Reset (2022)

Potential Trigger Warning (explained in first paragraph of review) - Excellent Acting all around

Completed - 2/12/2022

Trigger Warning/Spoiler - I didn’t see this mentioned in the reviews/comments and tags, so I figured I’ll mention this. In the last episode of the drama, there was an incident of sexual harassment on the bus. This is a very small part of the show (maybe only 5 minutes), and nothing too explicit (moving close, touching). But just in case, I would like to inform those who could be affected. It made me a little uncomfortable as I experienced something similar many years ago when I was a high schooler. It just brought back some memories. I know many women (and men) experience such atrocity in their daily lives. However, if you are OK, I hope it doesn’t deter you from watching this amazing drama.

Now, moving on to the real review.

Plot - When I first read about this drama, one thing that concerned me was the repetitiveness of the plot due to the time loop. In “Reset”, I feel that it started out with two very strong episodes. However, I do feel some repetitiveness in the subsequent episodes. Luckily, once we learn more of the passengers’ stories and police investigations, the drama’s pace is better and everything becomes more exciting. I think the drama finishes really strong with amazing episodes 12-15 and gives us a very satisfactory ending. I think Ep 12 is the most exciting and my favorite.

Acting/Characters - Great acting all around, from our leads to the minor supporting characters. I’ve seen Bai Jin Ting (ML) in a few other dramas, and am glad to see him branch out to have a different role. Playing the character as Xiao He Yun, a game developer who wasn’t an instant hero. Bai Jin Ting was able to portray some real emotions as someone who was scared to learn of the time loop, and didn’t want to have anything to do with it. Throughout the drama, he slowly grows into the hero that he is. This is my first drama of Zhao Jin Mai (FL) and I like her acting as well. Playing Li Shi Qing, a college student who is caring and innocent, but has a sense of justice. She is more of an instant heroine, compared to Xiao He Yun. With different personalities, our leads complement each other well and each brings something different to the table when solving the mystery of time loop. “Reset” also has an excellent supporting cast of young and veteran actors. I especially enjoy the acting of Liu Yin Jun (as Detective Zhang Cheng), Huang Jue (as bus driver Wang Xing De) and Liu Dang (as Tao Ying Hong). Other passengers or police officers might not have as much screen time but you can still differentiate them from each other as they have such individual charisma and acting. Additionally, I am so glad to see two female police officers who are intelligent and calm, and one of them is the boss!

Production - This has to be the first C-drama that gives me the most realistic color of blood! I know it sounds crazy that I talk about this, but in so many dramas, the color of blood is just not right. It’s either too bright red, too liquidy, too thick or too dark. But in “Reset”, it’s realistic, and especially the realistic injuries of a burn victim. If you look closely at the wounds of one of the major characters after the explosion, you can see smoke coming out of the burnt clothes and wounds. Such details! There is nothing glamorous about this drama, so one can’t judge its production value on nice clothes or nice set design. But you can see the detail in each of the scenes and how real everything is. There’s nothing flimsy or cheap. On the other hand, since it’s a time loop, the production company can save money on a large wardrobe budget. The characters just wear the same clothes everyday!

OST - The background music complemented the scenes very well, and you feel that it’s not forcing you to feel a certain way. There aren’t many songs played in the drama, but when Zhou Shen’s hauntingly beautiful song, “My Only” comes up, you can’t help but feel all the emotions. One of my pet peeves is when music is too loud that it drowns the dialogs. I am glad that it didn’t happen here. The few songs played are nice and I only notice them more towards the last half of the drama.

Other Observations:
1. This is the fanciest Internet Bar/Cafe/Motel I’ve seen in a drama. I think I want to stay in a room like that than in any hotel room!
2. C-dramas really like lovers wearing color-matching outfits. We see that in the last episode - white shirts and blue jeans.
3. No annoying character in this drama! Yay!
4. Slight romance is the correct tag. I would have liked to see a little more glances/hints throughout the drama. I don’t need much, just a little. I feel that either you take out the romance completely, or give it a little more care.

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over and over again

The good:
. the acting of the cast. I think they performed well, convincing acting on everyone's part.
. exciting in the first perhaps 12 episodes. I binge-watched the first 10 episodes. It was exciting wanting to understand this entire time loop, to know what happened each time after the main leads woke up because things were always different after each loop and how they were gonna prevent the explosion.

