HIStory4: Close to You (2021)

They're not even trying to respect the lgbtq+ community...

I'm dropping this right after the second episode (3+4/20). I have no reason to continue watching this. It feels like I'm reading a bad yaoi from like 2010 or something, its BL in it's purest form and I hate it. This drama is only made to please straight women who fetishize mlm relationships and gay men. This is not okay, as someone who is part of the lgbtq+ community i feel very disgusted with this and the people who are trying to justify the things that are happening in the series.
Here are things that are very problematic about the drama:

1. Liu Mei Fang, the fujoshi
First of all i'd like to say that there are straight girls who know how to be respectful fans, but Liu Mei Fang is not one of them. The whole thing about straight men pretending to be gay to get the girl just is not right. It's literally using fetishizing and queerbaiting to your own advantage (which is not even realistic and harms actual gay people because other people will think that this is normal). Liu Mei Fang herself is a big part of the problem. She was ready to forget about the bullying she faced (which clearly she hasn't gotten over) just to see Xiao Li Cheng harras his male friend because according to her "He's still in the closet." Shipping real people (even if it's in a drama)* is very harmful and it can literally destroy friendships. I'm a kpop fan and have seen the effects shipping has on idols, they get uncomfortable around each other and are afraid of showing too much affection because of "fans" that don't treat them like real people. This happens a lot with bl actors too, who are usually straight and only showing affection as fanservice, they're not actually in love with each other.

*Here I mean that showing shipping of real people in a drama can lead to it being normalized. I'm talking about shipping real people such as actors and idols, not characters in a drama, shipping them is fine as long as the relationship is appropriate (fyi there are no appropriate ships in this drama).

2. The stalking
I don't know what the writer was thinking but this is actually something illegal. Fu Yong Jie secretly copying Ye Xing Si's key and breaking into his house is just so wrong in so many ways. On top of all of this he's too protective of his brother he needs serious help and therapy. He literally tried to beat up one of Ye Xing Si's friend just because they were being touchy with each other. All of this is being excused by saying "they're brothers" which leads us to the next thing:

3. The incest
Incest is way too normalized and romantized in bls and it should not be that way. It's still incest even if they're not blood related and can't reproduce, I repeat IT'S STILL INCEST AND SHOULD NOT BE NORMALIZED. If some of you don't know what incest is, here's the definition: The definition of incest (according to wikipedia) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), ADOPTION, clan, or lineage. If you're saying it's not bad because Fu Yong Jie was adopted, then what about fathers who date their adoptive daughters? You don't just get to pick and choose what problematic tropes can be romantized. Feeding in to the incest trope in BLs harms the lgbtq+ community. Also them being brothers adds nothing to the storyline, there are other kinds of close relationships they could've chosen for them but they went with step-brothers..

4. The sexual harassment
No means no but Xiao Li Cheng doesn't seem to understand that. He keeps trying to persuade Teng Mu Ren to fake date him and keeps touching him inappropriately even when he says no. Even friends have boundaries that you should not cross, especially if the friend directly tells you that they're uncomfortable. And no, begging someone for consent when the other has said no many times but eventually gives in is not consent.

+. The acting
This last thing has nothing to do with the story but I'm so disappointed that the HIStory series has downgraded to this. Trapped was so interesting but apparently it was downhill from there. These actors don't have enough experience and skills to be considered good. The over the top acting and breaking the fourth wall is very cringey and hard to look at. This doesn't seem like a comedy, more like 'we didn't cast good enough actors to do a serious drama so we made it a comedy to excuse their lacking skills.'

BL as a genre is very problematic and should be separated from actual gay dramas, but as for now the line between those two is very blurry and it should not be that way. If you want to tell stories about gay people you can't ignore the struggles we go trough. Every minority goes trough something and everyones experience is different but you can't separate the gay community from the hate and homophobia we face just so you can make profit off of it. People say they just want fluffy BLs that don't touch on these very serious problems and honestly I kinda do too. Not every gay drama has to make these serious things the main point of the plot because there are gay people who live a happy life right now, even if they have faced struggles in the past. It's perfectly fine to do a drama about the life without much struggles, but you need to make sure to tell that especially in conservative countries being part of the lgbtq+ community is not just sunshine and rainbows. An example of a good fluffy BL is Cherry Magic. It's extremely fluffy but still manages to touch on the struggles of figuring out your own sexuality in a serious matter and the fear of judgement lgbtq+ people deal with. Another one would be His - I Didn't Think I Would Fall In Love. It touches on the same things as Cherry magic but from a very different perspective.

