HIStory4: Close to You (2021)

Very cute! People choose to be offended

I created an account just to review this show. Im reading the comments here and rolling my eyes so much. I have a feeling that since BL blew up a couple years ago, many "new fans" have decided to immerse themselves in it. Thats completely fine, the problem is when these "new fans" decide they want to come in and force everyone and everything to change to suit their preferences.

BL has always had problematic and toxic tropes. It makes them interesting. Yes, Yongjie did rape his step brother. Thats a fact. Irl, he would be in jail. But BL isnt real life. Yongjie also turns out to be very cute and charming, in his cold psycho way, as a character.

This show is very cute, sweet, hot, and will keep you interested. If you go into knowing you have hang ups about step brother relationships or sexual assault, dont watch it. Thats ok. You arent obligated to. But stop trying to force everything to be perfectly healthy, PC drivel.

Also, its laughable that people are acting like the History franchises is so above this. Theyve had 4 step brother couples that I can remember, theyve had a student/teacher with a huge age gap couple, SunBo and Chigang from MODC are 12 years apart, which is more than Xingsi and Yongjie, and in Obsessed they had 1 boy threaten to kill the other if he didn't return his affection. So please, History has always been "problematic" and I wouldnt change a thing.

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Controversies creates cash!

So History 4 has two totally different couples and storylines to offer and also a lot of controversial discussion, which i can totally understand

The first Story deals with the typicall“Best friends to lovers“ and the „gay for you“-Trope, which is nothing new and actually I don't like that Trope.
But fortunelay it’s getting better in the later epsiodes, cause besides the typicall tropes it also follows a fresh gay couple in a realistic way.
There are questions that any non straight person can understand, like how to act in public as a same-sex couple
And moreover, the question of the sexual role is also addressed and finally a series makes it in a more realistic way (Keyword:Communication!).
As a further bonus, a cameo of a well-known couple can be seen, which makes me curious about the future (you know what I mean).
So all in all a cute little show with a good mix from old familliar Tropes and new vibes

But the other Story is totally different. It’s kind of dark and disturbing and trys to break some taboos.
It’s entertaining cause it’s totally unrealistic and the toxicity is so over the top, that no one can say that this could be a healthy relationship!
The Younger brother reminds me of an maipulative comic villian and is creepy as f....
But i like it more than the subversive toxicity of some major BLs, which is praised as healthy. (Relationships are based on respect and communication at eye level, anything else is simply harmful)
Unfortunately the story leaves the psychic/stalker storyline and turns to a (very!) weird familiy drama.

So both storylines have their own charme, but they just do not fit together and I don't know who thought that was a good idea to put them in one series. Cause both appeal to a totally different audience and it would be better if they had mad two seperate Stories instead.

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Welp...

In the words of Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti: "I'm neither overwhelmed, nor underwhelmed. I'm just... whelmed."

This was... Definitely something. I'm not so sure I'm ever going to rewatch that trainwreck, even despite its moments (and God knows there were some great moments). The premice was excellent, the commentary on fujoshi culture would have been great had it been addressed instead of taken seriously, the acting was... what it was, and the music lacked some of the flavor that made History 3 a great installment (and the apex of the series's quality to date). To worsen the plot, I found that the filming was often odd and I am sorry for saying it but it felt like watching bad 90's erotica.

There were some good use of tropes, and thank God no one died fetching salt this time (you can say I'm... salty about something here - pun intended) ALTHOUGH people mentioning salt here and there, now and again in the drama triggered some pretty hefty PTSD (still not over MODC). SPEAKING OF! I gotta say what saved the second part of the drama was Sun Bo's return! The return of the king! And yeah, his wedding was as cringe as can be, but what a breath of fresh air and OMG that Haoting mention in the last episode (and he better be in Alaska, snuggling next to Xigu!)!!! But here's the thing here: I'm trying not to think about the implications of Liu Meifang existing both in MODC and CTY confirmed by the existence of Sun Bo and his boyfriend in CTY and the fact that MODC is a canon drama in this universe and the possible existence of a warp in the timeline or in the layers of realities and the existence of a possible second dimension as it pertains to the History series wherein Yu Xigu is alive and well and what it means for the future of the series... Because this is TOO MUCH! WHICH ONE IS THE RIGHT TIMELINE??? SENJOU NO BOKURA'S??? MODC??? OR DOES CTY EXIST IN ITS OWN PLANE OF EXISTENCE???? WHAT IS HAPPENING??? I NEED ANSWERS!

