HIStory4: Close to You

Worth the view- with some sacrifices

After careful deliberation of what I wanted to say regarding this show, I've decided on what is fair and what isn't.

Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge that the acting and chemistry between each couple is amazing, particularly with Teng Muren and Li Cheng. Every actor gave a convincing performance, and somehow, Anson accomplished being the most stereotypically straight man alive and convinced me that he was in love with another man. I also adored that despite Teng Muren's tsundere tendencies, the character can still be sweet and loving in his own way.

That being said, I must address the elephant in the room.

S*xual Ass*ult:

Unfortunately, Yong Jie purposefully got Xing Si drunk and had sex with him. This is r*pe, no matter how you want to spin it. Though the characters outside the relationship make it clear that the act as immoral, the show still treats the couple as if this is a deserving relationship despite their weak attempts as also indicating the toxicity of it all.

There are two ways you can look at it. On one hand, this is just a show, and you aren't meant to think too much of it. This is a show targeted to a mature audience with the expectation that the audience is intelligent and mature enough to understand the immorality of the act. On the other hand, why would an audience member want to watch a show where a r*pist gets his happily ever after?

Storytelling wise, I felt, "Meh." This isn't a groundbreaking show by any means, but there are many fun and endearing moments that'll keep your interest. There is constant problem finding and solving, which means that the episodes don't feel pointless or empty. Some parts felt rushed or not explained well enough, but as I said, this isn't a masterpiece. I would've rated the story a 7, but I can't look passed the awful handling of the SA and also felt that the storytelling wasn't anything unique.

If you're someone that's able to look passed major character flaws or wants to watch simply for the other couple, then this show may be a fun watch. However, if you don't want to vote with your view (increasing the view count of a show with r*pe may indicate that this is desired television), then I'd suggest moving along.

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All the BL tropes

TRIGGER WARNING :RAPE

I just finished watching the series. I quite liked the series if I ignore the extremely problematic plot of one of the two couples. So let's start with the positives of the show.

Positives

The series was aesthetically pleasing. Be it the actors , locations or coustume designs , the series was extremely pretty. The acting and chemistry between the characters were pretty good. The highlight of the show indeed was Mu Ren and Li Cheng's relationship which was very sweet. Even though I would say Li Cheng's character sometimes come of as pretty agressive , it is a part of his charm. Most of the relationships in the series are potrayed rather well , be it the relationship between the trio , Li Cheng and Mei Feng's relationship or Ye Xing and his father's relationship. The OST also complimented the series well .

Negatives

Ye Xing and FuYong's relationship was huge turn off for me from start to end . It's high time writers realise romaticizing rape is not right. I remember watching Fu Yong's first scene and thinking , 'Is he gonna fall in love with his stalker'. Somehow they made it even worse. You cannot convince me he is a good character when he stalked his brother for years, raped him and physically assaulted his friend because he was close to his brother.. There is no way I can see them having a healthy relationship as brothers or lovers. I even hated his mother who knew what her son is planning and did nothing to stop him..like what kinda parent does that.

Funny thing when the other guy tried to rape Mu Ren , he was labelled a "villain " but it was considered love when Fu yong did even worse...

If I set aside the whole second love story, the show as fine. It had a lot of the usual BL tropes but it was enjoyable to a certain extend.

Before ending, I must compliment how pretty Anson Chen( Mu Ren) looked in the series... I rarely say this while reviewing something but everytime I saw him on screen I was thinking " He is as pretty as a flower"

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Enjoyable, if you ignore the stepbrother 'love'

I watched the drama instead of sleeping xD

After the second or third episode, I started to skip the stepbrother trope. That was the best decision, because I didn't have to watch this toxic and disgusting relationship. That's why i can only review Teng Muren and Li Cheng.

The actors had amazing chemistry, and even though their story was not the most complex or special, it was so adorable, romantic, funny and also sexy.
I am the type of person that cringes and gets secondhand embarassment easily.
But eventhough some scenes were cringe, the acting and vibe in general made it very enjoyable!

The top review criticizes this drama (and of course everything they said was true), but i recommend watching for the main leads!
They are too good to drop or skip the whole drama!!

another aspect, that deserves praise is the friendship between Teng Muren, Li Cheng and Xing Si. They were so adorable together and i really felt their affection and admiration for eachother! They seemed like real close friends!

All in all, the main couple showed nice chemistry and had a cute, easygoing story, that is worth watching!

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Meh. Don't Particulary Reccomend - CW/TW

This is my first time ever writing a review for any series I have watched.

And this has a big content warning / trigger warning before I delve into what I plan to say.

OVERALL: I enjoyed their acting, they are all very good actors. The plot line could have definitely handled grief, and some of these situations way better. And could have been written better. The characters I personally enjoyed were Li Cheng and Mei Fang. (Although a lot of of the characters did seem a bit problematic at times or just their actions made me not like them.)

