Hello everyone. So just like on my last HIStory review, I’m going to start off with a brief summary about what HIStory is. For any of you not familiar with the HIStory series, it is a series created by Choco TV from Taiwan who I think is now going by Choco Media Entertainment. Every story is an LGBTQ story with the focus being BL. They are currently on the third season.
Each season contains two to three different shows. The first season has three different series of four episodes each. The second season contains two different series of eight episodes each. And this third season will have three different series with twenty episodes each. It’s actually ten episodes, but for whatever reason they chose to cut each episode into two parts and number them 1 to 20.
The final series of this season is supposed to be a continuation of Crossing The Line from season 2. But we still have no word on when or if that one is even going to air.
Anyway. This is the second series out of season 3 and welp…I’m warning you now.
Yup. If you’re a crier, you better get those tissues ready.
Make Our Days Count tells the story of a group of high school boys and how they navigate life, love, friendship, and plans for their future. The focus is on two main couples but we get glimpses of their friends and how they handle certain things as well.
I waited to binge watch this series and I’m so glad I did because waiting for the weekly releases would have been torture. So let’s meet the main cast!
On the left, in order, we have Xiang Hao Ting and Yu Xi Gu, both in their final year of high school. Xiang Hao Ting is a loud and playful guy that frequently gets into trouble and doesn’t really care about school. Yu Xi Gu is the polar opposite. He is a book worm without friends and studies hard so that he can get into a national university as well as recieve scholarships for his high school studies.
Xiang Hao Ting comes from a fairly well-off family, so he never has to worry about financial burdens. Yu Xi Gu on the other hand, has no parents and he works hard as a way to ease the financial burden of his aunt who fosters him but is not involved in his life.
The other two are Sun Bo and Lu Zhi Gang. Sun Bo is Xiang Hao Ting’s closest friend out of his friend group and works part-time at his cousin’s gym. He’s loud, rash, and super emotional. But he is also passionate and loyal and goes after exactly whatever and whoever he wants.
Lu Zhi Gang is an older 20-something guy who owns a cafe and works out at the gym that Sun Bo is a part-timer at. He has a difficult past when it comes to both familial and romantic relationships, so he is very apprehensive about Sun Bo’s advances for fear of being hurt again.
Writing
I think the writing for this series was good for the most part. Nothing seemed really out of place and if ever there was anything that I found silly or corny, I just remembered that these guys are portrying high school students. Young kids do and say silly things.
I enjoyed this series because even though some difficult topics were explored, I spent a lot of time laughing at the episodes. There was comedy, there was fluffiness, and there were sexy times in addition to more serious matters and I liked that balance.
The message the series was trying to send was evident and I understood it, even though I do not like how this series ended. Live your life for today, love if you love, laugh when things are funny, cherish the times and people that are important to you, and make every single day count. This is an important message, and I think many people forget this in their day to day lives, including me.
While I enjoyed the story and the message, I think the ending needed more work. It was way too abrupt and I feel like I did not have any closure for what happened with the characters. I was left with questions about many things due to the enormous time jump between the last two episodes.
It almost feels like there was definitely more written in the story, but possibly due to time constraints or budget, things had to get cut short and skipped to the end. I even questioned whether or not I missed an episode because the ending of episode 9 and the start of episode 10 are far too drastic. Overall, I am left feeling unsatisfied and wanting more; which is a shame because other than that, I seriously enjoyed the series.
Acting
The acting was A-1. I think each actor portrayed their characters and the emotions that they carry very well. The standout actor of the series was most definitely Song Wei In who played Xiang Hao Ting. Simply put: the man can act. He can be the annoyingly playful high school kid that gets into trouble; he can be the big bully; he can be the hormonal teenager that can’t stop thinking about sex. But he can also be a man in love and a man who grieves. I believed him. And that, my friends, is good acting.
Every other character played their roles perfectly to me. If I didn’t like a character, it had nothing to do with how the actor was acting, it was simply because I didn’t like that character in the overall story. Good job everyone.
Characters
There were a lot of characters in this series. I personally feel it was too many because there were a few that just sort of fell out of the series without much explanation. There was a man that clearly liked Lu Zhi Gang but this was never explored. Xiang Hao Ting’s ex-girlfriend and her friends pretty much fell off the face of the earth after a scam gone wrong and didn’t make another appearance until the last episode, 6 years in the future.
There is also a guy that drifted in and out of Xiang Hao Ting’s friend group. Sometimes he was there as if he had been there the whole time, other times he was nowhere to be found. Because of this, I always find it best to just cut down on the characters. Especially if they don’t add anything to the story anyway.
