HIStory4: Close to You (2021)

Difficult

I personally enjoyed watching it, but I would 100% understand some people not getting with this one at all (especially one of the two couples).

Let’s start off with the positive: the TengTeng/ Li Cheng couple. They were absolutely adorable. And if you really can’t get with the other couple (or don’t want to) just watch their scenes and you’ll be happy.

Usually I get kind of annoyed with Fuyoshi playing a (bigger) part in BL but I actually liked how it was included here.

I also very much appreciated the chemistry between all of the actors, even for the not so great couple.

Now the not so positive:
Let’s call them Couple B, the Drama already started off on the wrong foot with them causing me to almost quit on the first EP. It got a little better so I decided to stick with it, mainly because I wanted to see how their “main issue” would be solved/handled. Their trope is not something I’m very fond of, but I genuinely liked how Xing Si handled his feelings and the whole situation.
The other party involved (Yong Jie) however was an absolute disaster.
And more than controversial on so many levels.
I personally still enjoyed their scenes, because well I am a kinky person and I tend to separate things that happen in TV series from things that happen in real life. But since not everybody seems to be able to separate those two, this couple sends some really terrible messages, not even solely because on the things that happen, but mostly because of how they deal (or don’t deal) with them.
I guess everybody will have to make up their own minds about whether or not they can or want to ship/watch/enjoy this couple.

Another thing that kind of put me off about this Drama is how it was so extremely obvious that this is a BL made for h*rny girls/women. I don’t know how to describe it but literally everything felt like they were trying to feed into as many “desires” the female audience may have as possible.
Don’t get me wrong, since I am a great appreciator of everything cliche I was happy about most of the scenes (well they accomplished what they were aiming to do) but it just felt too glaringly obvious…

Another thing that is completely unrelated to the plot but really really bothered me is the camera movements in some scenes.
There was one scene that was supposed to be romantic that literally just made me nauseous because the camera was spinning for an unnecessary amount of time.
There were some other scenes where the camera movements were just terribly distracting.

All in all I personally enjoyed watching it and I would recommend at least giving TengTeng and Li Cheng a chance. The rest is a question of preference I guess.

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Give it a chance.. Don't drop it too soon...

I was actually planning to watch this right after I saw the announcement of this series but when the first episodes were released, this got a lot of backlash and because of that, I actually placed this series on hold.. I've also read a lot of bad reviews from this series... Still, I gave this one a chance and surprisingly, I actually watched this until the end..

Now, before I'll discuss THE CONS or the issues within the series, let's first start off with THE PROS..

First thing would be the production, cinematography and OST in the series are actually good.. There are no awkward transition scenes from the story and the plot flows well.. I also love some of the soundtracks used in the show.. Most especially the meaningful lyrics of the songs which the audience / viewers can relate to.. As for the acting, the cast did well in portraying their characters especially the main couple.. Though there are some scenes that I find the acting to be lacking, overall, the acting in bl taiwan series have improved..

Second thing, the healthy relationship of the main couple (Xiao Li Cheng and Teng Mu Ren).. At first, I got a bit turned off with Xiao Li Cheng's character but as the series goes on, I started liking his character.. One minute we see his carefree and playful attitude, then during serious moments, we get to see his maturity.. Although, the main couple's relationship started off with a pretend one, we still get to see the development of the main couple's relationship.. Their relationship might not be perfect but applause for their healthy relationship..

I'm also glad that when the two got together, they talked things out when they encountered problems which is important in a relationship.. Xiao Li Cheng also stole the show for me because of his positive mindset.. Although, there were moments where he was too aggressive or too imposing in pursuing his relationship with Teng Mu Ren, his character improved as the series went on..

I actually love his lines when he told Teng Mu Ren that our happiness can be found on our own... A subtle way of telling us that we shouldn't be bothered with what society sees not just in an LGBT relationship but all types of relationships.. I mean, isn't happiness the point in getting into a relationship regardless of their sexuality, race, culture etc.?? If you're happy with that person then that's great rather than staying in an unhappy relationship.. All relationships are not perfect, what's important is that we find ourselves happy, safe and comfortable in that relationship..

Aside from that, I'm glad that the series focused more on the development of the plot rather than having A LOT of steamy or hot moments like some bl series which I won't mention lol.. If you're looking for a series that has a lot of these moments, then this would not be for you.. Although, there are hot and steamy moments from the show, I'm glad that it wasn't overbearing or too much.. You have to admit though that the smexy scenes in the series are really damn hot and detailed... lol..

