On the night 'Initial D' aired its final episode, hordes of die-hard fans drove to the real-life locations that inspired the show's iconic race tracks—Mount Akina, Usui Pass, and others—for their own version of a pilgrimage.
Major TV drama forums were flooded with fan-posted photos and short clips.
And over on the official Yunteng TV website, it was the same story:
"It's over, huh..."
"Series complete! Throwing flowers!"
"Thank you, Teacher Jing Yu. You've brought joy to my year-end evenings after work."
"Honestly, I used to find driving boring. But this past season, I kept imagining all these badass racing scenes while I was on the road."
"Same! Takumi is every driver's dream. I seriously think Teacher Jing Yu is amazing—whether it's his portrayal of Takumi or how he created this entire story. Absolute legend!"
"Yeah... there's a bit of emptiness now. The winter season's over, and in just over a week the spring lineup begins—but there won't be a new work from Teacher Jing Yu!"
"Don't even mention it. I really hope the Big Six networks can bring some surprises next season."
"'Hikaru no Go', 'Steins;Gate', 'Another', and now 'Initial D'—four series in three seasons. Two of them topped seasonal viewership charts. And 'Initial D' likely has the highest rating of the entire year. I can accept the spring season without a new series from Teacher Jing Yu—but I hope he'll be even more prolific in the next three seasons!"
Even after 'Initial D' ended, its buzz kept fermenting online for days.
Yunteng TV quickly launched licensing deals for domestic and international broadcast rights, along with pre-orders for merch and other products.
'Initial D' finished with a staggering 8% average viewership, clinching the top spot for both the winter season and the entire year.
The Winter Silver Dragon Awards ceremony followed right after, and this time the event drew significantly more attention than usual. The next day, using the same venue arranged by Xingtong TV, the annual Golden Dragon Awards also kicked off.
Since the event was held in Modo City and organized by Xingtong TV, Jing Yu didn't have to travel far and wide to attend.
Even though the awards themselves didn't hold much practical value to him—Jing Yu cared more about fan points and actual income—he still took part. After all, most drama fans in Great Zhou still viewed these awards as a big deal, and he wasn't going to change that perception on his own.
December 31st, at the Golden Dragon Awards ceremony.
Jing Yu and Cheng Lie arrived in formal suits, along with the main cast of 'Initial D'.
Yu Youqing, Xia Yining, Xu Jun, Lin Yan...
Everyone was all smiles—except Xu Jun.
She seemed disappointed. Most others showed up at the awards with reasonable expectations of winning.
For instance, Yu Youqing was basically a lock for "Most Popular Supporting Actress."
Her character, Sato Mako, though technically a supporting role in 'Initial D', had gained far more popularity among fans than the actual heroine, Natsuki.
Then there was Lin Yan. His role as Ryosuke Takahashi was a strong contender for Best Supporting Actor.
But Xu Jun…
Jing Yu had warned her from the start that playing Natsuki would bring a wave of backlash.
Still, she always believed that even being hated meant recognition. As long as she got attention, the role didn't matter.
But she hadn't expected viewers to be this angry about Natsuki. Now look—she got the fame all right, but the damage done to her public image might take several drama roles to undo.
Winning a Golden Dragon? Forget it. If there were a category for "Most Hated Female Lead," she'd win it by a landslide.
"Sigh..."
Xu Jun let out a long sigh, glancing toward Yu Youqing and Xia Yining, who were happily chatting with Jing Yu.
On paper, she was the female lead of 'Initial D', but those two… they clearly held a higher place in Jing Yu's eyes.
Their characters were likable. Even the tragic romance between Sato Mako and Iketani had fans siding with Sato Mako. Meanwhile, after Natsuki betrayed Takumi, viewers were begging for him to end up with Sayuki, who was obviously into him.
Then came the awards:
Best Screenplay: Jing Yu
Best Music: Jing Yu
Most Popular Actor: Jing Yu
Most Popular Supporting Actress: Yu Youqing
'Initial D' had reached insane levels of popularity this winter. Most of the major Golden Dragon Awards went to members of its cast and crew.
The numbers didn't lie. Sure, if viewership and buzz were close between two shows, the judges could do a bit of behind-the-scenes manipulation. But 'