The Outcast (2023)

let's go, the power of friendship!

I haven't read the webcomic ,so I admit I was a bit overwhelmed by all the characters and their skills at first, but fortunately they kept reiterating everything for someone like me who is unfamiliar with comic. Very superhero vibes. It reminds me a little bit of Guardians (2018), which was also a Chinese series. It was a sci-fi fantasy that also had an agency that deals with people with superhuman abilities. "I Am Nobody", however, is more about the martial world. All the characters are interesting and most have their own backstories, which I liked. This series have very anime style comedy which I find very fun. Overall, very cool, very funny, and thoughtful. I loved the journey.

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● SHORT REVIEW (TLDR)
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LIKES:
--seeing the jianghu adapted into the modern world is cool to see. Typically, I've only seen it in a Wuxia ancient China type setting. Also, really cool seeing the different skills and abilities of the different families and sects.
--The characters are all very fun and interesting with their own stories. They all feel like could be main characters of their own spinoff stories.
--A lot of little lessons in their about youth, identity, and growing as a person.


DISLIKES:
--We get introduced to so many characters at once in some episodes and hard to keep track of their abilities. It can be a bit overwhelming for someone new to the world
--After the tournament, there are a lot of characters we don't see again until maybe the very end. There was a lot of friendships being built and I wish we got to see that expanded on more.

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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

The story is very lore deep and ever-growing with a huge array of characters. And all of those characters are just as complex with their own stories, which we touch upon but don't really deep dive into aside from the main characters. At the core, this is a story about finding family and friends. Chulan's quest to find answers about his grandfather. Baobao's looking for her family and who she is. Lyu Liang looking for his sister. Along the way, comraderies are being formed as they try to seek the truth.

While our story focuses on Chulan and Baobao's adventures, so many of the characters introduced could have been the main characters as well, which I love. They are not just side characters, but the main characters of their own story. This is both a good and bad thing. It's good as it means the characters are interesting and complex. However, it's also a bad thing because it can introduces plot points that we may never see closure to in the series. Not sure about the webcomics. For example, The Feng family and the All Encompassing Guild. During the tournament, we get introduce to those characters and got some development for them but there still so many things I felt left to be explored with that family. Especially when it comes to their skill being copied and used by another family. Both Feng Shayan and Xingtong could have own things going on that could be explored it more. This is just an example of how great and interesting the characters are. They are interesting enough to make me curious and want to see more. Also Feng Shayan and Jia Zhengliang dynamic was very cute. Both have their own parental issues. Loved seeing their little fling or love story. Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing also have their blossoming bromance going on and would love to see more of as they try to figure out their role in the world.

A big theme of the series is identity. The series has some life lessons about how we react and adapt to the world, the adversities that shapes us, the complexities of youth and figuring out where you fit into the world. In an ideal world, it's only our own choices that shape who we will become. Sadly, the reality is that the choices of others have an impact on us. Lyu Liang is one example. Despite being a member of Sinister Pleasure, he never really felt like a villain to me. Like Chulan, he was also just trying to find answers about a family member. He became a member of Sinister Pleasure out of necessity and as a result of the actions of his family and Duanmu Ying. People are much more than meet the eyes, which is another theme I saw throughout. We only see what people choose to show us. Just because someone show us their weakness and flaws, it doesn't mean they lack strength. This is seen with Zhang Chulan. Shamelessness does not mean incompetence. And just because someone strive to show us perfection, it doesn't mean they have no flaws. This is seen with Zhang Lingyu and his love for Xia He of the Pleasure Sinister.

While the series is filled with lots of comedic and action-pack scenes with the occasional emotion heart-tugging moments, what I like about it is that it also makes you think. There are a lot of philosophical topic it touches upon and also questions that it poses. There is a lot to think about. How much of our memories affect about personality and behavior? At what point do we stop being us? How much can we really impact the world around us? How much of the world around us impact us? Does the pursuit of the truth and enlightenment outweigh the greater good and the consequences?

[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

The only actor that I recognized was the one who played Zhuge Qing as I've seen him as the lead in "Love Script". Other than that, I'm not sure if I have seen the others. Really big cast and I enjoyed all of them. There really isn't much to say here as I think everyone did a great job portraying their characters. I have seen the movie version or read the webcomics I don't really have reference points on how well they played the characters. There wasn't really anything that stood out to me as bad.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

I absolutely love the OST for this series. There were many tracks that caught my attention, which means they are impactful or really enhanced the scenes they were played in. Unfortunately, they're not on Spotify. At least, for my region. That makes me a little sad because I really do love a lot of the music. They are songs I would expect in like a Wuxia genre, which is very much my vibe.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

I can definitely see myself rewatching this. Like I've said, very funny and fun to watch. And there are lots of characters with an ever evolving story. With so much going on, it's hard to take everything in on the first watch, so I will probably eventually go back and see if I missed anything. At the very least, it will give me a chance to let this world sink in and get more familiar with it.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

This series kept killing/hurting our old men. At least, the good ones. Glad the Chief Celestial Taoist made it, he was very badass. Other than that, I don't really have much else to say other than I really really like this series. I will definitely be reading the webcomics at some point. I also see they will have a second season, so I am excited for that. Hopefully we revisit more of the tournament contestants and strengthen those friendships some more. In the end, maybe the Qi Apotheosis is just the friends we made along the way :P

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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