The main issue within the series which I find it to be uncomfortable would be the NO CONSENT that happened between the side couple (Fu Yong Jie and Ye Xing Si).. Why are some script writers fond of the trope "getting that person drunk then having sex with them". I find this to be eye rolling.. It's not good, CONSENT is a must in all relationships..

In addition to that, the whole fujoshi thing in the story is just MEHHHH.. Although, the fujoshi character is needed especially in the development of the main couple's relationship, I just find it to be uncomfortable especially when you're shipping people together that aren't together.. Other than that, the fujoshi thing was funny in the beginning, but in reality.. it's not good to ship real people together...

Another IMPORTANT ISSUE that should not be taken lightly in the series would be the step brother's (Fu Yong Jie) attitude and personality which definitely needs major help.. His obsession with his older brother (Ye Xing Si) is too overbearing.. His stalking tendencies needs to be addressed in the show too.. Sure, he loves his brother, but the way he portrays his love is just too much and it's unhealthy or toxic.. That's why, he really REALLY needs help..

As the series went on, I thought that his attitude would IMPROVE, sadly it didn't.. I find his character to be too straightforward, aggressive and disrespectful... I understand that he's 20 and described to be still a "kid" in the series, still.. his words, actions and attitude towards his step father were just damn rude.. Not to mention, there were a lot of times in which he feels and also tells the other characters that he's entitled to be his older brother's significant other.. Like he's the only one who understands his older brother well and he is the best one to become Ye Xing Si's significant other..

What's also bothersome is his older brother's attitude or take in his younger brother's actions.. He's defending his younger brother's actions too much.. Sure, he genuinely cares for his brother, but he shouldn't be taking his younger brother's side most of the time.. At the end of the series, I thought that they wouldn't end up together but yeah.. they did.. and it's disappointing for me not because they are step brothers but because first, they didn't have much development in the series as lovers. Second, I feel like the older brother loves his younger brother but not in that kind of way. Lastly, it would've been better if the main issues I mentioned above were addressed then their relationship would have been taken in a positive note..

Some people might also find the side couple's relationship to be immoral, appropriate or incest.. However, I knew what I was getting into when I watched the series.. I watched this with an open mind rather than judging it first and dropping the series midway..

All countries have different laws or takes regarding the step sibling relationship issue.. In my country, a relationship is considered to be an incest if it's between blood related people within the 1st to 3rd consanguinity.. What's important to consider in this show is that one should be open on this heavy topic.. People (based on their law and culture) have their own perspectives regarding this topic. What's relevant is that respect must be given to people's different perspectives..

Overall, this series had its good points and its downsides... There are cute, sweet and comedic moments that viewers can enjoy.. There are also scenes that are questionable, angsty and serious.. To be honest, the saving grace of this series is actually the main couple (Xiao Li Cheng and Teng Mu Ren).. However, If you're looking for a long watch and if you're open on the side couple's relationship... Then, give this one a try.. Other than that, Enjoy watching and Happy Pride Month! ?❤️?

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A well-structured show.

Story / Plot and Cast: This is not a very innovative or new story, but I can’t say it is bad. For several reasons the show still manages to draw my attention to it. For so long in the Thai BL (where I struggle to understand some 80% of words) I finally return to the world of Taiwan BL. The whole series of HIStory has been long-lived, from the original single episode show to a fully developed show with 10 episodes. Due to “historic” reasons, I have to say the HIStory series has a record-breaking low reputation to me by the end of HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count. It’s not fully restored, but it’s better than nothing now. Let’s come to the actors, shall we?

Ye Xing Si and Fu Yong Jie: They have … interesting chemistry. We will deal with their appearances later. The roles of the two in the show are nearly the most “off” that I have seen - not that I despise them. What I mean is they are stepping even further into the warning zone. Back then being gay was prohibited, and now we are stepbrothers. Truly, I have no problems whatsoever about the relationship, because, well, love is love. I like particularly the scene when their father was talking with them. He cannot accept the two as a pair, but he will still bless them; for their happiness is more important than his feeling. It is debatable regarding the issue of drunk sex in the earlier parts. I don’t think that is acceptable, but that shouldn’t spoil the whole show either because there has been clear guidance and value judgement that such non-consented acts should not be permitted. (The official setting also indicated their zodiac sign which, though some do not believe, is kind of accurate in terms of how they act. Xing Si is a Cancer and Yong Jie is a Scorpio, for your information.) Now about the cast: why is Yong Jie so hot? (The hottest in the show, if you ask me.) I think Lin Chia Wei (Fu Yong Jie) best expressed the determination of Yong Jie. But inside the determination, he is, in fact, a soft guy (the puppy eyes!). An Jun Peng (Ye Xing Si) acted the role with reservation, and that is accurate about the character of Xing Si. Xing Si is a person which has a lot of reservations; he has to think about many things, take care of others’ feelings, etc. They really acted out the character.