But I digress: Overall, I don't think this installment matched the flavor History 3 had and it might have done quite a little damage to the franchise as a whole. I don't know how the crew, screenwriters, and staff can possibly salvage what's left of this mess that is History 4, what with Lin Pei Yu's talent being now used by Tencent and pledged to WBL. It will take some serious work (or a second season to MODC in which Xigu DOES NOT DIE) to get the quality back. I am extremely frustrated with this drama seeing that many things should have been handled better (such as the fujoshi/bl meta that I think Lovely Writer aced in comparison, the step-bother/rape/assault storyline, the fake dating thing, the "I saw you masturbate therefore I'm in love with you - wait no maybe that makes sense, idk but it was handled quite superficially - and the chief Gao ploy) but what frustrates me more are MUREN'S FUCKING DECONSTRUCTED SWEATERS!!! Homeboy looked better in a ROBE than those abominations! Burn the sweaters! Burn them! Them and Lichen's plushies! ENOUGH WITH THE PLUSHIES! DO YOU HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH PLUSHIES COMPANIES HISTORY FRANCHISE??? OR TOY COMPANIES??? BECAUSE IT SURE AS HELL LOOKS LIKE IT WHAT WITH THE AMOUNT OF SCREENTIME THOSE THINGS GET! OR IS THIS A LIU MEIFANGVERSE THING??? HOW IS IT THAT MODC AND CTY HAVE THE HIGHEST PLUSHIES RATE??? (God! I miss Trapped)

Anyway, I have question and this drama's better for the memes than the actual plot. Rant over, I guess... What the fuck was this drama?

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The most problematic HIStory, and I LOVED IT!

I have to be honest. This is the only BL by far FOR ME that is so bad it's good. This HIStory is the messiest one of all the HIStorys by far, and I JUST LOVED IT! It was just ridiculous from the get go, but so, so entertaining in its problematic story.

I have to mention, are people really into the step-siblings getting together trope? I mean, cool, I guess. But if you actually know the law on the matter, it’s pretty black and white. Step-siblings can legally get married. End of story. I just find how they use this trope and sensationalize it out of proportions so funny. It’s so entertaining. Like. It’s legal. Get over yourselves. LOL

The highlight for me, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this one, is the lovely cameo we get around the end from a certain couple from HIStory3. It was just a lovely cherry on top, and I loved that they sort of gave us more closure from the ending of that HIStory3. If you know, you know.

Last thing i have to note is that i find it most ironic that arguably the most romantic lines of all of HIStory by far came from the not so arguably creepiest character ever. But i have to reiterate. I JUST LOVED IT! Even the little creep!

Over all it was a mess. But it was such a mess that I ultimately really, really enjoyed it.

LOVE WINS, GUYS! WOOOOO!
HIStory still for the win!

P.S. I legit feel like they really played hard on the cliché yaoi tropes; why we got this lovely/messy lump of a mess. I see it, and I loved it.
9 COMPLETELY PROBLEMATIC STARS! (In the best way possible)

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A series that you either love or hate. Not really an in-between.

This has got to be one of the most satisfying and clean finales for me out of all the BL series I've watched. Everything really clicked and while the story was wrapped up quite well, there still is a potential for a continuation (ex. Xing Si and Yong Jie after YJ's graduation, Li Cheng and Mu Ren in their new home, etc.)

I do agree that this series had a rocky start so I understand the negative comments. But I'm so glad I did not drop this. The series progressed wonderfully and got better and better by each episode. Great acting. Chemistry's there. This is now my second most favorite HIStory series.