So we have 3 main characters who are friends/roommates. (Li Cheng, Mu Ren, Xing Si)

I personally enjoyed their dynamic has friends, and how the series started out. And their interactions with each other. And I did like Li Cheng's character.

SO in the beginning before we find out who this character is, Xing Si is being stalked. Which adds a bit of intrigue. THEN you find out it is literally his step brother (Yong Jie) ! And Xing Si sort of brushes this off. Cause Yong Jie is just very possessive and jealous.

I also apologize if my review is not very cohesive/doesn't flow well. I'm trying my best to explain.

So Yong Jie is turning 20 (I wanna say Xing Si is like a decade older?) and wants his step brother to go to the beach with him, hang out, bond w.e BUTTTTTTTTTTT Yong Jie get's him drunk and rapes him. And says like "I'll kiss you when you're sober" or something along those lines. - He wakes up next day in the hotel room, realizes what happens, feels disgusted and goes home and tells his roommates what happens. But Yong Jie follows him home, kisses him in front of the roommates and so Xing Si slaps him across the face. And Yong Jie iterally says "whether you were willing or not, having you was my gift to myself for my twentieth birthday" (It's giving early 2000s manga where sexual assault turns into love and thats a major ick) consent is key baby.

Meanwhile the other story line is Li Cheng trying to flirt/date his childhood friend/new coworker Mei Fang. Which I personally enjoyed her character I thought she was funny, and honestly a good friend. So anyways Li Cheng pretends to be gay and interested in BL dramas so they can bond. But jokes on him he ends up falling for Mu Ren for real. (And ofc they get together but towards the end of the series there was some weird like random plot about stealing money from the company, and their creepy ex manager who had previously drugged and tried to rape Mu Ren is now back at the company. SO Mu Ren tries to get back at him for what he's doing and that felt kind of weird and out of character.)

ANYWAYS
back to Xing Si and Yong Jie. The mom knew about Yong Jie's plan this whole time. Which is fucked up. And like sure Yong Jie may be very honest and forthcoming but the mom should have said something to him.
So anyways, it is later revealed that Yong Jie RECORDED ALL THAT. (I was like fezco from euphoria voice: "you recorded that shit") I was like 🥴🥴🥴 And the mom was like kind fake shocked. The dad was disgusted because who wouldnt be if youre step son shows you a video of him raping some one.

But Xing Si does not stay mad for long, and ends up dating Yong Jie for real. And I wish the writers had delved into his feelings a bit more. Because this could have been like stockholm syndrome in a way, or just Xing Si feeling guilty for numerous things. Because a person's feelings on rape and being in that situation are very complicated.

And I do not think personally the mom, the dad, Xing Si or his friends should have been okay with it. (Though Li Cheng was calling him "little devil" for most of the series until the very very end (unless this was just a translation error in where I watched it.)


Anyways if you made it this far I rant to know one on tumblr lol and was just complaining about the show so if you want more spoilers with screencaps and quotes feel free https://mythtakxn.tumblr.com/post/800692181952282624/his-friends-are-both-like-wtf-and-like-the-step

I also found this blog post which explains a good summary: https://criesinfangirl.com/2023/06/30/rant-review-history-4-close-to-you/

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Love / hate relationship with this series

First and foremost, I am glad that I gave this series a watch even with all the negative reviews. Yes, I can see where people are coming from but there was enough to keep me intrigued and invested right up until the end.

Yong Je and Xing Si's relationship was just riddled with unlikable traits from the very beginning and I'm sorry to say but it never got any better for me. Even though the viewer is made to believe that all of the bad behaviour was in fact done "out of love and support," it was straight up ridiculous. And, despite insisting that he really did love Yong Je, I can't help but feel bad for Xing Si right up until the end. He was basically forced into this relationship and I never truly believed that, if he were allowed to make his own decisions without guilt, he would have kept family separate and found a new love. He was a great character who was given a sh*tty storyline.

The main couple, however, was the polar opposite. They were everything from start to finish. The actors played the roles really well and they were really the main reason I kept watching. Li Cheng's silliness had me laughing out loud more than once and there was a great balance of playfulness and sincerity to him. Teng Teng was simply amazing and it was hard to look anywhere else whenever he was on screen. Not just because of the eye candy, but he had great subtle nuances that added to every second of the scene. It's clear that the actors understood their roles and played them up effectively.

It was really hard to rate this because of the drastic contrasting feelings I had for the two main couples. That's the problem with shows that focus on more than one relationship... if one is really bad yet they get just as much screen time, it's hard to want to stick around for the other couple, even if they are pure gold. But on the other hand, their different situations created a balance within the show itself, which I guess was the main purpose. I just would have rather seen Xing Si get a better arc because he was great.

