The Outsiders

The Outsiders - Dou Yu

Characters:
Dylan - Yu Hao
Lan Zhen Long - Shan Zi
Xiao Yan Zi
Hong Dou
Yang Xiong Qi

Unfortunately, I do not know the names of the actors and actresses in this series since I can't seem to find the website for this series.

Plotline:
Story revolves around three sworn brothers namely Yu Hao (Hao), Shan Zi (Shan) and Yang Xiong Qi (Qi). They are delinquents, fighting to gain what they want, though they have never officially joined any triads yet. Their leader Hao falls for Xiao YanZi (YanZi), who is the opposite of everything that the boys are. She is from a family with very good background and has a bright future as a budding pianist. An ambush on Hao by a rival gang brings them together when YanZi saves Hao.

So the story revolves around how they fall in love and how Hao, in a bid to protect YanZi, ends up joining the triads in order to get protection. YanZi gets raped and this causes her to change such that she later becomes a part of the triads much to Hao's displeasure. The story ends with a third party, two deaths but still an ending that is far from gloomy.

Characters:
Ah Hao - Dylan is, I think, a relatively newcomer as I haven't actually seen him around. He is a bit raw when it comes to the emotional scenes and it can get difficult to watch him in his crying scenes. The character Ah Hao is very weak emotionally and he tends to run away from his problems with YanZi instead of talking it out with her. This often harms their relationship. It is only towards the end that things improve.

YanZi - The actress is really very sweet. Initally when I caught the series, I only started watching it from the part that YanZi joined the gang. Then she already looked quite bad so I couldn't expect her to actually be so innocent. Turns out that when I caught the show from the beginning, YanZi was really very innocent. The actress did a good job at convincing audiences of the pain and changes that the character has to go through. As for the character, this is one heck of a sad character, the type that is often cast in as the damsel in distress. Quite typical, I must say, so do prepare to see her crying ever so often.

Chemistry:
Chemistry between YanZi and Hao is good in the beginning. As the problems mount between them later on in the show, their relationship sours. I think that the actors have very good chemistry and made everything believeable, which is highly commendable for beginners.

Other characters:
Shan Zi - He is the silent one always supporting YanZi and loving her secretly. Think Hua Ze Lei in Meteor Garden II. The actor is my favourite amongst all the three and his character is my favourite too. Shan Zi is in fact the person most viewers would have felt matched with Yanzi the best since they are relatively like-minded and have the same goals in life. The friendship developed between the characters in enviable, even Ah Hao becomes jealous eventually.

Hong Dou - This spunky character is one heck of a spit-fire. The first time she meets YanZi she slaps her, but in the end not only protects YanZi but also becomes her best friend. The actress is not very pretty but she plays the role very well. Her nature is such that she cannot keep secrets and the effect is often quite comical.

Ah Qi - This guy is rash and hot-tempered. He develops feelings for Hong Dou and is a very loyal friend. There's nothing much to say about him except that together with Hong Dou, they both make a great couple that provide lots of laughter.

Favourite scenes:
- The scene whereby Ah Hao commands two students to follow YanZi around the first time he picks her up from school. Very funny.
- Fighting scenes between Hong Dou and Ah Qi - they fight and scream like crazy, but make up very fast.
- Scenes when Hong Dou caves in to pressure and blurts out secrets, very funny to see her facial expresssions.

Music:
Jenny Yang - Bu Gong Ping: very nice song, I must say
FIR - Lydia: okay, this song is nice, but they have to STOP repeating it over and over and over and over again because it gets irritating.

Overall Commentary:
Ok, this show is highly predictable, the problems encountered here are not surprising, so don't expect a fabulous plot. Acting is not bad, as I have mentioned above.

It is a teenage series in my opinion and somehow it fails to bring tears. I mean, my Mum who cries at every little thing that has a tinge of sadness didn't even shed a tear. Trust me, that speaks volumes.
I would recommend it if you have time, but if not, it is ok to skip it.