Xiao Li Cheng and Teng Mu Ren: What’s with them? I cannot find a lot of adjectives to describe them. They really are very typical in the world of BL. Xiao Li Cheng is the type of guy that is straight-to-the-point, that will not stop when they have found their goals. Teng Mu Ren is reserved but not cold; in fact, he has a lot of feelings, just that he needs time to process them. (In case anyone is looking, Xiao Li Cheng is an Aries and Teng Mu Ren is a Virgo.) But more importantly, what made Xiao Li Cheng like Teng Mu Ren? Is it the fake BL courtship to please Liu Mei Fang? Is it the night when Xiao Li Cheng accompanied Teng Mu Ren in the hotel room? We don’t know. Talking about Liu Mei Fang, I think her character is ideal. She was a BL fan, but she didn’t lose consciousness because of BL. (The technical term should be fujoshi.) Not everyone is comfortable with BL-ish behaviour. We see many cases of BL-provoked controversy, including things like “fan service”. My principles are simple: actors or people should be able to do what they want to do. If they do not want to kiss or cuddle in fan meetings, they have done nothing wrong. (This could mean they are “forging” scenes in the show, but that is another story.) And to talk about the cast, Tu Shan Cun (Xiao Li Cheng) and Chen Li An (Teng Mu Ren) both did a great job, especially Chen Li An when he can portray the long faces of Teng Mu Ren. And Chi Xin Ling (Liu Mei Fang) is so pretty!

Music: The show has a lot of soundtracks. Three are from Andrew Tan (陳勢安): 兜轉 (Circling Around), 唯一想了解的人 (The Only Person I Want to Understand), and遺失的靈魂 (Lost Soul). Three others are from GJ (蔣卓嘉): 看不見的傷最痛 (Unseen Wounds Hurt the Most), 愛的數學家 (The Love Mathematician), and遠距離 (Distanced). My favourite is看不見的傷最痛, tell me if you share the same with me!

HIStory has a historic perspective in the sense that they are the most developed BL shows in Taiwan. All through the years the quality is very high (with laughter or tear, depends on which one). I hope they will continue to produce high-quality shows in the future.

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I loved the series! Great friends to lovers story

I always loved history series and 4's are my favourite right now. I really think that this bl captures you very quick and has a great quality. I see a lot of comments about the side couple (they are like main couple too but anw) and i got uncomfortable about them too but i chose to ignore that and focus on my main couple cause they are super cute. Especially first 10 epsides were great for me after that yeah it get a little chiche but i would like to see them in another series together. And the series resembled a little Tharn Type, and one of the main characters looks like Gulf too so lol.As a T&T fan i loved that. I would recommend the series .
But yeah the last episodes should have been more focused to the couple people love and should have been more stick to the characters and stuff caue it turned out a little classic romance.

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No, thanks

I'm just really tired of the "pretending to be gay so the fujoshi girl notices" trope. Like, do you think a person who thinks you're gay will actually notice you in a romantic way? No! Also for the other couple, the stepbrother is literally a stalker, crossing lines that should not be crossed, and people think it's romantic? I think if this one had been released five years ago, when the quality of BLs wasn't as great, it would've gotten more stars from me. But now, we've got great comparisons (We Best Love, HIStory 3: Trapped, Be Loved in House, and more) that these tropes and non-consent stuff just don't do it for me.

