BenedictTan

Waiting to see ep 7-8 in full, but from what I have seen so far, it proved that patience is important. The new episodes this weekend are superb. And the teaser for ep 9-10 next Sunday is even better.

Things are getting better! Waiting for the full good quality version to post my thoughts later on.

Note (a bit of irony in my opinion):

I just realised it, but I honestly feel the whole debate we are having here over the two camps on each side, is just like how Muren and Licheng kept on debating between the two of them on who's '1' and '0', and they became really angry at each other at some point in the latest episodes. Isn't that what happened to some of us if we scroll through this past week's comments?

Really, we need to calm down and tone down all the debates and disagreements. We must be willing to agree to disagree. We can have our own opinions, but we should not allow these to set us against the other. Listen, communicate, and dialogue rather than being heated up and bitter over the things we disagree on.

Looking forward to ep 7 and ep 8 this Sunday to continue seeing how this HIStory series develops. This is still very early in the series, and as mentioned by several others, way too early to make any judgment on the whole story. We are focusing too much on just one part of the entire story, one that can be interpreted in thousands of ways unless we know the whole story better.

As highlighted, in the context and evidence provided by the previous episodes, to categorise what happened as rape or sexual assault is putting it too far. Thank you to some of you who have provided the evidence showed by verbal and non-verbal cues in the episode (the latest being the POV of Xingsi being shown during the scene). Kudos to Lesbians4KPOPBL for the excellent insight too, many of your points matched my own observations.

I am not saying that whatever Yongjie had done was 100% right. He was indeed manipulative and calculating in what he had done, and he had his reasons for doing that (listen to the conversation he had with Xingsi about how his love was a painful love, but one that he still continued because he really, really loved him). But we must give a chance for the producer to complete the story and show the entire perspective before making our judgment.

Each one of us have our own experiences and perceptions, and we should respect that, and I believe that all of us commenting here have our own take on this series, and again, we should respect that. But what we should not do is to condemn/attack/criticise the entire series and the entire characterisation before we know the whole story, the whole raison d'etre of why things happened as they were in the series.

Note: HIStory is a story, one that is developing, with twists and turns, and as some of us may notice, from HIStory 1, then HIStory 2, and HIStory3 and now 4, the depth of the storyline keeps on expanding, and the characterisation became more complex. Each one of them have their own strengths and weakness, this one included. 14 more episodes over the next few weeks to see how this latest addition to HIStory will make its mark among the rest.

Looking forward to ep 7 and 8 this Sunday!

Finally! Someone with similar viewpoint as me. You got all the same points I got too. Very well analysed and detailed, and is exactly what I thought of both XS and YJ too. Looking forward to their development in the upcoming seven more episodes!

Yes, that is why I believe we should give the producers the chance to show their whole product, by not jumping the gun and quick to come to conclusions this early in the show. After all there are also quite a few other series that were initially not well received, only to be seen in much better light and appreciated later on (especially once the whole story is out).

Let us all moderate our criticism and clashes shall we? To all of us, no matter what our opinion is/which side we are on, there is no ground/reason for confrontation or being mean towards each other. I believe this forum should be one of constructive discussion and feedback rather than negative comments and personal attacks/overt criticism.

And just want to point out the interesting contrast and comparison between the two pairs in the last episode (episode 6).

We have there one pair who was so openly flirting with each other, though faked at first (Muren and Licheng), pretty much disagreeing a lot on who is '1' and '0', and yet the love between them haven't bloomed yet. And on the other hand, the other pair (Xingsi and Yongjie) whom each had to hide their inclinations and attractions - the hotel scene is where they were actually able to confess to each other in private their feelings, and they settled in to their roles '1' and '0', no argument, disagreement or question asked.

(Note: this is purely fact, not wanting to argue whether the concept of '1' or '0' is correct/good)

And as I pointed out in another comment, Yongjie being the 'dominant' partner, has shown it through all of his efforts, saving up a lot, studying hard to be a doctor, all so that he could prove himself to his adoptive father (Xingsi's biological father) that he is a worthy partner to Xingsi (which is why he refused to change his surname too). While his approach may not be good (likely due to his past), we have to say that Yongjie has truly thought it all, and all these because he truly loved Xingsi (unfortunately of course, they happen to be stepbrothers - but again, hence not blood related).

