From HIStory 1, I managed to watch only the last episode. HIStory 2 – last 4 (teacher-student taboo not my thing). HIStory 2 missed in what I was looking for. From the main couple, I only liked and felt the attraction from Yu Hua. Zach Lu as Qui ZI Xuan was really trying to deliver, but he didn’t convince me. Maybe I’m just too pretentious this way.
And finally, reached HIStory3: Trapped. Jake, Chris and Andy, I absolutely love you guys.
Chemistry between the two main couples was exactly to my taste. For the main couple, the story wasn’t dragged, it had on the table the issues, the feelings, the trauma. Secondary couple didn’t have enough screen time, sadly.
Jake and Chris, while a bit forced in acting – but just a bit, nothing to rub me the wrong way – put their hearts in their performance and in their steamy kisses. Good script as well, since it allowed their characters to express their emotions and fears. I am also a sucker for both character types of Jake and Chris – one giving his love and support, unconcerned, not asking for anything in return and the other tough on the outside and hiding extreme sensibility.
Maybe my liking of Andy’s performance is overrated – he is definitely very cute and his character is extremely cool. Cute, but psycho. Since he is the bodyguard/hitman of a mob boss, one can definitely assume there is some killing done him – never showed, though. But Jack (Andy Bian) is always smiling, with a minimum of expressions changes – like a psycho.
Story…underdeveloped, IMHO. I am talking here about other story lines, not the love story. There was potential there, but felt like most important turns were glazed over. Of course, most reasons for characters’ actions are given, most decisions explained… I just think everything could’ve wrapped up much more enjoyable.
Love story – I believe feelings started to develop before we start witnessing their interactions. There is definitely an inclination for the main guys to help each other, right from the first episodes. This inclination is more towards personal decisions as opposed to professional ones (I am helping you cause is my cop so I have to save lives). Everything that happens between them is still beautiful and as mentioned earlier… without any hiccups and misunderstandings (nice change from other dramas). But then again, men are more straightforward and their relationships are different from my usual romcom ?.
I will rewatch it, definitely. I will not watch HIStory3: Make Our Days Count, since I trust the ratings given by MDL users.
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Totally topped the past HIStory's
*outline*Honestly, I didn't know what I was expecting when I first began the drama. I felt like it was going to be way too concentrated on crime, yeah, but I didn't expect THAT kind of crime. It was just stories within stories and it was all so confusing that I had to keep bullet-pointing the story at whatever faces they were linked to. But I regret nothing. That was actually the most interesting part - after the ships.
*analysis*
STORY : Every HIStory drama has a moral it teaches us and is most definitely unique. You don't expect what's coming for you, and this one definitely kept up to the mark. This particular one explored the feeling of love and belonging. The pacing was brilliant. I feel no scene got wasted throughout the whole series, maybe a few here and there but those just explained emotions and backstories a little more to get the gist of what was happening and why. The episode length fed to my needs. I always try to look for shorter episodes so that I can finish off the drama to my own pace. Usually longer episodes bore me easily because I feel the director is just trying to long out the drama for no reason. And I mean this generally. The love scenes were the best; whether they were confessions or rejections. I loved all the ships and this is probably the first drama I've ever watched where I felt the ships were perfect and I was excited for every couple moment.
STORY / ACTING : Jake Hsu's acting in the beginning just seemed a little too far-stretched, like an amateur's would be. Every movement, every line, everything would just be over-exaggerated. But his acting got way better after the first, maybe, 3 episodes so that's why I didn't rate it too low. Chris Wu had his moments too but- actually, it was only one moment... But all the secondary actors performed exceptionally well. I never came across any secondary character where I thought "oof calm down" or "okay no, that would never happen and we both know that". It was a real boomer I had to feel this way with one of the male leads honestly, but it really does stop after the first few episodes.
MUSIC : Okay, so I watched this drama on YouTube by BL Everywhere. And there were around three long intervals of unrelated music so there were moments I couldn't hear the genuine track in the drama. But overall I found that all the tracks were decent; not exactly the type of music I'd listen to, however. Despite all that, the reason I rated it so high is because the tracks were played beautifully and at the perfect moments throughout the whole drama.
