HIStory 4: Close to You is overall a good addition to the HIStory series but the controversial portrayal of rape will inevitably casts a dark shadow on its reputation.

We can perhaps attempt an amoral and non-judgmental attitude towards the portrayal of rape. After all, good art does not necessarily convey themes that people find acceptable. Unfortunately, the portrayal doesn’t stand up to scrutiny even if we cast aside any moral objections.

The character of Fu Yongjie is full of contradictions, and not in a way that makes sense. At the start, he seems like a sort of psychopathic stalker who happens to be obsessed with this guy he is bent on “getting” that he would even attack someone who seems close to him. The object of his affections turns out to be his brother. Brothers with entirely different birth parents are quite common in BL, and I don’t think it is any bigger an issue here.

Yongjie has the potential to be an interesting character: he certainly has a dark side but is also devoted and even self-sacrificing when it comes to love. He shouldn't have been made to give off psychopath vibes at the start. And since he is someone who won't want to hurt the one he loves regardless of how badly he treats others, it does not make sense when he gets Xingsi drunk and rapes him—supposedly for Xingsi’s sake because he is hatching a plot to let the gay Xingsi come out of the closet and return to live with his family (something Xongsi longs to do but fears hurting his father’s feelings). I don’t think something as drastic as rape is necessary for the plot.

The series also seems to, for some reason, take pains to remind us that what Yongjie has done is rape. The rape scene shows Xingsi talking in a drunken stupor, but he is clearly not sober enough even he does not say no to the sex. Yongjie also clearly knows this because, when the drunken Xingsi asks why he does not kiss him, he tells Xingsi that he will kiss him when he is sober. And then, as if the audience might be mistaken that Yongjie has stopped after kissing and caressing Xingsi’s body, Xingsi later tells his friends that he is the bottom during the act. No matter what brilliant plans Yongjie has that is for Xingsi's benefit, there is really no reason to sexually penetrate this man he supposedly loves with all his heart. I can appreciate a darker character, but he has to be portrayed more convincingly even if I do not care about how moral the character is.

To make matters worse, Yongjie’s mother (by all appearances a nice, understanding lady who has no qualms criticizing the more unscrupulous side of her son) actually knows what he is going to do to Xingsi but abets his behavior—she apologizes to Xingsi later, but still thinks that maybe Yongjie has done the right thing. What??? In the end, the slightly homophobic father seems to have the most sane and reasonable reaction to the crap that is happening--until he has brainwashed into accepting it all.

The portrayal of Yongjie is a waste of the actor, who does a pretty good job handling the character with all his contradictory aspects. It also makes the portrayal of Xingsi a little strange. Xingsi, for instance, forgives Yongjie easily and even falls in love with him. The story would make a bit more sense if Xingsi and Yongjie are in love from the start, but Yongjie decides to show a footage of them making out to their father just to speed up Xingsi's coming out. It would still be terrible behavior, but it would fit in with the potrayal of the character who is impatient and wants to end his brother's struggles fast.

It’s such a pity that the characterization of Yongjie overshadows the nicer aspects of a series which portrays masculinities in rather refreshing ways. The friendship between Xingsi, Muren and Licheng is really cute. The initially straight Muren and Licheng (yes, this is conventional BL where any straight man can fall in love with another man) care for Xingsi in a way that would almost make one thing that they are vying for his affections. But no, they really just treat Xingsi as a close friend and do not even know that Xingsi is gay at first. While toxic masculinities are pervasive in the media, BL often presents masculinities that are so different, almost defiantly going against the grain. And this BL does it well.

Muren and Licheng later become lovers, and we get what are by now cliches in BL like “I don’t like men, I just like him” (fine, whatever you say). But the couple is endearing, and the story could have been good enough focusing on them. I would also rather the Xingsi and Yongjie pairing had taken the well-trodden path of non-biological brothers falling in love only to meet with parental objection. At least this would have suited the overall mood of the series.