HIStory (web series)
HIStory (pronounced "his story") is a Taiwanese web drama anthology series created by Chang Ting-fei for the online streaming service Line TV. Each season presents stand-alone stories with different plots and main characters focusing on the theme of boys' love, also known as BL. The first season premiered on February 14, 2017.
| HIStory | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Teen drama BL |
| Created by | Chang Ting-fei |
| Written by | Yang Yi-hua Lin Pei-yu |
| Directed by | Tang Yi Tsai Mi-chieh Adiamond Lee Li Qing-rong |
| Country of origin | Taiwan |
| Original language(s) | Mandarin |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 68 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Chang Ting-fei Lin Mu-jung |
| Producer(s) | Rex Chang |
| Running time | 20 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Choco Media |
| Release | |
| Original network | Choco TV Line TV |
| Original release | February 14, 2017 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The series has accumulated a large international following and is well-received by critics. In Taiwan, the series hit 3.5 million views after the first three months of release,[1] and 16.5 million views by the end of the second season.[2] HIStory is the first Taiwanese web drama to air on Japanese television, with the first season premiering on Japan's Nippon TV on July 31, 2017.[1] On July 2, 2018, the series had its primetime television debut in Taiwan through CTS, airing the first two seasons back-to-back throughout the month.[2] Season two's Crossing the Line received critical acclaim for its characterization, directing, and acting, earning a Golden Bell nomination for Best Miniseries.[3] Its film sequel, Crossing the Line 2 (跨界) was announced on August 17, 2018.[4]
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 12 | February 14, 2017 | March 3, 2017 | ||
| 2 | 16 | January 30, 2018 | March 28, 2018 | ||
| 3 | 40 | April 16, 2019 | December 18, 2019 | ||
Season 1 (2017)
| Miniseries | Episode count | First Aired | Last Aired | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Hero | 4 | February 14, 2017 | February 17, 2017 | Tang Yi | Yang Yi-hua | Rex Chang |
| Stay Away from Me (離我遠一點) | 4 | February 21, 2017 | February 24, 2017 | Tsai Mi-chieh | ||
| Obsessed (著魔) | 4 | February 28, 2017 | March 3, 2017 | Adiamond Lee | Lin Pei-yu |
My Hero
During a mission to collect the soul of college student Gu Si-ren, whose time on earth is dwindling, grim reaper Bai Chang-chang accidentally captures Lan Xi's soul instead, killing her. To avoid punishment by the gods, Bai Chang-chang tries to find a way to help Lan Xi return to Earth, but her body is cremated, rendering her unable to return to her original body. In a rage, Lan Hsi's soul takes over Gu Si-ren's body. She uses this opportunity to try to get back with her boyfriend Mai Ying-xiong (Hero), but she only has seven days for her boyfriend to fall in love with her new body. Otherwise her soul, and Gu Si-ren, will die.
- Cast
- Aaron Lai as Mai Ying-xiong ("Hero"), Lan Xi's boyfriend
- Chiang Yun-lin as Gu Si-ren, an unlucky lonely boy who has a crush on Hero
- Patricia Lin as Lan Xi, whose soul takes over Gu Si-ren's body
- Da-her Lin as Bai Chang-chang, the grim reaper
- Cason Mian as Ya Qin, Hero and Si-ren's roommate
Stay Away from Me (離我遠一點)
When their parents get married and leave for a long honeymoon, superstar Cheng Qing moves in with his new stepbrother Feng He. With Cheng Qing on the brink of failing out of college, their parents entrust Feng He to tutor him. Meng Meng, Feng He's fujoshi best friend, starts dreaming of the perfect BL fanfic and tries to push the two together, but will Feng He be able to stay away from his brother?
- Cast
- Duke Wu as Cheng Qing, a popular idol who tries to balance work life and school
- Edison Song as Feng He, Cheng Qing's older step brother and love interest
- Chiao Man-ting as Meng Meng, Feng Ho's best friend who ships Cheng Qing and Feng He together
- Wang Ying-ying as Feng He's mother
Obsessed (著魔)
Shao Yi-chen, a man who dies in an accident following a scuffle with his ex-boyfriend Jiang Jin-teng, is reborn and sent back 9 years. To save his future self, he avoids Jin-teng and his feelings for him. Yi-chen proceeds to destroy his diary, where he writes about his longtime feelings for him. Jin-teng discovers a few pages, and develops a growing curiosity about Yi-chen which he can't explain. Yi-chen himself realizes that he can't resist Jin-teng, no matter how many times he tries to not fall for him again.