The bad (just my honest opinion, that's all):
. as I mentioned I was hooked only until about episode 12, then I started to feel a little bored, the time loop was enough, well, perhaps because I do not watch a lot of time loop dramas in the first place, but the repetition was too much, the bus scene repeated and repeated, I was tired of it, I wanted to get off the bus.
As one person mentioned, the entire drama could have been condensed to a movie, rather than a 15-episode drama because there were some unnecessary scenes which did not help in moving the story. Well, to me, it was not necessary to condense to a movie, but shortening the drama could have helped perhaps.
. well, this is just my opinion, I did not really like the male lead, he looked fragile and sickly to me, this is merely my opinion, but his acting was good.
. this is not really a bad point, just an observation. I did not understand why the Chinese police had to deploy as many as 5 police cars just to pick the female lead, a vulnerable young girl, up for assistance in the bus explosion case, even if they think she may be armed, but 5 police cars to 'arrest' just one young girl? And in that scene, they were not going to arrest her, just inviting her to go to the police station for some assistance and questioning.

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Possibly the best cdrama

This drama stands out among it’s peers. It is a very well written one, with tightly woven plots and yet executed with perfection. Very rare in the cdrama scene, which is why the high score. There are little to no plot holes, and I love how the drama answers my questions a few seconds/ minutes later. It keeps you from assuming things. There are no unwanted characters/ characters that serve as backdrop. I like how each of them have a purpose. Also, the characters logic and decisions are very logical and realistic. Not to mention each and everyone’s acting was phenomenal! A stellar performance 👏🏻 Though a time loop, each loop varies from each other and it will grip your attention. There is no dull moment. So if you like a drama that deals with time loops, mystery, and a little hint of romance (good chemistry I must say), stop scrolling through the reviews and watch it now! You won’t regret it 😂

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Started out great than lost its way

The plot had so much potential and I was immersed into the story until the 12th episode where things started to get boring and some answer weren't given

The good:
- For a show about a time loop the story was surprisingly moving at a steady pace and things kept happening.
- The acting was good

The bad:
- The reason was underwhelming, I would understand if the creep was in the bus but that wasn't the case
- the girls action didn't make sense, why didn't she get off when the bus stopped in an actual station instead of the highway, and I'm supposed to believe that a girl timide enough to stay silent while being molested would then cause a scene to get off the bus
- The scenes of the police suspecting them for giving them informations was interesting the 1st time but it got old really fast.
- I hate how now shows don't even bother explaining why they are in a time loop of time travel. I know it's a genre but a little throw away line would've been enough, unless I missed it.

It was a fun ride overall but the conclusion was weak, could've been better.

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Not perfect, but quite addictive that could lead to slight post-drama traumas

A very easy to watch modern cdrama that’s quite addictive and also nerve wrecking, with its short 45mins x15-episode run and repetitive explode-burn scenes across 25 time-loops, that could cause some slight post-drama traumas taking public buses and hearing Canon in D music popularised to drama viewers by kdrama Hospital Playlist.

Second half has more contents as the back stories of each passenger and social issues on bystander effect, cyberbullying and sexual harassment are weaved in as the two leads sought out to stop the explosion and time-loop.

I still wonder:

1. Why was the FL caught in the time-loop in the first place? Was it to help the deceased student of her age and her family seek closure?
2. Why was the ML weaker with each subsequent time loop after he accidentally stabbed a passenger?
3. If the Police Officer Zhang went into the final time-loop after he died in one time-loop, as he didn’t interrogate but merely asked the two leads outside the police station in the final episode?
4. Why the ML and FL had walked a bus stop distance, after the ML accidentally stabbed a passenger, to the village where Tao stayed, where the police were and yet dodged the police?

The drama could also have been better if there was also a backstory for the beefy headphone guy, or did i miss out as i watched this over a weekend? Plus the Chinese accent of many characters is quite strong, and dubbing could have helped.

And finally, Liu Dan who played the charismatic Princess Nihuang in Nirvana in Fire had a dismal portrayal as the cold and robotic female police boss Du, topped off with a horrible wig.

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It all does made sense

A meticulous plot and a wonderful set of characters. You are about to enter into a rollercoaster of tight gripping plot that will give you everything that you need.

