HIStory4: Close to You (2021)

Just watch for Li Chen and Mu Ren

At first I thought this was going to be an awesome show and it mostly was. It is filled with handsome guys that might like each other and some girls that actually nice to look at and they don't have any toxic "lets hip them together" attitudes. The plot was very simple but brilliantly executed. Most of the lead characters had jobs, which was a huge brake from the school boy drama (though I love them) and they had great chemistry with each other. It could have been so sweet if it was just about Li and Mu.

Li Chen and Mu Ren had such a fun and healthy relationship that I actually was wondering if they were ever pretending to be together. It seemed so natural for them to be together, they literally balanced each other like light and dark. Their comedic timing, their witty banter, their general love hate relationship had me rolling for most of the serious. I can see how they ended up confused about each other in the end, because their love for each other ran deep and I think they only realised it when they began their fake date...

However, Fu Yong Jie and Xing Si were literally the heights of toxicity and it was attempted to be shown as love. Xing Si is a total crazy and we all know he inherited that from his mother. What sort of mother encourages their son to do something like that to another human bean? Also who tries to brush something like rape off as a minor thing. Having these two characters end up together in any capacity was a huge mistake. No human in their right mind should have to be put through this, especially by someone that claims to love them soooooo much.

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It's all about ...

I don't like to write even if I have to share something about the series I prefer comment section more ....but I needed to write this drama ......first of all tha stepbrother plot is kinda cliche ..recently I have started to watch bl series ..and I have feel kinda that all have the stepbrother plot and mainly all the history series contain the stepbrother plot......ok I will handle that but the r*** part and recording it is so .....?...mainly I thought to dropped this series but I continued bcoz of muren and Li cheng ....there story was so mesmerizing and the time when they were learning about the change among was also described well.... I love that and from my point of view they are tha main couple...and I totally understand the feeling of xiao ye father...and I kinda have a bad feeling when mom didn't knew anything when he hear the idea from his. son....overall this drama have 2 main couples but I feel that the teng -cheng couple was more interesting and interesting.......and the cameo of Bo Xiang and zhigang was perfect bcoz I like them both...?...

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idk if this one is good or bad

As a fan of the HIStory series, this drama is a must watch for me. But whenever I watch it, my feelings will be either happy or annoyed. The reasons are because of its pros and cons I come up with after watching the every episodes.

PROS:
• Good acting from Xeng Si and Li Cheng
• Effective comedy specially because of Li Cheng’s cheerful personality
• Really like the first half of the total episode. From pretending to having real feelings; it is cute and funny
• Personally, the 1 & 0 topic is new for me and I am so entertained on how they keep fighting for the top position

CONS:
• Poor camera angles
• The obsessed brother is so annoying and manipulative. Obsession is very different from love. I like Xeng Si but I just can’t help myself to be happy for their relationship. The story is very similar to the popular yet controversial Addicted Heroine from China. HIStory2: Crossing the Line, also shows step-brother romance into it and I think the franchise are trying to make it romantic but obviously they failed.
• The last few episodes lose the spark or lovely element I felt during the earlier episodes

I do enjoy watching it but I can’t give it a higher rating since there are factors negatively affects my feedback about it.

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Only Watch if You are the Target Audience

There was a lot of pearl clutching when this came out, but if stepbrothers trope if your bread and butter, this will be a solid (but flawed) entry into your list. . This one is for the girlies who love darker BL or who thrive on more traditional yaoi tropes. This is not for the girlies who don't want anything darker than 2Together - which is fine, but if you balk at the idea of a toxic possessive relationship, skip this entry in the series and go about your merry way.
We will start with the flaws in this series because they do exist and they can't be ignored. Overall, the writing for this series is a downgrade from the previous entries. Full stop. Even the mains less controversial storyline has some stilted dialogue and the show is not easy to get into. The writing improves as you go along but the first few episodes do not draw you in. This show also has shipping. Enough said. Then, we will address the elephant in the room: this series does contain SA (which later becomes less SA but is still SA). The show acknowledges this is SA and does not try to brush it under the rug unlike some modern BLs which disguise SA as something romantic (if you know you know). But it does happen and the two characters will become romantically involved later in the show and receive a happy ending. This isn't workable for everyone and you should be aware going in.

Now, onto what I liked. As a dark BL girlie, I actually loved the side couple the most. Yes, it's toxic AF and the SA was totally unnecessary to the plot, but once these two characters are together, they fit well. I will go on record saying that YongJie was my favorite. His complete obsession with XingSi, and his anti-social personality make him one of my favorite BL archtypes. While the SA is not up my alley, I will once again state that the show chooses to paint it as a negative experience and they are only redeemed once that is acknowledged. And while the main couple took me a while to get into, once you get past the initial premise with the stupid shipping nonsense, it's actually a really nice story. Himbo leads are always a joy to watch, and I liked that they're both working adults with adult worries.

The ending is sappy AF, maybe too much to some degree, but it hits most of the points I wanted.

In conclusion, the writing in this show isn't stellar and that will be evident throughout. But, it's still enjoyable as long as you understand what you're getting into.

