HIStory3: Faça Valer a Pena (2019)

I just started watching the HIStory series the last year or so and, phew, how far it's come. From a sucky first season to a second season with a very flawed beginning and an amazing second half, the third season is the series at its best. Of course, coming off the positive reception and hype from Trapped, Make Our Days Count had a lot to live up to unfortunately. I will say that Make Our Days Count is still one of the best of the HIStory series but it isn't able to hold a torch to Crossing The Line or Trapped. However, there is potential here but it's muddled by jarring flaws, overused tropes and a polarizing ending.

The main relationship is absolutely wonderful and the way it progresses is very well done and one of the best aspects of the show. However, I do agree and understand with some that found Hsiao Hao-Ting's sudden attraction to Yu Xi Gu to be out of left field. Also, his toxic traits are glossed over, especially in respect to how he treats his girlfriend (I'm so sorry, I cant remember her name!) in the beginning. One can see how Hao-Ting's entrance into Xi Gu's life causes Xi Gu to reroute his whole plan to fix Hao-Ting's. Despite this, I found the chemistry between the actors to be electrifying. The actors did a very GREAT job at conveying several emotions. And Xi Gu is absolutely adorable!

As for the second couple, I was immediately put off by how it started and even at the end, I felt indifferent. I'm happy for the characters being happy in the ending but their relationship was built on toxicity. Sun Bo is whiny and doesn't know how to take no for an answer and does not know the meaning of consent. While it is brought up soon after, the issues are quickly glossed over for gratuitous sex scenes. I dont know, I just felt that Chih-gang felt obligated to start a relationship with Sun Bo if not it was not going to end well.

Everything seems to be going well with both couples until the last episode... where you learn about what happens to Xi Gu. At first, I was just in total shock. The feeling then transitioned into just pure upset and confusion over the decision to kill Xi Gu off. I do agree with many that say that they dont mind a sad ending if it's done well but this one is so random and appalling that it's actually an insult to not only the viewers but the characters as well, especially Xi Gu. Xi Gu did not deserve the ending he got. He suffered so much and ended finally achieving some type of happiness for THAT to happen. Also so much time was set up in the last episode to holding off on the shock of Xi Gu's death that we never really got to see how the other characters that were important to Xi Gu reacted in the aftermath. I was so mad that there was so showing of any type of emotion with Chih-gang. Chih-gang cared for Xi Gu so much and was practically like a surrogate brother to him. He was always looking out for him and was even against Hao-Ting being with Xi Gu in the beginning because he didn't want Xi Gu to get hurt and believed Hao-Ting's intentions to be hostile and for good reason. For there to be no representation of emotion from him is insulting to Xi Gu's character and what he signified to the show and these characters. And also what about the twin that liked Xi Gu? Another loose thread. There are showings of his crush on Xi Gu throughout the course of the show that never really go anywhere (not even a confession). He also cared deeply for Xi Gu and protected him from Hao-Ting and the rest of them in the beginning (I was shipping him at this moment with Xi Gu, they would've been so cute). You mean to tell me that he had no type of reaction to Xi Gu's death in any way? What was the writer thinking?

The ending is certainly going to leave many disgruntled but some will also come to understand it. While I do understand why they did it for the sake of the title, there was SO MANY OTHER WAYS that this could have been handled without death. The story could've ended with them bot being together at the end because they realized their forever really didn't mean forever. They just grew apart and learned they weren't meant to be but that they are grateful for their relationship for making every day they had together count. No matter if the love doesn't last forever, at least it mattered at the moment where they were in love. THIS could've been done. I don't know.

Overall, the show is saved by great acting and great music and a few surprises that turn the BL genre on its head (such as the girlfriend not being a villain THANK GOD). This show is still miles and miles better than what HIStory was in the beginning but it truly was potential wasted. Maybe after time I'll learn to love it a little more, not like I dont like it now but for now, I'm just that the show ended the way it did that left its audience with more question than answers and a lack of closure.