It's really hard to maintain the intensity and enjoyment in this kind of genre but glad this one really stands out and just breaks all my worries. It's 15 episodes of pure entertainment and no boring episodes. It will put you at the end of your sit. Every scene, every reset was important, unlocking how they will go out in this tragedy.

Hats off to all the characters. They did an amazing job, especially the 2 main characters. Just a perfect blend of thriller and suspense..
They wrap the finale nicely and I am really satisfied with it. Just 10/10. No questions ask. Just go to the ride and trust me you will never regret it..

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Reset-ing YOUR EXPECTATIONS *chef kiss*

Hi there! Here's another disorganized review!
Why did I decide to watch it? Because well, I saw lots and lots of posts about it in the feeds and I love the cast!! Yeah, my first c-drama was Whirlwind girl, and well, maybe third or fourth was a little thing called first love!

Anyways, coming to the story,
the story was as disorganized at times as my review but still, it was lovable and understandable and of course, mesmerizing! (Is my review the same though?)
It was basically all the repetition of "I go back, I come back" and just like any other time-travel drama but then, what makes it special? The back-story and character development!!
I've always loved Chinese Wuxia and Xinxia dramas but I never actually "loved" the modern ones, but this one really reset-ed my opinions about such dramas!
The characters were all so annoying and suspicious at the start but the way they're portrayed, the way they make us understand them so deeply and of course, the slight romance in the dramas make this one a true masterpiece. So, I DON'T FOR A SECOND, REGRET BINGE-WATCHING THIS DRAMA A DAY BEFORE MY EXAM IN ABOUT 12 hours or so?

So, I'm sure you won't as well.
Though what I think is that this drama would've been really short if they decided to start investigating from the right person but bad luck is to blame sometimes.
Of course, all the characters were really special and great [except the murderer(s)]. I totally and fully loved Lu, the apostle of the cats, conquerer of Asthma, the chosen one of the light, Di and his sweet cat, look at her/him - https://mydramalist.com/profile/XieLalisa/feeds/ZwyRAsx

And of course,
how can we ever forget all the sweetness and lovely families of all the people on the bus?

Though I still don't understand why they entered the time loop (don't tell me the ghost/spirit/ or whatever of a person has the power to create a loop in the timeline and make two people enter it as well), it's still alright! I loved it regardless! So, I'm recommending it!
Go binge it right away!!

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Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb on a bus.

The beginning of this drama is perfectly paced for the time loop theme. Not too fast, not too slow but just right in how they ease you into the wild ride you're about to take. But don't get it twisted, this is an edge-of-your-seat drama. You really don't know what is going to happen next.

For how heavy this drama really is they found small ways to slip in a bit of comedy in an otherwise dark drama (I'm thinking of a specific episode). As the story progresses the pace slows at times leaving you with a craving for the next loop however the next loop always delivers and puts you right back on the edge.

Both the FL and ML are smart and capable. I didn’t feel that one outshined the other in terms of intelligence. In fact, I enjoyed that the FL had a bit of an upper hand in the beginning and is really the main character of this drama.
Both actors are so good in their roles. Perfectly cast and wonderful to watch.

The Romance Aspect:
As someone who mostly watches romance dramas, I didn’t mind that the romance here wasn’t the main theme. At one point, it even seemed like the ML got a tiny bit jealous when the FL thought someone else had entered the loop with them. As though he was sort of happy it was just the 2 of them but other than that there really wasn't much of a romance theme at all. Instead, you get to see the bond between the leads building, and in a way, it was really quite satisfying to watch. They naturally and at the same time come to love each other. Honestly though how could you not bond when you’re stuck in a time loop with someone for almost a month?

The Ending:
Happy ending for the leads. There was even a little hint at marriage.

My Wishes:
1. I wish they would have used the ringtone a bit more. It gave me that triggering feeling that you want this type of drama. There was often the bomb detonated without the ringtone (the cord was pulled instead) but I wish it would have gone off more with the ringtone than without it. I guess I just feel like more could have been done with it.
2. I wish they would have done more with the main police officer. The FL knew a good bit about him and could have used that at some point to try and prove they were in a loop. She did this in the very beginning a little bit but as she learned more about him I thought it would come up again but it never really did.

