HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (2019)

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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This series broke my heart big time. I appreciate tragic endings but this one really caught me off guard. After building the characters and the different conflicts in the story, then suddenly you feel a different mood in the last episode. It is one of the most unexpected endings I've ever seen. Surely we should 'Make Our Days Count'.

The actors did a great job. They were very natural and were successful in portraying the roles they played.

I just don't understand why viewers had to suffer from this series. I'm sure I'll still be sad in the next few days, I'm sure I won't be able to watch other series yet.

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I don't even know where to start. I don't feel like writing a proper review so here's me brainstorming all my emotions and thoughts ten minutes after watching the last episode, still teary-eyed:

I decided to watch this show because Trapped left such a strong impression on me. I had big hopes for the history series and MODC certainly did not disappoint.

The chemistry between the cast made the whole show for me. EVERY interaction was gold, even if the plot didn't go the way most of us didn't want it to go (I'm not gonna cry again.............fuc-----). The actors were phenomenal and I really hope they keep acting on good dramas in the future.
The characters were incredible, in my opinion. I got frustrated at the secondary couple at first but eventually fell for them. I laughed SO HARD whenever the friends were together. Those twins??? FINE AF! (Everyone was fiiiine though haha).
Our main couple... what can I even say about them? Watching their development as the episodes went by was an amazing experience. Their relationship was portrayed in a very sincere way, and for once it was really healthy. They helped each other grow up and... live. I will never forget them. The actors did a mind-blowing job. Every touch, every look, every smile, every tear. Simply stunning.
The only characters that didn't go through that much of a development, in my opinion, were the parents. I know not every character evolves in a certain way but I do think they were quite insensitive at times, specially in the last episode (no spoilers).

The music? AMAZING. I have to download every single song from this soundtrack. I would never skip the intro because of the amazing ost, and the music always matched the mood and the aesthetic of the cinematography throughout the show, which made me really happy.

Although it'll be hard to rewatch, I don't exclude the possibility. At least for the sweet moments. That ending... hm... many people were unpleased and I was, too. However, I think it makes sense. The title is so meaningful, just like the many lessons this show taught the viewers. I'm grateful they took a risk, even if I don't necessarily agree with it. I was hoping they would make an alternative ending but I'm way too naive for even thinking about that possibility but hey, nothing is impossible, right? I wanted more interactions between the cast, at least!


Taiwan's BL's quality is outstanding. Even better than South Korea and Japan in BL's (who have higher budgets), I must say. They keep getting better and better at character development in the HIStory series and the plot keeps making my heart actually hurt, sometimes in positive ways, sometimes in.....not so positive ways. But I'm really looking forward to the next season of the HIStory series! I'm so thankful this BL didn't even feel like a BL? How to explain... I really felt like the way a relationship between men was portrayed (and the actors are probably straight, not sure) wasn't awkward at all, which happens in most BL's, even if only a tiny bit.

I won't ever, ever, ever forget this story and these characters. I'll create an alternative ending in my head but I'm thankful for everything I've learned from this show. We must live in the present and make every single day, as insignificant as it may look, count.

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I expect too much from the last episode(11) and again i disapointed so much even more than before.

first, the actor playing Xiang Hao Ting father , don't act so well, even very bad, he is also short, his son to tall compare to his perents, it's look like a bad jock, second- all those scene with the perents are worn out, for me it's look like a joke , yes...people like them exsist unfortunatly, but i really don't want to watch them or hear of them , they are big big joke that aren't educated and not so smart, but those perents are live very well life...i'm asking myself how can welthy person can be so dumb.

another thing is the not realistc relationships, they just jump to the sex to make us want more, but the truth is maybe teens will enjoy it, the rest will be bored, because they know that sex without any foundation don't worth so much as a viewer , older viewers want to grow with the characters and feel more, you don't want just the flash and highlights,

i think in general the title for this drama sums it up well- highlights drama, when you see the result of everything but not the equation

another thing that this ep11 show very well all this drama is the part when they sit at the roof and the guy talking how his perents became stars.
nowdays kids and teens are smart or they have a lot of knowlage of everthing, everything is in youtube, they watch sciense and astronomy and physics and so on, it's the most relevant topic nowdays,,,,,i guess the writer doesn't update so much in teens lifes. so they know what are the stars...from what they made and so on...it's kind of a joke to say that your perents is "stars" also it's quite kill the romance so i'm almost sure they can't feel what is romance = lies.
ask any teen if he knows what it is.....even kids know there is no santa for example...so they are very well know things.
another problem is that it's the most cliche scene ever excist in movies....the stars and watch the stars and talk about your perents that became a stars....it's just so cliche you are bored.

so this is it. if you are teen you will enjoy the excitment of the result because you like fast food and fast sex and fast everything, if you older...you can skip and it's make your life better = couse you save time.

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The title should've been a dead giveaway!

OK so this is my first review. I began to watch this kind of drama very recently. I usually NEVER watch any stories involving same sex romances. The reason is simple: they tend to be sad and end badly. Now, to each their preferences, but if I'm gonna watch this kind of series, my goal is clear: escapism from the usually dreary reality of same sex romances. When I discovered HIStory, I was overjoyed! Intersting stories, reasonably good acting and happy endings aplenty... until this series. Admittedly, the title initially appeared off-putting to me. But I was lulled in a false sense of security and risked it anyway. I dropped out right after the time skip as I knew where the ending was ended. And really, I should've known better. I had real problems getting into the story in the beginning. As good as the actors are (and I think they are quite good) I had a problem with their acting. To be precise, the humoristic scenes seemed WAY forced and a little out of place in a series that seemed to present itself as more "realistic". It's the first time in HIStory where homophobia (or something approaching) looks like something of a threat. Not to mention the fact that sex is present at all... But I still continued because HIStory hadn't disappointed me yet. But I gotta tell ya, the "realistic" flair was something of a red flag! Still, I decided to believe that, just because it's gonna be more realistic doesn't automatically mean it's gonna be sad. Well la-dee-da to me! Of course one of the lead had to die! The reason I am so disappointed is that HIStory was something of a safe heaven to me. I thought I had found a series could talk about same sex romances without resorting to the tired trope of "same sex romances usually end in tragedy". Well the false sense of security is gone. The reason I find it a pity is that there is enough sad same sex romances at the cinema and on TV. To me, this sad ending doesn't really serve the story and is a bit of a cop out. Now, at the end of the day, I'm sure that some people will still appreciate this series for what it is and I respect that choice. As for me, where before I would begin a new series of HIStory without any reservation, I learned my lesson. I will wait for it ti end and see if the ending is sad or not. Bad things happen and that's life, sure. But good things can happen too and LGBTQIA+ people don't always have the capacity to take that for granted as it is.

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Basic story but heart-warming characters

The story line is pretty basic and I won't say boring but it's not that exiting. A typical boy who is an A student and always alone and a "bad boy" who bullies him at first and then falls in love with him. But I'm not saying that this Drama is bad! Cause what makes all History Dramas special and unique are the characters or more how the characters are played! Xiang Hao Ting for me is one of the most coolest and adorable characters ever! How he plays his role is so funny and refreshing. Maybe some people find him annoying but he's just my spirit animal! So I can say that I really enjoy how the characters are being played and hope that there will be added more excitement to the story.

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