HIStory3: Prisonnier (2019)

History 3 trapped is by far one of the best asian BL's that have been filmed in the last year.

After watching H3T y got a great deal of satisfaction and I would like to share my thoughts with you from two different perspectives. First we can see it for it's artistic value, acting directing and script, on a second hand we can analyze it as a product that reflects an specific social context and it's repercussions.

H3T is great because it is a BL but it is even greater because it is not only a BL story, it is a story about justice, about lost opportunities, about what it means and meant to be an adult to different generations, it is about loneliness and finding people to share it.

From the artistic perspective this series is a must. It is very well written although it's flaws like a slow start and tone issues. At the beginning we feel that we are on a romcom mostly because of the great acting of Jake Hsu that portrays what it looks like a naive and over optimistic cop (Meng Shao Fei), his superior acting sometimes is the biggest flaw of the series, they depend so much on his charm that they barely give him any background, at least not as much as Tang Yi (portrayed by Chris Wu) whom being less charismatic has a big screen presence and fills the role completely.

Eventually we get to meet several characters which help drawing a universe where we can find much more than a love story or a story about cops an bandits, this is well rounded drama about what family means and how you can find it on different places despite of blood, and also how the decisions we make affect the people we love even if we don't want to. The senior actors on this series that portrays either the cop's chief and the rival gangster, they are the ones that deliver the best scenes and really tight the story together.

The last two chapters are gold and I couldn't stop the feelings, I cried a lot, but I also smile a lot, I will always love this series for what it is: an epic tale about family with a main couple that happens to be gay. This has been the goal of queer cinema for ages, having actors portraying truthful stories where their sexual orientation is not the main issue or a trope.

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Enjoyed this drama after the two bad**s guys had an unexpectedly soft but strong love story. I haven't seen all of the History versions of the series but so far this is my second favorite drama after Crossing the Line. Opposites attract for both pairings in the story and each relationship evolves differently - it all seems realistic and natural for the characters. (Well as natural as it can be when you're in the underworld of crime or a cop. I imagine life is more on edge everyday than for the average person.) If you want a little more action, depth and danger to your BL, look no further. Definitely worth recommending.

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God Damn!

This drama is beautiful, cunning, and deceitful. Well, watching, I could rarely guess what was about to happen. Shao-Fei, Tang-Yi, Zhao-Li, and Jack acted remarkably well. All relationships in this drama felt natural and had a sense of real-life growth that wasn't fast-paced or weird. The little moments between Tany-Yi and Shao-Fei had me dying! Like when they got kidnapped and, Tang-Yi had his head on Shao-Fei's knee?. THE FUCKING TEA SCENE? Tang-Yi went, *Shrug* "Better make him my boyfriend." The scene with De and Tang-Yi made my blood boil, but it was addressed and not brushed over. You can also see the minute Shao-Fei knows he's falling for Tang-Yi! Plus, the I like him, zero f's given by Shao-Fei was immaculate. Our side couple isn't to be overlooked either! They had a totally different vibe from the main couple and brought even more feelings with their story. Their table kissing scene sticks in my mind even now and when they goofed around in the water?. This BL proved you can have a good plot, well-acted characters, and no unnecessary drama. I would 100% recommend this drama to friends!

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Story: I really like the concept of this story. The idea for a gangster falling in love with a cop. And I do feel like the story did a good job of developing there relationship over the 20 episodes. My issue with the story was I did feel at time that it got a little boring for me. But overall I did really enjoy it. 8.5
Acting: I thought then acting was really good. No issues. 10
Music: was there music in this drama? If there was it was not memorable. 5
Rewatch: I think I would 100% rewatch this show!
Overall: I really did enjoy this show. I did have a few small issues but they did not ruin the show for me. I would highly recommend this show! 8.5/10

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Not an Excellent crime/gangster drama, nor a BL romance drama

Browsing through MDL, “HIStory 3: Trapped” is rated pretty high for a Taiwanese drama and/or a BL drama. Unfortunately, I am not sure if it’s worth the 8.4 current rating. I feel that it tries to be a very good crime/gangster drama, and also a very good BL drama. In the end, it lands right in the middle: not excellent in either or both directions.

