Reset (Chinese: 开端; pinyin: Kāiduān; lit. 'Beginning') is a 2022 Chinese time-travel whodunit television series based on a novel by Qidaojun directed by Sun Molong and Liu Hongyuan. It tells the story of a college student Li Shiqing (Zhao Jinmai) and a video game designer Xiao Heyun (Bai Jingting) who are trapped in a time loop on a soon-to-explode bus. The drama premiered on Tencent Video on January 11, 2022.[1]
| Reset | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| 开端 | |
| Genre |
|
| Created by | Hou Hongliang |
| Based on | The Beginning by Qidaojun |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Ending theme | "My Only" by Zhou Shen |
| Composer | Kim Hyun-do |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Li Liming |
| Producers | Li Huabing Han Zhijie |
| Production locations | Xiamen, China |
| Running time | 40-50 minutes |
| Production company | Daylight Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | Tencent Video |
| Release | 11 January – 25 January 2022 |
The show was a critical and commercial success. In September 2023, producer Hou Hongliang and writer Qidaojun announced an upcoming companion series titled Restart (开启).[2]
Plot
editUniversity student Li Shiqing is riding a local bus on Route 45 when she is caught in a time loop, whereby the loop repeats every time the bus explodes and kills all passengers on board. In one loop Li Shiqing drags fellow passenger Xiao Heyun, a game designer, off the bus before the explosion happens, and this brings him into the time loop with her. The pair are able to disembark from the bus and avoid dying, but the loop still repeats when they fall asleep. They decide that they may have to save everyone on the bus, and work together to investigate the passengers and identify the bomber.
During their investigation, Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun gain appreciation and sympathy for their fellow passengers who come from various walks of life, and whose appearances can be deceiving. In some loops, Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun encounter the police, primarily Deputy Captain Zhang Cheng who is helpful but notices their odd behavior. Although Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun are detained by the police in some loops, they are also able to get information from the police in these encounters.
The pair eventually learn that the bomber is elderly lady Tao Yinghong, and her accomplice is the bus driver, Wang Xingde. Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun use their accumulated knowledge from previous loops to direct the police's investigation, and so discover that Tao Yinghong and Wang Xingde are married, and that they are enacting revenge for the death of their only daughter, Wang Mengmeng. Five years prior, Wang Mengmeng was riding a bus on Route 45 when she demanded to disembark at an unsafe point on the bridge, and upon stepping out of the bus was hit and killed by a truck. Tao Yinghong was dissatisfied that the police closed the case, believing that Wang Mengmeng had good reason to demand to be let off the bus. Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun discover that Wang Mengmeng was sexually assaulted on the bus and demanded to be let out to get away from her assailant.
When the final loop starts, Li Shiqing immediately contacts Zhang Cheng to notify him about the bomb, enabling the police to set up a road block to stop the bus on the bridge. Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun also work together with the other passengers to restrain Tao Yinghong and get her away from the bomb, and talk down Wang Xingde by revealing what they know about Wang Mengmeng's death. They are successful, and Zhang Cheng throws the bomb off the bridge, allowing it to explode in the river. Afterward, the police arrest Wang Mengmeng's assailant, and Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun, now a couple, pay their respects to Wang Mengmeng.
Cast
editPrimary characters
edit| Actor | Role | Introduction | Hong Kong Dubbing |
| Bai Jingting | Xiao Heyun | Ordinary programmer, worldview architect engaged in game development. He got on the No. 45 bus at the stop before Li Shiqing got on the bus, and then fell asleep. Later, during the 6th cycle, Li Shiqing dragged him off the bus and he became trapped in the time loop with her. After escaping the loop, he became Li Shiqing's boyfriend. |
Zhang Fangzheng |
| Zhao Jinmai | Li Shiqing | A junior student. On the day of the incident, she was preparing to take the No. 45 bus to buy books. She unexpectedly fell asleep on the bus, waking up just before the explosion when she heard a mobile phone ringing. Instead of dying, however, she was caught in a loop. After discovering that the bus she was riding was in a loop, she and Xiao Heyun began to try to find the truth. After escaping the loop, she became Xiao Hyun's girlfriend. |
Huang Xinyu |
Bus No. 45
editNo. 45 bus license plate number - Jia A77651.
| Actor | Role | Introduction | Hong Kong Dubbing |
| Huang Jue (co-star) |
Wang Xingde | The driver of the No. 45 bus. He has been commended and published in newspapers for doing good people and good deeds. Because Li Shiqing often took this bus, the pair became acquainted. |
Ye Zhensheng |
| Liu Dan (Co-star) |
Tao Yinghong | A woman carrying a red plastic bag.