Leia Mais

Too bland for a History

Y'know when you kind of put a surten drama to the side for whatever reason for so long you start to have a surten picture of it? Or a expectation how it sets the mood?
I didn't watch anything about this before I started. Not the trailer no fmv no nothing. Kind if unusual for me, I know but I started out at a clean slate.
Because it's rated R I was like: oooohhhh it's probably gonna be real heavy melo and deep.
Not really? I skipped the ending like all my MDL friends suggested but maybe I should have really watched it? I was kind of glad it was over ngl tho.

Im gonna say something controversial:
YOU CANNOT SUPPLEMENT A BLAND STORYLINE WITH ALOT OF SPICY.

Nah ma dudes nah.
I liked like really liked 3 of the previous histories and I even rated them really high atleast in my case.
Is it because I just binged it?
Sometimes I didn't even read the dialogues and skipped scenes wich... Not good not good when I do that.
The story just slid out of my hands (or brain) and sometimes I had moments were I was like: Wait what happened before that?
Some things didn't make sense to me. Especially how the 2 couples got together. It was really sudden how like the 1ML started to suddenly liked the other guy even though he disliked him. Suddenly from guilt to love?
I was like wah? When he discussed his feels with bo. Like since when?
For bo and the soy bean guy it was atleast for me pretty evident that soya dude didn't like Bo crossing the line and man I would be too he had such a attitude.
And then suddenly bam now they are a couple?
O...okay?
I don't know if it's the setting (I don't really like the school settings most of the time) or just the lack of seasoning...

I don't have a problem with character driven stories. But like there's gotta be some highlights, some depth I can grab onto for my mind to keep interest. That's what I mean with seasoning/flavor. If you strip the plot down only to the bare writing then it's super average. Almost slice of life. And slice of life is a hard genre to master because you have to make the average daily life interesting and entertaining.
Also the development wasn't really relevant to me. It had time skips in some weird places like suddenly it's Christmas and again I was like... O okay?

The chemistry is popping. Like I said spicy as hecc. I do feel like the spice was almost overdone though, like it had to supplement the story like I already mentioned.

For acting.. yeah? It was fine? It didn't blow my mind but neither did the story OR the character building. No layers, no Interesting layering.They felt almost flat and I feel like they made the smart guy too pitiful? My empathy wasn't really there tbh. I didn't really feel with him.

All in all for a history this was dissapointing ...
YES

Leia Mais

Unnecessary Death

With the exception of the completely unnecessary final 2 episodes, a great series overall. Pretty good acting, especially Shiang. Honestly, the main couple is conventionally unattractive. But they're supposed to be the most handsome guys at school? However, I really like both of their characterizations. Yu is a broke, malnourished nerd who broods all day, is extremely stubborn and self-reliant. Honestly his guardian (aunt) should be in jail for neglecting him. He doesn't even eat 3 meals a day. He's under 18! The actor is actually pretty well cast if we ignore how he's supposed to be good looking because the actor is short and extremely thin. He looks fine in the title photo because his face is overexposed, which gave the illusion that he's not malnourished. Shiang is a spoiled brat, brash and uncontrollable but has a heart of gold (unless he thought he had a reason to take revenge). Sun and his bf are gay but Shiang is probably pansexual because he was never interested in guys before. They have great crying scenes. All the young guys are great at crying, much better than Trapped.

This show ends at episode 18. The last 2 I will pretend never existed. Fucking hell. What the fuck does Yu's death bring to the table?! This is the end of a series: there's no extra plot, no loose ends to tie, no character development, no destinies to fulfill. All we see is a forever-changed, forever-depressed Shiang. But props to the actor who played Shiang. His crying scenes are phenomenal. The ending is simply pure bullshit.

