HIStory3: Armadilha (2019)

Here’s the thing, this drama did the gay love story a good solid in that it didn’t treat it as the obstacle to the couple that your typical boys love type of movies do. The story was more about finding a killer and learning to move on and not hold on to anger and revenge. I don’t really think the title “Trapped” fits. There wasn’t really any part of the plot that involved trapping someone using love. But I can get past the title of the movie because the characters were so cute. Tang Yi was smexy (his acting was only so-so though, boy can’t fake cry worth a thing), Shou Fei was the most adorable male lead EVER (I couldn’t get enough of his expressive face!), and Jack was just too much (very expressive and mischievous). I had very strange editing choices at times that didn’t explain parts of the plot. And I felt like the last two episodes were extremely rushed and managed to fit in a few minutes of fan service to cover up the fact that they had too much story for 10 short episodes (on VIKI). I’m sort of left feeling like I didn’t get a complete meal and it was taken away from me before I finished the last few bites. I’m not starving but I’m not quite full either. It’s a frustrating end to the series that I was waiting weeks and weeks to finish before I watched it. Overall I’m still happy that I watched it, but it wasn’t quite as good as I hoped it would be.

Leia Mais

can good chemistry excuse bad plot?

for a drama under the action, thriller and crime genres, the way they handled this whole mafia/corruption business seemed not that well thought out; the characters are inconsistent, and the amount of plot wholes made it look like there were entire episodes missing between scenes.

as for the actors, i have no complains about their lovey dovey scenes, i can see why this drama is popular with fujoshis, hot men with convincing chemistry and a good amount of kissing and shirtless scenes. but when it comes to emotional scenes is where I kind of felt let down. specially with tang yi's character that is filled with emotional trauma, the performance looked forced and made me cringe at times.

another major issue with tang yi's character is that, for a mob boss, he has little to no conviction and most of his actions are based on what people tell him to do, if he's not fulfilling his master's last wishes, he's getting manipulated by his incestuous little sister, and by the end,
[SPOILER ALLERT]
all of his emotional baggage gets resolved in a quick chat with his boyfriend who basically tells him to just get over it -even though it's them refusing to "get over it" exactly what moves the story forward-

Leia Mais

Lovable in Parts, but also Highly Irritating

Alright. This series is lovable in parts, but also highly irritating in parts, with some repetitive, uncreative and extremely immature plots. This, combined with the fact that Tang Yi (the main character) is almost always frowning and angry, sometimes even while kissing his partner, and that the main job of Shao Fei (the other main character) is to take cuts and bullets for others, makes me want to give the series a 5/10 rating, but nevertheless I will give it a 6- mainly because of these good things:
1. The intense and believable interactions between the various mob guys
2. The initial light-hearted and wonderful acting of the Captain
3. The natural, believable and heartwarming interactions between the second lead couple- Jack and Zhao Li, which I found much more enjoyable and spontaneous than those of the first lead couple- Tang Yi and Shao Fei.
4. The natural and wonderful acting of Chen Wen Hao and Old Tang

Next, I will list the irritating things, so that you are well prepared in advance, and may feel a bit less frustrated, in case you decide to watch this lengthy series. Here we go:
1. During the starting episodes, Shao Fei keeps bugging Tang Yi to reveal the 'truth' based on a hunch. This approach of a police officer is unrealistic and immature, and soon becomes borderline-irritating.
2. Most of Shao Fei's initial interactions with Tang Yi are overly stupid and childish, and make him look like a mindless clown.
3. Shao Fei moving in with Tang Yi, to protect him and to keep an eye on him, was quite unrealistic in itself, but it becomes completely senseless and intolerable when he accepts to babysit Hong Ye, and takes her shopping.
4. Shao Fei's main task as a police officer is not to solve cases, it is not to catch criminals, and it is not to help or protect others with his acquired skills. Then what is it? It is to use his body as a shield for others. And it does not matter who this 'other' person is.
5. Have you realised that every person in this world has two faces? And that every person is confused and conflicted and unreliable? Well, you better believe it, because that is what the storyline tries to portray at the end. Too many persons are shown to be selfish and conflicted, and are just using the others for personal gains. This was completely unbelievable, stupid and immature. I have absolutely no idea why these kinds of plots were suddenly stuffed into the otherwise okay-ish storyline, making it completely ridiculous, so much so that I lost interest completely during the last few episodes.

Leia Mais

Enjoyable & Sweet

Sweet and touching with its gay relationships. A bit slow with a story that is a bit ridiculous as it doesn't make much sense with plot holes and questionable plot points, but it was fun and cute. I didn't really cared for the revenge storyline, which was weak and not particularly interesting (until the end). I was only interested in the gay relationships to be honest. Jack and Zhao Zi. Tang Yi and Meng. The dance scene where they tried to make each other jealous was HOT! The seducing scene with slinky R&B music was even HOTTER and probably the most erotic scene in a BL that I've seen so far. I really liked the skinship that was shown. Not exploitative and not superficial either. Just the right amount. It's pretty cool seeing an older BL couple who are in their late 20's and early thirties. Like is those K-dramas. I personally liked History 3: Trapped better than History 2: Crossing the Line. I cannot wait to see Taiwan continue to produce BL content!

Leia Mais

I'm keeping this short. This was my first full length BL series and I'm pretty disappointed. I often wonder about the director's vision. I'm not sure how the actors were told to act, but I can't imagine they were told to act like this was their first high-school performance. I can't describe how bad the MLs are at acting. Chris is obviously better, but not by much. I suppose the director wanted them to be over-exaggerated, but it was too much for me. The only actors I enjoyed were the dad roles (and Kenny because he was cute). Maybe because they're older; but at least something was there. Speaking of dad roles, I really want us to end the narrative that forcing/badgering a partner to speak to their parents is a 'helpful, loving' thing to do. Shao Fei was so quick to suggest meeting up when Tang Yi probably needed time and therapy.

