This review may contain spoilers
HIStory 3 Made Me Stare At Tang AND Jack For Hours
I binged this entire series in 1 day with my best friend and I have no regrets. I liked the actors chemistry for both couples and the overall story was super interesting as well. I wish we would've gotten more "relationship" time shown on screen but what we did get was wholesome. It was a tie between Tang Yi and Jack was as my favorite character. Both actors are so fineeee. Holy crap I couldn't stop staring at them. Also (more importantly) their character portrayals were quite different from each other but both very well done! Andy's portrayal of Jack was really sweet, even if he was wearing leather gloves the entire time realistically he is such a soft boi. He also had this air of mystery to him that makes me want to see a spinoff of his past. Chris as Tang I think actually had some of the best acted scenes in the entire show. The character has to go from emotionally unavailable, cold and calculated to likable in a fairly short amount of time. The more you learn about Tang, the more you fall in love with him. He's actually just a very damaged, hurt person from his past and he needs love danggit! Which makes his relationship with Meng so much more believable and stronger because it's literally what he needs to be better. They're so different and it's hilarious seeing them interact off of eachother, like I was cracking up!I should also mention that the writing in this show is actually really REALLY good. It could pass as a non-BL mystery cop drama easily. Everything flowed together story-wise, the entire mystery side of it was actually gripping and surprising where it went. I was devastated for Tang having to learn about his birth parents, to then lose Chen in the last episode. The man's been through enough already geez! So well done though. I can see why some viewers might dislike the ending but I thought it was pretty realistic. It probably would've been better if we saw a flash forward of him and Meng reuniting after release, but the implication is there so oh well! Definitely one to watch if you haven't, be ready for a well done story with some romance sprinkled in there for good measure.
Was this review helpful to you?
The best story of the History series
Among all the BL out there this series is indubitaby one of the best, both for the writing, the acting and the directing. The chemistry among the cast members is top notch and the story very interesting even outside the romance part of it.As for the 2 couples they are equally lovable, the main one is wonderful and the evolution of their relationship is so good to watch. Shaofei with is perseverance and kindness manages to melt Tang Yi walls and defences and it's wonderfull to watch.
The second couple is just plain adorable Zhao Li An is so endearing and sweet that Jack is ensnared by him almost without realizing,
watch it it:
you love angsty stories with perfect ending
if you are looking for a enemys to lover romance
if you are simply looking for a good story with good acting and a bunch of very interesting characters
don't watch it:
well if you do not like mm relationship (but why should you be here then?) or if you really do not like crime stories or if you are looking for cruel vicious gangster and hero police forces.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I Married a Mobster
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this one, the premise is totally unrealistic... but I'm so happy I did and would love to see a sequel. What a fun series. I'm THRILLED to see a new storyline in the BL universe. Cop falling for Mobster and all of the intrigue, mystery, danger etc that goes along with it. They actually created a good detective story first and then allowed the two main characters to fall in love. It did get a bit convoluted and confusing, especially since we only hear the mystery details after the fact from third parties, but even if you come for the mystery, you will stay for the love story.The growth of this relationship (while ridiculous in its premise), made absolute sense to me. You could see each of the main characters come to learn more and more about each other that would allow them to trust each other and even fall in love with each other. That gradual evolution is what made this story work best for me.
There is so much humor that works really well. Several characters are preposterously over the top, but the actors play them with such sweet, gentle, natural manners that they work perfectly. Jake Hsu was awkward and ungainly in all the right ways. But I also believed he was smart, loyal, honest and a really good cop. My favorite "touch" was his unkempt hair. They have one lock of hair ALWAYS out of place, sticking out in the most ridiculous manner. It became his signature and I came to miss it when he washed his hair and it disappeared. Kenny Chen may be my favorite naive "little boy" (alongside Plan as Can in Love by Chance). He is so vulnerable and trusting and goofy. I can't wait until he stars in his own BL series. This kid deserves to be a star. Unfortunately, Chris Wu is pretty horrible. He is wooden, blank-faced, lacking the internal emotions needed for this complex character. This is a recurring problem in BL series. They go for the good looking bad boy, but rarely can they find an actor who can play the subtleties of those roles. Chris did have some good moments, toward the latter half of the series, when he got to open up and express his affection for Meng Fei.
Those moments, when the two relaxed and allowed themselves to be boyfriends, were some of my favorites in the series. Despite the very quick transition in their relationship, you could sense an ease between the two actors. They truly portrayed the trust and relief you can only get in the arms of your beloved. The kissing and intimacy scared me at first. I didn't think they were going to pull it off. The first kiss was so tight-mouthed that I feared it would never look natural. But by the end of the series, these two were making out like they meant it. It got steamy for a second!