Leia Mais

The only reason why this is nine stars is because those 9 episodes were great. As for the 10th, I DESPISE IT to the point where I’m pretending it never happened and to me the ending is at episode 9. Of course why I hate that finale so much with a passion is because one, I am not a fan of SUDDEN sad endings. And two, the episode was so unnecessary, like what was the point.( I’m talking about what happened to Yu Xigu and Hao Ting, the other couple at least got their happy ending) The entire episode was literally Hao Ting remembering his horrific past and getting depressed to the point where he had to drink his problems away and some boring scenes. But what I’m mad about is why would they kill off the MAIN character that literally deserved better after all the things he’s been through, he couldn’t even get to university. In conclusion the first 9 episodes I would recommend 10/10. As for the 10th, I would rate it -10 if I could, and if you are gonna watch it, then DON’T GET TOO ATTACHED TO THE CHARACTERS.

Leia Mais

HIStory series is probably one of the best shows right now about lgbtq relationships. Not only the stories feel relatable (most of times. I still did't forget HIStory 1 and the weird stories), but the acting is good and seems genuine (something that we don't see much in asian gay series that are made just to sell).
HIStory 3: Make our days count is following the steps of HIStory 2: Crossing the Line that is, by far, the most loved story from the series. When HIStory 3 was announced, everyone was expecting another masterpiece and some got disappointing with the road Trapped took, with its no ending, repetitive storyline of "i almost died". Make our days count, by other hand, took us back to high school with the puppy romance and teenager hormones going over the board.
The story, that at first presented the overused trope of "enemies to lovers", surprised everyone when the characters started to act completely different from the stereotypes expected. The "bully" isn't really a bully. The "shy" guy isn't shy. The "bad girl" isn't bad.
There's no "I'm not gay, i just like this one guy", there's an "I like guys too". There no "I don't feel bad for hurting this one person", there's an "I feel so bad I feel like dying".
The characters are so incredible real, you sometimes forget it's a story that will end at some point. The chemistry of the main couple is so strong that, if you are single, you'll definitely feel jealous.
The story talks about the struggle to conciliate senior year with part-time work and the first love. Coming out to a homophobic family and acceptance of friends. Age difference (not the illegal type) from someone that lost faith in relationships to someone who's experiencing his first love.
The year didn't end yet, we never know what's going to happen, but, for now, HIStory 3: Make our days count is the best gay series that came out this year.

Leia Mais

They pandered to the lowest false beliefs held by a repressive straight populace!

Up until the final episode the series was fairly well done. Good acting, fairly engaging storyline, good choices in casting and a decent pace in the story keep you coming back for more. But, I cannot recommend this series.

Not because of an age difference in the secondary couple that some people gripe about, that's actually kind of realistic to life, at least it is in my own life (I was 32 he was 19 and we had almost the exact same argument about getting together. We've been together 21 years now.). Not because Yu Xe Gu died, let's be real here relationships end one way or another and it could have just as easily been a breakup. And let's knock on the door of reality a little bit, how many broken hearts are left crying in the middle of the road while finding the one "right" one?

No, my problem is the actual ending. See people, a lot of them, seem to be confused. They come to the belated conclusion at some point in the last episode that Yu Xe Gu died SIX YEARS EARLIER, the tears start, and their brains shut down. They start moaning poor Yu he died, they aren't really paying attention to the dialogue that the screenwriter put into the mouths of these actors.

So clarification.

In first scene dialogue Hao is discussing sleeping arrangements and trip with mother (We know Xe Gu is dead so there is someone else). In scene and dialogue with Xe Gu doppelgänger it is mentioned and Hao confirms a girlfriend. In scene and dialogue with parents at dinner table parents are trying to push Hao into actually formalizing engagement with girlfriend. In scene and dialogue with Sun in apartment Hao states he has been trying to get over Xe Gu but hasn't been fully successful. In closing scene and dialogue with Sun, Hao confirms he is not gay, that he is going to take the opportunity of travel to go the Himalyas (get over Xe Gu), that no other could take the place of Xe Gu (referring to a man especially the doppelgänger ).