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I’ll just go ahead and write my review for HIStory seasons 1-4 as one review (including both of the season 3 stories).
Season 1 – this is actually just 3 completely unrelated stories. “My Hero” is a supernatural film that is really just kind of weird. Hero’s girlfriend is mistakenly taken by the angel of death and in an effort to keep her soul on earth with Hero, he shoves her into the first available body who happens to also be in love with Hero. “Stay Away from Me” is better and deals with a taboo of new step-brothers who develop feelings for each other and a friend who desperately wants them to be together. “Obsession” is even better and actually rather well written even though there is a supernatural element to it as the lead dies and wakes up alive 9 years earlier. “Obsession” is the only episode in Season 1 that actually opens up the physical side of BL dramas. It’s clear that the writers got better with each episode. Thankfully the remaining seasons were not like this.
Season 2 – This season is 2 separate stories broken into 4 episodes each. Episodes 1-4 are called “Right or Wrong” and involve a professor/student relationship. Episodes 5-8 “Crossing the Line” are about a volleyball team manager and his junior he recruits to play for the team due to his natural ability. The relationship that develops between them is sincere and set at a good pace for only being 4 episodes. There is also another step-brother relationship in this one (this seems to be a favorite theme among the HIStory writers as we will see it yet again in Season 4).
Season 3 – “Trapped” is a hate turned love story between a goofy police officer and a super hot mob boss who is trying to get his outfit to go legit. There’s a secondary love story between a gun for hire and another police officer that’s also really cute. This one has a good looking cast, mostly decent acting, and a good storyline. However, the very final scene leaves you a bit unsatisfied and wanting to know what will happen in the future. Perhaps they will do a follow up season with this one at some point.
Season 3 – “Make Our Days Count” is both my favorite season and my least favorite season. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but get your tissues ready because you WILL cry. While Song Wei En and Huang Juan Zhi are the main couple in this series, my favorite couple is played by Zhang Han Yuan and Liu Wei Chen, and I’m assuming they were a lot of fans favorites as they appear as a couple in season 4 and are set to have their own upcoming season of “Make Our Days Count2”. I would also like to point out that our main couple makes an appearance in a cross-over project with Japan “Life-Love on the Line”.
Season 4 – “Close to You” is the latest season currently available. It deals with 3 best friends who work together as wedding planners. Li Cheng and Mu Ren are both “straight” men who fall in love. Again there is a step-brother relationship that actually gets the parents involved this time. Let me tell you, mom is a bit of an odd one. And of course as stated previously, our favorite couple from season 3 makes a really cute appearance in a few of the episodes.

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is he dating a psychopath?

forgiving your rapist is the worst thing you can do. and dating a psychopath. and a narcissist with abandonment issues. aaand daddy issues. jesus christ, fu yong jie is a walking red flag! i couldn't watch his "love story" with ye xing si. i felt extremely uncomfortable. i literally flinched when they were on the rooftop together. i thought he's gonna kill him, oh my god. creepy af!!! please put him in jail immediately.

xiao li cheng and teng teng (the second couple) were really cute. i want xiao li cheng to be my boyfriend. he's perfect in every way. he's funny, passionate, ambitious, talented, handsome (extremely handsome, may i say), and a walking green flag. him and teng teng are an example of what a healthy couple should look like. incest and r*pe is not cool, guys. ??? (i can't believe i'm saying this in 2023.)

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Brothers couple is trash, another cp is acceptable

The plot of the brothers couple (Yongjie & Xingsi) is basically trash an doesn’t make sense at all, how would even brothers fall in love with each other and their parents could accept that. Plus, their mum low-key allowed the younger brother to make his elder brother drunk and slept him, it’s basically sexual assault without consent. And coming of age or coming out of closet doesn’t mean you could speak like that to your father, this family basically either insane or losing their brains.
The other pair story line (Li Cheng & Mu Ren) is quite funny, so it’s acceptable. It’s the only reason I continue to watch.
Don’t expect any high quality storyline on this one, don’t even get how the two brothers could fall in love with each other, and the thoughts of their parents, I can’t understand at all. I’m just watching for Mu Ren all the way, he’s hot :).

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Cute, but not good enough to be part of HIStory

I have always been looking forward to HIStory since I first watched the first few chapters (HIStory1, Right or Wrong, Crossing the Line, Make Our Days Count, and Trapped), and I always felt like its main charm was its gradual improvement over time. I remember watching HIStory1 and feeling like the stories came straight out of some yaoi fantasies, then I watched both stories of HIStory2 and immediately noticed a big improvement in both the story and the characters. Then HIStory3 was just amazing, with two stories that blew my mind for how good they were (well, despite the MODC ending, I guess). I was hoping for HIStory4 to continue this improvement and bring it even further, but instead it was a huge disappointment.

