2
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virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
Not an Excellent crime/gangster drama, nor a BL romance drama
Browsing through MDL, “HIStory 3: Trapped” is rated pretty high for a Taiwanese drama and/or a BL drama. Unfortunately, I am not sure if it’s worth the 8.4 current rating. I feel that it tries to be a very good crime/gangster drama, and also a very good BL drama. In the end, it lands right in the middle: not excellent in either or both directions.
It was a slow start for me. I did not like the cop ML at all. I understand his motive of trying to find the killer of his mentor for the last 4 years. But the way he approaches gangster ML is unprofessional, unrealistic and super clingy and stalkerish. The acting is also a little over-the-top for me. On the other hand, gangster ML’s stoic but bland expressions distract me from his handsome looks and beautiful physique in a suit. You know, if you can’t act, no matter how good-looking you are, the drama is never going to be good.
Luckily, the acting of gangster ML gets better throughout the drama. When he’s not forced to act all cold, his emotional and normal scenes are pretty decent. Cop ML’s acting also gets more natural but his professionalism and unrealistic approach to solving the case never goes away.
The gangster turf fight is uninteresting and the pursuit of the murderer is half-baked. It tries to be a crime investigation/gangster drama but the writing is not up to par.
What about BL romance? The first half of the drama is more fun before the leads get together. Yes, cop ML is clingy and stalkerish, but at least the chemistry is quite good and sizzles a little. But once they got together, I was expecting more kisses and skinship. We have maybe 3 decent scenes with intimacy and skinship. However, the quality of the kisses is disappointing given this is the HIStory franchise.
On another note, the side romance is quite cute and sweet. Jack is the most attractive of the guys for me, and his character is interesting. I keep on thinking there’s more to him that meets the eye with his smirks and smiles. But his counterpart, the young cop, is way too naive and especially unbelievable as a cop. The pairing is cute but unrealistic.
Having said all that, I do appreciate a BL drama not set in a school setting and tries to be a more mature drama. There really aren’t too many BL dramas out there about real adults and not students, and good ones are even harder to come by. A few of the action scenes are quite good and not slow-mo fighting. Both leads look like they trained for these scenes. This is a quick and easy binge since each episode is only about 25 minutes long. From an enjoyment level, I will round this up to an 8.0. If I am judging strictly on writing/acting/execution, this will be a lower score. I will recommend this if you are looking for a more mature BL drama, just don't lower the expectations a little.
Completed: 8/26/2023 - Review #344
It was a slow start for me. I did not like the cop ML at all. I understand his motive of trying to find the killer of his mentor for the last 4 years. But the way he approaches gangster ML is unprofessional, unrealistic and super clingy and stalkerish. The acting is also a little over-the-top for me. On the other hand, gangster ML’s stoic but bland expressions distract me from his handsome looks and beautiful physique in a suit. You know, if you can’t act, no matter how good-looking you are, the drama is never going to be good.
Luckily, the acting of gangster ML gets better throughout the drama. When he’s not forced to act all cold, his emotional and normal scenes are pretty decent. Cop ML’s acting also gets more natural but his professionalism and unrealistic approach to solving the case never goes away.
The gangster turf fight is uninteresting and the pursuit of the murderer is half-baked. It tries to be a crime investigation/gangster drama but the writing is not up to par.
What about BL romance? The first half of the drama is more fun before the leads get together. Yes, cop ML is clingy and stalkerish, but at least the chemistry is quite good and sizzles a little. But once they got together, I was expecting more kisses and skinship. We have maybe 3 decent scenes with intimacy and skinship. However, the quality of the kisses is disappointing given this is the HIStory franchise.
On another note, the side romance is quite cute and sweet. Jack is the most attractive of the guys for me, and his character is interesting. I keep on thinking there’s more to him that meets the eye with his smirks and smiles. But his counterpart, the young cop, is way too naive and especially unbelievable as a cop. The pairing is cute but unrealistic.
Having said all that, I do appreciate a BL drama not set in a school setting and tries to be a more mature drama. There really aren’t too many BL dramas out there about real adults and not students, and good ones are even harder to come by. A few of the action scenes are quite good and not slow-mo fighting. Both leads look like they trained for these scenes. This is a quick and easy binge since each episode is only about 25 minutes long. From an enjoyment level, I will round this up to an 8.0. If I am judging strictly on writing/acting/execution, this will be a lower score. I will recommend this if you are looking for a more mature BL drama, just don't lower the expectations a little.
Completed: 8/26/2023 - Review #344
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