HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (2019)

I just finished these series. I watched a lot of these kind but I think this is one of my favorites. The storyline has a real feeling. Even if the school enviroment and life is a cliche, the way they use it is really clever. No boring high school drama, the school is here just for the story to take place . And while the story develops, we can actually see real thoughts and problems teenagers have as they try to find themselves and understand the theme of love. It is nice and cute but (that's a liiiitle spoiler) it is ending with a sad and at the same time comforting way about understanding and moving forward. Also, I really like the acting, especially Hsiang Hao-ting's friends, and the music. I don't know if I ever rewatched the series. Not because they weren't good, but they were a really big emotional rollercoaster (and I watched every episode when they realesed) and sometimes it is difficult to feel this again. However, I recommend this drama to everyone!

(English is not my first language so I am sorry for any mistakes)

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After finishing this series, reading the title will never be the same again.

The fundamental cores about this series that really stood out on me are the genuine feelings of the main characters and the unconditional support as a lover, real friend and family. In this series, both relationships of the two couples are too strong emotionally and intimately. The rigid conviction of both couples for their family acceptance has really worth their patience. But an unforeseen event will lead to a drastic change in one's life.

Haoting-XiGu: They have to climb a steep cliff to reach their desired destination without realizing that not every climber can reach the end. The hardships they have to go through are very painful. They always leave me with a lump in my throat whenever they are facing something in their relationship. This is a relationship that is almost perfect.

BoXiang-ZhiGang: Although they may not have experienced real struggles as a couple, but their steadfast relationship is something to look for. This is real relationship goals.

The brotherhood in this series is also one thing to look for. They sometimes act harshly just to help one another but their strong bond comes with beautiful and fun memories. How I wish I would've never missed this kind of relationship when I was a little bit younger than I am now.

The ending is happy and sad at the same time; I can really say out loud. The thoughts of reading the title will surely take me back from my emotional moments while watching this great work of art.

A must-watch! Fun. Heartbreaking. Time-worthy.

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Beautful Story. Beautifully Well Acted.

Beautiful. Sweet. Hilarious. Sensual and Tragic. The actors are amazing in this beautiful story. I loved it so much. But you better have a box of tissues for the final episode. Or skip it altogether and pretend it ended happy;)  But there are some beautiful parts in the final episode as well. Some characters get a happy ending.
My only complaint other than the tragic death was a particular character in the final episode who didn't make sense and merely muddied the story creating confusion. In fact because of this brief non plot pertinent appearance I wasn't even sure of the outcome of the previous episode until halfway through the last.

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Don't read this if you haven't finished the show!!!

Overall I enjoyed this show a lot, especially because of the main characters. They were very cute together, the development of their relationship was after all really healthy and lovely to watch.
I actually understand the disappointment with the ending, which certainly could have had potential for a better development despite it not being a happy ending. The writing certainly has flaws, and has nothing original, but I think there is something very essential about this type of works. There are many perfect dramas, with a perfect ending. But life is not like this, and as the author wanted to say, make our days count, because death comes like this, without meaning, without prior warning. So even if the ending seems unnecessary or nonsense, well it only reflects what life can be. Life IS nonsense, and it's taken away from us even more easily than it takes to give it to us. Hao Ting's emotional closure, his mother encouraging him to move forward, his liberating cry, everything is a good portrait of what is real. Showing that he hasn't moved on yet, attached to the memory of his loved one, is just the most human thing they could write. His words in the last part of the episode were the perfect way to describe what it feels like when someone you love dies, your life goes on and he's still there, stuck at his age, always the same, forever, and it's really scary to move forward.

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The final episode ruined an otherwise good show

Normally I like to keep reviews spoiler-free, but I can't review this show without talking about the ending.

The majority of this show is a fun, lighthearted BL that doesn't take itself too seriously. Not as good as the other installments of HIStory, but still pretty good as far as BL's are concerned. When I say "fun" I really mean it -- there was some dark subject matter but for the most part it was just silly and fun. The main character is an impulsive ball of chaos who you can't help but fall in love with, even if they start the show out with some dumb trope where he bullies the guy he's about to fall in love with.

The side couple in this one really isn't for me. It's a 17 year old and a whole grown adult. I'm not here for that -- especially when the 17 year old is so immature. He acted more like a toddler than a teenager.