Would Recommend
Would Maybe Re-watch

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Relatively well written thiller, sponsored by RAZER©. (only minor spoilers below)

Okay so 8/10, objectively this should probably be worse, but for a CHINESE crime/thriller drama this is quite incredible, the best that I've seen thus far. Most of the plot is cleverly written and the acting ensemble is up there with the very best cdramas. Also it's extremely laudable that they did not try to explain the magic, how the time travel/loop aspect works, that always leads to unsolvable plotholes that they've nicely sidestepped here.

Speaking of plotholes there are quite a few non time travel related ones though. For instance, it's established that ML's parents exists & also that FL has a "home" to call. Does it make any sense that the police would not rally those people, not even once in any of the loops? Also why was the innocent truck driver held responsible?
The young hot headed police officer really behaved out of character in the last episodes.
Another nitpicky point is related to how the police attempts to stop the bus with cars pushing up against it with their tires spinning so fast that smoke is generated, that's not how physics works in real life :P
I could also talk about how incredibly competent the Chinese police is in this drama. L, L2 & their old master is nothing compared to the reaction time & intellect some of these policemen have. Normally I don't particularly care if Chinese nationalism, or some sort of political agenda shows up in a cdrama, but this was way too much for poor old me.

Besides the nitpicky problems I've highlighted above, I have three major problems why this is not 10/10 amazing.
The first is that in the first 5-6 episodes the police interrogations are way too draggy & it's annoying how the leads willingly walk into them without a plan. (We dutiful citizens must inform the police!)
The second is that the perpetrator backstory is utter garbage, in a bad kdrama-like fashion and not only is it garbage, but also an entire episode is wasted on it.
The third and final thing is that there is no peace for the leads, there is not much intermission. They had the option to chill, to mentally recover between more active, traumatizing loops, at least before they have become aware of a certain issue & they've not taken it once. In other timeloop stories those intermissions are often the best parts. (for example Jack kissing Carter in Stargate SG1 and many other intermission scenes in that episode)

As silly as the ending is & as much as it's not exactly the ending I've wanted, I enjoyed it very much despite how juvenile I felt it being. (I wanted the leads to produce some 40 minute long fluff after everything's over)

Based on reading other reviews before starting this show, I thought that this would barely have any romance. The reality defied my expectations, the romance is actually quite excellent here. Not only is it great how the OTP is bonding during literal life and death situations, but also their progress felt really natural. There was no silly courting & silly confessions, they have just become each other's everything after all that they've gone through. (It goes without saying that there is no time for a love triangle)

Some of the supporting characters were pretty mundane, borderline boring, but "Lu Apostle of Cat, Conqueror of Asthma, Chosen One of the Light, Di" is the absolute best drama side character in the history of dramas.
Then again it would have been way more unrealistic to have 8 super interesting individuals randomly show up on a random (or not so random!?) bus ride.

The rewatch value is low, because there is not all that much fun to be had after completely knowing the plot.

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a not so professional review, its just how much i love the drama