Straight cis women writing these kinds of BLs and lgbtq+ stories kinda feels like white people writing POC-stories, they don't have the experience that gay and trans people go trough. People have argued that BL is harmless because it's fiction and it's not supposed to be serious. Some have said that it's okay to fetishize mlm relationships and gay men. IT'S NOT! Fetishizing is never okay and it's not a compliment. With lgbtq+ people, fetishizing can lead to serious problems as it allows straight cis women to be homophobic with the excuse "I watch BL" and then they exclude lesbians, bisexuals and trans people from the lgbtq+.

ps.
Just because you don't think this way doesn't mean that there are not people who do and that leads to normalizing these things. Call problematic behavior out when you see it. Thank you.

pps.
If you thought this was a good drama when you watched this but now educate yourself, I don't blame you, because as I said, many of the things portrayed in the drama are very normalized in BLs. But if you now, even after reading this review refuse to think about these things from an another perspective and get defensive, you're genuinely a bad person.

Lire davantage

Hot and not scared....

I absolutely love love love this series. I am however sick of seeing the word “rape” being thrown around...watch it for yourself and make your own mind up. I can tell you that in a court of law it would have no legs whatsoever. Morally however, well that’s another subject. I am not going to dwell. I understand why he did what he did, but I am not 100% on board with his methods. Their relationship will not sit comfortably with everyone. I do however want to say THEY ARE NOT RELATED IN ANY WAY SO ITS NOT INCEST FFS!

The four leads are all very well cast. Chemistry is on fire. Story is good, trots along nicely, good plot twists and turns. Considering none of them had done BL before they were awesome.

The NC scenes are very well done, very sexy, very hot just enough to make your toes curl up!!!!

Only thing that annoyed me was the stupid line...I don’t like men, I just like him....FFS that should be banned.

This is not your usual run of the mill BL and that alone makes it worth watching. No school kids in shorts.

Couple of characters from History 3 made an appearance too - unfortunately not Wayne, but I think it may bode well for History 3 Season 2.

Anyway, if you like your NC scenes hot and steamy then this is for you. This is a good series and I’ve already watched it three times.

Make your own mind up after YOU have watched it not because of a reviewers opinion.

Enjoy! I certainly did.

Lire davantage

A catalogue to illustrate all the wrong reasons for having BL just for the sake of it?

Okay, 1st episode introduces a trio of main guys, who then walk in front of the camera in slow motion. And I don't like any of the 3? This never happened to me before while watching HIStory!:)

I didn't like 'Make Our Days Count', but it was GREAT in compare to this. This is really bad... There are two guys who should be friends, there's no real spark between them, only a lots of stupid "humour", then we have two guys who should be family, one of them acts super meek though he should be the confident type as shown in his work life, one of them acts like a psycho stalker. There's stupid fujoshi girl who's all giddy to see boy on boy couples forming, not caring if they're clowns & creeps.

At episode 6, it gets even depressing... I felt so sorry for one of the guys. He was such a good big brother and he had to find out that in that respect, he was nursing a viper. The kid step-brother makes a move on him when he is drunk, just because his attraction to him is "love" in his warped mind, not caring that he actually broke his heart. Had he really loved him, he would not do that to him. I will not argue here whether brotherly love is more than lovers love, apparently to please the BL audience the lovers love took priority so that we could watch that bedscene.

Looks like this show was made with the purpose to serve as a catalogue to illustrate all the wrong reasons for having BL just for the sake of it.

If this is the way HIStory has progressed, then perhaps it would be better if it ended. Oh, wait. Next time (HIStory5), it's Sci-Fi, even? Great. That won't get Dropped by me. That's straight to Not Interested.