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Must Watch

This is Best BL DRAMA I ever watched
Perfect Acting such a Amazing Actors ??
Story Is Also Good
i can clearly see rivalry & friendship turn into love not so fast not so slow but perfect timing with perfect spark and expressing love to each other specially who is going be a top who is going to be a bottom that doesn't matter in when you are in love
I'm feeling really Sad they only release 20
episode i wish they make second season
with only love no fighting no extra Drama
Only Happy love life ❤️
Once again Actors are so so so Amazing ❤️

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RAPE IS NOT OK! Nor his stalking and abusive behavior!

I really like HIStory 2 and 3 (minus the ending), so I was really excited for this new chapter in the series.
The first episode was OK setting the characters and the mysterious stalker of one of them. The guys are cute and was a sort of interesting premise.

However, a few episodes in, we discover the stalker is the adoptive brother of one of the main characters, who not only beats a guy (the brother's best friend) out of jealousy but then proceeds to guilt trip, get drunk and finally rape his brother while he was passed out. After that, the rapist keeps on guilt-tripping and gaslighting his brother and we're supposed to empathize and even condone his actions because he's iN LoVe.

The other story is slightly better but still filled with clichés and homophobic sh*t.

I wouldn't recommend this series but if you HAVE to watch it, just watch Teng Mu Ren and Hsiao Li Chen story and fastforward the rest.

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It's just getting worse and worse...

I cannot start to describe my disappointment from this latest installment of the HIStory series. While all other installments got better and better (especially the unforgettable "Trapped") this seems to be made by a different production, written by an immature teenager with silly jokes about" who is 0 and is 1" and "dicks sizes", and directed by a homophobe...The ridiculous storyline and the way some very serious issues are handled left me literally in disbelief. The macho fratboy vs. the androgenous/effeminate character, the sweet older brother vs. the obsessed Psyco younger brother - none makes sense, and none works toward the message of the other HIStory stories that "love is love", in a positive, loving way. The preview for the next episode (11-12) makes it even worse...(who tapes himself raping the man he claims to love to show to his parents ????). This is not the HIStory we love. Much has been written about the moral issues and the two annoying females, so I will not get into it. The poor actors do their best, but they have very little to work with. It is not what we expect from a BL series in 2021, especially when we have "We best love" and some awesome Korean series. In short, horrible.

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Sorry but I LOVED it!!

This show is one of my favorites from beginning to end.

Honestly, I wasn't a fan of one couple...together. I liked them individually & thought that their characters brought some humor & clarity to a lot of the scenes. Their situation was one I have tried to avoid in past shows but the other couple MADE me stay. I watched their scenes the one time through & that was enough for me. I have to say that they did a beautiful job pulling it together at the end & I really wanted to like them together. The emotions that they portrayed were conveyed very well. I truly enjoyed the acting of the parents.

Now, ChengRen? What was not to adore? From the moment they are introduced I was sold hook, line, & sinker. Li Cheng's personality is crazy & sweet & adorable & passionate &.....I can go on LOL. He's handsome, funny, dramatic!!! Teng Teng is sex on a stick. He's beautiful & sophisticated & intelligent & funny &.....I can go on LOL. Their chemistry right out of the gate is palpable. Their relationship is admirable & the respect & adoration they have for each other is real. The way they look at each other at any given moment is nothing short of fire. I loved every scene they were in together in every episode.

This show is funny & dramatic but they didn't shy away from serious topics. All of the actors were truly genuine & some scenes really were perfection.

I can honestly say that this is the first show I've watched that I absolutely enjoyed every bit of the music. It fit perfectly with the emotions of the scenes. Andrew Tan assisted this show greatly as every song of his was perfect.

I will & have watched this show several times already throughout its airing. I think this show is great & while I didn't give my attention much to the one couple, the show wouldn't have been the same without them.

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Fake relationship, friends to lovers & stepbrothers tropes

sunshine/tsundere & grumpy/sunshine pairings

I have a mixed relationship with the HIStory franchise. They’ve broken my heart (several times), left things unfinished or unsatisfying, and simultaneously reliably provided some of the best kisses and hottest chemistry in all BL.

It’s like BL roulette with them, but the odds are never in our favor.

I’m one of the few who likes a fake relationship trope less than stepbrothers. I like friends to lovers but I HATE shipper self-insert characters. So going in I thought this was going to be real rough for me. And, in spots, it was. But what can I say? The aching toothsomeness of this show plus that glorious chemistry Taiwan casually dishes out like it’s no big deal totally won me over. Add in some old favorite side dishes from HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count, and I’m in.

The ending was pure BL syrup tapped from the cheesiest sappiest of trees, so absurd that I’m pretty sure I giggled through all the bits meant to be taken seriously. Honestly, to tolerate this show at all you just can’t take ANY of it seriously. And that’s me and most fandoms, so It worked for me.

What can I say? Whenever Taiwan flexes its BL muscles, it’s really hard to not stare. Even when they are this problematic. And covered in syrup.

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