All the dialogue leads inescapably where the screenwriter wants us to go. Hao was not gay and it was just an immature phase that he was going through. If we get rid of the cause of his gayness, allow him to mature and get closure, and add the right woman he will become "normal" and "straight" again. This is a falsehood and a lie. There is simply no way that Hao could have gotten so emotionally and physically invested in Xe Gu without being gay.

They have betrayed us as viewers and pandered to the lowest of the false belief systems of the straight populace that gays are both disposable and can be easily changed to straight. It sickens me that this would actually be coming from modern Taiwan. I have heard rumors that the franchise is either taking a hiatus or closing down from new production. Good thing following this. If it were up to me neither the screenwriter nor the producer would get work again on even a toilet paper commercial.

Leia Mais

Very disappointing development. It started out as a rather serious and dramatic series despite the humor. In the first 3 episodes the plot focused on bullying and our two main characters were involved. At the end of ep 3 YXG was kneeling in front of XHT and begging him to spare his life. At this point there was a very concerning power difference between those two characters and I was HOOKED. I wanted to see how this turns out. How they can ever trust each other and being in a balanced relationship. This was such an interesting concept. I expected XHT to feel remorse, guilt and later on to understand YXG better, to respect and admire him and finally falling in love with him. In fact he felt in love so suddenly that I'm still not over it. Apparently he developed feelings in ep 3, but I didn't get it back then, because it just didn't cross my mind at all that he could fall in love so out of the blue. But I was willing to overlook the bad writing and the missed opportunities to make this a great psychological work. The relationship developed rather slowly which I guess wasn't a bad choice. But how "being in love" was portrayed was just crazy. XHT behaved like a teenage girl. It was very exaggerated. The humor was also too much. And later on the series became so incredible cheesy that I didn't enjoy it anymore. In this show everything was too much. I prefer serious, deep and smart written stories with good humor. But this was just very simple and exaggerated in every possible way which resulted in a portrayal of emotions that lacked any real depth. They just were in love for what ever reason and then it was so serious they wanted to move in and spend their whole life together. I just didn't feel the connection between the two main leads at all. I constantly asked myself "Why are they together?" The actors have much more chemistry in real life than they had in the series. I enjoyed the second leads more, but I was surprised by the rather explicit sex scenes they showed us. It was back then such a strange contrast to the rather innocent love between the main characters, even though those two showed us also more intimacy later on. It was funny seeing how people liked this, but when it became very cheesy and explicit suddenly everyone was over the moon. Honestly speaking, if this would be my very first Asian BL I can imagine liking it too. It was cute and sexy after all with some typical BL cliches. My first BL was Addicted/Heroin and I went crazy even though the story was completely messed up. But if you're looking for something deeper, that's better written, then this HIStory is not for you. The writing was a mess like in Trapped, the last HIStory series. They just mix up everything and have some serious issues balancing out the mood of a story. Maybe because they are desperately trying to please the audience? No idea. The result is just not good. If people want to give this a 10: go ahead. But this is no 10, sorry. Ah, the end, I almost forgot. The end was an odd choice too, but looking back it made sense, I guess. But it proves again that there is no balance. Everything is just too much. In this case it was too dramatic.

Leia Mais

I’m giving this show an 7/10.
I loved this show so much... until the ending. For multiple reasons, I was disappointed in the way that this was concluded.
First, I really didn’t like how the entire show XHT refused to say that he was “gay” there are so many micro-aggressions towards the gay community in this story about young gay love... not to mention that after YSG dies Haoting’s parents are pushing him to find a “wife “ which I found detrimental to the positive gay storyline.
Even at the end XHT claims to only have loved YSG which I think still cast a negative idea on homosexuality. Some people swear XHT was “pansexual” rather than gay but I call bs because dating one man while refuting the fact that you are homosexual does not a “open to loving all genders and gender expression” pansexual, make.
I also thought the random super young doppelgänger of YSG was tasteless and cruel. It was a super unnecessary plot point.

