This review may contain spoilers
Ah! Where do I begin reviewing my favorite BL ever? I love Zi Xuan and Yu Hao! I love everything about them!!!
Okay, here we go, for real. After a problematic start, HIStory 2 finally finds its footing with this great second part. A typical high school set love story that manages to do everything right and some more.
The way the love between the two main characters is done is so satisfying and well done, without any negative tropes or stereotypes. It's just two boys falling for each other, mixed in with the theme of volleyball. Zach Lu and Fandy Fan are magnetic in their respective roles and they give such a life to their characters that you fall in love with them. Everything about them is sweet and wholehearted. You feel for Yu Hao as he learns of his feelings early on for Zi Xuan and tries his best to deal with them. There's also Zi Xuan, who is reluctant to accept his own feelings for Yi Hao, for his own sake and for his sister's since she also has a crush on Yu Hao. It all comes to a fitting end that sees Zi Xuan accept of his feelings and the two of them promising to continue their relationship despite the long distance.
The side characters are great (I won't be talking about the stepbrothers yet, that's coming up). Zi Xuan's best friend and captain of the volleyball team is a great balance of comedic relief and emotional support as he is always there for Zi Yuan no matter what and accepts his feelings for Yu Hao. The homeroom teacher/volleyball coach is super cool too with whatever little screen time she's given. There's also her sister who helps assist the volleyball team and she's absolutely adorable. It's nice to see a BL with positive female representation which is so rare. Even Zi Yuan's sister, despite her clingy and immature nature, isn't necessarily a bad character either. She just has a crush and even tells her brother to go after Yu Hao since she realizes her crush to be solely circumstantial. There's the other member of the volleyball team and it's implied that he had feelings for Zi Xuan despite it never explicitly being said.
Alright, now onto the stepbrothers. Now to start off, I like them as characters. They're good friends to Yu Hao and very loyal to him. However, as for their relationship... I'm going to say this... I find stepbrother romances in BL to be disgusting and I hate them. Now I know some will say that they're not blood related which is technically correct but they're still family and I just find the whole thing gross for me, in my opinion. I'm honestly tired of the trope in BL and it's one that was explored already in the first HIStory. I wish the trope to go away and be erased forever. If I were to look past the whole stepbrother incest thing, which is problematic in itself, their relationship is kinda dry anyway. I just wish they were best friends in love with each other instead.
Despite this flaw, Boundary Crossing is one of the best - if not the BEST BL out there at the current moment. I know some might disagree and that's okay because everyone is different in how they like things. This drama made me feel so many things, so many emotions. There's very little dramas that actually make me feel that way and this is one of those cases. Zi Xuan and Yu Hao are the prime reason you should watch this show. Their character development and relationship development is incredible and so soft.
I cant wait for the film sequel! Which should be coming out any day now... (and they better not end it like they did Make Our Days Count or so help me...)
Okay, here we go, for real. After a problematic start, HIStory 2 finally finds its footing with this great second part. A typical high school set love story that manages to do everything right and some more.
The way the love between the two main characters is done is so satisfying and well done, without any negative tropes or stereotypes. It's just two boys falling for each other, mixed in with the theme of volleyball. Zach Lu and Fandy Fan are magnetic in their respective roles and they give such a life to their characters that you fall in love with them. Everything about them is sweet and wholehearted. You feel for Yu Hao as he learns of his feelings early on for Zi Xuan and tries his best to deal with them. There's also Zi Xuan, who is reluctant to accept his own feelings for Yi Hao, for his own sake and for his sister's since she also has a crush on Yu Hao. It all comes to a fitting end that sees Zi Xuan accept of his feelings and the two of them promising to continue their relationship despite the long distance.
The side characters are great (I won't be talking about the stepbrothers yet, that's coming up). Zi Xuan's best friend and captain of the volleyball team is a great balance of comedic relief and emotional support as he is always there for Zi Yuan no matter what and accepts his feelings for Yu Hao. The homeroom teacher/volleyball coach is super cool too with whatever little screen time she's given. There's also her sister who helps assist the volleyball team and she's absolutely adorable. It's nice to see a BL with positive female representation which is so rare. Even Zi Yuan's sister, despite her clingy and immature nature, isn't necessarily a bad character either. She just has a crush and even tells her brother to go after Yu Hao since she realizes her crush to be solely circumstantial. There's the other member of the volleyball team and it's implied that he had feelings for Zi Xuan despite it never explicitly being said.
Alright, now onto the stepbrothers. Now to start off, I like them as characters. They're good friends to Yu Hao and very loyal to him. However, as for their relationship... I'm going to say this... I find stepbrother romances in BL to be disgusting and I hate them. Now I know some will say that they're not blood related which is technically correct but they're still family and I just find the whole thing gross for me, in my opinion. I'm honestly tired of the trope in BL and it's one that was explored already in the first HIStory. I wish the trope to go away and be erased forever. If I were to look past the whole stepbrother incest thing, which is problematic in itself, their relationship is kinda dry anyway. I just wish they were best friends in love with each other instead.
Despite this flaw, Boundary Crossing is one of the best - if not the BEST BL out there at the current moment. I know some might disagree and that's okay because everyone is different in how they like things. This drama made me feel so many things, so many emotions. There's very little dramas that actually make me feel that way and this is one of those cases. Zi Xuan and Yu Hao are the prime reason you should watch this show. Their character development and relationship development is incredible and so soft.
I cant wait for the film sequel! Which should be coming out any day now... (and they better not end it like they did Make Our Days Count or so help me...)
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