REWATCH VALUE : To be honest, I do see myself coming back to it because it's an easy watch that I could complete in a day if I ever felt like binge-watching a BL. This has to be one of few I'd put at the top as priority. I even binge-watched it last night and got no sleep, knowing fully well I had school to attend to today. Major oof because now my eyes keep closing.
*recommendations*
I would definitely recommend this to a friend, especially if they want a little bit of everything - genre wise. There's crime, action, mystery, and it also gives off a few thrill vibes here and there because of the dark aura of crime the drama is practically drenched in.
If you'd already watched this, then I'd recommend watching the rest of the HIStory dramas, especially 'Crossing the Line'. These two are now my favourite HIStory's.
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So, I was saying... Maybe I love telenovelas. But they are so silly and dramatic. Most times the acting is bad and so on. But this. Oh baby let me tell you. This is shit, but this good kind of shit that you scream at with rage and you see yourself being invested and very much engage with the characters. How? I don't fucking know. But I was rooting for this people so hard and I was screaming at them. They were my friends for many hours (And the second hand embarrassment was there. It was present and strong) . But I was giggling. I am a ass grown woman and I can watch any TV show but here I was watching this in one afternoon and evening.
Oh man. I don't want to write a review. I don't know anything about BL dramas. I only know that sometime they kiss with theirs mouth close. So close. They are like 8 years old kissing in a birthday party. But I don't know, dude. I liked this. And I have to tell everybody here because my friends expect the worst from me. Not this. Cute little asian twinks kissing? Nah man.
This shit is the good shit 10/10 I would not watch again but I would remember and tell my friends about it because they are going to laugh so hard.
But. BUT I am going to watch another one.
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funny & excellent
a mafia leader with a lot of sex-appeal falling in love with a childish cop... totally new approach to the genre of underworld - inspired dramas. actors are perfect in their roles, such fresh faces with a lot of charm! they convey all emotions so naturally, you cannot but fall for them! there are two gangster - cop couples, both hot. there is also a bit of a plot, enough to deliver some tension other than the romantic one.very niche & totally underrated.
on the whole, it's not something to take seriously, but totally enjoyable. kudos to the entire team!
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For me the only big thing that I think needs to be pointed out is that the show needs a major trigger warning for sexual assault (not between any of the shows pairings) for episode #14 (if you're watching the shorter episodes) and #7.
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This review may contain spoilers
storyline:there were no moments that i got bored. The plottwist the intensity the relotionship developments... just all spot on for me. No unnecesarry angst or drama, which is nice in BL for a change. Trapped is not the typical cheesy BL anyways, story wise its more mature and the relationships develop naturally. The main focus is also not really on the relationships. It is very much about the plot. there was action and character depth all balanced out very nicely. meng shao fei's police officer job is a bit sketchy like: what is even going on in that police department at times. That is maybe a bit weird to me (but we can excuse it)
acting/actors:
i think Chris as Tang Yi is just perfect. his composure and calm demeanor really made the character for me. super stylish as well but thats just a bonus :p . Actually everybody did a great job. they all had so much personality which makes all of them so likeable. Jake's efforts to understand the role of shao Fei is really admirable. really makes him shine at the right moments,
rewatch value is high on the HIStory series. but especially trapped, it just doesn't get old.
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This review may contain spoilers
Really a worth watching
Currently I m watching tha history all series.....I have seen so many clip related to all the history series part ....but the one I have seen clips the most is history 3 trapped....at first I was really very excited to watch as I started to watch it kind of get dull and boring bcoz I have already seen so much clips nd spoiler and thought to dropped the series.. but after 15 ep the story changed completely ...the person that I thought to be villian is not ....the ending is so satisfying bcoz it provide perfect ending to everyone....the series fulfilled it's name...i e trapped bcoz both the leads are trapped in the four years ago . ..the most interesting person is jack everytime is on screen I have a smile... I kind of feel bad for a -de and cheng wen hao too .....overall the series is really good and have a perfect plot,cast.i m glad that the ending was not uploaded in the Instagram or YouTube shorts....Babye..plz give this series a shot😅
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A good watch - inside a surrealist taking.
