To be fair it depends on how rape is depicted. Most people stating they hate the presence of rape in works are typically criticizing them in the works labeled as romances, where rape is romanticized or used as a 'device' of sorts to pave the way for romance, since it forces intimacy and shit. This work doesn't romanticize rape at all. I would say that there a few panels that border on its glorification, but mostly the artist does (in my opinion) a great job of desanitizing rape, evoking a sense of filth and animalistic desire. Also it's more of an incredibly harsh representation of rape and it's effects, because the aftermath of these rape events demonstrates the detrimental physical (anticipated arousal, bruises, tearing) and mental (suicidal thoughts, several breakdowns, etc.) toll on MC.
i'm more referring to people who hate rape as a whole, not liking it in any shape or form in works they read, yet they willingly choose to read them despite everyone warning about it having rape, being about romance or not. and after they read it, they're surprised about it being a work with rape.
imho the depiction having "romanticization" aspects is very subjective and depends on the reader, but that's another discussion entirely that always gets too long.
but im happy to read someone sees this work as more than "the rape manhwa" and throw the usual harsh "this has rape = trash" when it has more than that. the mental trauma the protagonist go through, the physical reactions he has, the despair he feels, the loneliness... it gives so much more to the narrative that many people don't even try to understand.
i guess what im trying to say it's that people force themselves to read something that will obviously trigger them and still act surprised and disgusted that it's exactly what they know what it was about beforehand, and even go so far to sent hateful messages to the artist and author, like people in this comment section telling the author to kill themselves.
Yeah, I totally agree with you. In my opinion, I'm not a huge fan of non sum zero, but it's mostly because I don't enjoy these types of works that much. I prefer more active MCs and more equality rather than power imbalances but I've also noticed a trend of people sort of mistaking the presence of rape in works as being the equivalent to slop. A good example of rape being misused would be reverse thinking. It has an interesting backstory in a way, but it is just rape. It does explore Stockholm syndrome but it's very romanticized and such. Non zero sum on the other hand actually delves into the consequences of continued sexual assault and platonic betrayal in such a good way. Initially, I also viewed non zero sum to be just some rape slop, but it utilizes rape as a tool to represent the mental toll that rape induces. It's really interesting to see how MC attempts to survive and move on, while continuously being physically violated, and it's not only about the brutal violation, it's about its implications, about who is doing this and the weight and meaning of such is explored beautifully. I would say that I'm not a huge fan of how graphic the rape is, but it's an interesting story. Also, I'm absolutely not a fan of MC ended with haeyoung because what the fuck...
for people who say they dislike rape too much on fiction, y'all sure love to read stories who are dark and will obviously depict rape in multiple chapters.