HIStory3: Prisonnier (2019)

This series could have done with more episodes to strike a better balance with its own elements

Trapped follows police officer (Shaofei) and underworld head (Tang Yi) as the former tries to uncover the story of an accident that changed their lives years ago. On Shaofei's end, his mentor was killed, for Tang Yi, his father figure was killed. I came into HIStory after starting with Trapped's sister series, Make Our Days Count. Trapped was chronologically before MODC. Why did I leave Trapped for second? Because I was worried that Trapped would have a heavy crime underworld plot and I had to be in the right mood for that. Does Trapped have that problem? Nope. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Trapped is beyond silly when it's ready. Shaofei has a fever dream idea for him and Tang Yi to strip down to their underwear and try to get someone to pick them up, betting on their good looks to work as a good lure. Shaofei gets into a fist fight with a love rival before the two decide to join forces to take down a common enemy in front of an unamused Tang Yi. A kidnapped character cheerfully bids his kidnapper farewell while the other promises to see him again. It's absolutely wild and I love those moments. Unfortunately, when Trapped is not being crazy, it's quite boring. The crime plot has little time to really build up to something interesting and the show has zero atmosphere of a crime underworld. The police force doesn't do much policing or investigating, the crime aspect of the series is barely explored beyond a surface level and I'd even say that the synopsis saying that a police officer becomes "trapped" in the underworld is a little embellished.

Trapped does have some twists and turns coming down to the end that are fairly interesting, but they barely packed a punch for me. I honestly didn't care beyond a "Huh!", perhaps if the show had more episodes it would have been better for it. The silly wouldn't have felt so out of place and would have been necessary to balance the grittiness of the serious crime plot. Meanwhile, the serious crime plot would also been able to have more time to develop into something interesting and have a proper atmosphere around it as opposed to being boring, tension-less scenes.

Anyway, if you decide to skip everything concerning the crime plot, Trapped manages to stand up decently. Shaofei and Tang Yi don't have as much chemistry as the show's other couple Jack and Zhaozi do, but their relationship progression was very well done. Chris Wu's Tang Yi is expectedly steely, but his emotions come through his eyes very well. In his tender and tsuntsun moments with Shaofei, it's easy to be swooned. Jake's Shaofei unfortunately doesn't get to do much beyond be an Eager Police Officer trying to uncover the truth and be teasing with Tang Yi. The two have tension that builds and the way that Shaofei's near obsession Tang Yi is silently reinterpreted by himself onscreen for the viewer was great. Subtle, but very well done. Jack and Zhaozi on the other hand, are just great together. Though their relationship is nothing more than two quirky guys finding themselves together, they're easily the most entertaining part of the show and I wish that they got more screentime. Ironically, Jack and Zhaozi do handle the police officer x underworld member subplot better than the main couple does despite their scenes being so humorous.

As it stands, to me, Trapped is a very mediocre BL series with a serviceable plot. The underworld aspect isn't taken seriously by the show, when it does get focus, it feels as if it's just taking time away from what you're actually enjoying about Trapped.

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经赞演技, 经典对白, 美丽故事, 紧扣人心,
非看不可, 续集必要。

Beautiful and simple story line that depicts how beautiful falling in love is and more importantly sticking to it, even if the tough gets going.

The chemistry between the main characters is excellent, especially in certain scenes. I have to add that I would have preferred that some scenes between them could be a longer, rather than ending abruptly.

The other highlight is the lines between them is excellently crafted and it makes me sit up to listen attentively. In addition, it makes me want to watch more Chinese dramas to relearn Mandarin, which is my second language.

A must watch drama especially if you’d like to have your faith in love reinforced. Love can be that simple and totally beautiful.

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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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This series got me very excited. It's a while since a series made me fangirl like this. I was waiting eagerly for every new episode. Still I cannot bring myself to rate it higher.

Let me tell you, that this series fooled me. I thought this could be something more than a silly BL series, but at the end of the day it proved me wrong.