Ultimately, I thought this was a terribly cruel end and definitely not justified in anyway... it was a curveball to the gut with virtually no payoff.

I think the denunciation oh the ENTIRE HiStory series is a bit dramatic and you still have a fan in me but how bout you do a real story about real gay people. Instead of these super machismo bro’s that’ve never liked guys before and are only attracted to “THIS ONE GUY” but still totally appalled by the idea of being with men... except this one man... which totally doesn’t make them gay... P-UH-LEASE.

Disappointed, because I really looked forward to this story every week.

Leia Mais

I must say, they did so good with the trailer and I went in with pretty high expectations because they did such a good job on the previous HIStory3 series. The couples were hella cute and actors had great chemistry onscreen. And I live for the secondary couple. Although the age gap feels a little sus, I think the way things panned out (esp. in the last episode) depicted them as having a pretty healthy relationship compared to a lot of the other push-and-pull couples that are common in dramas.
I felt like the drama really hit a lot of sweet points people are looking for like the struggles of coming out, the pressures of academics, and just the everyday struggles of life (esp. in Xiao Gu's case). I was really taken aback by the degree of raunchiness that appeared onscreen, but props to the writers for taking that risk. But I really did not like how HaoTing kept seemingly pressuring XiGu for intimacy and how he basically forced it when he had the fever. Sick or not, it wasn't right and I think since it played out that way, they should've done something to clarify that behavior is not okay especially for a budding relationship like theirs.
However, my biggest complaint though is the ending. Is it just me or was that the most 'wtf' ending they could've given us? They lured us into a false sense of security with that trailer and we all thought 'oh no, Xiao Gu got hit by a car and lost his memory.' But NOPE! He's gone for good and Wayne (the actor) did a really good job of making the last episode a tear-jerker. I'm just 100% unsatisfied with how the finale went and how Xiao Gu's death was so indelicately announced by HaoTing's ex no less (again, wtf). The way it played out feels like a trashy Wattpad fic trope I would've ate up in middle school but definitely not now. Whatever, I suppose the title of the drama makes a little more sense now.

Leia Mais

Skip the last episode :)

Overall, I thought the show was enjoyable, especially since there was a bit more "spice" than your average BL. Still tame by America's standards, but it was a nice reprieve from the norm you get from Thai BLs.

I think the cast of characters were basically perfect. Usually, when you watch a BL, in show we're told, "oh these people are best friends", but then they usually don't have any chemistry or believable interactions with each other. In this show, the friend group was very believable. If you told me that they hung out with each other off set, I would very ewll believe it, because... (if I had friends) I would be doing things like that.

Another thing that was believable was the progression from enemies to lovers. Shi Gu (one of the male leads), was such a cutie patootie. He was such an upright, straightforward student but the other male lead. Xiang Hao, was like the "popular kid" who could get away with anything. The juxtaposition between the two was evident from the very first episode and the series never failed to show the difference between the two males. The impressive thing, however, was how they cam to understand one another, especially in the case of Xang Hao. He was such a stereotypical "rich boy" type character, that it was a bit expected that he would turn into the typical 'sugar daddy' type rich boy that you see all the time in BL. While, this stereotype did manifest itself, it was still handled in such a way that you felt as if Shi Gu was never disrespected or belittled because of his circumstance. His wealth was never made a focal point for any point of the story.

Personally, I don't think I would rewatch this show specifically because of the ending. I'm not typically a rewatcher, but this really cements that for me.

Would I recommend this show? I would say yes, because if you like BL, it doesn't go with some of the usual tropes. Such as, the "ex girlfriend" drama or the "cheating drama". Lowkey, the show is pretty drama free, and that something to be appreciated. If you want something a little more "dramatic", look elsewhere, but if you're just looking for some fluff (besides the ending) this is a perfectly reasonable show.