I understand that dramas are 'dramatizations' of real life. Yes, that's clear. That being said, why did they take the route to portray their police force as caricatures of stereotypes? In the first episode, they burst in guns a'blazing and that's fine for a raid, but then Shao Fei holds Tang Yi at gunpoint??? Excuse me...officer (he does this twice)? I'm not sure what Shao Fei did so well that made it okay for him to disregard the rules of his job, but I didn't see it.

I would like to mention Jack and Zhao Zi(?) before I end. Jack did not pass the vibe check. He's our resident king of manipulation. To this day I don't know what his true role was and why he wasn't persecuted by Tang Yi, the bad guy, or Interpol. Jack snaking his way into Kenny's life is supposed to be charming and it is at first; but, it quickly becomes creepy and pushy.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend it if you're into more serious dramas. This is more lighthearted than anything. And that would be fine if the story and acting were good, but they should've picked a struggle. I don't remember the music so I suppose it was unoffensive.

Leia Mais

Do you like well-developed plots and characters? Do you like amazingly diverse acting? Do you like insanely emotional, heart-warming romances? Do you like beautifully shot scenes? Then this is the BL for you!!
First thing I'd like to say is, I'm going to review this series in the bounds of its genre, aka BL Series.
If you've never watched a BL series before I definitely recommend starting with this one. It is truly one of the best.
One big thing to know about BL series: There's a lot of intense/cheesy romantic scenes.
The main reason I absolutely loved this series though was the fact that they didn't make it all about the romantic scenes or all about the main couple/side couples. They had a bigger overarching storyline that didn't feel forced at all and made a lot of sense.
Most BLs focus a lot on romantic scenes and making the show all about cute couple moments and it doesn't give the characters much room to grow other than in their love life. But this one does not do that at all.
It has such a great overarching storyline on gang life and the things Tang Yi and Shao Fei were struggling with. And the development of the story as well as the development of the characters, specifically Tang Yi and Shao Fei, was for the most part very fluid and well thought out. The plot never became repetitive, it was fast-paced but still managed to keep a lot of suspense that had me at the edge of my seat.
The acting was incredible considering some of the cast's lack of acting experience. I loved watching the live streams the cast and director recorded following each week of episodes as you really could notice the amount of work and thought that was put into the relationships between actors and their characters. The director did an amazing job at guiding the actors to understand more and more about their characters so they could portray them better in the show. And it's noticeable the amount of studying and effort the actors put into their characters. I truly applaud everyone from the main cast, especially Chris.
Lastly, I believe the series is doing what it aimed to do and that is to top the last few seasons of History. I personally loved crossing the line, which I think is the second most popular story out of the whole show, but it clearly did not have the chance to be as detailed with the plot lines as Trapped did.
I really believe this BL series does what many BL series can't do and that is finding a good balance between the romantic scenes the BL genre is known and loved for and a solid, logical storyline that makes the show that much more enjoyable to watch.
Some things I wish could have been better: the character development for Li An and Jack as a couple and as individuals, the development of Shao Fei's relationship with his boss, and the development of Zhi De's character. I believe most of these issues were created by the lack of time the show had. Most shortcomings of BL series are caused by the lack of time but I understand that this is caused by the small size of the industry and lack of funds.
I've already watched the show twice and I can say that it is really so good and interesting, I definitely recommend this show if you like a sad but still not-too-cruel angst story accompanied by cute romances.

Leia Mais

•story:
○i mean, i am quite biased towards this sort of plot; it's a trope that i love. the character introductions and developments were nice and the story line flowed pretty well. there were however certain areas i thought could have been written a bit better. i thought some scenes were slightly unnecessary and that time could have been put into better use with another scene. nevertheless, i love how the story never got incredibly deep or remained too light; it was a sweet balance of comedy, drama, action, and love. i appreciated all its twists and turns since it kept the story intriguing for me. overall i was quite pleased with the story.

•acting:
○first off, i must seriously commend Chris on his acting in this drama. he did so great! his eyes spoke so much raw emotion that i was taken aback as the episodes progressed. he really did a fantastic job with the role. i've always seen this sort of role a bit difficult to play since it's so easy to come off as a bland character. however Chris really shone in this part.
○Jake's character was a weird one, i've got to say. but it grew on me (by the end of the first episode ahaha). he portrayed it well enough to make me think that's how he usually acts irl. let me note however: that in the later episodes, i was a very slightly detached from his character though. he didn't hold me in as strongly as he did in the earlier ones. i'm not sure if it was the writing of his character or his acting that came into play here. but overall, he did well with this quirky character!
○Kenny and Andy were amply cute! it was very satisfying watching their lighthearted scenes. i'm not even surprised their popularity among the couples was so high. Andy's smile captivated me from his very first scene! Kenny is simply naturally adorable ㅠ.ㅠ

○i really want to give all the actors compliments on their acting!

•music:
○wow, from the first time i heard each of the main osts, i fell in love! i desperately scoured the internet for the full songs and the singers. the singers evoke so much emotion with these songs. i can bravely say this drama had one of the best osts i have ever heard. it's one of those you'll always remember. incredibly beautiful,,

i've only just recently finished the drama and while writing this review on a cozy, rainy day, i'm already missing it ❤

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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*

Leia Mais