STORY (7,5/10): While the overall plot is very serious, interesting and full of twists, there are many rather silly scenes throughout the series. The comedy wasn't working for me most of the time. The policemen looked like a bunch of kids playing cops. The tone of the series changed completely in the second half. From silly comedy and unnecessary cliche BL scenes it went to flashbacks and drama, only to be rather cheesy in the last episode. I feel like the script could have been better. Still, this is a typical HIStory series. While I wasn't that critical with other HIStory series, this time I feel the need to remove my BL googles and rate this objectively. So, frankly speaking, the storytelling was a mess. Even if you binge watch the series, the plot just doesn't "flow". They clearly had some trouble balancing this out. It felt like two different people worked on the script. Less comedy in inappropriate situations, more consistent storytelling, cutting out unnecessary scenes with unnecessary characters etc. would have done wonders. I'm also not a fan of those kisses, where a character has the eyes wide open or those trip-fall-catch scenes (BL fans know what I'm talking about). I feel like those HIStory writers have a checklist and are forced to include those scenes. Some embarrassing touching – check. Getting nervous, because someone is half naked – check. This is silly and I hope they could just stop. Or maybe I'm just too old to giggle and blush, because of such scenes. For me it's just second hand embarrassment.

The love stories were written pretty well though, at least between the main characters. Tang Yi & Shao Fei were intriguing to watch. I enjoyed the rather straight forward approach. At the beginning I wasn't that impressed by Shao Fei's character and by Jake's acting. But throughout the series I started to appreciate how he portrayed Shao Fei. Yeah, the character is a bit goofy, he seems a bit silly and impulsive, but he is smart, brave and strong. Both characters are very complex and multi-dimensional. You want to know what happens next, how their relationship develops. They are adults with a past and certain goals. I really liked how slow the relationship developed, if was very natural and plausible. The chemistry is pretty good too. It's awkward sometimes, but then again those awkward scenes fit the characters and the story very well. Jake & Chris feel very raw and real. Unfortunately in the last couple of episodes both characters lost some of their charm and become rather one-dimensional, because of the dramatic circumstances. Their interactions also felt repetitive. After they became a couple, sh*t started to get down.

Jack & Zhao Zi: This couple was just too silly for my taste. They were mostly cute and lovely. You get the impression the couple was inserted just for fan service. Zhao Zi as a cop is not working. Jack isn't that credible either (constantly playing with his knife like some wannabe street gangster, while being dressed like a K-Pop idol). I honestly feel like the series lost a lot of its seriousness in the first half because of those two characters. Comedy and cuteness is okay, but they really went overboard with the second couple. I got invested in them later on though. I can see why people like them. Both actors/characters were pretty charming.

The hetero couple: I think this is worth mentioning. Those two are very likeable characters, especially Hong Ze as Tang Yi's "sister". She is sassy and really cares for Tang Yi. The love story was cute and got me emotional. Thumps up for including a hetero couple and a likable woman in a BL series! But let's be honest: this storyline was not needed for the overall plot. Cut it out and nothing would change. I guess you can say the same about the second gay couple. At least Zhao Zi and Jack were more involved in the plot.

ACTING CAST (7,5/10): There were a lot of different characters, a lot of different roles. I felt that most of the roles were pretty challenging and most of the cast did a good job. Almost everyone had a moment where she/he could shine. Still I think there was room for improvement. The actor who impressed me the most was Chris Wu. In some scenes Jake Hsu even out-acted him, only to show us a rather lacking performance in the next scene. Looking back I really feel like Jake's acting was a bit inconsistent.

THE MUSIC (9/10): Very nice music, nice intro and outro. The music that played at the end of ep 12 was beautiful. The whole scene was great and one of the best BL scenes I have ever watched. They also had good background music in some tense and action packed scenes.

REWATCH VALUE (9/10): I normally don't rewatch a series. This is a first for me. If you want to understand everything and not miss any details, you have to rewatch it. It's worth it though.

