Quick Transmigration Cannon Fodder’s Record of Counterattacks Chapter 178 Discussion

I started this because I was looking for a series with a strong female lead and no romance.

Strong female lead? Yeah, eventually.

No romance? Debatable. There's romantic subtext and a lot of validation through male admiration/approval. And, of course, invalidation bc male dismissal/disapproval. Either way, a woman's worth is hinged on how desirable men find her. Female characters are worthless because no men like them (back), or worthy because men (or one particularly exceptional man) likes them.

What was particularly frustrating, and at times infuriating, was the contrast between the feminist veneer and the misogynistic messages.

The feminist veneer was wonderful, if flimsy and artificial. Female lead with aims and goals outside of romance? Great. Scathing observations about Alpha Male leads? Awesome. Heroine who tries to use logic and reason as much as possible? Fantastic. Female warriors/combatants who refuse to be seen as inferior to the men? Flippin' beautiful.

Unfortunately, everything that showed through the transparent veneer was... gross.

Examples:

Spoiler

• • The characterization of the lead as "Not Like The Other Girls" and out of the norm for recognizing sh***y dudes as tr*sh.
    (eg. "This indicated that she had stayed in the hospital too long. Ning Shu, whose sense of aesthetic had diverged from that of ordinary people, expressed that she didn't understand.")

• • Little non sequiturs like this: "All women liked being subdued by a strong man." "So much hidden bitterness, you're acting like a total girl."

• • The s*xual dynamics, wherein men are characterized as being naturally licentious and unable to control themselves, and therefore excused of all responsibility when it comes to interc**rse (even forced).

• • Use of the Madonna-Wh*re Complex, with the 'villainous' women being promiscuous/sexually active, and vice versa.

• • Reaffirmations of sexist Confucian ideology/the status quo, especially by tying the antagonist with less conservative tropes and villifying these "against the current" cliches.

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But the most unforgivable aspect of this novel was the gender violence.

There is a lot of r*pe and dubcon. And it is extremely glossed over.

Memorable examples:

Spoiler

- The "he isn't raping me - he seems like a good guy (also he's hawt) " example. Dude puts his unwanted wife through r*pe, torture, and forced prostitution just because he doesn't love her. He has a good impression of her when Ning Shu takes over, so he wants to "make her his." He hasn't changed, but his view of her has, so the author describes him favorably with constant comments on his unruly good looks. He doesn't give a sh** about the women his men r*pe though, and neither, aparently, should you.

- The "he's so nice usually, and she deserves it" example. Woman is r*ped by the man who comforts her while she's mourning the loss of her OTL because he "can't take it anymore"... She's portrayed as unreasonable for refusing to forgive him when he "continues treating her gently and considerately" afterwards, to which he responds by raping her repeatedly. It's all good though, because she's the antagonist. r*pe can be used as a justifiable punishment right? Ha. Asdfghjkl.

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Aside from that, there were also a wealth of plot holes and inconsistencies. The characterization was often inorganic, forced, and illogical; especially for the antagonists, though even the heroine was prone to random personality changes.

There was tons of potential here. A shame it wasn't carried through.