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It is worth it!

I did not like the female protagonist in the first episode but she gets better as the story progresses. She is smart, strong and caring. She is not annoying like some other FL. The male protagonist is very nice. The story takes unexpected turns and I did not get bored in any of the episodes.

I cried and laughed. I was on edge at times. It is a very intriguing and compelling story. The pacing is excellent. Each character is well developed. We get to meet each of them, their life-stories and circumstances, and at the end I cared for them.

I highly recommend this drama. It is in my TOP 3. The ending was satisfying despite what some people say. I really enjoyed this drama. I plan to rewatch it.

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Very very well thought-out and executed TV show

From the get go, it captured my attention. Every episode was a thrilling ride. The acting was some of the best I have seen. This is by far my favourite Asian drama. The police were actually doing their job, unlike K-dramas where they are utterly useless. Here, they caught on to even the slightest of suspiciousness. The emotions that some of the characters evoked gave me goosebumps. The main lead duo was excellent. It all felt very real even though I was watching in front of the screen. The ending is satisfying and thank goodness it wasn't open ended. We got to see the backstory of the relevant characters. This drama has a great rewatch value in that you will start to see some of the clues in the earlier episodes. I recommend this show to anyone who is willing to watch with English Subtitles because it is a masterpiece. All the episodes are available on Youtube. Give it a watch, I will guarantee you it will be amongst your favourites!

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A drama I wish I can reset my mind to watch again for the first time.

I've been looking for another C-drama to watch, saw this was highly rated here on MDL and had a very interesting trailer that I've decided to watch this right away. I agree with a lot of the viewers here, that this drama was really good! I absolutely love the flow, the direction and writing for this series so much. I'll try to keep it spoiler free.

So before I go dabbling about the drama, for new viewers I think I need to address that there are issues that might trigger some.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Sexual Harassment and Murder
BUT!!! They are not too explicit in the drama, though I just wanted to mention it for those that might get trigger on these. For the sexual harassment, it was just for a few minutes and was on moving closer and a touch (again not too explicit); but it did felt uncomfortable while watching the scene unfold. While for the murder part, the scene is censored in a way, the part becomes black and white, and the surrounding does become blurry.

Also the drama does have CN police propaganda. But despite the trigger warnings and the propaganda going on in this drama, I really hope that you all give it a try!

Things I love about this drama:
- For a time loop drama, majority of the time loops that happened does not feel repetitive (the only time it kind of does is when they found out who the suspect was, but it doesn't really bother me)
- The main leads! I love how both are smart, yet are a bit opposite of one another. The FL acts more impulsive on her emotions (which can sometimes be frustrating at times in the drama), but it's nice that the ML is more on the rational side. A nice touch seeing how they compliment one another; like how the ML will pull back the FL, as he wants to talk and plan things out before doing any actions.
- I love how the ML has a character development through the series.
- Each loop they go through, you get pieces of information and it was so well done. Even the build up to the next episode or loop was also great.
- This drama had me on the edge of my seat most of the time, and made me feel all kinds of emotions! I would suddenly be happy, sad, frustrated, relief and etc. Not a lot of dramas have actually made me feel a huge range of emotions like this.
- Can I say that all the casts' acting was so amazing! Especially the main leads, the captain and the suspect (especially the suspect, I love the acting so much!)
- Each passenger had a role especially towards the end of the drama, and I really love how most of the passengers' back stories were fleshed out. I have to commend that it was nice how their back stories made them feel more realistic and not just them being as extras in the bus.
- The drama touched several topics, and it's really nice seeing these topics get addressed out. Such as justice system, cyber-bullying, victim blaming and how most/some people would just standby to watch despite something troublesome is happening in front of them.
- How the burnt wounds looked so realistic.
- The drama is not too heavy.
- There's no voice dubbing on this drama.
- I know the drama can still be okay without the romance, but I love how it was just subtle until the final episode. There will be hints and all, but not too much to distract you.