Xiang Hao Ting’s friends, although they could be over the top and annoying at times, they were loyal friends and I enjoyed them for the most part. I like how they accepted Sun Bo and Xiang Hao Ting after they revealed they liked boys. They even went out of their way to try and “research” what it’s like for a boy to like another boy by renting boyslove manga books lmaoooo.
Overall, they were loyal friends. And despite the issues they had with Yu Xi Gu in the beginning, they quickly accepted him into their little friend group after he and Xiang Hao Ting became an offical item.
The twins were super hard to tell apart though. Majority of the time I had no idea who I was even looking at lol. one of the twins seemed to secretly like Yu Xi Gu due to the way he would gaze at him, but then it would switch and he seemed to just really want the attention of Xiang Hao Ting. It was actually pretty confusing and was never explored so I ended up just forgetting about it and focusing on the main couple.
The other characters were Xiang Hao Ting’s family. His father was the typical overbearing, demanding father who never accepted Xiang Hao Ting’s gay relationship. The mom was kinda funny and the sister played the perfect little sister. I liked her and how she supported and helped Xiang Hao Ting no matter what.
Lastly, there was an appearance of a character from season 1! Cheng Qing, the super star from Stay Away From Me happened to be the cousin (nephew?) of Lu Zhi Gang and made a couple guest appearances in the episodes. It was nice to see a familiar face, especially his as Stay Away From Me was my favorite series from season 1.
Plot/Story
I’ve touched on this a little already and I liked the story despite my feelings about the ending. The message was a good reminder although the story felt like it was cut short and suddenly had to end for reasons unknown.
Overall Thoughts
*sighhh* This is a complicated one. I seriously enjoyed this series. I really did and would recommend it for others to watch. Even now, I can’t stop myself from thinking about it. The inner hopeless romantic in me wants to experience the love story of Xiang Hao Ting and Yu Xi Gu again and again. But I know that my heart can’t take it and I can’t help but feel unsatisfied and even a little bitter towards the writer for choosing the route she did. I don’t think it was for shock value at all. I truly believe there was more to the story but it had to get cut for whatever reason. And if there wasn’t more to the story, well…that’s really just a shame. Either way, use your own judgement and watch if you want to. It’s not the first time I’ve fallen in love with a sad story.
Watch with subs: https://www.viki.com/tv/36748c-history-3-make-our-days-count
Final rating:
13 Comments
How To Get Your Ex Back After A Breakup
I don’t like this drama.
First of all, I don’t like how a girl was dragged into this mess from the start. Why couldn’t he be gay or single from the beginning.
Second thing was how he dumped his girlfriend looong after he was pursuing the other guy to be his man. Did he forget he was mad at his girlfriend for liking the same dude first? Yes, let’s just gloss over that little fact because it is a bl drama.
Third thing was how he couldn’t even be bothered for five seconds to let his girlfriend (now ex) cry on his shoulder. He was so could towards her. And I’m like, “Dude, you do know you are the one who is making the girl cry right?”
And have so many other issues, but we going be here all day if I have to list them out one by one.
Anais Naiim
I also wish he had been gay or single from the beginning. The girl’s character felt completely pointless. While I do agree he was way too cold towards her during the break up scene, it was also hard for me to feel sorry for her because she was such an annoyance from the very beginning. I personally feel like she only wanted him for status and he only wanted her for sex, which is why when he was talking to Bao, he said when he’s with her, he thinks of her body and his “mushroom” grows. Neither are good, in my opinion. But then Haoting goes on to say that when he thinks of Yu Shigu, his heart beats fast and he thinks of all the random things like his bone structure and his eyelashes and blah blah blah. One is clearly lust, the other is more pure.
He most definitely should have broken up with the girl when he stopped being content with her. It shouldn’t take falling for someone else to break up with someone. It should have already been done. But one thing I have noticed in Asian dramas in general is that guys will stay with a girl simply because they feel they would be ruining her image by ending things and that as a man, it’s their job to keep them happy even when they aren’t. I hate this thought process but I’ve seen it happen on multiple occassions. While watching, I had assumed that this was why Haoting kept reconciling with the girl even though he clearly did not want to and it was evident that she was getting on his nerves.
Homegirl was messing with Xiang Haoting, and if he actually had been in love with her, he would have been very hurt by what she did. This entire series actually wouldn’t have even happened if it weren’t for her and her petty shenanigans so I guess her character wasn’t completely pointless lol.
I didn’t care about the girl and I didn’t even believe that she actually liked him until she started crying. But by then it was too late for me.
Overall, I think the series was enjoyable to watch. The ending sucked but I was pleased up until then.
Erin
Hi! I was wondering about the final episode, Episode 10. Yu Xi Gu appears in it meeting Xiang Hao ting but that’s after the accident and all that? I’m confused did he lose his life in that accident and Xiang Hao Ting is just hallucinating or did Yu Xi Gu lose his memory?