She looks indifferent and doesn't care about everything that happens around her, even if someone asks her to talk to her and borrow something, she remains aloof. She keeps her bag under her feet to watch it closely. Later, when Li Shiqing investigated the identity of the passenger, she found that the plastic bag contained a pressure cooker, which turned out to be the bomb. |
Xu Ying |
| Ma Lan | Yaopo | A passenger riding on the bus with a purse full of medicines. | Lin Danfeng |
| Zeng Kelang | Lu Di | Suffers from Asthma, loves ACG culture and cats, and claims to be "Lu, Cat's Apostle, Asthma Conqueror, Chosen one of Light, Di". In the second cycle, he was blocked by the hero and heroine from getting on the bus, but ultimately still didn't enter the loop. He enters the bus with a backpack, and there is a stray cat in his bag. |
Huang Jiquan |
| Zhang Xiqian | Ma Guoqiang | A watermelon farmer who travels to Jialin to meet his son.
This passenger has a Northwest accent, and has served many years in prison for causing death in an accident. He carries a woven bag into the bus which contains watermelon he intends to give to his son. |
Chen Yongxin |
| Jiao Peng | Jiao Xiangrong | A migrant worker. Gets on the bus with a large red suitcase (given by his previous landlord), which is full of personal daily necessities. |
Zhao Shiliang |
| Song Jiateng | One brother | A Internet celebrity.
He is known as "Brother Happy" online, and is mourned by members of the public after his death inside the time loop. |
Deng Zhijian |
| Bu Yuxin | Muscular man | A strong man who works as a bungee jumping instructor. | Chen Zhuozhi |
Jialin Public Security Bureau
edit| Actor | Role | Introduction | Hong Kong Dubbing |
| Liu Yijun | Zhang Cheng | Deputy Captain of Criminal Investigation of Jialin City Public Security Bureau. A veteran criminal policeman who is very capable, clear-headed, and has strong analytical and reasoning skills. He is the main person in charge of the No. 45 bus bombing. In multiple cycles Xiao Heyun and Li Shiqing were interrogated by him and his colleagues. |
Li Jinlun |
| Liu Tao (cameo appearance) |
Du Jinsong | Deputy Director of Jialin Public Security Bureau. A leader with a serious appearance and a calm heart. She is one of the main leaders of the task force established for the No. 45 bus bombing case. |
Lu Huiling |
| 李感 | Jiang Feng | Jialin Public Security Bureau policeman has a master-student relationship with Zhang Cheng, and has a deep relationship with him. |
Chen Yaonan |
| Fan Shuaiqi | Ye Qian | Jialin Public Security Bureau Police officer. | Ye Xiaoxin |
| Yu Peishan | Yu Lei | Jialin Public Security Bureau Police officer. | Li Zhenran |
| Bozhan Ju | Police Officer Lu | Jialin Public Security Bureau Police officer. | |
| Gao Haipeng | Officer Qin | The policeman in charge of the investigation into the traffic accident of bus No. 45 on the cross-river bridge five years ago. | Pan Wenbai |
| Ren Shuai | Xia Jiang | High-level police officer. | Liang Zhida |
Other characters