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Better to assume that there is only one couple

Hi there.
Being a fan of bl, I have watched quite a few and I have to say this is one of the best story in history series after trapped. But just like all the series, this series too has its flaws. Let me first talk about the good points

Setting:

Being an avid watcher of BL, I am kinda done with college and high school theme. So, this came as a very refreshing change. I loved how the setting was that of an office rather than high school or college. This makes the guys, adult and mature men and hence, you can pretty much understand that it is no hormone fuelled reckless rash romance but rather a mature love story which itself brings a very different feeling.

NO love at first sight:

God that pisses me off the most. No! NO! And NOO!! Love at first sight can't be so deep that you are ready to throw your life for the person. Once or twice, I get it, it can happen but it is like a trope in every BL. I am sick of it. You cannot see an emotional bond between the characters and you can't see the reason for the characters to be so invested in each other. BUT this series made a difference. They showed them to be frds for 5 years and sharing a deep frdship and emotional connection. So, you can understand the characters deep care and protectiveness for each other and you can truly feel their love that organically developed from the already existing deep emotional bond. So, when you see how the characters are prepared to throw their life or job for the other, or raise their voice against the authority, you can understand that it comes from the strong feelings they have for each other.

Confusion and denial:

This is something I feel is very necessary to be portrayed. I have seen in many of the thai bl, the guys quite readily accept the other guy's feelings but honestly, that doesn't seem real at all. Most of the time, this guys are even portrayed as straight character, so, I find it ridiculous that they don't even find it confusing that they are feeling something for someone of same gender. It is same as a guy who had known himself gay all his life and out of the blue he started to feel something for a girl. Isn't it obvious that the guy would be confused and not sure of what this developing feelings are? Many may take it in a negative connotation but I don't think it's negative, rather it gives a touch of realism to the story. I loved how both the main leads struggled to come in terms with their developing feelings for each other. In fact, that confusion makes their feeling seem more real. Here, one main lead was confused and another went into a denial mode as they couldn't immediately accept the change in their feelings. But soon the love they have for each other, help them overcome their confusion and denial and ultimately accept their feelings. I really loved how it was portrayed

Acting:

This deserves a solid 10/10. All the actors were really very good actors. They did a great job. They were so natural, there was no awkwardness or unnecessary silence or hot stares, but they had natural conversation, playful moment, even during the time when they were still coming to terms with their feeling and won't interact, it did not feel like 'well they didn't exactly talk to each other much anyway' but rather felt like 'damn what is wrong with them, why won't they talk it out' which goes to show how amazing their acting was and how natural their frdship and conversations was portrayed by the actors. Not only the main leads conversation with each other but also with other characters felt real and not forced or weird. I really LOVED their acting. Even the antagonist characters made you hate them and give you a foreboding everytime they came on screen. Some of the minor characters, did not acted well enough but I forgave it. They were anyway not a very impactful characters.

The music was really very heart touching and I loved how the characters developed with the story's progression.

Even with all the above positives there were some real issues with the story. I said story but not the actors. They really did a great job.

1) Incestuous relationship and drunk sex

Okay, I know the second couple was not blood related but I cannot help but feel very creeped out with the relationship they portrayed. I hated how the younger brother was SO possessive and stalked the older brother. Without even confirming his older brother's feeling, he pretty much forced him to it. Getting him drunk, sleep with him where the older brother's consent is dubious and making video of it...I am sorry but all this acts were criminal. I absolutely abhorred the younger brother's actions and wanted his older brother to punch some senses into him as well as put him into some therapy as none of his actions seem to be from a stable mind.

2) Incomplete storylines

The fact about transfer of that awful VP after being complained by Li cheng was only communicated through other minor characters and felt very incomplete. Another was during the end of the series where too the plot line of Li Cheng being accused of embezzlement and how he cleared himself of all charges and how Muren got the VP trapped was all communicated through minor characters. The conclusion of the consequence was never shown even the antagonist evaporated into thin air. It gave a feeling of incompleteness. I wish they had completed the whole storyline or at least shown it in some subtle manner rather than having been communicated through gossiping office girls.

3) Not all guys just you

This is a little overused. Okay I do understand there are other sexualities in the world and sometimes they do not restrain to any gender but this is really a bad way to portray it. I know am being a little nit picky but I can't help it. I would have liked it if Licheng or Muren had admited to being bi rather than saying it is specifically that person who they feel it for. It is fine if it is once or twice, but it is used in every BL I have watched. It doesn't make the story BL anymore but rather demi sexuality. Hence, I would like to see a story with characters being gay and have been falling for guys and not just "it is just him" thingy!!

Pretty much that's all the issues I had with the story but otherwise, I loved the main couple...I wish to see them in some other series again!! Loved their acting and their frdship.

