:50 am

    I want to continue not bec i want to see the uke to be rape but i want to see what will happen next will the will get his revenge(which i want him to) is the seme going to suffer a d regret what he did? I want to know so wanna stay..

    annioo May 8, 2024 12:35 pm
    I want to continue not bec i want to see the uke to be rape but i want to see what will happen next will the will get his revenge(which i want him to) is the seme going to suffer a d regret what he did? I want... Peridot08

    Definitely gets revenge. He leaks anastasia and blows up the mansion, which i think is served well. And zhenya stop seeing taekjoo as just someone that he can toy with and puts in a lot of effort to get him.

    sam May 9, 2024 1:52 pm

    What was the spoilers that made you hooked? i really wanna know coz i am so close to drooping this shit even tho i like the mc so much, he is so cool. i wish the blondie fuck dies in the end but ik it aint happening, coz god forbid, a rapists without a happy ending is a sin in bls.

    annioo May 9, 2024 2:03 pm
    What was the spoilers that made you hooked? i really wanna know coz i am so close to drooping this shit even tho i like the mc so much, he is so cool. i wish the blondie fuck dies in the end but ik it aint happ... sam

    My friend did an amazing job of getting me hooked without spoiling anything, which I am not great at, but I will say that Taekjoo gets revenge — a bunch of violence and explosions. Zhenya doesn’t die in the end, you’re correct, and i’d say i only stayed for Taekjoo. Reading it will feel like less of a romance, and more like a spy thriller with all the adrenaline and risk. It’s constantly kept me on edge as I read through it, throwing all kinds of plot twists where I least expect. It has dark themes, definitely. A lot of violence and action you’d expect from a classic spy movie, except it’s a toxic BL. A lot of sex, too. Some of it consensual, some of it dubiously consensual, and some if it clearly rape. I was totally hooked after my friend pulled out a few snippets, and I read it in two days.

    sam May 9, 2024 2:18 pm
    My friend did an amazing job of getting me hooked without spoiling anything, which I am not great at, but I will say that Taekjoo gets revenge — a bunch of violence and explosions. Zhenya doesn’t die in the... annioo

    dang, if you put it like that then imma stay ig, i like thrillers...most bls these days are the shallowest shit ever but if you say revenge and risk...cool, thanks. Hope the comic will do that justice and not just focus on the little "romance"...