Acting: I thought then acting was really good. No issues. 10
Music: was there music in this drama? If there was it was not memorable. 5
Rewatch: I think I would 100% rewatch this show!
Overall: I really did enjoy this show. I did have a few small issues but they did not ruin the show for me. I would highly recommend this show! 8.5/10
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Not an Excellent crime/gangster drama, nor a BL romance drama
Browsing through MDL, “HIStory 3: Trapped” is rated pretty high for a Taiwanese drama and/or a BL drama. Unfortunately, I am not sure if it’s worth the 8.4 current rating. I feel that it tries to be a very good crime/gangster drama, and also a very good BL drama. In the end, it lands right in the middle: not excellent in either or both directions.It was a slow start for me. I did not like the cop ML at all. I understand his motive of trying to find the killer of his mentor for the last 4 years. But the way he approaches gangster ML is unprofessional, unrealistic and super clingy and stalkerish. The acting is also a little over-the-top for me. On the other hand, gangster ML’s stoic but bland expressions distract me from his handsome looks and beautiful physique in a suit. You know, if you can’t act, no matter how good-looking you are, the drama is never going to be good.
Luckily, the acting of gangster ML gets better throughout the drama. When he’s not forced to act all cold, his emotional and normal scenes are pretty decent. Cop ML’s acting also gets more natural but his professionalism and unrealistic approach to solving the case never goes away.
The gangster turf fight is uninteresting and the pursuit of the murderer is half-baked. It tries to be a crime investigation/gangster drama but the writing is not up to par.
What about BL romance? The first half of the drama is more fun before the leads get together. Yes, cop ML is clingy and stalkerish, but at least the chemistry is quite good and sizzles a little. But once they got together, I was expecting more kisses and skinship. We have maybe 3 decent scenes with intimacy and skinship. However, the quality of the kisses is disappointing given this is the HIStory franchise.
On another note, the side romance is quite cute and sweet. Jack is the most attractive of the guys for me, and his character is interesting. I keep on thinking there’s more to him that meets the eye with his smirks and smiles. But his counterpart, the young cop, is way too naive and especially unbelievable as a cop. The pairing is cute but unrealistic.
Having said all that, I do appreciate a BL drama not set in a school setting and tries to be a more mature drama. There really aren’t too many BL dramas out there about real adults and not students, and good ones are even harder to come by. A few of the action scenes are quite good and not slow-mo fighting. Both leads look like they trained for these scenes. This is a quick and easy binge since each episode is only about 25 minutes long. From an enjoyment level, I will round this up to an 8.0. If I am judging strictly on writing/acting/execution, this will be a lower score. I will recommend this if you are looking for a more mature BL drama, just don't lower the expectations a little.
Completed: 8/26/2023 - Review #344
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little bit confused in the first 2 episodes and it was boring but it gets better ( or not? )
The acting was the best thing about this series, the story the worst. I´m setisfied quite easily when watching something but I can ´t be bored and here i find 60% of the series boring.
In episode 3 I was asking myself if I should continue watching and I decided to continue but only because of Andy´s character ( Jack ). He was the most interesting person for me and I really wanted to know more about him. Also I was much more interested in his and the other guy´s ( forgot his name sorry ) relationship than in relationship of the two main characters.
Acting was good but I didn´t like the one girl´ s acting that much. It didn ´t felt real...
Overall the series isn´t that bad but there isn´t the charm of good series.
If you are bored and don´t know what to watch, watch it. If you have more series in your watchlist, try them first :)
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I’m surprised this pops up as most popular
So this came highly recommended the reviews and comments on here are very encouraging. But I just was not feeling it. Definitely had the potential.So it has a pretty good story, I figured the plot out rather quickly tho. But atleast it had a good story and plot without holes and it went smoothly.
Chemistry was meh I am never a big fan of the out of nowhere a character suddenly is like in love or obsessed when they were straight two seconds ago. I think there should be some internal struggle that lasts a little longer. I mean I’ve definitely been there and it’s not just a fleeting thought and then you’re like OK IM DOWN IM PURSUING YOU. But yeah I was not ready feeling them. But I liked the side couple Jack was funny.
