155
361
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Kate
hell
Tight writing, smooth pacing, satisfying conclusion.
I went into watching this drama with a lot of reservations and fears - how can they make a 15 episode series about a one day loop in one place and not make it boring? How many versions of the same event can I watch before I take myself out of this journey? On that aspect, Reset surprised me quite a lot.
The writer/director did an amazing job at slowly expanding the shown world - including more people and places - one loop at the time. Showcasing the same event from different angles and perspectives allowed the drama to avoid a painful repetitiveness that is often a problem with time loop stories. The writing was surprisingly tight. Add to that background stories for the characters and you get 15 episodes in which nothing felt like a filler.
Is the plot predictable? Not really. While it’s possible to guess some things not long before they are revealed, nothing is obvious from the get go - what happened, why and who was behind it. They concluded the stories in a satisfying manner, not leaving any plot lines open nor plot holes to be detected (maybe except for the effects time loop had on our main lead). As a viewer, I was able to fairly well understand the mechanics of the time loop thanks to a rather smooth narration and well paced hints and explanations the main leads came up with each repeated day.
If I had to complain about anything writing wise, it’s the police attitude towards the leads closer to the end - with how they were set up, the ending just felt a bit… convenient?
For a suspense show like that, it had surprisingly a lot of heart and depth to its characters. Even though the majority of side plots and background stories of the bus passengers were not explored to a full potential, they still represent a variety of different social issues and struggles - allowing everyone to find a story they can relate to.
The main leads were well written - flawed, but driven young people who ended up on an unexpected journey of finding the truth and preventing a tragedy from happening. I especially enjoyed Xiao He Yun and his character development. Li Shi Qing was more hot headed in her actions and decision making, which led to quite a few obstacles that could have been avoided. That said, the duo worked well together with He Yun being the brain and Shi Qing being the heart and driving force.
Other characters that caught my attention were Lu Di - the adorable Kitten Boy and Zhang Cheng - smart and observant detective.
I have no complaints about the acting. One performance truly amazed me, but stating who it was could be a giveaway on how important they were in the plot, which is not obvious from the start.
Overall, It took me about 6 episodes to truly get into it, but from that point it was an exciting and smooth ride at the same time. They kept the suspense tight, and the pacing smooth. That said, while I enjoyed the plot, I was not really that invested in the characters. Will they die? Will they survive? I did not care, as long as I got my answers.
The writer/director did an amazing job at slowly expanding the shown world - including more people and places - one loop at the time. Showcasing the same event from different angles and perspectives allowed the drama to avoid a painful repetitiveness that is often a problem with time loop stories. The writing was surprisingly tight. Add to that background stories for the characters and you get 15 episodes in which nothing felt like a filler.
Is the plot predictable? Not really. While it’s possible to guess some things not long before they are revealed, nothing is obvious from the get go - what happened, why and who was behind it. They concluded the stories in a satisfying manner, not leaving any plot lines open nor plot holes to be detected (maybe except for the effects time loop had on our main lead). As a viewer, I was able to fairly well understand the mechanics of the time loop thanks to a rather smooth narration and well paced hints and explanations the main leads came up with each repeated day.
If I had to complain about anything writing wise, it’s the police attitude towards the leads closer to the end - with how they were set up, the ending just felt a bit… convenient?
For a suspense show like that, it had surprisingly a lot of heart and depth to its characters. Even though the majority of side plots and background stories of the bus passengers were not explored to a full potential, they still represent a variety of different social issues and struggles - allowing everyone to find a story they can relate to.
The main leads were well written - flawed, but driven young people who ended up on an unexpected journey of finding the truth and preventing a tragedy from happening. I especially enjoyed Xiao He Yun and his character development. Li Shi Qing was more hot headed in her actions and decision making, which led to quite a few obstacles that could have been avoided. That said, the duo worked well together with He Yun being the brain and Shi Qing being the heart and driving force.
Other characters that caught my attention were Lu Di - the adorable Kitten Boy and Zhang Cheng - smart and observant detective.
I have no complaints about the acting. One performance truly amazed me, but stating who it was could be a giveaway on how important they were in the plot, which is not obvious from the start.
Overall, It took me about 6 episodes to truly get into it, but from that point it was an exciting and smooth ride at the same time. They kept the suspense tight, and the pacing smooth. That said, while I enjoyed the plot, I was not really that invested in the characters. Will they die? Will they survive? I did not care, as long as I got my answers.
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