HIStory3: Trapped (2019)

There was a little doubt in my spirit when it was announced that there would be a HIStory 3. I said to myself "there is no way they're gonna top HIStory 2 Crossing the Line, absolutely NO WAY!" and I was quite adamant about it, but that one fateful day when I sat down and pressed play on my computer was the best day EVER.

First, let's talk about the actors. This cast is amazing. Their chemistry is beyond what I thought it would be. The way they interacted. Watching the behind the scenes I could see how they embodied the characters but at the same time had a genuine like for one another. They each brought something different to the show.

Now to get into the nitty-gritty. The hate turn love relationship between Shao Fei and Tang Yi was just as a relationship should develop. Don't just smash two characters together and tell me they love each other. Give me the backstory. Give me reasons why the other is hesitant, what happened to them that caused them to be this way, etc. Build it up and then let me see the results, and THAT is what HIStory 3 Trapped did. It was amazing how well they worked together, and the story always kept you guessing on what would happen next. As you found things out you were either pleasantly surprised or shocked to be right about a theory. That's what this show did, it gave you a chance to theorize what would happen next. Unlike other dramas in which you know what's going to happen, in this one you didn't. Every step of the way you were wondering, captivated, too far in to just drop it and too committed to the character to not watch it.

On to Zhao and Jack. Beautifully done. I wished there was more time with them, but I have an imagination, I feel things happened behind the main story between these two and I'm appreciative of it. The way they care for each other, it's beautiful.

The story. What can I say I haven't already? WATCH IT! Watch all 20 episodes and you tell me what you think of the story. I honestly feel like I've been on a rollercoaster ride and honestly, I want to ride it again, and perhaps even a third time. Now I can only hope that they do for this one as they did for Crossing the Line and make it into a full-length movie. I mean I can hope, right? I'll just say this. The only thing I wished was different was the scenes between Jack and Zhao. I wanted them to have more time onscreen. Show us their development as you showed Shao Fei and Tang Yi. That's really the only thing I have.

BEST. BL DRAMA. EVER! and believe me when I say I have seen quite a few and will continue to watch them, but this one will forever be etched into my memory.

Read More

LORD KNOWS THE AMOUNT OF HOURS I SPENT LOVING THIS SERIES. IT HAS TAKEN SUCH A BIG ROLE IN MY LIFE THAT I'M CLUELESS OF WHAT TO DO NOW THAT IT'S FINALLY COME TO AN END. I WAS INTRODUCED TO THIS 2 WEEKS BEFORE IT WAS AIRED AND I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL THAT I CAME ACROSS THIS BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE.
While others found Shaofei's character to be annoying in the first part of the series, I actually adored him to no end. He's so courageous and that's admirable. The fact that he doesn't hide his love for Tangyi is also truly amazing. This isn't no damn i-like-you-but-i-won't-say-anything-at-all. NO! This is the complete opposite. He's so loud about loving Tangyi and we seriously need more dramas like this. SHAOFEI FTW.
Tangyi is such an amazing, flawed character. Good gracious, he's the whole package. Tangyi's my favorite character out of everyone although he can be impulsive. He's such a good lover too.
Now moving onto their romance. THE LITTLE MOVEMENTS ARE JUST AS PRECIOUS AS THE KISS SCENES! I love the scenes where Tangyi is just caring for Shaofei and his little baby is just holding his hand, stating that he's God and nothing can kill him except for a canon ball. Like okay, Shaofei.
I really had no interest in the other two couples to be very honest so I have no opinion on them.
BUT, everyone has to watch this drama. It's packed with so much shit that you're swimming in your feels and yall don't even know it. Sure we were clowned most of the time but it's worth it.

Read More

The first in this year's HIStory series, Trapped, is sexy and sweet and fun as a romance but struggles as an action drama.