- Cast
- Bernard Ho as Chiang Jin-teng, a law student who was Shao Yi-chen's lover in his previous life. After discovering a few pages from Yi-chen's diary, he grows curious of him and feigns amnesia to get closer to him
- Teddy Jen as Shao Yi-chen, who is reborn and sent back 9 years. He is determined to start a new life, but finds it difficult to avoid Jin-teng, whom he still loves
- Chen Yi as Cai Yi-jun, Jin-teng's childhood friend who has a crush on him
- Charles Lee as Lei Zhong-jun, Jin-teng's childhood friend
- Johnson Chiang as Li Mo-bai, Yi-chen's best friend who becomes Zhong-jun's lover
- Jerry Wu as Zhe Gang, Jin-teng's friend
- Wang Ying-ying as Yi-chen's mother
Season 2 (2018)
| Miniseries | Episode count | First Aired | Last Aired | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right or Wrong (是非) | 8 | January 30, 2018 | February 21, 2018 | Li Qing-rong | Lin Pei-yu | Rex Chang |
| Crossing the Line (越界) | 8 | March 6, 2018 | March 28, 2018 | Tsai Mi-chieh |
Right or Wrong (是非)
Shi Yi-jie, an associate professor of the anthropology department, is a divorced father with a 6-year-old daughter. Upon chance, he hires college student Fei Sheng-zhe ("Xiao Fei") to be his daughter's babysitter. After years of having dysfunctional work hours and inconsistent meals, Xiao Fei's presence at home brings huge changes to Yi-jie's life, and he falls in love. But the family of three's lives gets disrupted when Yi-jie's ex-wife comes back into his life, in hopes to rekindle their failed marriage. Right or Wrong accumulated 4.25 million views during its run.[5]
- Cast
- Steven Chiang as Shi Yi-jie, 31-year-old associate professor of the anthropology department
- Hunt Chang as Fei Sheng-zhe ("Xiao Fei"), 19-year-old college student who is hired by Yi-jie to be his daughter's nanny
- Ye Yi-en as Shi Ke-you ("You You"), Yi-jie's 7-year-old daughter
- Shelby Su as Ye Wen-ling ("Ye Zi"), Xiao Fei's close friend
- Lia Kang as Zhou Xin-ru, Yi-jie's ex-wife and You You's mother
- Chu Meng-hsuan as Zhou Shao-an, Xiao Fei's classmate and Xin-ru's younger brother
- Chao Yung-hsin as Auntie Juan, Xiao Fei's mother
- Oscar Chiu as Jiang Zhao-peng, Yi-jie's friend
Crossing the Line (越界)
New transfer student Xia Yu-hao joins the Zhi Hong High School volleyball club and gradually falls in love with the senior student Qiu Zi-xuan. Crossing the Line accumulated over 4.56 million views during its run[5] and is the only series in the HIStory anthology to receive a Golden Bell nomination for Best Miniseries.[3]
- Cast
- Zach Lu as Qiu Zi-xuan, a studious and stern 12th grade student at Zhi Hong High. A former star athlete for the volleyball team, Zi-xuan was forced to retire after a serious injury rendered him unable to play. To continue his pursuit in volleyball, he volunteers to be the team's manager, assisting in managing the team's funds and training the players.
- Fandy Fan as Xia Yu-hao, an 11th grade student. Rebellious but righteous, he was transferred out of his previous high school after getting involved in a fight protecting a younger student. Possessing athletic talent, Yu-hao is talked into joining Zhi Hong High's volleyball team despite having no initial interest in the sport.
- Nick Yang as Wang Zhen-wen, Yu-hao's best friend who follows him into Zhi Hong High. He has a crush on his older step-brother, but keeps his feelings locked up.
- Patrick Shih as Wang Zhen-wu, Yu-hao's other best friend and Zhen-wen's older step-brother. Originally a 12th grade student, he gets held back a year after transferring schools with Yu-hao.
- Joe Hsieh as He Sheng-en, a 12th grade student. He is the captain of the volleyball club and is close friends with Zi-xuan.
- Hana Lin as Qiu Qian-ru, a 10th grade student at Bei Jiang High, Yu-hao's former school. Qian-ru is Zi-xuan's younger sister and develops a crush on Yu-hao after he saved her from bullies.
- Kong Rui-jun as He Zhong-zhong, Yu-hao's homeroom teacher and volleyball coach.
- Nemi Zong as He Xiao-xiao, a 12th grade student and He Zhong-zhong's younger sister. She is an assistant of the volleyball team and a huge fan of yaoi manga.
- Ryan Hsu as Chen Jia-jun, an 11th grade student and member of the volleyball team. He is jealous of Yu-hao's close relationship with Zi-xuan.
- Nate Wang as Lin Jun-jie, nicknamed "Xiao Ji Ji", an 11th grade student and member of the volleyball team.
- Tang Wei-qi as Li Qi, who Zhen-wen mistakes as Zhen-wu's girlfriend.
- Chang Han as Zeng Zheng-fan, Zhi Hong High's director.
- Liu Hong-min and Liu Hong-jie make cameo appearances as themselves, members of the Ren He High volleyball team, Zhi Hung's rival school.