Like, the final episode could have been so much better and fixed a lot of things. I don't want to get too much into it for the new watchers, but they could have made it so the viewers could have connected more to what went on in the final episode and made it more meaningful without being melodramatic.

Leia Mais

Nearly Perfect

With “Make Our Days Count,” the creators of the HIStory series prove yet again that they are brilliant in producing sweet, lovable, high quality BL (ending here notwithstanding—more on that later). Although this latest installment in the compilation gives us no novel or unique plotlines, what it does provide are stories that are relatable, endearing, and genuine, and the actors deliver beautifully in bringing these tales to life.

Making up our primary couple is Xiang Hao Ting (popular, confident, and charismatic) and Yu Xi Gu (reserved, studious, and a bit of a loner). Their dispositions could not be more different, and it makes the perfect contrast. Xi Gu was beyond adorable—words cannot begin to describe!—and I loved seeing Hao Ting dote on him and turn into a sweet, adoring boyfriend.

Our secondary couple is Sun Bo Xiang and Lu Zhi Gong. This is another storyline we’ve seen before—one pining for the other in an unrequited love—but I think the age difference between the two characters (and how it relates to their dynamic in the relationship) adds a nice, differentiating touch. I don’t think the chemistry between these two is quite as good as the chemistry between Hao Ting and Xi Gu, but by no means is it awkward or unbelievable. These two were very fun to watch and made for a good second storyline.

With both couples we experience alternating moments of doting, adorable sweetness and well-executed, passionate sexiness. The romance was earnest and pure, and I felt that the pacing was good for the number of episodes. Each couple was given just the right amount of time to develop their relationship and tell their story. As for the series overall: solid writing, likeable supporting cast, minimal filler, and although (like I said earlier) the storylines have been done before, nearly nothing felt contrived or manufactured. Nearly everything flowed smoothly, which is what we’ve all come to expect and appreciate in a HIStory series.

THAT SAID, I was disappointed with the ending. Like others, it’s not that I can’t stand sad endings or don’t appreciate them, but this one did feel contrived. It came out of nowhere and didn’t fit with the rest of the story. The shock value it added to the show seemed to outweigh anything else, and it created a jarring, disjointed finale. I totally get the other argument that this ending gives meaning to the title of the series, but I feel like it would be more compelling if more time was spent on the immediate aftermath, rather than ending after a huge time jump with no explanation or reflection in between. I don’t think it got the development and attention it deserved, and the series as a whole suffered for it. Had more time been spent on it—or had the time been better spent—I think it wouldn’t have felt so sudden and out of place.

Overall, I do recommend. I think the series could have ended perfectly right before the end of episode 18, but in terms of acting, writing, production quality, and chemistry, it remains high on the list.

Leia Mais

What a train wreck of inept scriptwriting! Did the producers switch writers for the last episode? This is sheer cruelty for cruelty’s sake.

Mind you, my problem is with the lazy and disjointed writing of episode 10; the entire cast and its performance, on the other hand, was outstanding - from Wayne and ChuanChih, to the entire Xiang family, and the ZENREN homies - all of it was top-notch.

However, it is horrifying to me to watch nine episodes of a carefully crafted series where one is witness to the blooming of love, the growth of one character inspired by the support of another, the working together towards a common goal in spite of all adversities… just to see everything unravel in a senseless and meaningless tragedy abruptly thrown into the mix as if to wrap everything up quickly and hush-hush.

This is the first time I wish I had not seen one of these stories. And not because of the sad ending, do not get me wrong: I am not against sad. I am upset at the gratuitous cruelty of this very inept writer. Episode 10 (finale) has all of the classic signs of an abrupt ending resulting from an administrative decision other than what the plot naturally required. This was not a car veering off the road… this was a train wreck!

Leia Mais