BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“Romance is the icing, but love is the cake.” – Cute & Funny Quotes
This BL series is composed of two different stories of four episodes each. The first one is called ‘Crossing the Line’. It is aptly named as it is a story between two stepbrothers having feelings for each other and a relationship between a want-to-be volleyball player and his mentor coach who is totally focused on volleyball. The two brothers are Zhen Wen Wang (Meng Lin Yang) and Zhen Wu Wang (Po Yu Shih). There is such chemistry between these two and a noticeable discomfort that they both share when they are together. Sometimes it was subtle while at other times it was overt. You can easily see and feel that something more is going on here than any type of normal brotherly conflict. Their relationship does have its dips and turns but the beauty of these two is that they solve their difficulties by talking to each other and not by the usual withdrawing and not saying anything. I found this to be quite refreshing and a good twist rather than belaboring misunderstandings to the point that feelings are hurt. Perhaps because they know each other so well is the reason they are able to honestly and effectively begin to communicate with each other. I can only image the difficulty of falling in love with your ‘brother’. This is handled with great sensitivity and thoughtfulness.
The other relationship is between the level-headed volleyball trainer, Qui Zi Xuan (Yan Ze Lu) and a smart-mouthed, arrogant, ill-tempered guy named Hsia Yu Hao (Shao Hsun Fan) who is literally forced into the volleyball team. Of course, he is going to be renitent but, as in real life, the more time you spend with someone, the more you get to like them. Zi Xuan has a knee injury which has ended his volleyball career and now devotes his time to teaching the sport. Yu Hao begins to learn valuable lessons from him and gets to know him and develops significant romantic feelings for him. While reciprocity of feelings are not at the same level, they are there, and the story takes it in fun and amusing ways that makes this series enjoyable to watch. There is an unexpected and quite beautiful kissing scene between the two of them that happens betwixt the volleyball net that is wonderfully done. (I know. I know. It is a bit one sided but honestly, it was still sublime).
This story is just plain fun and entertaining. It is likable, perhaps not very deep in emotional impact but a very good story. While the relationship story between the stepbrothers is simple and may be not as impactful as the other one, it was for me the more charming of the two. Because in that one, the conflict was not over the top or too intense. It was the display of basic feelings that led them to talk it out. I found that to be a nice change of pace and one where I think a lot of issues can be resolved more quickly when there is a recognition that ‘something’ is wrong and to find the need and time to talk it through. The other relationship, since they were not all that familiar with each other, have deeper emotions to get through and it will require more time to resolve, especially when one of them is so intensely focused on the sport of volleyball. This in reality is his first love.
The supporting roles in this series are all quite good. There is incredibly good eye candy here for all those guys are so cute and adorable and look pretty good in their volleyball shorts.
The major drawback to this story is the lack of character development of the major players. I get tired and annoyed when only the last few minutes in the series does one of them succumbs to his own feelings for the other while they rest of us have known how he felt from early on. I understand the need to focus on volleyball but seriously, not focusing on other things seems like a waste of getting a point across. Are you telling me that one cannot walk and chew gum at the same time? Honestly. Give us a bit more romance between these two. Let us finally see some intensity in their new-found relationship, not just a musical overlay and a fade to oblivion.
The second story is ‘Right or Wrong’. This is by far, the best of the ‘HIStory’ series. It is a stunningly superb series told in soft, even tones and with such great care and compassion that I did not want it to end. While this is a complex story, it is told through more intellectual reasoning to stabilize the emotional misgivings. A rather brilliant way to storytelling. It is a story about a divorced dad, named Shi Yi Jie (Chang Hui Jiang) who is a professor of Anthropology. He is raising a little girl, named Shi Ke-you (Ye Yi-en) who is initially quite precocious but cute as all get out. By the way, she steals the scenes when she is present. She is just so adorable.
He is an absentee dad who hires one of his students, Fei-Sheng Zhe (Hang Zhang) to be his daughter’s nanny. He is so gifted in dealing with the little girl and in cooking and taking care of the household, that Shi Yi Jie becomes enamored with him. Obviously, the little girl is totally taken in by him as well. Fei-Sheng also grows closer to the professor and begins to fall in love with him.
It is a charming and very poignant story of a relationship between a younger guy and an ‘older’ man. (Not really). There are some great scenes between the father, daughter, and Fei-Sheng but the one most notable is when Fei-Sheng is in a production and invites Shi Yi and the little girl to observe the filming. He, of course, is needing to kiss his female friend in this student movie that are shooting together but before their lips meet, the father reflexively yells out “Cut” so their lips never quite touch. He naturally is embarrassed and reasons that he did not want his daughter to see such a scene. Quite funny and quite telling (perhaps jealous or envy)?
Fei-Sheng knows he is gay and so does the professor. At first, he does not recognize that Fei-Sheng is the young high school student who he rescued from being sexually abused a while ago because he was just dumped by someone who he thought liked him. (Note here that there is a stunningly beautiful scene referencing the advice and action the professor gave him years ago that involve condoms. It will indeed put a smile on your face and is a brilliant scene in its simplicity). Later, the professor does remember and knows that Fei-Sheng has a history of feeling worthless and panicky about developing a relationship with another male, let alone with a professor.
There is an extraordinarily moving scene when Shi Yi goes to Fei-Sheng’s mother to ask for permission to court and date her son. I was startled at this grand gesture and very profoundly moved that such an overture would be made to his mother. It was quite beautiful and funny with the mother being the typical mother (you will understand when you see the scene). Things do take a twist though. When Shi Yi’s divorced wife tries to re-enter the picture again, Fei-Sheng’s insecurities get the better of him. But he gets some very valuable advice from his friend, Ye Wen-ling, (Shelby Su). She says to him. “He (Shi Yi) wants to drag you into the sunlight to walk together. So, you should not drag him into a dark corner to hide”. This is a very beautiful and stunning summary of what it is like to come out of the closet, learn to embrace who you are, but then having it come crashing down when certain realities of culture, customs or social norms hit you.
Kudos for the screenwriter for this most beautiful expression and for being able to capture what in a gay relationship honestly feels like at times. You will need to watch the series to see how this all plays out. I smiled and I think you will too.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? There are so many especially poignant acting moments in this series, especially in “Right or Wrong’. Perhaps I have a soft spot in my heart for children who can act especially with such intensity. And Yi Ye-in as Ke-you has it all. She brings life to her father and literally helps him see, Fei-Sheng Zhe as part of the family. All of it felt so real and genuine.
This is one of my most favorite BL series. It is that good. It is exceptionally well-acted with a great story line that moves along with such force but never seems forced. It is just there and grows slowly before our eyes. You can see the intensity of feelings develop and how it changes the other persons involved. There is also such great chemistry between the actors with the kissing and love making, neither feeling constrained nor rehearsed. They seem natural and were displayed with tenderness and in a real sense, a feeling of love. I believed them completely. I just loved this series, and it should be watched and commended. Well done!
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