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Well... it is what it is...give it a try but try not go get offended

I would not say that this is the best bl out there , but it's not the worst either. It was interesting to see how authors got creative a little bit and tried to bring something new into the bl world. New in a sense that I've never seen a BL before that had this kind of a story line, especially about the second couple( Fu Yong Jie-Ye Xing Si). People are going to find it offensive, disgusting, immoral and whatnot, but you need to remember that this is fictional. Y'all can relax.
True, I agree that somethings that FYJ did were bad, inappropriate, and I don't approve of it. But I don't think that this is "love-love". He is more obsessive, calculated, he has that manipulative behavior, while YXS is completely opposite.
I doubt that YXS loves Yong Jie. I feel like there's pity, sympathy and a whole mix of other emotions. This "couple" is a representation of an unhealthy relationship. The incest part was interesting to me and I wanted to see how things will work out for them, but the younger one needs therapy and the older one needs to open his eyes more and separate what's right from what's wrong.
The other couple is totally different from the one I commented on before. They showcased every facet of what is considered as a "healthy" relationship. They were considerate, warm, honest, straightforward and most of all were highly aware of what accounts as abuse, emotional or otherwise. But still, i did not enjoy some aspect of their relationship.
At the end of the day, it's just drama. Sometimes it made me excited and wanted to see more, but most of the time it was kind of boring, draggy and heavy. It was hard to watch form time to time and honestly awkward. I mean it is what it is. Probably least favorite from all HIStory dramas.

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History does it AGAIN!

Another boundary breaking series from History. Once again, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this series after the 1st few episodes. I most certainly didn't like the characters. But then something happened in Episode 3 and by episode 4 I was wow this has certainly blossomed. The 4 main characters were all very much into this series and their characters development. I am going to miss this series next week. I have to give Charles Tu a special shout out. Just wow! What a stunning performance. The producers also too just never a bad scene or a questionable anything.

I was wondering if anyone knows was the opening theme song an original for the series? If not who is it singing?

Thank-you for enlightening me for the last 10 weeks. 👍👍

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The second couple

(This is my only review on this website and the first one I have written for a drama in many years. I couldn't stop myself from writing one for this drama.)

It's been mentioned here many times, but I feel that it can never be mentioned enough. To this day, I still wonder how on earth someone wrote the storyline for the second couple, someone approved this story, and someone agreed to produce it.

I liked the main couple until I saw their reactions to what happened to their friend and how they behaved later on around the second couple.

I rarely get carried away with fictional drama characters. Still, the whole thing was so nonsensical and utterly stupid that I couldn't help but feel dumbfounded and ridiculed by the writers.

There is no saving grace with this drama. Please don't watch it or if you do, voice your disgust, so maybe writers and producers will think twice before using cheap and dirty antics as a plot device.

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Just Skip to the Last Ten Minutes

If you want my honest opinion, the only butterflies I got during this entire show were during the MODC cameos at the very end of the last episode.

In general, the plot line was horrific. It seemed like whoever wrote this just lined up all their taboo fantasies (aka sexual assault) and loosely connected them together. Nothing flowed, the transitions between specific developments didn’t make sense, and the resolutions were all disappointing.

I think the most disappointing resolution was between Mei Feng and the other coworker girl who was harassing her the entire time. She just showed up, said “I’m sorry.” And then ten seconds later Meo Feng was sharing secrets with her like nothing happened. Talk about anti-climactic and unsatisfying. It really solidified the shallow arcs that the writers tried to make deep by sprinkling it with serious transgressions.

The wrongdoings vs the resolutions were incredibly unbalanced. Either make the conflicts more lighthearted to fit the endings, or come up with more serious consequences for the characters.

Such a disappointing ending to a great series.

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Typical BL

This was an interesting journey. It had it ups and certainly had its down. But I would still rate it highly enough. And I would certainly watch it again because I found it to be fun and made my fujoshi heart just scream.

I’ll start with the negatives first as I found them to be minor and I just want to get them over and done with because moving onto the good. Ok I’m sure everyone reading this already know but the rape turned into love is such a big trope in this genre I wasn’t surprised by it at all. At the end of the day I can turn my brain off and go that was fiction and say how nice it worked out for them... now the rational side of me would be going what is wrong with you but I’ve read enough Yaoi to see this trope used again and again that I just can turn my brain off. Now if it really really bothered me I would have just stopped watching but I chose not to stop so I had to tell myself to get over it. And I did! If I felt uncomfortable at any stage I would just fast forward those scenes but I found that didn’t happen too often. There were other minor things but I can’t remember them now so it couldn’t of been that bad.