Lire davantage

DISRESPECT TO LGBT COMMUNITY

Im a newbie when it comes being a bl fan. Im starting being a fan of bl just last year when ive watched Gaya sa Pelikula (Like in the movies) that bl drama was fantastic !!! Im a closeted gay for 10 years until now because i was born in a conservative christian nation so i cant easily open myself to my family, just only to my closest friends sadly. This my 1st BL drama ive rated with a low rating but to be honest im being generous here becoz atleast they made efforts in the music and production as well . For real i would rate zero for so many reasons:
1. Rape
Yeah i get with Ye Xings brother that he loves he loves him so much since 10 years old but why would you do such a DIRTY and NASTY way youll get your older bother dunk and get fucked him so bad without even a CONSENT with him THIS SO FCKING DISRESPECTFUL. If im his younger brother i would just confess him that i like him more than being brothers and i will pursue him in a ROMANTIC WAY just like me back even though its an unrequited love not drugged him or drunk him like that and then rape him. ALSO he FCKING RECORDED HIM WHEN THEY ARE DOING SEX and show it to his PARENTS LIKE WTF who would do such a dumb think just to say i did that becoz blah blah blah HELL NAH ???? ARE YOU FCKING KIDDING THOS THE WORST HISTORY series ive ever watched in my entire life. I regret watching it fcked !!!!
2. QUEER FCKING BAITING
Im tired of BL dramas and also other dramas that are using third sexuality just to get ther attention to that person they love(straight romance ) or just make fun of it. ITS NOT FCKING FUNNY and i dont like it. Why would XLC pretend to be gay just to be close for his first love LIKE WTF ARE YOU KIDDING ME HELLO??? ITS 2021 ALREADY we are trying to represent the PERFECT REPRESENTATION OF LGBT HERE not make fun of it YIKES!!!!
3. BAD ACTING AND WORST PLOTLINE
The actors i admit are very good looking but that doesnt mean they are really good at acting NO HELL NAH WORST than any other bl dramas out there, its like those straight bl actors like they are forcing themselves to become gay and have chemistry to each other its fcking FAKE AND RUSHED and the STORYLINE ITSELF IS TRASH this drama should have not been released or should have been put in the drafts tskkkk. Its getting on my nerves!!!!
Atleast the OST and music here is good yess please !!! Thank god Taiwan released "We best Love" its still one of the BEST BL DRAMAS THIS YEAR!!!! Im really dissapointed with this bl series its not my cup of tea to watch and ots really painful and gutted tskkk. I regret watching it!!! PLEASE DONT WATCH IT IF YOUR NOT MATURED ENOUGH!!!! 18+++++++++++++ only

Lire davantage

NICE STORY AND SUPER NICE ACTING

I am surprised to find so many negative reviews of shocked people who are part of this BL world... It's like listening to religious fundamentalists ... Stepbrothers have nothing to do with their parents love life. One day, they move with their Mom/Dad to their step-dad/mom. They have nothing to do with this new step-family. There are no common genes ... so what's the fuss about that??? Obviously this is a new theme in the BL dramas (the wonderful Addicted, the so-so Brothers, etc ...). If I had been Fu Yong Jie I would have been at Ye Xing Si's feet. He is so damn cute!
All he actors are handsome and good, especially Charles Tu (Xiao Li Cheng): he is so lively, so funny and SO charming...
I have still some episodes to watch but so far this series is excellent.

Lire davantage

R*pe romanticization in 2021? Say it ain't so!

I decided to drop this show after episode 6, with the r*pe. I did check reviews and comments afterwards to see how the show handles it, and it's exactly the way I would not want to watch. I'm quite surprised because the previous History series have been pretty good. This, though--what the hell were they thinking? I think if there had ever been the possibility of a History series without a happy ending, this should have been it.

Having watched a ton of LGBT+ media (especially the older ones lol) and BL shows, I'm no stranger to darker themes. But the stories we tell and consume are evolving along with our society. This feels like a wasted opportunity, and a pity since I actually thought the main actors were well-cast with the exception of Yong Jie.