It was a slow start for me. I did not like the cop ML at all. I understand his motive of trying to find the killer of his mentor for the last 4 years. But the way he approaches gangster ML is unprofessional, unrealistic and super clingy and stalkerish. The acting is also a little over-the-top for me. On the other hand, gangster ML’s stoic but bland expressions distract me from his handsome looks and beautiful physique in a suit. You know, if you can’t act, no matter how good-looking you are, the drama is never going to be good.

Luckily, the acting of gangster ML gets better throughout the drama. When he’s not forced to act all cold, his emotional and normal scenes are pretty decent. Cop ML’s acting also gets more natural but his professionalism and unrealistic approach to solving the case never goes away.

The gangster turf fight is uninteresting and the pursuit of the murderer is half-baked. It tries to be a crime investigation/gangster drama but the writing is not up to par.

What about BL romance? The first half of the drama is more fun before the leads get together. Yes, cop ML is clingy and stalkerish, but at least the chemistry is quite good and sizzles a little. But once they got together, I was expecting more kisses and skinship. We have maybe 3 decent scenes with intimacy and skinship. However, the quality of the kisses is disappointing given this is the HIStory franchise.

On another note, the side romance is quite cute and sweet. Jack is the most attractive of the guys for me, and his character is interesting. I keep on thinking there’s more to him that meets the eye with his smirks and smiles. But his counterpart, the young cop, is way too naive and especially unbelievable as a cop. The pairing is cute but unrealistic.

Having said all that, I do appreciate a BL drama not set in a school setting and tries to be a more mature drama. There really aren’t too many BL dramas out there about real adults and not students, and good ones are even harder to come by. A few of the action scenes are quite good and not slow-mo fighting. Both leads look like they trained for these scenes. This is a quick and easy binge since each episode is only about 25 minutes long. From an enjoyment level, I will round this up to an 8.0. If I am judging strictly on writing/acting/execution, this will be a lower score. I will recommend this if you are looking for a more mature BL drama, just don't lower the expectations a little.


Completed: 8/26/2023 - Review #344

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The HIStory tended to focus more on the teenage aspect of gay love, which is okay since I live for high school romances, but Trapped strays from this tradition and gives a story between a police officer and a crime boss. The result is WOW. Never have I felt a rush like I did with this show, I was heavily anticipating every new episode, even up to the last one. No episode is boring and there's so much plot development that happens with each episode that it's dizzying.

The development of the love between Shao Fei and Tang Yi is electrifying (I know I used this word already for my Make Your Days Count review but it's the perfect word to use here). It's a gradual process and it's one that makes you incredibly eager to see the end result because you want to see both of them win at the end. Jake Hsu and Chris Wu have incredible chemistry and you can really feel the emotion, care they have for each other. To see Tang Yi begin to open up to Shao Fei was one of the most well done moments of this trope I've seen anywhere. Usually the trope is used to excuse the main guy's horrible personality and attitude for reasons ranging from whatever but here Tang Yi is not that. He's actually hardened for a reason and doesn't use that to be as a reason to be horrible to other people, even despite the fact that he's a crime boss. Both he and Shao Fei were done written and done so well that I really want to applaud the writers for doing this.

The second couple is cute, leave it for a few too many moments of actual cringe. I did find Jack's sudden attraction to Zhao Zi to be random but I did like that he was open and unafraid of his feelings for him early on. While I still kind of find Jack to be kind of one dimensional, Zhao Zi is absolutely adorable and he's such a great and loyal friend to Shao Fei. His interactions with majority of the characters is absolutely adorable too.