On with the good. The chemistry between the leads was perfect. From the confident Li Cheng to the tsudere Muren it was perfect. The kind Xing Si and the one dimensional on the surface but so many layers underneath Yungjie I was very happy with this cast. Now was the acting always on point.. no but.I can live with that. I certainly wouldn’t be able to do it.

The story line was typical and very tropey which I like so it was a win for me. Step siblings that stalk is certainly not new for me and I’ve seen worse in manga so this was tamed and the Li Chene and Muren story line was perfect. I love best friend turning into lovers stories. (Maybe because I had a crush on my best friend for years.) I’m glad it work led out for them. They were all just so protective of each other.

Final thoughts. I’m so glad it had a happy ending. I don’t think my heart could take another death. It would be been torture.

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A Weak HIStory Overall, But Not Complete Trash

Okay hear me out. Do I think this is a well written series? Overall no. It doesn't even come close to something like "Trapped" or "Make Our Days Count", however I gotta say I did not completely hate this. At first I did because I thought they were glossing over the sexual assault elements. However, they don't! If you kept watching after that you'd realize its clearly said it wasn't right by multiple characters. There also is added things to the situation that try to make it kinda grey a little bit. Yes Xing Si was drunk and irl you cannot consent if you're drunk obviously. However, he was conscious and was asked if he knew who was with him which he answered clearly. He also asked why he wasn't being kissed on the mouth so that was weird. Why would someone whose unaware of what's going on say that? Or have enough awareness to answer direct questions. Still wrong of course, but its food for thought. I still hate the step brother trope because I think its weird af. But at least its not glamorizing sexual assault to be romantic like some other BL's have in the past. I also don't take physical scenes totally to heart in shows because it's meant to be overly dramatized or extreme for shock value/to make more interesting content and conflict. Yong Jie's character was really interesting too. So whatever.

Moving past those two. The main couple I actually really started to like, I watched the series pretty much for them and that's it. At first the series was really boring for me, but it picks up some with those two. As well as the cameos from MODC which I loved of course. At first the one main guy (Li Cheng) was really annoying and said some semi-offensive dialogue. However this shifted, so I wasn't completely turned off to his character. There's this scene between them which is the real first sexual awakening scene in the series. It's in a bathtub and its actually beautifully shot. I was shocked it was in this series! Like hello budget! The warm lighting, beautiful music, sensual movements and stellar acting from Mu Ren's actor. He's also very gorgeous so that was nice as well lol. I was overwhelmed. I kinda wish it wasn't in this series, but what are you gonna do?
Favorite characters though were Xing Si and Mu Ren. Their interactions actually were some of the nicest too! Then of course there's Sun and Zhi Gang, but they are obviously cameos so not a ton of screen time lol.

Moving on to the negatives, this show has caused quite a diversity in viewership which I understand totally. However, these were my issues with it. There's wayyyyy too much unnecessary s*** in these eps. So when they end I started to get pissed off because not much has happened progression wise! Like why throw in a work crisis at the tail end of a series? That should've happened way before. Then the resolve of it was basically all in the last episode and its not very satisfying at all. Total bummer. Again I don't like the step-brothers trope, they could've just made them childhood friends or like ex step-brothers? Idk, having them live together too with the parents was extra weird. We loved seeing a gay wedding at the end, however it didn't really answer any questions as to what's happening in MODC season 2. Which I was hoping for because that was the opportune moment! We just know Hao Ting is still abroad, which he is in both endings technically. So boo. This felt kinda just like a filler season in between the stuff fans really are looking forward too overall.

In conclusion, the actors from this seem lovely. Seeing their behind the scenes and reaction videos added a lot for me about them. Which was kinda lacking in the show itself. I hope they get more work after this and I would say go into this series not expecting HIStory level storytelling. It's messy but has its moments

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