Reset

Fun Premise With Little Character Development

Reset was a quick and fun psychological mystery thriller. I typically shy away from the time loop genre as the “what ifs” tend to drive me crazy, but I couldn’t pass up a premise so similar to the movie Speed. The show layers intense action sequences with an intriguing “who done it” mystery, and, at fifteen episodes, the story is a quick and entertaining binge. It had some plot holes and pacing issues, but it was overall a fun and frenetic ride.

While the plot kept me entertained, I found myself frustrated with the characters. Secondary characters, such as the suspects of the bombing and the police officers, are given more character development that the main protagonists. Ziao He Yun is by far the more developed character as he actually has character-driven interactions outside of the main plot. Li Shi Qing is given little to no backstory other than broke college student. These two had loads of chemistry and excelled at the emotional beats of the story so it was disappointing to not know them as well as the secondary characters at the end of the show. More time fleshing out their backstory would have made for an impactful, not just interesting, story.

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Exhilarating watch!

Reset is exhilarating Chinese drama that introduces me to Zhao Jin Mai & Bai Jinting. Great combination of action, thriller, sci-fi and a touch of romance.

What I liked:
1) Acting - Brilliant performances by main & supporting cast.
2) Writing - The drama reminds me of Source Code and Speed. I like the multiple scenarios faced by the main characters. The emotional scenes really packed a punch!
3) Shi Qing characterisation - She is not a damsel in distress. I love her character development. I was impressed by how Zhao Jin Mai portrayed this role considering how young she was during this drama.
4) Ending - I like the ending especially the part which Shi Qing has to lead the mission.
5) Bai Jin Ting - His facial expressions. I like the fact that he is a normal, everyday man (not a muscular hero). He was boyish, nerdy adorable.

What I disliked:
1) There was an episode which my attention was lost. Sometime in the middle of the series.

Favourite scene:
Bai Jinting's emotional scenes.

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ONE HELL OF A RIDE!!!

!!!NOT REALLY CONTAINS SPOILER, JUST A GLIMPSE OF IT!!!

This is my first time ever writing a review on a drama of any kind. I actually started this drama with little to non expectation at all cuz this is not really my type of jam. I mostly tried it cuz it has a really high rating on kisskh and that's it.

Starting off, this drama really keeps me intrigued to its plot at the first half of the show, and halfway through I think it starts to be somewhat predictable, at least for me. But thats not the point, want I'm trying to say is it's logical and totally got a point with no absurd ploting, which fits everything together and when the picture started to reveal as a whole, you'll be like "OHHH, that's what I thought, make sense".

Lets talk about the police specialty, I can say this is by far the most convincing crime solving drama I've watched, whether it's Kdrama or Cdrama, but of course not on par with some US UK crime show, they're like on a different level. But, I'm amazed by the thought process of the polices trying to solve the case as it is how it should be, unlike most other shows, where detectives and polices are just no more than a joke. Keep it simple, logical and everything will be in its place.

The acting is just superb, especially the one who bombed the bus, she nailed it perfectly. Her eerie vibe smile just sends goosebumps straight to me. Other than that, everyone's acting doesn't feel out of place at all, just stick to the fundamentals and all should be great.

The drama has a proper pacing with no rushed or over dragging details, all problems got sought out adequately and with a mix of cute little romance at the end makes it a very pleasant experience for myself.

Overall, EXCELLENT is the word I want to give to this drama. Rewatch value is a nah, it's an one time drama for me.

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Loved It, but Now I See the Flaws – And No, I Won’t Rewatch It

When this drama first came out, I was buried under GRE prep, and somehow, this show became my escape from vocabulary hell. One episode a day was my routine, and I found it really engrossing. It gave me something to look forward to between study sessions—like a weird, emotional study break. Now every time someone mentions GRE, I don’t think of math or verbal reasoning—I think of this drama.