Film sequel
On August 17, 2018, Choco Media announced a film sequel, Crossing the Line 2 (跨界). Preparation for the film began after the broadcast of Crossing the Line in March 2018.[6] Lu, Fan, Yang, and Shih will reprise their roles.[4] The theatrical release for Crossing the Line 2 is planned for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Season 3 (2019)
| Miniseries | Episode count | First Aired | Last Aired | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trapped (圈套) | 20 | April 16, 2019 | June 12, 2019 | Li Qing-rong | Lin Pei-yu, Shao Hui-ting | Rex Chang |
| Make Our Days Count (那一天) | 20 | October 16, 2019 | December 18, 2019 | Tsai Mi-chieh | Shao Hui-ting |
Trapped (圈套)
A mysterious shooting leaves a police officer and the head of the Hsin Tien Group crime syndicate dead. Four years later, police investigator Meng Shao-fei is determined to hunt down Tang Yi, the sole survivor of the fateful shooting – and now the head of the Hsin Tien gang. Tang Yi is also hunting for answers but wants his own form of justice. He seems to want to exact his choice of punishment on the killer… although he appears to be hiding a dark secret. Is Tang Yi trying to protect someone?
Meng Shao-fei and Tang Yi become entangled in a deadly game of wits – a game that becomes all the more complicated after Tangy Yi baits a love trap for Meng Shao-fei.
- Cast
- Jake Hsu as Detective Meng Shao-fei, an officer of the third investigation platoon who gets wound up in a four-year long case involving the murder of a police officer and a triad leader.
- Chris Wu as Tang Yi, the adopted son of triad leader Tang Guo-dong, one of the murder victims. Tang Yi vows to find the killer and "purify" Tang's triad from drugs and other illegal businesses.
- Andy Bian as Jack, Tang Yi's trusted bodyguard.
- Kenny Chen as Detective Zhao Li-an, nicknamed "Zhao Zi", Shao-fei's friend and co-worker. Zhao Zi may be naive, but is extremely optimistic and loyal.
- Dianne Lin as Zuo Hong-ye, the adopted daughter of Tang Guo-dong.
- Sphinx Ting as Gu Dao-yi, a loyal follower of Tang Guo-dong who develops feelings for Hung-ye.
- Stanley Mei as Li Zhi-de, Tang Yi's loyal follower who is also in love with him.
- Chen Chia-kuei as Chen Wen-hao, a powerful drug dealer whom is believed to be Tang Guo-dong's killer.
- He Long as Detective Shi Da-pao, leader of the third investigation platoon.
- Amy Yen as Detective Huang Yu-qi, an officer of the third investigation platoon who has a crush on Shao-fei.
- Kass Tsai as Zhou Guan-zhi, an officer of the third investigation platoon who is linked to the murder case.
Make Our Days Count (那一天)
High schoolers Xiang Hao-ting and Yu Xi-gu appear to be polar opposites: While Hao-ting is an outgoing, hot-headed extravert and some-time bully, Xi-gu prefers to keep a low profile and focus on his schoolwork. What will happen when the two worlds collide as their relationship ensued?
- Cast
- Wayne Sung as Xiang Hao-ting, a third-year secondary school student who is preparing for his college entrance exams
- Huang Chun-chih as Yu Xi-gu, Hao-ting's love interest who assists him in his studies
- Thomas Chang as Liu Zhi-gang, the owner of a dessert shop who falls for a high school student
- Wilson Liu as Sun Bo-xiang, nicknamed Sun Bo, Hao-ting's close friend and classmate who is comfortable with his sexual orientation, and has a crush on the older Zhi-gang
- Sara Yu as Lin Cai-zhu, Hao-ting's mother
- Spark Chen as Xiang Qing-chang, Hao-ting's father
- Brent Hsu as Sun Wen-jie, Sun Bo's older cousin who owns the gym of where he works
- Hsia En as Xia En, Hao-ting's close friend and classmate
- Hsia De as Xia De, En's younger twin brother and fellow classmate
- Hao Shih as Gao Qun, Hao-ting's close friend and classmate
- Tsai Yueh-hsun as Xiang Yong-qing, Hao-ting's younger sister
- Wang Chen-lin as Li Xi-yu, Hao-ting's ex-girlfriend
References
- "Taiwanese gay web series to enter Japanese market". Liberty Times Net (in Chinese). 2017-07-08. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- "BL drama 'HIStory' series to air on primetime slot". Chinese Television System (in Chinese). 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- "The 53rd Golden Bell Awards releases full nomination list". UDN (in Chinese). 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- "Taiwanese BL drama 'Crossing the Line' to begin shooting film sequel next year". ET Today (in Chinese). 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- "HIStory interview: Steven Chiang challenges daring bed scenes with Hunt Chang". HK01 (in Chinese). 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- "HIStory3 Producer Ye Yu-cheng Interview". Punchline (in Chinese). 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-07-20.