Yongjie is an interesting character, but as we can see from the latest episode, his love for Xingsi, while maybe not the right way for him to show it (his possessiveness and all, his actions including the hotel one), but it does show how much he loves Xingsi, that he planned everything for years.

That he saved up so much to prove (maybe) that he can take care of his elder stepbrother, and studying hard to become a doctor so that he can be financially independent. (This is a minor point, but if you watched the latest episode - Yongjie is the dominant partner) so it kind of explains his efforts.

Most importantly, he wants to be trusted and accepted by the father (who is Xingsi's biological father and his adoptive father). Being a doctor in many East Asian cultures (and for us in Singapore) is often the ultimate career that one can have, both in financial terms and prestige.

This series isn't perfect, and it does have its share of shortcomings just as in any other BL series (even the best ones - and once again, which one is best is always subjective).

But in the portrayal of the characters, I prefer the stepbrothers one in this case, as they truly represent real people and real experiences. And yes, that is true of the younger stepbrother. His behaviour and attitudes towards others, and even his possessiveness, are all what some among us in the society have experienced as well. And no, they are not abnormal or creepy. They are just normal people who were often caught in unfortunate past experiences/circumstances.

Note: I also like the characters of Teng Muren and Licheng, as they add in that entertainment angle to a rather serious and complex relationship issue if the story is focused only on the stepbrothers. As we can see from the preview for next episode though, both of them will also encounter their own hurdles. Put your seatbelt up and enjoy the ride!

I believe you are referring to Fu Yongjie. I agree with the points that you listed, as I also noticed them all. Well, he is indeed very possessive of his stepbrother, but we'll see how his complex character develops. Who knows that part of the story development is to show how he gradually will change his attitude towards others while he explores his relationship with Xingsi.

From what I know, people who had a difficult youth/early years in life (which some here pointed out has happened to Yongjie, lost his dad, mother remarried and then was treated badly by the relatives) tend to be cold in terms of opening up to others or trusting people. I knew of some real people and friends who were like that. It took a lot of effort for them to change, and more often than not, they began to change when they met someone whom they love, and they learn how to love and trust again.

For this one, with 7 episodes to go, we should see how it develops from here on.

I am also most interested in seeing how the Ye Xingsi and Fu Yongjie developed their story from here. As you can see, this series is rightly titled HIStory, which is the story of each of the characters, and not just what is to come, but also what had happened before the story. There must be a reason for Yongjie's actions and possessiveness to Xingsi, and how his mother also came in all of these. And also Xingsi's backstory is also worth seeing (hope they will put it in flashbacks in the next episodes!).

Each HIStory has their own focus and unique identity, so let us see how HIStory 4 will show us its uniqueness. Let us not compare this one with any others, be it the ones we like or the ones we dislike.

Many people who left comment here seemed to judge the whole series too quickly after just 30% into the entire series. And yes, as all of us have watched so far, there were a lot of things covered in this current series, which may not be to the liking of some. To me personally, the storyline, especially the stepbrothers Ye Xingsi and Fu Yongjie represent the real life struggles of forbidden love between family members (but as noted, they are not blood related)

I fully support the cast for portraying the characters in the way they are, and the writers and producers for bravely touching on these controversial and difficult issues, to show that BL is really not just about fluff and unrealistic love (although History 4 also tries to incorporate the usual BL tropes as is obvious).

There are still many more episodes to go, and more shall be uncovered in due time. Once you have watched the entire series, you may even realise that these past 6 episodes, only the surface of the story have been explored. Let us support this series, and learn to look deeper between the lines and actions, and not be quick to judge or condemn just because of some parts that seem to be off/disgusting to us. There's a lot more to this story than meets the eye (means things are not as simple/straightforward as it seems to be).

(Spoiler - Example (among many others): Xingsi's choice of words in episode 3 (or episode 6) that he slept with his brother rather than he was raped, among others, showed that he did love his younger stepbrother, but could not yet find the courage to fully admit it - this is the same struggle many others are facing, even in normal love between men, restricted by societal norms and prejudices)