Cons:
- There are several unanswered questions, but I think it's okay that they didn't directly answer these, because I feel if they were explained, it might just ruin the drama. So I'll based it on the theories I have read on.
- The suspect motives felt underwhelming. I was thinking the motives will be more darker and sinister, but apparently not. The motive is still valid, but I felt it shouldn't have been focused on the bus. But then again, the suspect was not in the right state of mind.
- There are times where you want to yank your hair out because of several characters' actions, and sometimes want to question 'Why?'. But then again, it reminds you that we're all human and if under pressure that we sometimes do questionable things as well.
- There are no back story for the main leads, to be honest it would have been a nice touch to introduce them and show their back stories like how they fleshed out several stories of the passenger. It's not much a con for me since it's understandable that this is only a 15 episode drama and the main point is breaking out of the time loop.

Overall:
This was just really a great drama. If I could just reset my mind so that I can watch this again for the first time I would. Hoping that more people get to watch this, as it was just so good. It's also very refreshing from the usual C-dramas I've watched, and hope that more C-dramas can be like this too. Though I think for re-watching, I would love to re-watch this after several years where I have forgotten majority of the details for this or want to relieve this drama.

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Perfect Thriller

I watched merely out of curiosity because a lot of people say it may be the best drama of the year. Ngl, I thought they were just exaggerating but now that I finished it, I understand that the claim isn't unfounded. It is indeed a masterpiece.
From the synopsis, you'd think there's a big chance for it to be boring because it's just going to be repetitive. It's not. I love how the show threw me straight into the story from the first episode, then maintain a good pace, enough to keep me engaged through the entire show. I was at edge most of the times while watching this; the last few cycles were specially thrilling that I had to bite my hand haha.
The leads were cute together, acting were great. I just wish we get to know more of their back story, main and support characters alike, specially Xiao He Yun and his conflict in his game company. Understandable though and it doesn't take away the fact that this is a great drama and I sure did enjoy it a lot.

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Not the same groundhog day

Unlike other groundhog day type shows, this is different. As the protagonists attempt to gather clues by reliving the incident each time, they also test out different ways of trying to solve the problem. Each solution however leads to a different set of consequences. Thus, they have to map out the perfect script to avoid the potential downfalls/consequences.

The show is an interesting glimpse into the human psyche. It is far less annoying that some groundhog type shows and for once, it's refreshing that the characters aren't using their pre-knowledge of the situation to benefit and enrich themselves.

What I disliked. First, the police aren't allies. They suspect everyone and want to implicate everyone. Even a witness can become a suspect. They spend more than half of the time trying to avoid being implicated. Under that circumstance, why would anyone want to help the police?

Second, I was thoroughly disappointed by the ending. Each episode carefully went and plugged all the holes but the ending undid all that meticulously laid hard work. I felt the writer sacrificed a very tight storyline for the sake of propaganda.

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Mindblowing, so many small details that make the story amazing overall

This drama is definitely one of my favorite modern-day dramas. The acting from each and every cast member, even down to a small side character, is just immaculate. There are scenes that genuinely make me frightened or scared, due to the acting of the cast. I won't spoil much, since the story is mostly mystery + discovering who the bomber is (and why), so definitely try this out for yourself. One of the main things i love the most about this drama, is the way that they allow you to FULLY understand EACH and EVERY character on the bus. Their backstories, their motives, and of course, their sweetness. Overall, 10/10. This drama will make you fall in love with all the different characters and actors for sure!

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10/10!

I cannot say enough good things about this show. Its a 10 out of 10 for me in all aspects. Story wise it keeps you engaged from the get go, never a dull moment! The acting is great too and there is a lot of attention to details. Trust me watch it and you will get it. Sometimes shows leave me questioning few things especially when having a complex plot and theme such as the one of this show, and yet they made it work.

For anyone wondering about the romance part (I add this cuz Id personally want to know) - there is just the right amount, but its more focused on the time loop and solving of the mystery rather than the romantic side. Its well balanced in my opinion, SPOILER ALERT (kinda), the protagonists show affection and closeness from early on which is understandable given the situation they are in, but it's not the focus - which in my opinion fits the show best.

Spoiler alert below:

At the end, I love how they gave us full closure for all the passengers in the bus! Nice detail which surprisingly enough you wont find often in other shows.

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"Surpassing Expectations: A Captivating Journey With Time Traveling"

When I started watching this series, I had no expectations whatsoever. In fact, my expectations were even lower due to its high rating and a synopsis that didn't particularly stand out to me. However, after watching it, I found myself thoroughly intrigued and extremely glad that I gave it a chance. The male actor's performance was exceptional (as usual), and I was pleasantly surprised by the female actor's acting skills as well.