But I really enjoyed this show for the first 8 episodes. It was fun, quick paced, with a little drama but never anything too serious or permanent. I also felt like they did a decent job of dealing with parental homophobia -- showing some harsh realities without making the story too much of a downer. (Because look -- we have enough downer movies and shows about gay men being rejected by their families. Ok?)

And then we get to Episode 9. Episode 9 is weird because the show feels like it should have ended, but it keeps rambling along. If you don't know ahead of time that there's a sad ending, it honestly feels like they've just shoved some fanservice in at the end or something. The plot has already ended. All of the conflict has been resolved. There's not possibly anywhere else they could take it -- is there?

Basically, they try to introduce new conflict at the end of Episode 9. Yu Xi Gu gets hit by a car (PRESUMABLY, because we NEVER ACTUALLY SEE THIS HAPPEN) then Episode 10 opens six years later on a depressed, lifeless Hao Ting clearly unrecovered from Yu Xi Gu's death. Or -- did he die? There's a character Hao Ting meets with who looks like Yu Xi Gu, but acts NOTHING alike and doesn't seem to remember having any history with Hao Ting. There's two theories here: either Yu Xi Gu is dead and Hao Ting met his lookalike, who he can't let go of despite being nothing like his dead lover, OR Yu Xi Gu is alive but lost his memory that day, and his aunt used that opportunity to fake his death rather than admitting to the world he was gay.

Let me be very clear here: either option is bad writing. This came out of nowhere, had no build up, and completely killed the mood of the rest of the show. I'm serious that if you haven't watched this yet, you should stop halfway through Episode 9. Don't bother with the rest. You don't need to -- the story is really over there, they just tried to stretch it out so they could make a sequel. Also -- throughout this show, Hao Ting insists that he's "straight, just in love with Yu Xi Gu." I assumed because this is HIStory that they were going to subvert that old trope and show that in the end, he's actually Bi or Pan or something. Or maybe he's gay but in denial. But no. After Yu Xi Gu dies (or loses his memory), Hao Ting ends up with a woman, with no further discussion about him actually not being straight. It's a sad day when HIStory reverts to one of the dumbest tropes in all of BL.

But why do they need a sequel? What made the other HIStory installments so good is that they're encapsulated little stories that don't drag on for any longer than the story needs. Why start doing sequels now, with the weakest installment in the series? Prior to this installment, I felt like HIStory was one of the few BL's that were actually trying to tell queer stories. Now it just feels like normal BL fodder. I like normal BLs, don't get me wrong, but HIStory really had some quality to it that it seems to have lost. Ah well. Life moves on.

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9/10 because of the last episode. OUCH. other than that. GOLD DUST 10/10

do not watch the last episode :')
Anyways, they are one of the first bl couples that i've watched where the toxicity doesn't exist, well, hardly doesn't exist. At first I thought it'd be really toxic because of what the taller boy did to you shorter one, but after that it was just wow. The two really matched and from small gestures such as the taller, popular dude telling his friends not to bach one of their other friends for being gay, and the group of friends immediately accepting that two of their friends are in love with boys. It's just. Wow. Wow. Wow. None of those ugly lines of i don't like men, i only like you, this story is just. Purely. Warm. Friendly. Romantic. I would recommend it as a first go to for BL watchers, but I think the ending would put you off for life. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO KILL OFF ONE OF THE MOST RELATABLE COUPLES. They didn't deserve this. Give them happiness... don't give me the last episode unless it involves a resurrection or a double death where they cut to the two of them reigning over the town as king of the ghosts :')

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Questionable ending

The ending was realistic, but completely unnecessary. I saw the foreshadowing and expected an accident, but to completely kill off the most disadvantaged and hard working character for no reason is just unnecessary cruelty (does not add to the story at all).

In addition, it looked like the parents probably rejoiced that Yu XiGu was gone and 6 years later were still pushing AHao to get a gf.. Imagining the dad half thanking gods for Yu's death just made me hate the ending even more. This ending just ruined the show and insulted invested viewers.