The last episode idk I barely watched it I started typing this as it was finishing up. The last couple episodes kind of lost my attention because it started having less action, all loose ends were figured out and it was kind of getting to be fluffed or I figured it out.
But it was not horrible! The story was cool. I wish there was more chemistry better romance or flirting smoother development of attraction. I mean clearly in the beginning there was no attraction and they were enemies in a way a cop and gangster and things started brewing later on and he didn’t even realize he felt that way or had attractions to males and had to deal with those thoughts and attractions mentally. Other male lead obviously was bi and had already gone down that road no biggie for him.
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This review may contain spoilers
Gaawd...this show is absolutely brilliant!
If someone told me a few months back that a BL series involving action, police, gangsters, and crime would air in this world, I would have literally been like....."In million years maybe in your dreams". I just can't get enough of the characters and the storyline. Such a creative and different story.......I love the fact that the relationship and chemistry between the characters are realistic rather than being too lovely- doovy always. The character sketch of Shao Fei is the one I love the most, I mean in terms of other ukes being showed as very cute, too gentle, too good, too nice, and too much of all the good qualities( in most of the series), his character is very refreshing. I love the actors and their fabulous acting and chemistry, the way the different emotions are portrayed, and the awesome direction of the series. Sure there are some loopholes, but in my words, no series can be perfect. This series has topped my list of BLs and is a must-watch for all those who crave something different from the normal BLs we get ( not blaming the others though....). A love story of two cops and 2 gangsters, fighting destiny, stigma, different notions of revenge, love, anger, and sadness, and all the odds that their "poles-apart" jobs bring them. A million thanks and love to the crew and actors of trapped for giving us such an amazing series.....Keep making such an amazing series and remember that you guys have the support and love of countless thankful and happy fans :)Was this review helpful to you?
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HELL YES!
OMG! this was amazing like dude this shows the ships and the creators for History3: Trapped was an epic BL drama, it was better than History2 like OMFG! Dude the chemistry between (Jake Hsu)Meng Shao Fei and Tang Yi(Chris Wu)was way too damn good it was better than good it was excellent. oh and the other ship Zhao Li An(Kenny Chen)and Jack(Andy Bian) was cute. DUDE watch it you will be flat on this drama that's how good it is. I like this drama hats off to the creators, actors, and the staffs for creating this brilliant drama. I can't wait to see more BL dramas like these. DUDE these are my type of BL drama that I would love to watch.
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While there are many tender moments between the secondary couples, the tender moments between the main couple power the film. Several tender scenes stand out to me now: the scene in the hospital room when Tang Yi traces Meng Shao Fei's serene face with his finger; the scene when Tang Yi encircles Meng Shao Fei with his cuffed hands; the scene in the bedroom when Tang Yi kisses Meng Shao Fei's stitches; the scene in the kitchen when Meng Shao Fei urges Tang Yi lovingly to move beyond his anger and safeguard himself against regret; and the many scenes when Meng Shao Fei calls Tang Yi by name softly, lovingly, and compassionately.
The flashback scenes really help you to understand the story line, and the beautiful clothing provide an aesthetic layer in this film that many same-sex films fail to capture. Each cast member gives a strong performance, and the chemistry between the characters--gay or straight, paternal or avuncular--are beautiful, moving, and rare. There are many reasons why a love story between good guys and bad guys--cops and drug dealers--should fail, but this film works from beginning to end--over multiple viewings, I suspect.
Treat yourself to this love story extraordinaire!
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm not kidding. Titanic, the Notebook, all of that heterosexual stuff WISHES it was Trapped. So self indulgent in the best way! The dynamic between the couples is fantastic, and Jack is simply the sexiest man alive (and, as a lesbian, an aesthetic goal). The only part I didn't like was the relationship between Hong Ye and the man who knew her since she was a child - super gross! But its ignorable. Also in general I don't like cop movies and anything that glamorizes the police. But the romance is just that good. Campy, dramatic, fun banter... whats not to love.
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SUPERB!!!
One of the best BL Series I watched this year, 2021. At the first I am hesitant to watch due to a lot of series that I am currently watching such as Korean, Japanese, Thai's and Chinese series but without further thinking, I got hooked and attached to the first episode until I didn't notice the time has been passed by and finished watching it for one whole night until I saw dawn outside of my window.CHEMISTRY is totally incredible, I love how they help each other and how they portrayed their characters in every scene, plus the side couple is also entertaining. I am now loving the lead stars Chris Wu and Jake Hsu.
