Starting off, I struggle to reconcile with how people who haven't even read the whole thing are so adamant and assured of their opinion. I went into the comic with fairly light feelings myself. I was curious as to why I'd put it in my list at all, and read it to sate my curiosity. It's a mere 50 chapters; even if it were a bad story, I could quit anytime.
However, at no point did it get so bad that I felt the need to quit. If anything, I was thoroughly impressed by the end at how much they'd ultimately accomplished in their storytelling in a mere 50 chapters. Some people have pointed out that it would've been better to flesh out certain parts and omit others. I wouldn't entirely disagree, I suppose. But it's more of an afterthought that only occurred to me when I saw other people talking about it. It's definitely not the typical story, but by no means is it bad.
Which made me think — maybe that's exactly what many people struggled with. It doesn't follow along your instincts if you're expecting it to go a certain way. As a romance, you expect a whole lot more emotional expression and exploration, for example. And it's there, frankly, but not in the way most romances would have it. I think it just threw people off to the point of frustration.
And there's another thing I've recently heard — how so many people don't have the patience to experience the story. They'll complain about confusing parts etc without even going far enough to understand why things are the way they are. Or at least that's what somebody else spoke about, and frankly I've observed the same thing. And I, too, find such readership vexing.
Of course, everyone's entitled to their opinion. But a part of me can't help but wonder whether this series truly warrants this much hate. Did people not just jump on the bandwagon? I don't know. It doesn't matter.
Don't read it until you plan on reading through, because only then does it make full sense and is enjoyable. And it is enjoyable. It doesn't necessarily flow the way your expect your average romance to. But being different isn't necessarily = bad. Go in with an open mind and heart and you should be able to appreciate it. If you can't even bother reading it, just don't. Literally nobody is forcing you. But it's a pity to read a story you can't take the time to properly appraise, and following, appreciate. It's a waste of your own time, too. I'm sorta sad seeing all this hate. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The small things from the earlier chapters held significance. It was fun to see it unfold.