Overall I give it a solid 8,5 and hope, we will see similar series in the future. Still if you look for a BL series, that you can take 100% serious, then this one is not right for you. It seems many local fans hated on "Trapped" and I don't understand why. "Trapped" is not much different from past HIStory series. It had the same ingredients: embarrassing scenes, emotional scenes, cheesy scenes, dramatic scenes and the obligatory HAPPY END. Yeah, it was not a high school romance, the police-gangster background was different and something we don't see often, but still it was your typical BL at the end of the day. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing. But like I said, for a moment I thought this could be something more.

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Eu não sabia muito o que esperar dessa série, até porque o trailer é bastante péssimo se comparado com a qualidade do programa todo. As cenas de ação são, provavelmente, as mais fracas de toda a série e como elas aparecem logo no início do primeiro episódio, minhas expectativas caíram bastante.
No final das contas, a história me surpreendeu bastante. Achei o romance leve, o drama envolvido na medida certa e ainda teve um pouco de mistério pra dar aquele gostinho de “quero mais”. Os casais são ótimos, tanto o principal como (meu coração vai explodir!) o secundário. As cenas de romance são o ponto alto, com toda a certeza! Os atores levaram o amor homossexual com tanta naturalidade que era gostosíssimo de assistir tudo que envolvia os casais. Até mesmo o único casal heterossexual da série foi um amor.
Tirei um ponto da minha avaliação final porque houve alguns furos inexplicados que me deixaram um pouco confusa, por causa das cenas de ação e porque a trilha sonora não foi nem um pouco marcante, fora isso, é um dorama muito bom de assistir!
Adorei, adorei, adorei.
Sendo assim, minha nota é 9.0.

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It is simply beautiful, I don't even have enough words to express my feelings towards this series. The story is on point, the music is wonderful, and the acting extraordinary. I'm not exaggerating, but the acting and the chemistry b/w the characters is pleasing to watch, they did a good job in capturing the emotions in a such a way that you'd literally melt. Such a heartwarming and eye-capturing series, I'd rewatch it like who know how many times. Each and every single actor in the series did an excellent job showing us various sides of a person be it the stubborn Tang Yi or the relentless Shao Fei, the innocent Zhao Zi. or the cool Jack (I can keep on going with every single character) and beautifully showed their other side of insecurity, loneliness, anxiety, etc. I'd give a whole galaxy to HIStory for giving this wonderful series to us, and a special thanks to all the people who worked to give us such an amazing series. HIStory 3 has crossed their own history of giving us some amazing BL series out there after HIStory 1 & 2.
P.S - If you want more interactions between the main characters, their off screen videos are awesome. Do check it out, you won't be disappointed.

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Ending was not what I expected

This drama ending was definitely not what i thought would happen. I was expecting a happy ever after. Accept Tang yi turned himself in and offer meng was left saying goodbye and he will be missed. Hmm

Okay so the story was not so bad, police officer falls in love with a gang member who is seeking revenge for his father that was murdered. Tang yi was hot and officer meng was just your average bloke. The story flowed very nicely and kept you wondering what was going to happen and guessing.

Music was okay nothing to talk about,.

The second couple was a bit funny and kinda cute would have liked to see more from them.

Overall it was good 👍

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Cringe Worth Feast!

This is just my personal opinion about the show. Is the show perfect? No. Was it enjoyable? Yes! (I can't believe I'm saying that)

I'm quite surprised at how much I enjoy the show because there flaws that are obvious. I'll try to elaborate more on that. Firstly, some scenes are so overdramatic and cringey. It gives me a good laugh because some scenes are awful that it becomes entertaining as hell. The dramatic fall into the swimming pool, the elevator scene, the part where Shao Fei immediately thinking Tang Yi is having sex, and he quickly barges in, not to mention how the show immediately starts with the Boys over Flowers song like why? There's more to that, but I don't want my review to be long.

Next, I'm not a fan of the second couple? I don't know. I can't vibe with the love story. It happened out of nowhere, and I couldn't care less about them. I find the characters to be dull and bland, so I fast-forwarded all of their scenes. Lastly, the cops are just bad in solving their cases LMAO.