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a lot of grey

There has been a lot of negativity about some topics in this drama, and I get it. it should definitely have trigger warnings.
But to me, it’s one of my favorites of the HIStory series.

You know the meme of ‘the ghost in my room’ (if you don’t, look it up’, I screamed like that, a lot. I laughed so hard at times, and the spice was just the right amount, thanks to the excellent chemistry.

But most of all, a thanks to the writer and director. The disappointing ending of HIStory 3 (Make our days count), had left a big scar. the final episode of this one, was to me, a form of atonement maybe? A consolation price perhaps, for the 2nd couple of H3. It healed me, a little bit .. :)

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The bad taints the good a little too much in this series

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.

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(So) Worth Watching to Make Your Own Opinion

Despite being super excited for HIStory to be back, I put off watching it this whole time because of the reviews. In the end, it’s HIStory and I wasn’t not going to watch it. I can’t believe I nearly missed out on Mu Ren and Li Cheng. They are ridiculously adorable. The acting is top notch, the soundtrack is really nice and not too invasive, there genuinely isn’t a boring moment. Even the parents are really enjoyable. Overall, I loved it. About halfway through I found myself thinking that it was all a bit predictable, but about tropes that I personally enjoy and was happy to see so I didn’t actually mind, but then they kept surprising me which was so nice.

However, I understand why the reviews are so divided. I hate the stepbrother trope so already this was off to a rough start. It was certainly frustrating watching Yong Jie and Xing Si and think “ah, they’re probably gonna end up together despite everything.” But Yong Jie is a complex character. He’s surprisingly honest and straightforward which caught me off guard every time. God, he’s a proper little psycho, though… It’s weird because on the one hand they talk about consent all the time; everyone’s very open about the fact that what Yong Jie did is messed up. And it’s not swept under the rug, it’s brought up for a long time! On the other hand, they pair him up with Xing Si who’s insanely sweet and too forgiving so it sort of works? Sort of. It’s a bit of a stretch. Let’s say it’s not totally unbelievable, partly because the other characters felt the same way I did. But they won me over, somehow. I think I was taken by the fact that Yong Jie is clearly troubled in some way (I felt like I was watching someone with Asperger's but we don't need to try and diagnose a fictional character) and Xing Si’s the one person who’s always stuck around to defend him and tried to understand him. It’s honestly clear that they carefully made sure not to leave anything unsaid. I loved that every time I thought “but what about this?”, someone eventually brought it up and it was well explained. Honestly, I’m impressed. Do I think they should have scrapped that problematic aspect anyway? Well yeah… Is it as bad as I feared it was gonna be? Initially the creep factor is high, but the more Yong Jie chills out, the more you just want Xing Si to be happy. I have a major soft spot for him, he's such a cutie.

Two things even them winning me over hasn't made me forget: the fact that the mom knew what Yong Jie was planning and Yong Jie showing the video. Excuse me? What the heck was that about...

Anyway, Mu Ren and Li Cheng for the win. They're actually perfect.

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Fun series, good acting, main couple is fun to watch.

Was a good series with the plotline but the only thing I was not to happy with was the brothers relationship, this was uncomfortable to watch and so was the r*pe scene. This was just not good for a 2021 series and writers should have progressed from this.

It still makes another good HIStory series installment but one of the weaker ones. The plot could have been better if there were more events but it was still a fun watch. I hope there are more HIStory series in the future. Both leads were fun to watch and there was some comedy and one spicy scene which were acted really well. The music was not memorable, it was pretty average.

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What year is it?

Hmmm, this distinctly reminds me of early 2000s yaoi. ESPECIALLY the brothers. And not in a good way lol.
Toxic, messy, dubious to no consent between leads, antagonists that just keep trying to rape people for some reason. Wild.
That being said it was kind of entertaining lol.

I actually liked the main couple, it’s really the brothers that I didn’t care for much. Li Cheng is a total himbo, what a king. Numerous occasions I was like, “damn you’re dumb, but in a good way” lol. His dynamic with Mu Ren is pretty solid. Himbo x ice king pairing. They’ve got great chemistry and overall their relationship was fairly healthy other than a couple slightly heated arguments.

Now the brothers…. Is the plot kind of interesting? Yes. Should Xing Si probably press charges? Yes. His brother literally got him wasted so he could assault him. Plus the stalking and beating up his friends? Holy shit dude, sociopath behavior. You need counseling.

Quick question, at the beginning of the show, Mei Fang mentions MODC (the show), but then the MODC characters exist in the canon of this universe…. Someone please explain how that makes any sense loooool.

Anyway, would I recommend? Honestly I don’t know, I wasn’t particularly offended by it. Chemistry is solid. If you’re fine with a little mess?

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