Meng Shao Fei (Jake Hsu) is a cop who has spent the last four years chasing gangster Tang Yi (Chris Wu). Tang Yi is trying to go straight to fulfil his late mentor/ father figure’s wishes. While he seems to be in charge of his organisation, there are rumours that not everybody is happy. However, Meng Shao Fei doesn’t seem that interested in Tang Yi’s criminal activities: he mostly wants to know what happened during an incident four years previously when his Sunbae was killed. After playing a cat and mouse game for four years, Meng Shao Fei and Tang Yi are probably too aware of each other for their own good. So when fate throws them together a few times, sparks fly.

As a BL premise, this a pretty good one. Meng Shao Fei’s dogged – almost obsessive – pursuit of Tang Yi translates pretty well as an analogy for a romantic pursuit. Whether Shao Fei wants justice, the truth, or Tang Yi’s hot bod is something even he seems confused about from early on. It shows a laudable kind of emotional honesty that, when Shao Fei finally realises his feelings, he pursues them with the same persistence with which he pursued the original case. He will get his man, it seems, even if he’s been in denial as to what he wants him for. After all, he’s a cop and Tang Yi is a gangster.

And therein, unfortunately, lies the show's problem. The writers simply don't understand the action genre and are not capable of grappling with the ethical issues at the heart of this relationship. From the beginning, the characters seem to be pasted in from a different show; one where cops are adorable and incompetent and nobody cares that one of them has completely compromised all their unit's ongoing investigations. The action elements are not used well or written well and the writers clearly struggle with a genre they don't know how to write.

It says something about the HIStory series that I stayed shipping the main couple even as it became clear that their relationship would not work (in the real world, this of course is a clear fiction). There is a lot of chemistry here - so much so the writers copped an unfortunate amount of flak over skipping a scene where that chemistry... culminated (and then quickly threw their audience a bone - literally as it turns out).

I can admire the writers' ambition as they try to write a much-longer series in a genre they're unfamiliar with. But, unfortunately, their execution has failed to match that ambition even if the series still produces consistently-good BL stories that are far above anything else on offer today.

By all means watch and enjoy but temper your expectations about the show's plotting. It does fall short.

Watch it for the romance instead.

Read More

This is definitely the best BL drama that I've seen this year. You've got comedy, fluff, mystery, action and angst. I mean... a police officer and a gangster ?? They fall in love ?? What more can you ask for??? There is absolutely nothing I didn't like about this drama. The actors knew how to play their roles and made the chemistry believable to the point that I was just... blown away ??? By the way, the actors' friendships off screen are super cute I love how they seem to get along pretty well.

I wish they can make a second part to this because there's still so much I want to see. Perhaps a Jack and Zhao Zi spinoff? Or a second part where Tang Yi gets out of jail. Will the relationship between Tang Yi and Shao Fei be stronger than before or will it fade?

Honestly I've watched this drama about 5-7 times now but I just can NOT let go of the characters. This drama will definitely tug at your heartstrings and wholeheartedly captivate your heart, subsequently causing you to have the urge to rewind and watch it all over again.

Read More

High expectations

(Before you read my review, please keep in mind, I never mean to discourage anyone who wants to watch the show. I'm simply stating my personal opinions and feelings. Everyone has different tastes and interests, so you might end up liking this show!)

Before I jumped into this show, I checked the reviews, and they were all high ratings. It's hard to find a bad review on this show. With that in mind, I expected this show to blow me away. Sadly, as soon as it started, there were so many cringey scenes, and the main police officer guy was kind of obnoxious. I had read a review that said the growth of the characters in the show is amazing, so I stuck with the show with hopes the characters would grow and the storyline would get interesting. However, I felt the characters didn't change, and the entire show was lacking. If I'm completely honest, I'm an easy person to please when it comes to shows, but I just wasn't feeling this one. I wanted to see the characters develop and the relationship between the main couple blossom. I felt they went from hating each other, then to tolerating each other, then to dating without really having a full connection yet. Many characters on the show made irrational decisions and did things in spite to affect other characters. I also hate to admit it, but I had to physically force myself to finish this show, which is rare! Overall, I couldn't connect with the characters or the storyline. I would like to perhaps a few years from now re-watch this show and maybe try to connect with it.