Because if he lost his memory, dang Xiang Hao Ting’s stoopid…. like yes there’s never more than 10 episodes in the HiStory series but.. dude he could’ve literally just still like tried helping Yu Xi Gu remember or continue their lives together even though it’d be a hard time ;^; well but of course like you said the writer though ended it there for a reason. Criii…
Well I loved this series and honestly him having a Girlfriend in the start didn’t really move me that much, sure it would’ve been a whole different story if she wasn’t there but honestly her being there made a tini-tiny difference for this storyline 🙂 ‘
I’ve watched all the HiStory series and I can recommend it to everyone that love watching Drama-Conflict-Love BL. but prepare your tissuebox…..
Anais Naiim
I also found that part a bit confusing. But the “new Xi Gu” was not actually him. It was someone else that looked exactly like him. We only figure that out because later on when Xiang Hao Ting is talking to his friend, his friend asks him if Hao Ting is starting to like him (the guy that looks like Xi Gu) and if he can see himself with him but Hao Ting responds by saying that even though he looks like him, he is not really him and never will be. I had to watch a few different translations for this to truly understand.
But I also really loved this series! HIStory really has great shows and I recommend them a lot!
Michaela Heimlich
It was not Yu Xi Gu, but some completly different character, only looking like Yu Xi Gu, he met him while mountain climbing, because he wants to climb high to the stars to meet his real Yu Xi Gu. The story follows the novel very good, only in the novel there was no fictional girl there, like in the series (where I think she also doesn’t exists, it is only for his parents, that they think he lives normal life, her name is also “phoebe” is from astronomy) and at the end, there is alternate second happy ending.
Anais Naiim
Is the alternate ending only in the novel? If so, is there a translation available for international fans? I have seen other people online mention the alternate ending but I can’t find it anywhere.
jonichie
Hmmm it seems this will have Season 2. Titled: Remember Our Days (10 years after the accident)
As Hou Ting was on deep shock due to Shi Gu’s accident, the later was rushed to the hospital while Hou Ting was left on that intersection mumbling Shi Gu’s name while crying. At the hospital, Shi Gu’s aunt arrived with Hao Ting’s parents. They learned from the Doctor that Sh Gu’s have suffered an amnesia. They devised a plan to make it appear that Shi Gu have died and he’s aunt decided for him to be cremated immediately.
Remember that Hao Ting found a friend that strongly resembles Shi Gu. It is actually Shi Gu. Hou Ting will only found out after he came back from US…. But Shi Gu Cant remember him and is about to get married.
Anais Naiim
Really?? How do you know this?? I haven’t seen anything about this online but I would be interested in reading about it
Azalea
Please tell me this is real. ive been literally crying because of this show for the best 20mins. how do u know this?
Subha
If there is a mistake in my English, I apologize first.
The remorse I felt watching this story made me write the first comment on a story in my life.
The designer can present anything. It builds a story.
But I’m not looking at a story to experience different creations. We experience loneliness, pain, fatigue, sadness, worries, frustrations, persecution in our real life. We get tired of them. I watch stories to get rid of that mentality.
And for my purpose, I always take care to make sure that a story has a happy ending before watching it.
But I missed a moment to find out if this story had a happy ending.
Dear Director,
By watching the last part of this story, the joy that had been in my heart for several hours suddenly turned you into a tsunami. At that moment I was shocked, confused, hurt, saddened and frustrated by that omission. I blamed myself. I lost my restful sleep by looking at this without looking any further. Most of the time I tried to comfort myself “This is a fabricated story, this is a fabricated story, this is a fabricated story, don’t think so much”. Did you fail to end the miserable end you hoped for without killing him? Did you hate him enough to kill him? why is that?
Why do I watch stories? Forget the things of life for a few hours and make your mind relaxed and happy.
Before I watch a story from today I thought hard to find out if its ending is a happy contributor.
Because, in this oppressive world, I need to fill my mind with happiness for a few hours or so.
Anais Naiim
I understand your feelings completely. The ending of this series was very hard for me to accept as well. I loved everything about it…up until the end which is why I have such conflicting feelings towards the show.
I hope you continue to find and watch things that you enjoy and that leave your heart happy.
K Pachie
Yup! I agree too! I felt so unsatisfied with the ending. My tears cant stop falling. Why can’t they just give them a happy ending? I felt so confuse at the episode 10 and I had to rewatch it again to understand. Damn! It really breaks my heart! I feel so sorry for XHT at the ending and also sad because of YSG forgotten memories. But one things for sure, they really captured my heart through their acting that it hurts so much!
And
Is there really going to be a second season????? I need one I really need it.