Lire davantage

Supposed to watch this awhile but keep turning off because of the reviews and keeping seeing he was raped so it turned me off but glad I actually finally did. This was really good. The first couple had me lolh they was just ridiculous but I loved them . Something about Xingsi just got to me from the starting. He was so calm and peaceful. Now the situation with his brother there was no Raped like everyone was saying. How his adopted brother went about it was wrong because he was intoxicated but they actually talk where he said I love u and he replied same. The way he went about it he was fireball wrong, and also in episode 19 when he said the other guy was going to sleep with the colleague for him had me side eyeing that fucker cause it wasn't so but I enjoy it. On to together with me. Last of my list

Lire davantage

Xiao Licheng & TengTeng relationship is relatable with me

I watch lot of BL, of course my fav so far is MDZS and Guardian.

Just want to write a review here because i kinda not satisfied with the comments. For me this series is not like all bad. Just want to clarify that the main CP here is TengTeng & Licheng. The other CP for me is bad too pfft,, but i will just ignore the second CP.

Things that I like on this series.
-Dialogue is hella funny (for me at least)
-TengTeng actor is so beautiful, skinny, handsome like a prince. oof-
-TengTeng & Licheng have a lot of awkward moments but the way they interact is make me feel weirdly funny LMAO
- Best dialogue for me is when TengTeng & Licheng confession scene, TengTeng said he dont want to be a mistress LMAO. He is the one who like really wants to be the TOP right.??
- I really like Licheng & TengTeng relationship development. Pretty relatable with me & my boyfriend UWAAA T-T
-When TengTeng & Licheng date scene, you know when Licheng wanna hug him in the public, then TengTeng resist because he feel insecure when people looking. Damn that feeling. Its kinda weird but, I really like that one. CUTE
- The smut scene (TengTeng & Licheng) is so satisfying ehem >//////<
- I really like Licheng personality yeah
-Music is really on point & also really good.

Things that I think need more improvement
-Maybe the series is kinda like suddenly happpen that, & suddenly happen that one uwu
-The scene when Yongjie punch TengTeng looks freaking weak but the impact HAHAHAH. yeah need to improve the punch scene. more realistic mannnn
-Yongjie looks like hacker at the beginning & suddenly become a psychotic crybaby & a mixologist & a medical student. huh....-,-
-Maybe the screentime for the second couple should be lessen because i actually thought that TengTeng & Licheng is the second CP at the beginning.
-Yongjie personality could be enhance. If he's psychotic, make him really psycho. Who willing to kidnapped a person, or tied his brother under the basement like yandere simulator LMAO because for me he's psycho like halfaway, & suddenly be a good boy. + he dont have any split personality disease, you know what i mean?
- The scene when TengTeng wants to frame the vice president is kinda cliffhanger, after Licheng come & take TengTeng, then what happen to the vice president? Like he's just lie down there????? HAHAHAH

Overall for me the series is not THAT BAD. It is suitable for the one who not expect too much. Or the one who just wanna chill & watch during freetime. If all BL have heavy plot, my brain gonna explode woo. so this one make me feel distress a little bit. Anyway, this is all from my preference. Peace no war. ^^v

Lire davantage

Not for the faint hearted

I discovered BL at a relatively late point in life (one of the reasons being probably that the genre did not even exist when I was younger). What fascinates me is that the stories generally revolve around emotions and not just the clichéd Hollywood coming-out stories, which I find boring. To my delight, in the past few years, the genre has evolved to not just puppy love, but also includes adults going through everyday life. Probably, herein lies the charm of all HIStory seasons. Additionally, being european, romantically involved with an Asian for many years now, I feel like I am gaining some more insight into how Asians feel and act (clearly over-romanticized, but still), which I obviously couldn't not understand (at least not to this extent).

Having said this, let me come to the actual review. As is typical for HIStory, two stories are being told in parallel, the one of two colleagues and one of two stepbrothers. I really enjoyed the one, in which two grown up men realize for the first time their feelings for each other, and, although confident about themselves, they have to deal with them in an unprecedented for them manner. It is not a coming-out story, it has nothing to do with opening up to parents - it is the struggle to categorize one's own feelings and decide what to do with them. The acting from both characters is very convincing, and as a viewer I was taken along their journey (even reminding me of some instants of my own past). So far so good, for this half I would easily give out a 9/10.