Yu XiGu had a tragic backstory and struggled to have a better life, overworked himself; we're even shown his modest accommodationd and bread+water meals. He then falls in love, and we see him start to open up and smile. He shows courage and maturity when facing AHao's parents. Not sure how the writers decided it was a good idea to sacrifice him, the tragedy of his life went full circle and did not even add to AHao's character development, just crushed him (he changed after meeting Yu). If I wanted stories that unfair, I would read Reuters instead.

The ending was slow, the lookalike junior was a strange addition, however Wayne Song did great in breakdown scenes and I liked his moments with SunBo, but overall last episode was out of place and unnecessary.

Music was great, complemented scenes well.

The intimate scenes felt really realistic, well acted and couple's development was interesting. The banter between friends was very realistic too, not overacted. I personally liked the 2nd couple and both actors.

Great cast overall, believable dialogue, well acted emotions, all ruined by one unskilled plot twist.

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my first review - so upset!

You know I had to be angry enough to actually sign on and write a review....I'm a middle aged white woman, trying to learn Chinese, and discovered BL quite late in the game. So quit reading if my thoughts wouldn't be worth your while.....all set? Ok. This series seriously grew on me. SO concerned about the bullying, stalking, and lack of boundaries this show depicted. However, that being said, I felt that it portrayed accurately the puppy-like mentality of teenaged boy culture. There was something that felt true about it - the pent up emotions, the love poured out in friendship, the anger sprouting from loyalty. While I was really fed up with the boys, I was also made acutely aware of the truth in the way they treated each other.

The weak male lead was quite a good actor, and grew on me. But I couldn't see what the girls (and male lead) were crushing on? He was barely there....a strong breeze would have surely swept him away. Perhaps this was a problem with the casting - but he DID look impoverished and vulnerable and the perfect target for bullying. Once that disjuncture passed, I got really into the story, especially the chain of reactions that led to male lead's remorse and very sincere apology for being a pig towards the weaker one.

The portrayal of sexual aggression was troubling. Second couple's first kiss - a forced one in a locker room, was seriously problematic, but the guy being forced was, like, what, 30? And the younger guy was just so clueless about how to handle his hormones...it felt real. Their sex scene (unsafe sex, anyone?) was obviously consensual, and the older guy sort of showing the younger how it worked - these are the reason BL's are important, even if it would have been better with a condom-getting moment. History 4: Close to You - does a good job teaching the kinds of things young men should know, including open communication and asking questions.

The pressure male lead 1 put on male lead 2 to "give yourself to me" made me seriously uncomfortable. He came around in the end - but with such a huge pouting period, that male lead 2 gave in, albeit with older lead guy giving him advice..."follow your heart" and "have confidence in yourself." All good things - but how about, not until you're ready? Talk it out with each other?

Finally - the ending. I was sooooooo very angry at this last episode that I cannot even put words to my frustration. I don't know where to even begin! The accident was not covered - we don't know what happened exactly - other than he got hit by a car, and what about everyone else's reaction, like older male lead, who cared for him? But then some version of him keeps appearing? I thought (bear with me here) that perhaps, he had some kind of brain injury that made him lose his memory and mentally stall at 18 - so no matter what happened, he never matured or was able to learn more and meet his goals? So he doesn't remember male lead 1, or their relationship...that, in itself, would be tragic. To have your lover not remember or be able to progress beyond a teenager would be kind of like having a spouse with dementia. But then, his old girlfriend shows up and talks about the aunt having a small funeral, etc., which confused the heck out of me. Is he dead? Were those hallucinations? A doppleganger? And why, if it was hallucinations, was the version of weak male lead 2 so weirdly hip? What the heck??? And male lead 1 was so pathetically sad - there was no way for the viewer to process! The ending was SO unsatisfying. I couldn't sleep, as my mind was actively trying to figure out what it all meant.

So I'm torn. I did like the portrayal of male hormonal love (lust, really) - well, not liked it, really, but thought it realistic at any rate. The character arks for both male leads of couple 1 were believable, and very well acted. But the ENDING. We all need closure, and the writing let us down.

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They broke a good character

I don’t know why but I postponed this series for years now.
I began to watch it 2 days ago. 2 hours ago I finished the last episode. I was wordless. I did go for a run. 30 minutes later I am writing this review and I really don’t know how to put it quite right but here I go: How in the hell can a writer and a production think that this was the best ending to their story? they build a story (and quite a good one) and slash killed the two characters in the last episode. You all know what I mean: one was killed by the demon car/truck (for all I care, I did not see it) and the other one was left a broken person for 6 years and certainly for live. That was quite a wrap. That was the best they thought about. It was their choice. And for all I am concerned it was quite a poor one. One for the ages.