I appreciated the secondary BL romance, though it was even more ridiculous than the first. But again, Kenny Chen made his character so believable I wanted to fly to Taiwan and marry him myself. And I truly enjoyed the hetero romance as well. I thought it was well established and with little back-story I was able to understand both sides of this couple and was happy they came together in the end. Kudos to Diane Lin who does an excellent job as well. The filial love between these two "siblings" was another strong aspect of the series.
At times I thought the music was inspiring and spot on, but at other times it felt like it was lifted from a library of stock music that I've heard in so many other series.
Solid direction, cinematography, editing throughout. Truly high production values that helped propel this to the top of my list.
I will watch this one again FOR SURE.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
HIStory: Trapped (2019) set the bar high for BL series and it is generally, a well-made drama
The storyline was well thought out. It was able to balance the romance and action aspects of the drama series. There was character development which I really loved; furthermore, the progression of the relationship between Shao Fei and Tang Yi was realistic. They were initially enemies that turned into acquaintances and gradually became friends. When the “dating” started, Tang Yi made it clear that he wanted to try it out instead of diving into it immediately which was really realistic unlike other dramas I watched where they were lovers in an instant without the awkwardness, exploration, and getting to know each other part. The background story of Tang Yi was also established comprehensibly. It provided depth to his character and foundation for the audience to understand his actions throughout the plot. On a side note, I love the music so much. The lyrics (I read the translated version) matched the story in the series. It is one of the best OST I heard in BL dramas. It was catchy and the kind of song that could make you “feel” the scenes.In my opinion, what made this series so great was the ability to give love scenes full of passion in a very natural way. It was not over the top where it was really sexual. I noticed that some of the BL dramas were too focused on portraying a sexual scene that it loses its other elements. One good example was the seduction scene between Shao Fei and Tang Yi. It was intimate and hot, yes, but the scene also established the connection of Shao Fei and Tang Yi as lovers. When they leaned on the wall, Shao Fei’s nervousness of being caressed was seen which gave the idea that he wasn’t able to handle the overwhelming feelings in that situation. On the other hand, when Tang Yi kissed Shao Fei’s wound, it gave a sense of appreciation and admiration towards the heroic act of Shao Fei. Basically, the drama was able to incorporate an intimate scene while showing the progression of the story as well as the relationship between the characters.
The bed scenes was just enough to show us that they love each other. In addition, the chemistry between the actors were really strong, kudos to the actors’ acting skills. The movements and facial expressions played an important role too. You could see that they were not stiff and it didn’t seem rehearsed, like I said, it was very natural. The smile, rolling on the bed, closing of eyes and the actors being immersed in the scene made it astounding. We were able to enjoy and feel the attraction between the couples in just a few minutes; moreover, the main couple exhibited passionate love scene while the second couple gave us the energetic and innocent one. HIStory 3: Trapped provided an excellent execution of the love stories between the main and second couple.
The actors were great in the series. They were able to play their parts really well. I guess what made the series work for me was the comfortability of the characters towards each other. Overall, it really set the bar high for BL dramas and it was generally a well made drama series. I recommend this drama for people who is looking for a great romance-action series with character development and good storyline.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This has been, hands down, the best gay drama I’ve ever seen. Did it have its issues? Sure. Would I change some things? Yeah. But generally, it was made with a lot of heart and warmth and a genuine desire to give people a fanfic-like story about a mob boss and the cop chasing him, literally. Out of the 3 main pairings - Shao Fei/Tang Yi, Jack/Zhao Zi and Hong Ye/Dao Yi - I was most interested in Shao Fei & Tang Yi, the least in Jack & Zhao Zi, which was probably obvious from my recaps. But I really liked Hong Ye & Dao Yi, the only het pairing, and that’s a rare thing in gay dramas, that the het pairing isn’t there just so not everybody’s gay but that they actually have an interesting arc, too. So much kudos for that.
I loved Tang Yi and Hong Ye’s sibling relationship. I loved the glimpse of what could’ve been between Shao Fei and Chen Wen Hao. I loved the unexpectedly multi-layered relationship between Shao Fei and Captain Shi. I loved Tang Yi’s friendship with Doctor Jian. And I loved the flashbacks to Boss Tang mentoring Tang Yi…
What I didn’t expect was how non-cliché turned out Shao Fei to be. No crisis of sexuality or morality when he realized he fell for a male gangster. No, just pure love and determination to save Tang Yi even against Tang Yi’s will.
And the same goes for Chen Wen Hao. I started off hating that guy and ended up crying for him. He truly was a man screwed over by fate - and his friends. If only Boss Tang tried harder to get him out of jail. If only Li Chen waited for him. Everything could’ve been different.
I was one of the few who liked the music choices in this drama - from smooth jazz to the tinkling bells - and the slo-mo. But then, I’m old-school *shrugs*
Was this review helpful to you?