The second story, however, left me angry, dissatisfied, and worst of all, quite disturbed. I have watched stepbrother affairs, but usually, it is about youngsters, who when they become stepbrothers they start to fall for each other. This I can accept (although it is probably a very difficult situation). However, when two stepbrothers grow up together, they call the other's parent mom and dad, respectively, for years, the situation changes. Even thought they are not biologically related, they still have lived for years as a family, which in my eyes makes them real brothers, hence I see their affair as truly incestuous, which I admit disturbs me a lot. Furthermore, several details of their story becomes both unbelievable and weird (for instance how they interact with their parents, and how their affair is finally accepted, since this is the only way presumably for the couple to live together). Last but not least, I find their acting not en par with the first story (I may of course be biased by the story too).

So, mostly I watched only one part, fast-forwarding the other one. Perhaps due to my age, I am still to conservative for it.

Lire davantage

Not reccommend as there is trigger warning!

A roller coaster series! Indeed it is a history series. This kind of story might be cliche but I like this story.

This drama is disturbing but it is a great drama. It tells a story and lessons.

At first I don't like the story. Yongjie is so crazy and obssesive with his own brother. A brother will always be a brother. I know that they aren't blood related but still by law and papers they are brother. I do understand why the father had a hard time to accept it. It wasn't really easy. Understand the father/parent side. The crazy mother who tolerates his own son to be manipulative and rapist! What a trash! You let your son do that to your son! Are you really a mother? That was so disturbing and traumatic. Yongjie is a rapist. Rape is rape. It was not good that he did it. He does that to manipulate his own brother. That was not love. I don't know but I really don't like their story even Yongjie tells his reason why he love his own brother. There are two rapes happened here in the drama and both of that are not okay. Don't defend Yongjie for his trash attitude. He's a stalker too! Creepy man! Love shall not be forced. I know he really didn't force but he raped him. I do accept there relationship as love comes in different ways. Love is complicated. Even so there are other ways for you to be together. They started being together or having fling because of Yongjie raped him. What if it is not okay for Xing Si? Imagine how traumatic it will be! I like Yongjie character as he is brave and willing to do anything for love. But you know Yongjie are not the only man in this world who can fight his love for Xing Si. I feel like Xing Si deserve someone more.

I finished this drama because of Muren and Licheng. Muren had a hard time to accept it. I know it is bad to use someone's feeling. He is straight that suddenly like/love a boy ofcourse he will panic and want to prove it to himself that he is wrong. Accepting that you like the same sex with you isn't easy for everyone.

Licheng and Muren fighting who will be 1 and 0. Being in a Gay or Man to Man relationship is not always 1 and 0, it can be 1 and 1. I do hope that all of BL lovers out there will know the fact that BL are not like a heterosexual relationship that there should be a girl who are always the reciever and the boy who are the giver. BL/Gay/ Man to man relationship can be versatile.

HISTORY 3: MODC 2ND COUPLE HAD A CAMEO AND THEY GET MARRIED HERE!

Lire davantage

Face Hurts Now

Looking for sexual content? LOOK NO FURTHER! Looking for cute fluffiness? STOP HERE! Looking for everything that makes the HIStory series HIStory? WELCOME HOME!
For starters, WATCH MODC BEFORE COMING HERE! You can't truly appreciate this series until then(but you don't have too). Anyway, this isn't my favourite HIStory series but totally worth the watch! As a major BL fan it's no surprise I'm here and ecstatic about everything from beginning to ( definitely) the end. I gotta say I didn't think this was too cliché or tacky but obviously being a BL it's gonna give you some basic moments. Fortunately, not enough to over shadow the story. Visuals all around and I fan girl screamed so hard at so many parts my face hurts lol I wouldn't recommend to a BL newbie but make sure they have it on their plan to watch list.
Enjoy...

P.S. The only thing that could've made the ending better was ALL the MC's for HIStory...

Lire davantage