While I do love this series in its entirety, there are a few problems I have with it. For one, its representation of other gay characters aside from the main four. There were so many stereotypes that were put forth with these characters that it's kind of sad to see in a show that is usually progressive in terms to how they represent the queer community. Andy is one of Tang Yi's friends who is gay and obviously has a thing for Tang Yi. That's not a problem if it weren't for the fact that Andy has a BOYFRIEND and yet he's still pining for Tang Yi's affection and it is very sensual with him. This puts unfortunate strength to the negative stereotype that gay men are incredibly promiscuous and prone to cheating. Then theres Zhi-de, who is also in love with Tang Yi because who isn't. Anyways, when his advances are constantly rejected and in favor for Shao Fei, Zhi-de resorts to kidnapping and sexual aggression to gain Tang Yi's attention. This furthers the stereotype of promiscuity and also the horrible stereotype of gay men as predatory. Now onto two, Hong Ye. Sigh. I was so disappointed that the show was going with the route of the evil female character in the BL. It's a horrible trope that is not also rooted in sexism but also downright misogyny that will do anything to make the male characters look good. It was quite confusing what the reasons for her being antagonistic with Shao Fei were. I thought at first she was also in love with Tang Yi but then Gao De comes in and that's the one she's in love with. ???. However that doesn't stop her from being horrible. She is actually responsible for Shao Fei getting shot the first time and wipes her hands clean from the whole ordeal by telling Zhi-de she doesn't want to be connected to it... and she gets away with it. The hell? It pissed me off because after a while everything she did is glossed over and eventually she accepts the relationship ... Now for the last one, three, the plot is a bit farfetched and cliche. However, this isn't a jarring problem so I might let it slide.

All in all, the show isn't one without flaws but it's definitely one of the best BLs out there (with HIStory 2: Crossing The Line, SOTUS, Mr. X and I: Be There For You). It's got a great cast with great performances, excellent music (the opening theme is AMAZING) and impressive cinematography. It's a great ride and it definitely has rewatch value. I definitely recommend. I just might watch it again myself.

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The best in the series

The plot is very good. However, family link is easy to guess from very early on but is still good.

It has a good balance of chaos and calm to emphasise the story and emotions and not have it be too overwhelmingly dramatic.

I also liked the more action part of it. It was very well done and not other the top.

It is different from most other BLs and that’s what gives it its’ charm.
The main couple is not shy, will not be pushed around by other people and do not care about what other people think about their relationship which is quite refreshing to see. I love how they are both strong characters and I really like the way they did the rivals/obsession to lovers. The actors are both very convincing and I love their chemistry.
The side couple, although more down the traditional BL route of shy weak male and bold strong male, is also very good. They are very cute and I love their chemistry. I also like how the confident male is not too forceful towards the shy one and that the shy one actually seems to like him back and not like he’s being forced.

Overall, this is definitely worth watching. The actors are great, the story is there and it successfully creates emotional moments.

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Best of the HIStory Series - would 100000% recommend

Story:
Although the main outcome is pretty clear from the start there are a lot of surprises and revelations that makes the ending so much sweeter. There's action, romance (with some very good kissing scenes), comedy, and mystery. The first time I watched it I did so in one sitting as I had to know the story behind Tang Yi's past and how he'll get over the death of his father figure and how he and Meng Shao Fei will fall in love.

Acting:
I find that if the plot is good, I am not too fussed with the acting but this drama is one of the few that I can confidently say had good acting. Other than the fact that both men in the main couple and side couple and veryyy attractive, the chemistry between Jake Hsu (Meng Shao Fei) and Chris Wu (Tang Yi) is amazing, and the side couple, Andy Bian (Jack) and Kenny Chen (Zhai Li An) was just as good. Though many people prefer Jack and Zhai Li An's relationship, I prefer Tang Yi and Meng Shao Fei's story as I find it more emotional though I would not be against a second season with Jack and Zhai Li An as the main couple (or just the actors together again).

Music:
The only reason I did not give this a 10 is because, unless the soundtrack is incredible or awful, the music does not affect my opinion on the TV show/movie. That being said I do have the main theme song on my phone as I enjoy remembering the TV show and it is nice to listen to...

Rewatch Value:
I have already rewatched this series multiple times and I love it every time. Every time I watch it I laugh when Meng Shao Fei does something cute but stupid, and get excited for Tang Yi when he finds the truth about his family and becomes close to Shao Fei.

Overall:
I have watched a lot of dramas and many of the HisTory series but this one is not only my favorite HIStory but definitely one of my favorite dramas in general. The story is perfect as is the cast - I would recommend watching their interviews after watching the series, they're super funny.

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