But now that I’ve had time to reflect, I can’t help but notice a few big flaws. The biggest issue? Infinite time with zero consequences. These 2 could live in luxury, mess around however they wanted for a day, and it would just get reset like nothing happened. It’s basically "Groundhog Day" with better aesthetics and fewer brains. And honestly? The solution to their whole problem is so obvious—just call the cops and report the bus accident. How is that supposed to be as difficult as the show makes it look? I mean, I get it: drama. But come on.

Another thing: the stakes could’ve been higher, and the characters definitely needed to be more logical, like where are their families and zero connections? Just walk into the police station and ramble like bombers? These two leads, who are supposedly deep thinkers, just keep dying left and right, yet somehow end up in love with zero chemistry between them. I swear, they fall in love out of sheer convenience. At least give me some backstory on their relationship or a few sparks—something to make me care more about their romance.

That said, I still loved this show. It was one of the first dramas I ever watched, so it holds a special place in my heart. I’ll always think fondly of it, even if it has no rewatch value. Once is enough. It’s like studying for the GRE—good experience the first time, but you don’t want to go through it again.

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Perhaps a little overrated.

The premise of this tv show is good, playing with a "time loop" theme which i believe hasn't been done before. The casts are also good. I don't have any complain of their actings. The scenes however, can be boring sometimes, particularly during the police interrogations. I feel a little frustrated seeing the couple trying to hide the time loop reason and telling lies to avoid being suspects. Some of their actions also bear questions, as they seem not cleverer after many trial & errors. Annoying, to see how the couple plus all passangers couldn't handle the two prepetrators, sometimes, just standing there blank.
As for the music, i don't have any complain. I enjoy both the intro & outro songs. The biggest letdown are, they don't explain why there's a time loop, and more importantly, why only HeYun suffers the agony later. And there is still a plothole in ep2. The couple used the "pervert" reason to get off the bus the second time. That was exactly the same like the first one, where the bus made an illegal stop. And because of that slight delay, the bus needed to stop at the intersection because of the red light, But why didn't it collide with the oil truck like the first time? Instead, the bus exploded on the bridge.

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WOW

This is my first C-drama -- I WAS HOOKED!
Oh my God, there's so much to love about this drama. I love that we get an inside scoop of everyone's lives. I love the romance that slowly builds between the leads (they're also very adorable together).
I cannot point to a single flaw in this show, and that is quite rare.
To me, nothing fell short. the show addresses sexual assault, mental illness, having a criminal past, moral dilemmas, and it was so beautifully executed.
I was getting frustated alongside the characters, I would cry when they cried, and laugh when they laughed.
This is probably one of the best if not THE best show out there, C-drama or not.
The plot is incredible, please do yourself a favor and watch it.

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Essentially a long time loop mystery

The series starts in a really interesting way and it makes it very hard to predict what's going to happen next because of that. However, there are some weaker and slower episodes in the mix. The acting overall was really on point.

The girl is so level-headed, and just generally smart and astute, while the guy is somewhat annoying sometimes, especially when he goes all melodrama for no reason. Like, dude… shut up with that shit, it'll all just gonna reset anyway? None of what just happened matters! That's time loops for ya.

The last few episodes weren't up to par though, in my opinion. They were stretched out and really dragged.

It's still pretty neat, but for me it didn't deliver what the great beginning episodes promised. The romance was cute though.

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“Reset” is one of the most refreshing and intelligent thrillers to come out of Chinese television in recent years. On the surface, it’s a time-loop mystery about two strangers trapped on a bus that keeps exploding. But beneath that clever premise lies a story about empathy, accountability, and the quiet heroism of ordinary people.

Bai Jingting and Zhao Jinmai deliver outstanding performances as Xiao Heyun and Li Shiqing. Their chemistry grows naturally as they move from confusion to frustration to trust — two flawed yet determined individuals trying to save not only themselves but everyone else on the bus. Both actors convey complex emotions with remarkable restraint, making the characters feel authentic and relatable.

The writing is sharp, balancing tight pacing with genuine heart. Each loop reveals new details, and the tension never fades. What’s most impressive is how the show transforms a repetitive structure into something emotionally evolving — every reset becomes not just a plot device but a moral awakening.

