Digital age of restoration gives TV viewers a chance to reflect

When director Guo Hao watched a South Korean documentary featuring a mother "reuniting" with her deceased daughter through virtual reality technology, he was touched and also inspired. In the documentary, Meeting You, the mother, after wearing a VR headset and gloves, bursts into tears after seeing her "daughter", a digitalized recreation of the girl who died four years ago.

"Although you know the 'girl' is not real, you'd find it hard to hold your tears while seeing her fingers gently brushing the mother's face," recalls Guo.

For Guo and the team behind Consummation, a coming-of-age drama which has run on the streaming site Mango TV since July 22, the documentary stirred them to examine a bold hypothesis: Could a trauma be cured if a heartbroken person was able to see the deceased again?

This idea has shaped the opening scenes of the 24-episode drama that combines campus romance, a suspense thriller and sci-fi－all genres popular with the younger audience.

In the first week, the drama garnered over 100 million views online, obtaining a high 7.7 points out of 10 on Douban, a leading popular review aggregator.

Set in a fictional city, the tale follows Xia Shi, a 27-year-old journalist who struggles with his dark past, not least his lawyer father's suicide. Through a VR game developed by his former high-school classmates, he "returns" to the time before the tragedy takes place, unraveling the truth behind his dad's death and finally letting go of his regret and pain.