Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System is Getting a Manga Adaptation—But is it Really?

To celebrate Shen Qingqiu’s birthday, Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System has announced a manga adaptation of the hit danmei.

But let’s take a deep breath first and not jump up and down in excitement. We’ve been through this before. We’ve suffered through this before, especially if you’re a SVSSS fan, to know that just because there’s an announcement of something happening, it doesn’t mean it’s really happening. The announcement includes silhouettes of Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe with Fumizuki Rinka (文月凛花) revealed as the artist. This will be the artist’s debut work (if it happens).

Adaptations of Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System has been the most rocky and uncertain amongst all of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s works (is this first child woes as Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s first danmei series?) A manhua was announced by Tencent in 2019 but it only released three chapters before it was canceled when it was revealed the artist was a Mo Xiang Tong Xiu anti-fan; both Mo Dao Zu Shi and Tian Guan Ci Fu have inspired manhua adaptations although the latter has been on “extended hiatus” with STARember unlikely to return as an artist. Mo Dao Zu Shi is the first Mo Xiang Tong Xiu series to have a manga adaptation which was announced on October 31, 2023.

Most danmei will also have an audio drama but for some reason, SVSSS was left out; Mo Dao Zu Shi and Tian Guan Ci Fu also have audio dramas. SVSSS has also never been optioned for a live-action adaptation and while Tian Guan Ci Fu also never had an official released one, news has reported that it had been filmed and renamed to Eternal Faith; Mo Dao Zu Shi is the only one who has a live-action drama, and The Untamed has been extremely popular.

The saving grace has been the donghua adaptation with the series receiving a 3D-animation style. Unfortunately, the donghua also go the short end of the stick as the first season, released on September 10, 2020, only had 10 episodes and then… nothing else. MDZS aired in 2018 and concluded in 2021, successfully adapting the story from beginning to end. TGCF is also enjoying a moderately successful donghua adaptation with two seasons and five short films.

This news also comes on the heels of the hiatus/cancelation of the manga adaptation of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun after the artist attached to it, Ayano Yamane, was removed after past racist remarks were revealed, so fans are understandably wary.

A release date for the manga has not yet been announced.

Source: X, formerly known as Twitter