One of my favourites
Absolutely loved it. Tang Yi and Shao Fei just made sense, the actors’ chemistry is so good, it’s OFF-THE-CHARTS. Like yin and yang, Shao Fei balances and brings out the loving side of Tang Yi whereas Tang Yi makes Shao Fei settle down and have a focus other than the case he’s been investigating for 4 years- get his man for a different reason.
Chris Wu as Tang Yi is so good! His controlled expressions, his character arc is absolutely a joy to watch.
The background story keeps it real, this is why I avoid most school-based BL stories, I am bored with them.
All characters were interesting, this is the first HIStory series that I was not at all bored with at any second and didn’t fast forward any part.
The ending is very realistic for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Start watching if you still haven't
Guys this is a must watch. I found this series in November and honestly I've watched it more than 6 times and I still love it. The storyline, characters, OST, acting everything is just perfect. Chemistry of both the CPs was so interesting. I'm pretty sure you all will love it. If you guys have time, watch the behind the scenes of the show in YouTube by Line TV. You'll see how familiar and friendly the cast is with each other and that's the reason the couples had an awesome chemistry. I won't post spoilers but the ending is totally relatable and justified. You won't feel sad seeing the ending. Do watch the show!!Was this review helpful to you?
Definitely the best out of all HIstory parts.
I absolutely loved this one, and I am extremely glad I saved this one for last out of the HIstory parts.If you are (like I was) thinking about whether you should watch “make our days count” or “trapped” first I strongly recommend you watch “make our days count” first and end the Series with this one.
The actors were extremely well chosen in my opinion, I absolutely bought their portrayal of their characters. I loved their chemistry, there was no awkwardness at all. The side characters where extremely fitting as well.
This whole Drama was a mixture of lighthearted fun and seriousness that didn’t feel misplaced at all.
I literally savoured every second and every emotion of this one, sadness, happiness, romance, I really can’t find much to criticise.
Definitely watch this if you’re still wavering.
Was this review helpful to you?
I think it's a good drama to begin with and I wasn't disappointed at all. It was really entertaining and now that I've seen other Bl dramas I think the plot is pretty original (it's not a school drama like it often is). The story was interesting but if we cut the BL part I think I wouldn't have like it as much as I had. I think the chemistry between the main leads but also between the second leads (I loved Jack) is really enjoyable. The romance between the leads is really beautiful, and I liked the end.
One thing I didn't like is the way of acting of some actor (for instance Tang Yi, in one scene he wasn't credible at all and that bothered me a little). I recommend this drama for those who want a good BL with an original plot (but it's far from being a good thriller, it's still a BL and the story focus on Tang Yi and Shao Fei).
Was this review helpful to you?
After watching H3T y got a great deal of satisfaction and I would like to share my thoughts with you from two different perspectives. First we can see it for it's artistic value, acting directing and script, on a second hand we can analyze it as a product that reflects an specific social context and it's repercussions.
H3T is great because it is a BL but it is even greater because it is not only a BL story, it is a story about justice, about lost opportunities, about what it means and meant to be an adult to different generations, it is about loneliness and finding people to share it.
From the artistic perspective this series is a must. It is very well written although it's flaws like a slow start and tone issues. At the beginning we feel that we are on a romcom mostly because of the great acting of Jake Hsu that portrays what it looks like a naive and over optimistic cop (Meng Shao Fei), his superior acting sometimes is the biggest flaw of the series, they depend so much on his charm that they barely give him any background, at least not as much as Tang Yi (portrayed by Chris Wu) whom being less charismatic has a big screen presence and fills the role completely.
Eventually we get to meet several characters which help drawing a universe where we can find much more than a love story or a story about cops an bandits, this is well rounded drama about what family means and how you can find it on different places despite of blood, and also how the decisions we make affect the people we love even if we don't want to. The senior actors on this series that portrays either the cop's chief and the rival gangster, they are the ones that deliver the best scenes and really tight the story together.
The last two chapters are gold and I couldn't stop the feelings, I cried a lot, but I also smile a lot, I will always love this series for what it is: an epic tale about family with a main couple that happens to be gay. This has been the goal of queer cinema for ages, having actors portraying truthful stories where their sexual orientation is not the main issue or a trope.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Rewatched 3 times and will keep rewatching
The show that introduced me to the BL world.... what a wonderful welcome! I have rewatched this show 3 times already and I plan to rewatch it again soon. I was immediately hooked within the first few minutes and I was so sad to see it end. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and it is done so well here. The main couple have amazing chemistry and the side homosexual couple are the cutest, more pure couple I have ever seen in a show, especially in one about cops and the Taiwanese mafia. Defintely a must watch.Was this review helpful to you?