first off, don't hesitate, doesn't matter what genre you like, im sure you'll like this.
now, let's talk about the cast!! the main reason why i watched the drama. i've been a fan of bai jing ting and zhao jin mai ever since a very berry long time ago and i've always known that their acting was good AND THEIR ACTING IN THE DRAMA ZDID NOT DISAPPOINT!! i was so surprised about how good they were in some scenes though TˆT *suddenly feel like a proud mother ahahah* what surprised me even more though was how good the other actors and actress were TˆT i was so surprised, i thought the other people on the bus would just be there and do nothing but they actually gave them stories which makes it so much sadder when they die TˆT and fshshshs the cause of the explosion, not gonna spoil anything but their acting was SO FREAKING GOOD!! AND XIAO BAI'S AND MAI MAI'S CHEMISTRY, HELP, SO FREAKING GOOD, THE SCENE WHERE HE HELD HER AFTER THE SHE WALKED INTO THE WATER THING, EVERY TIME THEY HUG, EVERY TIME THEY HOLD HANDS, THEY WAY THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND HOW THEY CARE FOR EACH OTHER- PLEASE.
sort of hesitated before i watched it cause one, i didn't even know the plot ahahah and i actually watched the drama without knowing the plot because of the two, and liu tao, fan shuai qi and some others <3 the other reason was because even tho i didnt know the plot i knew that it wasn't something i'd watched because yea it's just not, also im sorry but as a cdrama fan for over 10 years i know that some police thriller cdramas, suck, like a lot, it becomes very, just not entertaining, stick to tvb ones if u like police dramas <3 but uwu this drama was so unexpected, even though every single scenes setting and clothing is the same i freaking love it so much TˆT and its so freaking addicting TˆT i havent been this addicted to a cdrama in a long while TˆT the storyline is honestly written so well and i love those little easter eggs they put in, like everything has a reasoning and it just makes so much senses. it's very realistic and entertaining at the same time! i just love it a lot aight TˆT lastly, i hated jing feng :D until ep 14, that scene with liu yao, where he got closer to her to listen and sort of comfort her like even though i know there's no romantic thingies at all it's just so comfortable to watch, its his first time not being impatient af in the drama. i feel like they have such a strong chemistry and i want them in. police, doctor drama like you are my hero so badly or like police anything idc just give it TˆT and lu di- uwu boi so cute TˆT
music is amazing, it sounds really nice, its just not my type.
going to rewatch right now to fully understand it more ahahha because watching to watch and watching everything the same time is different.
overall I LOVED THIS DRAMA, DEFINITELY A GREAT START TO 2022, alongside our beloved summer, i really loved that one too TˆT i liked the ending, though quite a lot of people didn't and ahahhaha you guys saw the hot search on weibo where everyone was sorry for liu peng (xiao he yun friend/partner) who had to kneel down and apologizes to their funders like 20 sth times but wasn't even in the ending right? AHAHAHA. and uwu lastly i love zhang cheng a lot, his determination, his hardwork <3

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Exciting!

The whole series as a whole is really exciting! I thought that I would not like a time loop series as it gets boring over time repeating the same scene again and again. However, each time the main characters do a time loop, it actually gets more and more exciting!

Both the ML and FL are really smart in making decisions between each loop so you definitely won't feel annoyed because they make a dumb decision.

You also get to know and understand most of the background stories of the bus passengers.

The show is mainly focused on how the ML & FL plan to save every passenger on the bus to exit the time loop. There is a slight romance part in the show as well such as hugging, who won't be stressed out dying over and over again, they need to comfort each other-

Overall, 10/10! Do give it a go!

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YOLO : Repeat mode ON

This is the first non meteor/comet-triggered timeloop cdrama in my memory

Amidst the thrill, excitement, mystery and comedy of the episodes that seem to end even before I take a couple of breaths, I find this a fun ride. In retrospective it is a beautiful show that leaves you with positive emotions.

First of all appreciates every detail of the story and acknowledges the pain taken to bring each character's 'realistic' story under microscope. Ofc this is a middle class adventure...in the public Bus No. 45

15 episodes...compact and crisp, the richness of stories in each loop is enough to keep you engaged.
The show remains faithful to the time travel tag by getting to use the trope to effectively tell stories inside stories from different angles and perspectives conveying faithfully the richness and complexity of emotions in the web of relationships.

About the music... I find it new to cdramaland like a fresh breath of air. Minimalistic but littered wherever appropriate and befitting the genre. It reaches the crescendo at accurate points and complements the mood well.

ML has the boyish charm that makes his actions seem cute. He is also as serious as it can get at the right moment.
Fl doesn't lack in terms of acting or motivation.
Lu Di, ....Savior of cats..., ROCKS

That old lady made me go through all emotions from extreme hate disgust horror awe terror to feeling her helplessness and sympathy for her. Making peace with her character was a major challenge.

Kudos to the bus driver. He was and still at the end of the show remains the toughest nut to crack . The Comradeship in the police force is also brought to the forefront under the pressure from a bombing plot.

On the flip side
Answers to some of the questions are not explicit. You will have to refer back to the novel to be sure.

Was the ending an overkill?
In the case of Romance, the excess is always a bonus for me. Can't complain. But Personally felt the Romance overtook the plot a bit at the end.

I also felt the juxtaposition of rewarding versus punishing ceremony uncomfortable. But I was cheering for the leads at that time and they nearly blind folded me with that.

Last but not the least. (Could contain spoilers*)

Wht about the girl child of the one in the jail?
Will mengmeng initiate another loop incase her father tries to murder him(the worst case scenario)?
I am looking forward to Mengmemg's thoughts on this.

Ofc I would heartly welcome a season 2
May be also the adventures of the delivery guy who gets stuck in a time loop of his own?

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