STORYLINE, when you think of it, a Gangster and a Policeman will fell in love to each other and that took my attention, plus the twists of the story at the end, makes me feel like I am watching Korean drama.
REWATCH VALUE, well I had been watching the series for 3 consecutive times, therefore it is worth to watch and from it I can still feel that "goosebumps" and the "love" factor as if it's my first time watching the series.
This is definitely indeed a worth watch series from Taiwan.
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This series could have done with more episodes to strike a better balance with its own elements
Trapped follows police officer (Shaofei) and underworld head (Tang Yi) as the former tries to uncover the story of an accident that changed their lives years ago. On Shaofei's end, his mentor was killed, for Tang Yi, his father figure was killed. I came into HIStory after starting with Trapped's sister series, Make Our Days Count. Trapped was chronologically before MODC. Why did I leave Trapped for second? Because I was worried that Trapped would have a heavy crime underworld plot and I had to be in the right mood for that. Does Trapped have that problem? Nope. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Trapped is beyond silly when it's ready. Shaofei has a fever dream idea for him and Tang Yi to strip down to their underwear and try to get someone to pick them up, betting on their good looks to work as a good lure. Shaofei gets into a fist fight with a love rival before the two decide to join forces to take down a common enemy in front of an unamused Tang Yi. A kidnapped character cheerfully bids his kidnapper farewell while the other promises to see him again. It's absolutely wild and I love those moments. Unfortunately, when Trapped is not being crazy, it's quite boring. The crime plot has little time to really build up to something interesting and the show has zero atmosphere of a crime underworld. The police force doesn't do much policing or investigating, the crime aspect of the series is barely explored beyond a surface level and I'd even say that the synopsis saying that a police officer becomes "trapped" in the underworld is a little embellished.Trapped does have some twists and turns coming down to the end that are fairly interesting, but they barely packed a punch for me. I honestly didn't care beyond a "Huh!", perhaps if the show had more episodes it would have been better for it. The silly wouldn't have felt so out of place and would have been necessary to balance the grittiness of the serious crime plot. Meanwhile, the serious crime plot would also been able to have more time to develop into something interesting and have a proper atmosphere around it as opposed to being boring, tension-less scenes.
Anyway, if you decide to skip everything concerning the crime plot, Trapped manages to stand up decently. Shaofei and Tang Yi don't have as much chemistry as the show's other couple Jack and Zhaozi do, but their relationship progression was very well done. Chris Wu's Tang Yi is expectedly steely, but his emotions come through his eyes very well. In his tender and tsuntsun moments with Shaofei, it's easy to be swooned. Jake's Shaofei unfortunately doesn't get to do much beyond be an Eager Police Officer trying to uncover the truth and be teasing with Tang Yi. The two have tension that builds and the way that Shaofei's near obsession Tang Yi is silently reinterpreted by himself onscreen for the viewer was great. Subtle, but very well done. Jack and Zhaozi on the other hand, are just great together. Though their relationship is nothing more than two quirky guys finding themselves together, they're easily the most entertaining part of the show and I wish that they got more screentime. Ironically, Jack and Zhaozi do handle the police officer x underworld member subplot better than the main couple does despite their scenes being so humorous.
As it stands, to me, Trapped is a very mediocre BL series with a serviceable plot. The underworld aspect isn't taken seriously by the show, when it does get focus, it feels as if it's just taking time away from what you're actually enjoying about Trapped.
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非看不可, 续集必要。
Beautiful and simple story line that depicts how beautiful falling in love is and more importantly sticking to it, even if the tough gets going.
The chemistry between the main characters is excellent, especially in certain scenes. I have to add that I would have preferred that some scenes between them could be a longer, rather than ending abruptly.
The other highlight is the lines between them is excellently crafted and it makes me sit up to listen attentively. In addition, it makes me want to watch more Chinese dramas to relearn Mandarin, which is my second language.
A must watch drama especially if you’d like to have your faith in love reinforced. Love can be that simple and totally beautiful.
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