This review may contain spoilers
NO MEANS NO
This one has its merits but its portrayal of sexual assault and the nature of this obsession are too negative to give this an overall strong rating. I guess that means they did their job. They did depict Obsession, but this is not the type of relationship that we need to see or emulate.
I was intrigued by the initial premise. Being reincarnated and trying to change the path of your relationship was full of promise. At first, you come to believe that Shao Yi Chen is still obsessed with Jiang Jin Teng and hence the title, but then Jin Teng's obsessions rears its very ugly head. This character is appalling from the very beginning. He orders his friends around like they are slaves. This is a common trope for the "bullies" in BL and something I have never seen in real life. I'm fairly tired of this trope. His behavior escalates quickly and he soon becomes an actual sociopath. I can't believe anyone would fall in love with someone like this. Much less a sweet character like Yi Chen. His behavior gets worse with multiple attempted rapes and threatening to strangle his ex-girlfriend. Okay, in the end, they try to redeem him, but the fact that he was trying to save Yi Chen from "bullying" does not excuse his behavior. I never wanted this couple to get together - and isn't that the point of a BL? I actually wanted Yi Chen to get together with his best friend. That would have been a sweet couple.
The acting was fairly good. I think Teddy does a very fine job as Shao Yi Chen. I am less enamored with Bernard as Jiang Jin Teng. He felt very one-note. Even his outbursts seemed the same level as his normal behavior. I could hardly read emotion in his face, aside from the few times they allow him to be tender or giddy.
The direction was serviceable. Some moments seemed to be held too long, for example forcing the actors to breathe heavily in panic for extended periods without any real reasoning - and that's where the acting suffered the most as well. Elongating a moment does not heighten the emotion.
I won't watch this again due to the inappropriate behavior. But I do still feel the HIStory series should be applauded for the breadth of its stories and the high production values of all of the installments.
I was intrigued by the initial premise. Being reincarnated and trying to change the path of your relationship was full of promise. At first, you come to believe that Shao Yi Chen is still obsessed with Jiang Jin Teng and hence the title, but then Jin Teng's obsessions rears its very ugly head. This character is appalling from the very beginning. He orders his friends around like they are slaves. This is a common trope for the "bullies" in BL and something I have never seen in real life. I'm fairly tired of this trope. His behavior escalates quickly and he soon becomes an actual sociopath. I can't believe anyone would fall in love with someone like this. Much less a sweet character like Yi Chen. His behavior gets worse with multiple attempted rapes and threatening to strangle his ex-girlfriend. Okay, in the end, they try to redeem him, but the fact that he was trying to save Yi Chen from "bullying" does not excuse his behavior. I never wanted this couple to get together - and isn't that the point of a BL? I actually wanted Yi Chen to get together with his best friend. That would have been a sweet couple.
The acting was fairly good. I think Teddy does a very fine job as Shao Yi Chen. I am less enamored with Bernard as Jiang Jin Teng. He felt very one-note. Even his outbursts seemed the same level as his normal behavior. I could hardly read emotion in his face, aside from the few times they allow him to be tender or giddy.
The direction was serviceable. Some moments seemed to be held too long, for example forcing the actors to breathe heavily in panic for extended periods without any real reasoning - and that's where the acting suffered the most as well. Elongating a moment does not heighten the emotion.
I won't watch this again due to the inappropriate behavior. But I do still feel the HIStory series should be applauded for the breadth of its stories and the high production values of all of the installments.
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