About a year ago, one show dominated Chinese entertainment—开端, or “Reset” in English. 

The premise is simple enough: the main character is stuck in a loop on a bus that is about to explode. However, each episode presents a new and surprising twist and the mystery builds until the very end without getting too convoluted and confusing; as the layers unravel and you begin to see glimpses of the truth, it feels straightforward and simple enough that it feels as if the truth is right in front of you, just one or two key clues away. 

Not only is the story intriguing and engaging, it also inspires you to ponder what you would do in their unique situation, able to essentially live forever and have a second chance at everything, but always stuck in that one day with the possibility of the loop ending always looming over you. Aside from the mystery, there is also a cheesy romance, but I personally find it extraneous and irrelevant to the story. The characters’ romantic relationship doesn’t get as much focus as their non-romantic relationship and the conflicts they encounter while working together to escape the loop. 

Initially, the show’s ratings on the internet (more specifically, on 豆瓣 or Douban, which is essentially a Chinese version of IMDb) soared with each episode released, and everybody in China was talking about it. However, all the tension and suspense built up over the episodes of whether or not and how they’ll make it out alive did not really pay off in the final episode, which is rather unsatisfying and left many problems unexplained. Even before the finale, plot developments in the final few episodes felt lacking and shallow, disappointing the hundreds of thousands of fans the show had attracted. 

Nevertheless, the rest of the story is well-written and all of its elements are woven together well. It has complex characters that each have a different background, revealing-yet-perplexing loops that all play a role in pushing the characters closer to the truth, and clues that feel earned. 

With 15 episodes, each about 45 minutes long, “Reset” isn’t a short series. However, each episode flies by too quickly and the show will be over before you realize it. It grabs your attention from the very beginning, with an interesting opening sequence and the initial presentation of the mystery, and captivates you until the very end. 

It is available on YouTube here with English subtitles, though some episodes may be unavailable to view when connected to the school’s WiFi. 

On this blog, members of the Carmel High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists (and the occasional guest writer) produce curations of all facets of popular culture, from TV shows to music to novels to technology. We hope our readers always leave with something new to muse over. Click here to read more from MUSE.