Read More

My primary issue with this season was the writing and plot. My secondary issue was that the acting & editing were often weird or poorly done; this was most frustrating as it hugely undermined the chemistry between the couples.

Writing: the poor actors were forced to say so many unnatural lines that people just don't say in real life that even if they were extraordinary, they wouldn't be able to believably deliver them. Next, the transition of fixation/anger into attraction was hodge-podged together out of weird, pretty stupid plot contrivances, and no deep thought on the characters' parts was seen to be put into the changing feelings. It just wasn't believable. Separately, the plot wanted so badly to be unpredictable that it relied on the most annoying, forced twists delivered in clumsy revelations whose timing make next to zero sense. Finally, THAT'S NOT HOW POLICE WORK WTFFFFF every time something totally unbelievable happened with regards to the police work, I was wrenched entirely out of the story. This is why I say it was a failure of ambition: they wanted to do something other than school setting, which is laudable, but didn't take the time or effort to do it well.

Acting/Editing: I combine these because I wonder if all the peculiar pausing in place was due to editing failures and because I really want to believe the actors had better takes than the ones put into the final product. One particular oddity was that the kisses never developed out of the wooden "one person's eyes stay wide and body stiff in surprise" stage, even after the romance developed to a mutually acknowledged stage. Another instance of bad acting or maybe editing is that in a particularly heated scene I couldn't stop laughing because the main actor looked like he got "petulant child" mixed up with "murderous rage". I'm laughing again as I think of it. The rest of my issues I'm willing to put on the writers hurting the actors with just frankly dumb lines/scenarios.

It would have been cute as a manhua, but the choice to put it to real life actors requires more realism, less lazy writing, and fewer dumb gags.

Read More

making the most out of a mob boss x police trope!

First, I made a MyDramaList account literally just so I could write a review and join the comments for this series. I love it THAT much. I've rewatched it a couple times while waiting for the new episodes to air.

The actors for Tang Yi and Shao Fei--Chris and Jake, respectively--have SO MUCH CHEMISTRY together and portray their characters with such great expressions. Shao Fei have great comedic expressions whereas Tang Yi can go from cold and ruthless to vulnerable and worried with just subtle shifts in his face. They are really strong actors and perfect for this kind of enemies-to-lovers romantic trope.
On that note about romance, I can't say enough about the romantic moments in this show. Because this show is built on the enemies-to-lovers trope, there are a few predictable plots or moments that allow the main characters to grow and trust each other, but honestly, these parts still feel refreshing and endearing because of the actors, the characters' personalities, and the comedy. I won't spoil anything, but there were definitely romantic moments where I was like, "Wow, this is PEAK romance--I don't know where else will I find such tender and soft scenes." I have a soft spot for Tang Yi, especially, as I love characters who slowly let their defenses down to the person they love. Watching him go from having to always be the boss and tough one to being vulnerable to Shao Fei was so heartwarming.
On the comedy, we are really blessed to have Jake's portrayal of Shao Fei with his funny expressions and perfectly delivered lines. We have the second couple on the show--Li An and Jack--who are often the comedic, but endearing pairing on this show, especially Li An who is super cute.

When compared to all the previous series in HIStory's lineup, this one is definitely on top next to "Crossing the Line."

Read More

Story-line wise, this drama is definitely not the best. I almost couldn't take anything in this drama seriously because of the large amounts of light-hearted and cringe-inducing scenes displayed in the first few episodes. They portray cops as incompetent and childish people who don't know how to do their individual jobs correctly. The main character, Shao Fei, especially continuously defies the commands of his superiors and always runs off from his police officer duty to fulfill his own agendas. All of the police officers fool around too much while on the job, which makes you wonder if they're even taking their responsibilities seriously. A lot of scenes make no sense. Honestly, many of the characters don't even deserve to have their jobs because of their lack of ability to perform their duties. However, if you don't mix this drama with reality and are able to ignore these obvious flaws, the drama becomes much more enjoyable and emotional to watch, especially in the later episodes.