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This is what perfection looks like!!!!

DO NOT WATCH IF YOU DON'T LIKE SAD ENDINGS!!!!
This drama broke us and made us whole again... We didn't know that this would become one of our favorite dramas of all time and it's BECAUSE of the ending. It was raw and it was real. This is one of the only dramas that could get this right in our opinion. Others have tried the same sort of route, but it fell flat because it felt unnecessary, etc. Here it added value to the story. In our unpopular opinion - this story would not have been the same if it ended the way everyone wanted. We cried ourselves to sleep and probably for a week thereafter. We've rewatched it a couple of times as well. It was so beautifully written. The character development was done brilliantly as well. The OST didn't help either. It added to the emotional turmoil that was this story. BUT once again it was done PERFECTLY. We have yet to find a story that can play our emotions and deserve it like this one.

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I don’t get why people are marking this so low?!

I’ve now watched this twice. The enemies to lovers plot is a tad predictable and one could argue that Huang Juan Zhi’s character does forgive Wayne Songs character a little too fast, BUT…. It does explain that he liked him anyway and had been caught out staring at him across the school so maybe he just hadn’t come to terms with what that feeling actually meant until he was persued.
The ending oh the ending. People are complaining it was the worst ending ever and I’m sorry but that’s ridiculous. It’s all in the title make each day count because you don’t know what might happen. The shock factor was brilliant I for one didn’t see it coming. And the TEARS!! 😭 yes they could have got that point across some other way such as a breakup or an illness or even just an accident but I think they wanted an impact. They wanted to punch you in the gut. I think they succeeded brilliantly.
Wayne songs acting at the end broke my heart. I think if you overlook the small things the overall story is just so sad and beautiful because these things ACTUALLY happen. We don’t want to think about it but it does and sometimes I like a good reality check.
I think if you haven’t watched it then you definitely should.

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Moral

I must confess, I HATED the ending. It completely destroyed me, I cried for hours straight, I could not get over it, I just simply couldn't. I didn't want to accept the fact that it turned out that way. Ep. 19 and 20 were painful for me to watch, I really couldn't stand it; I was mad, upset but also sad. I was so invested in this drama, I fell in love with those actors, their acting, the plot itself even though it was a BL based in university had something special and unique about it. I loved the series from the very first minute. It was amazing. But those truly are the emotions that I felt watching the last episodes.
However, the more I think about it, the more I realise that the director is truly a genius. The thing is, are we surprised it had a sad ending? Or tragic, should I say.
The title itself, ,,Make Our Days Count" says a lot; the OST too. I guess we were shocked because it came unexpectedly, when everything was fine. But wasn't that the point? The fact that we are all angry and upset about it says that the director did a good job. Throughout the series, they've introduced us to these characters. This whole time we got to know them, in the end we got to feel their emotions; we were happy when they were happy, we were sad when they were sad. We got truly attached to them. They made us see their lives, their struggles, how they react to certain situations, their emotions, and we got to experience them along with them. When the tragedy happened, we were all shocked. We couldn't understand it, we didn't get why it was so sudden? Fans were mad, kept saying that this was very much pointless and it should have had a happy ending; all this because it was just so sudden and unexpected. But this is the reality they tried to show us. This is why we were so upset over it. Because life is very much unexpected, we do not know what will happen in the future, what will happen on the next day, what will happen in an hour; we can't predict it, we just live our lives mostly not worrying about those stuff. And this is exactly what Haoting went through. One minute he was happy with the love of his life, and the next minute his life turned upside down. Even 6 years later, he still had troubles overcoming the loss of XiGu; and we got to experience it with him. He didn't expect it, it just came down and hit him in his face like that, and I feel like this is the message they were trying to get through. I understand why fans might be mad, I saw comments of people saying it's rubbish because LGBT+ community have enough tragedy in their real lives. This is very much true; however, we can't make every BL have a happy ending. I hope that maybe at least some of you will get my point. I think that this drama was very well done and planned.
I've never written any reviews, like ever, and english isn't my first language, so I am sorry for any mistakes.

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