edit| Actor | Role | Introduction | Hong Kong Dubbing |
| You Jingru | Liu Yao | On the No. 45 bus five years ago, she witnessed Wang Mengmeng being harassed by a pervert, and took photos for proof. | Zhang Songxin |
| Wu Juejin | Liu Yao's mother. She advises Liu Yao not to report the pervert for fear of him targeting her. | Yuan Shuzhen | |
| Chen Jingyi | Wang Mengmeng | The only daughter of Wang Xingde and his wife. She died in a traffic accident when she was studying in Jialin City five years ago. The police closed the case as a simple traffic accident. Five years later, due to a serious new case (the attempted bombing of the No. 45 bus), the investigation was restarted again. | Zhan Jianer |
| Ma Bo | Wang Xingde's roommate. | Guan Lingqiao | |
| Bai Yufan | Liu Peng | Working partner of Xiao Heyun at their game studio. After hearing of the bombing and homicide on the bus, he advises Xiao Heyun to voluntarily surrender. | Li Kaijie |
| Zhao Qianzi | Liu Caicai | Ma Guoqiang's wife. | Shen Xiaolan |
| Mu Tong | Ma Xiaolong | Ma Guoqiang's only son. | Li Kaijie |
| Qian Yi | Lu Di's father. | Lu Guoquan | |
| Chen Wei | Lu Di's mother. | Yuan Shuzhen | |
| Zhang Jinglan | Jiao Jiao | Jiao Xiangrong's daughter. | Chen Haoyi |
| Wang Hong | Driver. | Zhang Jinjiang | |
| Zhang Lingxin | Dr. Mo | Liu Huiyun→Chen Haoyi | |
| Chen Muyang | Cong Rong | Fire chief. | Guan Lingqiao. |
| Wang Ting | Police dispatcher. | Wei Hui'e | |
| Wu Qijiang | Master Zhu | The driver of the No. 45 bus accident on the Cross-River Bridge five years ago. He was found partially guilty of Wang Mengmeng's traffic accident, and lost his bus license. He was interviewed by the police after the No. 45 bus bombing. | Zhai Yaohui |
| Li Kewei | Fan Yonggang | Chen Zhuozhi | |
| Liu Guanlin | Mr. Yang | Mr. Yang of the bus company. | Thunder |
| Wei Wei | |||
| Li Bin | Deputy Mayor. | Pan Wenbai | |
| Qiao Mu | Nurse Xiaolu | Liao Xinyi | |
| Xu Wei | Teacher Wu | Li Shiqing's counselor at school, and also the counselor of Wang Mengmeng and Liu Yao 5 years ago. She is involved in identifying Liu Yao as the witness of Wang Mengmeng's harassment. | Chen Qinyun |
| Yi Ming | He Yingjun | The pervert on the bus who harassed Wang Mengmeng five years ago, leading to her traffic accident. | No dialogue |
| Li Jinjiang | Delivery driver. | ||
| Zhang Hao | Dump truck driver. | ||
| Wang Feng | Tank truck driver. | Xiao Huiyong | |
| Wang Peilu | |||
| Wang Zhi | Fireman. | Hu Jiahao | |
| Ding Wenbo | Qianzi | ||
| Miss Chen | Sister Yu | Chen Qinyun | |
| Zhang Wenxin | A passenger on the No. 45 bus who was asked by Tao Yinghong if she had been harassed by a man. | He Luyi | |
| Huo Yujia | The wife of Zhang Cheng. | Huang Fengying |
Release
editThe drama premiered on Tencent Video on January 11, 2022.[3] It was released in China on LINE TV the same day, and later on Viki. It was released in Thailand on TrueID,[4] in Korea on Asia N, A+Drama, in Hong Kong on MyTV SUPER, and on in the China, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.