Acting-wise, Chris and Jake definitely fit their character roles. Chris has the charismatic look of a gangster leader and has the perfect cold look, while Jake has the dorky charm. However, Chris needs to improve on his crying face as most of the times the tears look obviously fake. Andy and Jack also lived up to their roles, although sometimes Andy's happy expressions look fake and forced. All-in-all, the chemistry among the couples are great and enjoyable to watch.

Ultimately, I was a bit disappointed plot-wise (mainly due to the negative portrayal of police officers) and the plot twists weren't that interesting. However, this drama gives a lot of good life lessons and teaches the audience many things about the positive aspects of life and love. The characters were all also very lovable and the romantic scenes were very cute. I enjoyed the drama a lot and look forward to rewatching the quirky scenes between the couples.

Read More

I wonder what everyone loved that I missed?

Things that stay in my mind: Shao Fei's exaggerated facial expressions, Tang Yi's meaningless blank stares, bad environmental shots and absurd plot, cute workplace friends and fatherly chairman who are very enjoyable to watch.

When Tang Yi gives a little face, Shao Fei, who falls in love without waiting or thinking, immediately accepts it without doubting or wondering if I am gay. Because if your same sex is close to you, your first thought is to be gay. Because there is no such thing as intimacy, friendship ?

Our second couple was very nice, but it was cut very short. I loved both characters ? I wish they had reduced the scenes of the first couple and increased the scenes of this couple

In general, it is a series that I did not like, I did not feel much passion, I could not connect with the characters. Of course, it's still going, whoever likes it will like it again. If it got such a high vote, I respect it to the end. I wonder what everyone loved that I missed?

Read More

At first I was hesitant to watch this series because I am seeing from the spoilers are more of sexy or intimate scenes, but I must admit that I am wrong with my first impression.
I just love how the writer of the story came up with the setting. One of a kind boys love story among others. Its not the usual teenager boys love series. I love how the main characters got into each other, and also the side boys love couple which are so cute. I am really looking forward for a good and happy ending of this story, and hoping for season 2/part 2.
Artists did play their characters with justice. Although it is an action themed, you can still witness the cute and lovely sides of the couples.

Read More

Cringey and childish

From the synopsis this sounded like something I'd really enjoy, as I love police dramas. However almost everything about this was ridiculous. The main character (police officer) was extremely childish, and so were all of his colleagues. It really broke the immersion for me seeing a bunch of police officers acting like children when they're clearly all supposed to be adults. Even people in their early 20's don't act so immature. The scene's with them were all very slapstick-esque which I really disliked.

There are also a lot of plot holes or storylines that don't get explained in a satisfactory way... It felt like they were included to create drama and not as proper plots.

The chemistry between the main actors was pretty good, I liked the more domestic scenes and the relationship between the two of them. The secondary couple I disliked as I felt like they were just stereotypes, the other police officer especially because he seemed to be about 13 years old...

Overall there are some good scenes in this but it wasn't worth the time spent on it, I wish it was an actually gritty police BL but oh well.

Read More

this show left nothing to be wondered, i hate loose ends and this show doesn't give you that. The ending is beautiful and is perfect for the characters, the chemistry between the characters was beautiful. i was crying and laughing and smiling throughout the show, if a show can make you feel that all at once, isn't it one worth watching? The ost perfectly depicted how i felt at the moment and i have so many words of appreciation for this show..i wish it never ended but it did so that sucks. The side coupe in this show doesn't overpower the main couple as it may happen in many bls but this one is just beautiful. I want more action bl, there really aren't enough. There needs to be more bl genres other than the regular romance. i must really thank the writes and the team who made it possible for this amazing show to be made. The re-watch value is high and i'd know, i'd have finished the show earlier if i hadn't been repeating half of the episode every time. so many of the scenes were utterly amazing, this show really had me. i can't stand cliches and this was far from it, it felt like the creators personally made this show for me.

Read More