What do I like about the show? The chemistry between Shao Fei and Tang Yi is spot on! Enemies to lovers trope? Police gangster love story? The ultimate forbidden love. Their relationship progression is nice and refreshing. I like how the storyline never centralized entirely on the couple. It makes their relationship fun, sweet and cute and lastly, not annoying as hell. I'm just so glad the relationship is not super cliche which doesn't bore me to death. Tang Yi's suits are iconic, and he looks outstanding in it.

Overall, I had a lot of fun watching it. If you can't stand the cringe feast, run away from it or just fast forward the parts. If not, let your logic out, throw it away when you watch it because some are super unrealistic and dumb. Just accept how it's going to be like and have fun watching it! I like to end my review with this hashtag, #FreeTangyi.

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This show was the first BL show I watched where it was still airing when I started watching. I got extremely excited for each episode and it was the one thing I was looking forward to each week. To be honest, I'm not the type to be interested in the police and gang/mafia type of shows. However, by the third episode, I was hooked.

This show is by far the best among the HIStory franchise. The story was great but I personally didn't like how different episodes varied in terms of length length. The cast was perfect and production value was greatly improved. The music was pretty alright as well, especially

I liked how the romance between the couples slowly blossomed. There wasn't any rush and neither was it too slow. It was nicely developed throughout the 20 episodes. I also liked how the flashback scenes were placed and they gave great detail to the storyline. Also, the ending was a little sad but perfect. I would 100% recommend you watch this, especially if you're a new BL fan.

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So I had this on my list for like a whole year (yes, I am being dramatic). This was sooo refreshing, funnt and cute but man, this was serious. I got involved with serious topics in the series. I had not watched any "History", but this was great. The acting at times was a little hard but maaaaan overall, it was great. I hope they make another one with the same actors, great chemistry.
Looooove it. One of my top bls now. I mean, this was everything, a thriller, a bl, drama. And it was so well written. I loves the side couple, which is sometimes annoying in bls but not on this one. Praises, Praises, Praises.

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This was my 87th BL drama and now it's ONE OF MY FAVOURITES

OMGGGGGG!!! DAMN!! I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF THIS ENTIRE DRAMA!! TRUST ME THIS IS MY 87TH BL and I regret not watching this sooner. It's those type of darmas that makes you keep feeling happy and good for a long time even after its finished. I don't regret investing my time in it. I haven't come across this plot with a gangster and a cop lovestory in the BL genre.
STORY -10/10.
ACTING-10/10
CHEMISTRY -10/10
I was captivated from the very beginning to the very end. Hot gangsters ( Tang Yi and Jack). Cute af cops ( Shao Fi and Zhao Zi). And they togather were just... Damn such cuteee couples. Shao Fi was so funny that I kept giggling the entire time as I kept watching the show. The acting of the entire cast was on point. And ofcourse it's a pure BL not bromance. Enough steamy scenes. The romance, humour, cuteness, action and thrill... everything was just so damn perfect. Just go and watch it if you already haven't!
Some people are disappointed with the ending. But m quite satisfied. It's not a sad ending. He was a gangster who has committed several crimes. So, he has to pay for it. Even though he might spend sometime in prison, Shao Fi ensures him that he will definitely wait for him. I know and believe that after he's released, they can lead a happy life together.

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That scene where Andy (Jack) picks up 'Shortie' so casually over his shoulder, it was obvious Chris couldn't stop laughing when he was supposed to be serious in that scene considering what Jack just confessed XD omg I was laughing and crying legit.

I know I keep saying HIStory creators always get better and it's the same with Trapped. The right amount of skin ship, cuteness, angst, and passion for a perfect guilty pleasure watch and as always the chemistry between both the couples was through the roof! I really enjoyed this story gangster and cop is one of my favorite tropes.

But even though its supposed to be a tropey guilty pleasure watch the writing and dialog is so damn good.

Seriously, I got just as attached to both the couples!

Absolutely loved it!

So naturally felt like it ended way too soon. But not because it felt rushed or anything, just because I got super attached to the characters.

And ok word of caution, there are some dark turns in this one like Obsessed. Nothing too dark and the overall mood is hopeful but angsty.

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