The one basic tenet of this action-packed, though surrealist, series is: ‘Gay life is commonplace and two men kissing will call absolutely no attention to themselves’... lol!LOL... well, we all know that is not true! But, movies are just movies, and - as it turns out - this series is quite enjoyable if you manage to accept that surrealist premise.
The plot is acceptable, though on occasion it becomes exceptional… especially during those intimate confrontations between father and son, or between the two lovers. All of it within the limited scope of what a 10 episode series allows, of course. Not a lot of time to develop a masterpiece of scriptwriting. Very little patience to wait before scooping up the profits – I guess: LOL!
Acting is good, and again: exceptional during certain scenes. The crying scenes are moving but the conversations about right-and-wrong are perhaps the best. Very good acting overall, the more one thinks about it.
With regards to Music, it is carefully thought out and does a great job supporting the plot. Lastly, rewatch value is high: the movie is complex enough that it would entertain a second watching at a later time.
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This review may contain spoilers
I knew I would love this since I first watched the trailer. The whole cop falls for gangster thing really gets me.
The story goes beyond romance and we get comedy, lots of great action and dramatics scenes. The chemestry between the two lead actors (Jake Hsu and Chris Wu) is amazing! When I saw the poster I tought they wouldn't work together but I was wrong. All interactons feels genuine. There is no awkwardsness, the kissing, the figthing, everything is really good. Also, I love how Meng Shao Fei’s personality is different and unique.
I didn't enjoy the secondary couple that much. Maybe because that kind of comedy doesn't really appeal to me. However, I consider Jack a good caracther.
Love the intro and ending musics, really fits the show!
I've just watched for the second time and it's even better now. Definitely worth watching.
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This review may contain spoilers
STORYThe use of a "cops-and-robbers" theme sets this BL series apart from the usual stories happening in a school setting, and that enticed me to watch this. But what kept me on continuing to watch this are the wonderfully written characters and storylines. You won't find the usual all-good or all-bad characters here -- they are complex and their interactions and journeys in the series are really interesting to watch. Not using a university or high school scene in the series allows the makers to create something that's more than a love story, incorporating moral dilemmas that the characters go through as well as some relevant social issues. Common BL series plots such as coming-out-of-the-closet or unsupportive families and/or friends take a backseat (or "no seat at all") in this series, and that's fine. Although I recognize the importance of showing those struggles, other series are doing it already, and for this BL I feel like it transported me into a time when such matters are not a problem at all.
Most of the storylines were completed by the end of the series, there are some which I think were left unresolved, forgotten, or closed abruptly. But there's a good chance that you'll kind of forget those details
ACTING
Great actors working with great material equals a great show, and here you can't just say that this series is good because it has a great story -- the actors did a really good job in portraying the complexity of their roles.
MUSIC
TBH I haven't paid much attention to the music but when I did I find that the sounds chosen fit the scenes very well, so I'm only judging based on those times that I paid attention to -- thus a perfect mark.
REWATCH VALUE
HIStory always offers a different BL not only when compared to other franchises but even to their previous "seasons". The entire collection (seasons 1 to 3) showcases tons of different stories that I don't mind watching all of them from the first to the last.
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The first paragraph of the description makes it seem like it is a different society type thing. It's not. The police officers don't all work for gangsters, this only happens a couple of times in the story. I also don't like how it says Tang Yi set a "love trap" for Meng Shaofei. Shaofei falls for Tang Yi first but having Shaofei fall in love with him was not Tang Yi's plan. The only thing Tang Yi was planning was getting revenge on the murderer of Tang Guodong. He was quite flirtatious with Shaofei, but I would not say he set up a trap of some kind. It feels very misleading. I was expecting some kind of elaborate plan Tang Yi had set up to be revealed at the end, but there wasn't one. Shaofei was the one who followed Tang Yi everywhere, willingly. He was the one making moves on Tang Yi and getting jealous when Tang Yi still seemed to be clueless about Shaofei's feelings. Okay, I'll stop ranting about the description now. This story is so incredibly good. I don't really feel like I need to say much about how wonderful it is because I know many other reviews have done a great job of telling how good this show is. I love it, please watch it.
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