| Platform | Location | Broadcast Date | Broadcast Time | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tencent Video |  Mainland China
|
January 11, 2022 | 20:00 | Members were able to watch the first six episodes on release, and then a new episode each Tuesday and Wednesday. On January 19 three episodes were released. Non-members were able to watch one new episode each day from Tuesday to Friday of each week. |
| LINE TV |  Taiwan
|
January 12, 2022 | 00:00 | VIP members were able to watch a new episode each day from Wednesday to Saturday each week. Non-members were able to watch a new episode each day from Thursday to Saturday of each week. |
| J2 |  Hong Kong
|
September 14, 2022 | 23:30 | An episode was aired every Monday and Wednesday, and after October 3, every Monday and Thursday. |
| Eisei Gekijō |  Japan
|
March 24, 2024 | 23:05[5] | New episode every Sunday night[6] |
| Number of episodes | Air date (2022) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tencent Video VIP | Non-members | |
| 1 | January 11 | January 11 |
| 2 | January 12 | |
| 3 | January 13 | |
| 4 | January 14 | |
| 5 | January 18 | |
| 6 | January 19 | |
| 7 | January 12 | January 20 |
| 8 | January 21 | |
| 9 | January 18 | January 25 |
| 10 | January 26 | |
| 11 | January 19 | January 27 |
| 12 | January 28 | |
| 13 | February 1 | |
| 14 | January 25 | February 2 |
| 15 | February 3 | |
The first episode aired on Tencent Video on 11 January 2022; by 23 January 2022 its first 13 episodes had surpassed 1 billion total views on the platform.[7] In Taiwan the first episode debuted on 12 January 2022 on Line TV. In Thailand the series began airing on 19 January 2022 on TrueID.[8]
Reception
editIts popularity has led to much discussion in China on social topics such as social responsibility and cyberbullying.[9] International reception has also been overwhelmingly positive.[10] It has a score of 7.9 (610k) on Douban and 8.1 on IMDb.
Awards
edit| Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31st China TV Golden Eagle Award | Best Supporting Actor | Liu Yijun | Nominated | |
| 13th Macau International Television Festival (Golden Lotus Awards) | Best Leading Actor | Bai Jingting | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Liu Dan | Nominated | ||
| 28th Shanghai Television Festival (Magnolia Awards) | Best Television Series | Reset | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Liu Dan | Won | [11] | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Qidaojun, Qiu Yujie, Suan, Huang Kaiwen | Nominated | ||
| 35th Huading Awards | Best Screenplay | Qidaojun, Qiu Yujie, Suan, Huang Kaiwen | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Actress in a Contemporary Drama | Zhao Jinmai | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Liu Dan | Nominated |
TV drama songs
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | singing | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Only" (Ending Theme Song) | Wang Shilin | Kim Hyun Do | Zhou Shen | |
| 2. | "Wake Up" (theme song) | Wang Shilin | Kim Hyun Do | Wang Xiaokun | |
| 3. | "Rebound" (Interlude) | Wang Shilin | Kim Hyun Do | Chen Hui |
References
edit- ^ "白敬亭赵今麦主演的电视剧《开端》今日开播" [The TV series "The Beginning" starring Bai Jingting and Zhao Jinmai starts broadcasting today]. 新浪娱乐. 2022-01-11. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "《开端》第二部《开启》官宣：首张海报公布". September 1, 2023.
- ^ "白敬亭赵今麦主演的电视剧《开端》今日开播" [The TV series "The Beginning" starring Bai Jingting and Zhao Jinmai starts broadcasting today]. 新浪娱乐. 2022-01-11. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "เรื่องย่อ ซีรีส์จีน Reset ลูปย้อนชะตา ที่ TrueID+" [Synopsis Chinese series Reset Loop back to TrueID+]. TRUEID. January 18, 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "20億再生超えの大ヒット中国ドラマ「開端-RESET-」が日本初放送、"無限ループ"するバス爆発事件に立ち向かうサスペンスの見どころ". Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "開端-RESET-". Eisei Gekijō (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ Wu Xuying (吴旭颖) (23 January 2022). "10亿播放，8.2分好评，《开端》火爆靠的不只是"无限流"". Xinmin Evening News (in Chinese). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "เรื่องย่อ ซีรีส์จีน Reset ลูปย้อนชะตา ที่ TrueID+". TrueID (in Thai). 19 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ Ding Hui (丁慧) (21 January 2022). "没想到，《开端》还是部"反网暴"教育片". The Beijing News (in Chinese). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Zhang Long (22 January 2022). "Chinese thriller featuring whodunit time-loop a hit overseas". Shanghai Daily. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Xu Wei (June 24, 2023). "Actors, directors, writers honored at 28th Shanghai TV Festival".
- ^ "第35届华鼎奖提名名单出炉，《人世间》10项提名领跑，《功勋》满意度调查第一" (in Chinese). December 16, 2022.