Review: Outrageous explores the idea of a "transparent existence" | AmeriLatte

When main character Lu Zhi Wei graduates from “transparent existence” to “male protagonist,” she exposes a little of all of our deepest desires.

*this review contains minor spoilers*

Outrageous may “only” have 115 chapters, but don’t be fooled. This is a beefy novel. With 623,110 Chinese characters, it’s Re Dao Jun Hue’s third longest work to date, and despite having nearly 100 fewer chapters, it’s only around 140,000 words shorter than She is the Protagonist.

The comparisons with SITP are somewhat inevitable, as Outrageous is set in the same shared universe. And while reading SITP is not necessary to understand the story of Outrageous, Re Dao Hun Jue has left some tidbits for fans of SITP to enjoy.

Outrageous follows Lu Zhi Wei, a “transparent existence” whose life is forever changed when her world’s male protagonist halo crashes onto her head. Along with the male protagonist halo, Lu Zhi Wei is also assigned a system and operator, Lao Wu, a self-proclaimed “mommy fan” who tasks Lu Zhi Wei with following the script and restoring the natural order of the world.

Prior to obtaining the male protagonist halo, Lu Zhi Wei’s “transparent existence” meant that she lived her entire life forgotten by the rest of the world—by strangers, by co-workers, and even by family. As a result, Lu Zhi Wei has adopted a unique self-reliance and independent way of living that is at odds with what is considered “normal” by society.

I adore Lu Zhi Wei as the protagonist, and the way Outrageous explores the idea of a “transparent existence” vividly captures the loneliness and isolation we often experience in today’s societies, especially the terrifying feeling of being forgotten.

When I read Outrageous, I’m always inspired by Lu Zhi Wei’s optimism and resilience, and this is such a powerful feeling that it reminds me of why I fell in love with stories in the first place. I think Outrageous has a lot to say and I think it, for the most part, nails it.

There’s a scene early on in the novel when Lu Zhi Wei confronts female lead Sang Wan Ci about the pressures her dad exerts on her. I love this scene. It’s a really poignant moment where Lu Zhi Wei can’t make sense of parents who ask from their children tasks they can’t even accomplish themselves.

But then Sang Wan Ci says, “My father and mother are both excellent people, there’s nothing they can’t do in the world.”

At one glance, you can understand so much about these iconic characters.

Which is why it baffles me that I never became 100% on board with their relationship.

Romance is a notoriously tricky genre, and there’s no guideline to developing a chemistry between the main leads that every reader will “get.”

But when it comes to Outrageous, it’s not even necessarily that the romance between Sang Wan Ci and Lu Zhi Wei is weak.

It’s that everything else surrounding the romance is so strong.

Don’t get me wrong, Sang Wan Ci and Lu Zhi Wei are good together, and they have plenty of delightful interactions with each other, but I never thought their relationship was the best aspect of the novel.

For me, there were just a few too many moments where Sang Wan Ci and Lu Zhi Wei’s individual character journeys threatened to overshadow their romance, and I wished they could’ve had more opportunities to overcome their struggles together.

In the end, I was much more invested in Lu Zhi Wei’s relationship with her estranged sister, or Sang Wan Ci’s relationship with her father, or even Lu Zhi Wei’s relationship with Sang Wan Ci’s aunt, than I was with Lu Zhi Wei and Sang Wan Ci.

Which is weird, and I acknowledge that it’s weird, and I think it’s a testament to Re Dao Hun Jue’s storytelling strengths that she manages to make me care not just about the romance at the center of her narratives but also about the individual characters and their struggles.

In the case of Outrageous, I found the story skewing a little too much towards the latter.

But then again, maybe that’s just one of my proclivities. There’s a lot to love here, and I love 99% of it.