I particularly enjoyed the time-traveling aspect of the story, despite the repetitive nature of the time loops. Each loop managed to captivate my interest, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout every episode. I wish I could rewatch the series right away, as it left me wanting more.

Moreover, I appreciated the development of the lead characters' personalities and how they gradually grew closer. Although the story wasn't solely focused on romance, their chemistry was palpable, adding a delightful tension to the narrative.

However, I do have one point to mention regarding the ending. While it did conclude the major plot points, I feel that it could have delved further into the romantic aspect of their lives. Having more closure in that regard would have wrapped up the show even more satisfactorily.

Overall, despite my initial reservations, this series managed to surpass my expectations with its captivating storyline, strong performances, and intriguing time-travel elements. It left me eagerly anticipating more, and I highly recommend giving it a watch. I hope to watch a show that is just as amazing as this in the near future.

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Breathtaking Drama

I always been sucker of time travel/time loop kind of story. Among others, this is the best I ever watch.

Super trilling, intriguing, breathtaking—I literally should telling myself several times to take a breath. I watch it in two sitting, but somehow I wish I watch in one sitting. I'm so immense in the story, as if I'm part of the bus passengers, as if I'm the third person in the time loop. One time, I had my meal while watching this. Those were... the most intense chewing I ever do✨

We always get something new and exciting every episode. It's weird because we almost always get back to same place, in almost same situation. The storyline is so neat, the pacing is so spot on. Moreover, there are a lot of easter eggs spread everywhere. Even rewatch this would not make me boring. This series is so detail. I even catch some metaphors that I didn't know it's that true or it just me being over thinker.

All cast playing so well. Especially the bomb bearer, crazy good! I also love that all characters are so well written, so alive, have unique characteristics and background story. For the romance part, our main couple love story is amusing in my opinion. It's like falling in love during a war😂

The cinematography is very effective, bring the right mood, help us to catch the tone, immersive.

The music is working for the scenes. I would not put them in my playlist (except the closing song) but they work well to set the mood etc.

This one opening my eyes to the bigger world of Cdrama. Definitely worth to watch. 15 episodes, well packed.

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R E S E T

this is hands down one of the top few dramas I have watched so far, and probably the highest rating I have given on MDL? Maybe it helps that I did not had much expectations for this in the first place, but it's a totally reset outlook for me! especially for a cdrama! I knew i had to watch it when it's only 15 episodes. Mind you cdramas are typically almost more than 40 episodes, which means storyline tend to get dragged out at the back.

Story
It's a simple story, but i won't say an easy to execute plot. But the production nailed it~
Shiqing (Zhao Jin Mai) wakes up finding herself stuck in a timeloops. In a desperate attempt to return, she accidentally pulls fellow passenger, Heyun (Bai Jing Ting) into the loop. Together, they learn that they will die, and must find a way to stop an explosion aboard to return to where they belong. Along the way, there are several touching backstories to some of the passengers and also subtle romance between the 2 leads. Btw, the two acted really well and i enjoyed thoroughly. I do wish maybe there had been more development for the romance portion, but then again the experience might have been different if that happened. Also, there's veterans Liu Yi Jun & Liu Tao whom i will say delivered as expected as Detective and Du Ju. It really gets better, and more thrilling & suspenseful at the back, and also touches on some of the social and mental issues faced in the societies today. And I found it clever how this production only made use of limited spaces, props and clothing (the leads were always in the same clothes since they keep repeating the timelooops) but it still kept be glued to my seat!

Music
Honestly, the only music I remember now was the canon ringtone and opening music ? Which imo is smart directing because they didnt really had much OSTs, and maybe there was some bgm along the way but i was too focused on the plot to even notice it!!

Rewatch
Honestly, it's a short series that is good for a rewatch. But I am pretty sure the experience will be different during my second watch, so I will leave it as it. But i think it's definitely worth a rewatch once in awhile though for suspense/ thrill lovers.

Overall, this production delivered beyond my expectations?? and goes to show that less might be more. You do not need many episodes, to deliver a good story, and this is an evident example of it. You do not need flashy props, venues to attract viewers, because it's the story and experience that keeps the audience. I look forward to cdrama having more of such short stints rather than draggy long plots. Honestly, I believe this production should be placed on NETFLIX because the amount delivered should be exposed to a larger audience!!

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