Kai duan

Under China's current censorship system, it is as difficult as dancing on the tip of a needle to maximize the personal capabilities of non-government related roles. This play offered the two main characters plenty of room to show their capabilities, without being overly great, nor politically correct. It also allowed the Chinese police to show their powerful abilities to solve problems and to save people from crimes, which was good. The plot setting was quite innovative, and the design of the opening was also very thoughtful. The costume, make-up and props' attention to detail was commendable. There were some logical loopholes, but the overall flaws did not hide the good side.

It caught my attention since the first episode. The story is tight with no filler episode, it is only 15 episodes total. The delivery of the plot is easy to understand. The female lead's acting is much more convincing than the male lead. This is the type of drama that could made me forgot about the time and made me curious about what would happen next.

University student Li Shi Qing (Zhao Jin Mai) and video game designer Xiao He Yun (Bai Jing Ting) both fall asleep on Bus 45. When they wake up, the bus explodes after a few minutes. When they wake up again in the same setting, they figure out they are in a loop and can only exit out of it after they are able to stop the disaster from happening. So at each iteration of the loop, they try to do that and also find out what caused it to happen.

This is one of a few cdramas I've watched that are not draggy. Kudos to the writing and direction for keeping the pace and suspense in tiptop order. The ending is worth all the effort the leads went through to save the bus.

If you don't mind the nationalistic vibe, Reset is a pretty good show that manages to keep the viewer intrigued for all its 15 episodes, even on that plot (time loop, basically). Acting was great by all cast, particularly the bus passengers. Some of their stories were really moving and maybe give the western viewer a glimpse on life + mentality in modern China.

Although the plot is not rigorous and some hints are too deliberate, it can be counted as one of the best Chinese TV series in recent years. I was totally impressed by the performances of Liu Yijun who acts the police officer. And I must say that the glasses really suit Bai Jingting.