Don't get me wrong: the story overall was kind of cute. The main actors had good chemistry with each other, which made their romantic moments feel intense and memorable, and for sure helped a lot with getting me through all the episodes until the very end. My problem with the series is that, although it had many interesting themes and flawed characters, they weren't explored, nor was there room for them to grow properly. The HIStory3 stories were great at this, so seeing HIStory4 handle its own story and characters so poorly was a huge disappointment for me.
The tropes used in this series were also very uninspired. I felt like I was watching the live-action of some low-quality yaoi from 10 years ago- the tropes are THAT old, overused and annoying. It's not acceptable from a 2021 BL series. The BL genre has done wonders lately and this felt like a huge step backwards. I could somewhat forgive it in HIStory1, but that was just because it was the very first chapter - now, at HIStory4, there's just no good excuse.

I feel like I want to vent more in detail about this series since I just finished watching, but there would be no point in doing so. All I can say is that I was mostly unhappy with all of this.
If you're looking for good kissing/love scenes and don't care about the plot, then this might be good content. Other than that, I don't recommend watching.

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Worth the view- with some sacrifices

After careful deliberation of what I wanted to say regarding this show, I've decided on what is fair and what isn't.

Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge that the acting and chemistry between each couple is amazing, particularly with Teng Muren and Li Cheng. Every actor gave a convincing performance, and somehow, Anson accomplished being the most stereotypically straight man alive and convinced me that he was in love with another man. I also adored that despite Teng Muren's tsundere tendencies, the character can still be sweet and loving in his own way.

That being said, I must address the elephant in the room.

S*xual Ass*ult:

Unfortunately, Yong Jie purposefully got Xing Si drunk and had sex with him. This is r*pe, no matter how you want to spin it. Though the characters outside the relationship make it clear that the act as immoral, the show still treats the couple as if this is a deserving relationship despite their weak attempts as also indicating the toxicity of it all.

There are two ways you can look at it. On one hand, this is just a show, and you aren't meant to think too much of it. This is a show targeted to a mature audience with the expectation that the audience is intelligent and mature enough to understand the immorality of the act. On the other hand, why would an audience member want to watch a show where a r*pist gets his happily ever after?

Storytelling wise, I felt, "Meh." This isn't a groundbreaking show by any means, but there are many fun and endearing moments that'll keep your interest. There is constant problem finding and solving, which means that the episodes don't feel pointless or empty. Some parts felt rushed or not explained well enough, but as I said, this isn't a masterpiece. I would've rated the story a 7, but I can't look passed the awful handling of the SA and also felt that the storytelling wasn't anything unique.

If you're someone that's able to look passed major character flaws or wants to watch simply for the other couple, then this show may be a fun watch. However, if you don't want to vote with your view (increasing the view count of a show with r*pe may indicate that this is desired television), then I'd suggest moving along.

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All the BL tropes

TRIGGER WARNING :RAPE

I just finished watching the series. I quite liked the series if I ignore the extremely problematic plot of one of the two couples. So let's start with the positives of the show.

Positives

The series was aesthetically pleasing. Be it the actors , locations or coustume designs , the series was extremely pretty. The acting and chemistry between the characters were pretty good. The highlight of the show indeed was Mu Ren and Li Cheng's relationship which was very sweet. Even though I would say Li Cheng's character sometimes come of as pretty agressive , it is a part of his charm. Most of the relationships in the series are potrayed rather well , be it the relationship between the trio , Li Cheng and Mei Feng's relationship or Ye Xing and his father's relationship. The OST also complimented the series well .

Negatives

Ye Xing and FuYong's relationship was huge turn off for me from start to end . It's high time writers realise romaticizing rape is not right. I remember watching Fu Yong's first scene and thinking , 'Is he gonna fall in love with his stalker'. Somehow they made it even worse. You cannot convince me he is a good character when he stalked his brother for years, raped him and physically assaulted his friend because he was close to his brother.. There is no way I can see them having a healthy relationship as brothers or lovers. I even hated his mother who knew what her son is planning and did nothing to stop him..like what kinda parent does that.

Funny thing when the other guy tried to rape Mu Ren , he was labelled a "villain " but it was considered love when Fu yong did even worse...

If I set aside the whole second love story, the show as fine. It had a lot of the usual BL tropes but it was enjoyable to a certain extend.

Before ending, I must compliment how pretty Anson Chen( Mu Ren) looked in the series... I rarely say this while reviewing something but everytime I saw him on screen I was thinking " He is as pretty as a flower"

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