The direction and cinematography heighten the suspense beautifully, using confined spaces and shifting camera work to mirror the characters’ growing anxiety. The soundtrack adds urgency without overwhelming the story, letting emotion and silence speak when needed.

Beyond its mystery, “Reset” is about compassion — how understanding another person’s pain can break the loop of fear and indifference. It asks what it truly means to take responsibility, even when you don’t have to.

Brilliantly executed and deeply moving, “Reset” isn’t just a thriller; it’s a reflection on humanity itself. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop — and when it ends, you’ll still be thinking about it.

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Not your typical cdrama

TLDR: Incredibly engaging mystery/thriller with fantastic storylines and acting

Overall: If you are looking for a typical cdrama with the dramatic romance with cheesy lines and wtf situations this is not gonna be your cup of tea. This is the least cdrama cdrama you could get and it is so much better for it. Side note, I tend to mentally rate cdramas on a different scale from other shows I watch because there are inherent things that you have to overlook in order to enjoy them. If you start asking too many questions of the story or the characters you'll probably find quite a few holes that might otherwise annoy you in a different medium. But most cdramas have that unique cheesy romantic charm that lets you look past these things and just enjoy the show. Its like comparing mcdonalds to a michelin star restaurant. Like yeah, maybe your fries are objectively too salty or a bit on the crunchier side, but its mcdonalds, you'd probably give it a pass because quality wasn't why you chose to eat there. Similarly, I don't watch cdramas for tight storylines, well paced action, beautiful dialogue or remarkable acting, but I never go into them expecting that so if they don't deliver its whatever. This cdrama though attempts to deliver all of these things and more and it mostly succeeds.

Story: This is a super engaging mystery/thriller plot with tense moments and dramatic reveals. The pacing is fantastic and I am so happy that they cut it off at 15 episodes instead of dragging things out for longer. Not gonna spoil anything here because it deserves to be experienced blind. Needless to say this is a refreshing break from the norm in the cdrama sphere.

Characters/acting: Acting across the board was great. Everything was played serious with the exception of a few parts and every cast member did a fantastic job with what they had.

I liked the leads as characters and was a huge fan of the way they played out the earlier episodes. They were convincingly shocked and lost while also trying to maintain a sense of composure in a living nightmare. While they were engaging in the mystery elements I did not like the romance at all. Maybe the characters had chemistry and maybe something could've been there, but I felt that it just got in the way of the rest of the story when it did show up. The structure of the story meant that there was virtually no time for any romantic subplots to develop so it was never going to be a very convincing relationship. I think the characters would've been much better as simply two strangers who got stuck together and formed a bond through the trauma they faced. Maybe hint at some future stuff in the closing credits but honestly the romance was never going to get enough time it needed to be good within the 15 episodes. The random jealousy thing for half an episode was super random and was one of the only times I was taken out of the otherwise engaging story. Other than that there were some points where the characters kinda behaved on the extreme end of what I was willing to believe but overall it was easy to overlook. I was hoping the leads would get a little more development than what they did over the course of the loops they went through, but they were consistently suspicious af, stumbled over clues/words, and had difficulty explaining their story in ways that I thought would've come more naturally after the 10-15 loops. The reason I point this out is because it was the source of most of the drama between them and the detectives and I felt like there was room to be more creative toward the second half of the story once the leads got their story down and were able to convince the police they weren't evil.

The side characters were fantastic and in many ways outshone the leading characters in the amount of development they received through the snippets of backstory on display. Loved the detectives and the villains especially with great performances and compelling backstories across the board especially for the villains. The couples backstory scenes were incredibly well done.

Music: The sound design was great and managed to bring up the tension in the show during key moments without feeling too intrusive. None of the usual OSTs that are common to the genre but good nonetheless.

Rewatch: While the show is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone, it isn't the kind of show that has a lot of rewatch value for me personally. Great story with good characters but not the feel good/guilty pleasure that tends to make me give things a second go.

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