** also please be SMART and don’t blindly trust “spoilers” even if they claim to have read the novel…. theres’s so much nuance missed and just as there’s many “bad” characters there’s plenty “good” ones too.
also some “spoilers” are just plain wrong. did you read with your eyes closed? or is your hobby cosplaying as an echo chamber. please make your own judgements by reading the novel properly
I feel like a lot of people won’t read your comment in full but I just wanted to say this I did and I’m more intrigued by this manhwa than ever before. I already know the comments and backlash this manhwa will receive will be chaotic but as someone who enjoys dark/toxic media i refuse to let it take away my enjoyment from it. For once I actually this well get a manhwa that does have dark themes but also has a soul to it to prove it’s not just some mindless porn without plot. People will say the art style is wasted but the artist wouldn’t have accepted if they didn’t think the novel was worth it. Which btw I usually don’t read the novels manhwas are based on but your comment was more than enough reason for me to want to. Your comments were very much appreciated
Novel link please
thankyou fellow comrade for you long rant before it get buried to 2nd page, im glad i got to read this and kinda get the gist of the series, i really like the idiom at the end, i think it suits perfectly
writing all this nonsense and praise for a work of fiction in which the victim ends up with one of their many rapists oh my god
hey like you said it’s a work of fiction. also bad life isn’t simply black & white, it psychologically explores trauma and moral ambiguity.
try not to focus sorely on the basic outcome but on the value of the journey. from what I understand, raymond doesn’t just decide to ‘end up with his rapist’, he has to grapple with many dark inner conflicts before reaching that point
don’t judge if you haven’t read the novel in its entirety.
I wasn’t gonna cmmt anything but, if you just come here to condemn it— which some *specials* seem to already have— by only reading some spoilers/partial of novel, then I will have the greatest pleasure to say: the depth and gravity of this story are sorrowfully wasted on you.
Idk about the manhwa’s potential but I can confidently speak for the novel, having actually read it thoroughly.
***
Unlike the shallow claims of some clueless commenters, the novel itself is very, very well-written. The plot and characters are nuanced, complex and shouldn’t be defined singularly (yes, even including some of the “antagonists”. Although there are “bad guys”/ aka just fkeddd up pos). It’s volatile and engrossingly unpredictable, and just when you think you know what’s going to happen next, it snatches the rug from under you.
Despite the controversial and very dark content (you’ve been warned so no whining later), BN (Baek Nara/author) is genuinely so skilled in writing. I’m consistently in awe of how they realistically and beautifully depict the raw emotions of the MC as he’s mercilessly thrown in some of the most inhumane and disturbingly fked up situations. One of the most compelling aspects of Bad L is the MC’s cleverness and incredible resilience— he’s strong both physically and mentally.
Yet, our MC is only human.
Your heart will ache as you watch the MC become tragically ensnared by “the madness, the hatred, and the anger,” but also witness him embrace these very feelings as both time and story progresses.
His desperation to cling to life while simultaneously caressing death’s arms. And his drive to avenge himself against his perpetrators, even as he, confusedly yearns for reunion with them.
You’ll watch him, with revenge deeply fermented in his bones, fail again and again just when salvation seems within an inch of his reach. You’ll watch him desperately attempt to escape the “hunt” that plagues his existence, only to be shackled down once more by unbridled ghosts and the remnants of his violently stolen youth. You. Will. Continue to witness in futile numbness as he doubt himself, fault himself and succumb to injustice; pleading “give me a chance to atone…”
Bad L isn’t dismissive of such sentiments. It’s raw and oppressively relentless. It gleefully descends you into impending darkness with the MC, and just when it’s becoming so loud of hopelessness..it becomes silent.
He fights.
In his carousel of despair and seemingly endless suffering, he persistently fights. Alongside the MC, you’ll come to encounter shocking revelations that unravel intricate webs of what initially appeared as mere coincidences. you’re also reminded that although one might seem formidable and mysterious, just like the MC, they’re ultimately only human.
..And there’s sweet solace at the end of the tunnel. MC will sculpt his own way of life, find his own people and even have his own dreams devoid of revenge. There’s moments of tenderness, comedic relief and joy amidst the chaos. For those concerned, ‘Bad Life’ will not stay ‘Bad Life’ but will eventually become ‘Happy Life’ :)
So as for the ending, I loved it. I was spoiled about it beforehand, and while reading the earlier arcs, I honestly couldn’t quite wrap my mind on how the ending can come to be. But after fully finishing it... well, let’s just say it’s both incredibly satisfying and amazingly sweet (epilogues/ side stories)
***
Personally, I’m beyond grateful to have had the privilege of reading the novel first (and I don’t mean through some shit*y mtl). tbh I share the same sentiments as some readers; I’m anxious the manhwa may distort my perceptions/ “feeling” of what Bad L originally was.
maybe that’s why I word-vomited all of this out— it hurts to see people who haven’t a single clue of the media, trashing on something they know nothing about when its something you care about.
Despite everything, I’m still excited for the adaptation bc this means opening new eyes to BN’s talented hand— hopefully leading to a push for official translations and even more side stories, as well as seeing some beloved characters come alive. but simultaneously, lowkey dread it bc of the inevitable storm of fcking braindead ahh.. ah.. sigh
anyway, if you’re still reading this and for anyone planning to read the novel, I highly recc listening to “apologise- timberland, just a dream- nelly, forever young- alphaville, bye bye- mariah c, flavour of life- hikaru, people help the people- birdy” and tbh any song with similar mood, esp in the “Lavernham(?) arc” and other high-tension parts. they weren’t songs deliberately chosen— rather they were coincidentally on my playlist when I was reading Bad L. But they fit so perfectly that now, whenever I hear them, I can’t help but nostalgically stare into space, thinking about Bad L while my heart rips itself to shreds ^u^
I could go on but this is a lot longer than I had anticipated to write.
All in all, I’m just happy that MC’s *empty teacup is no longer empty.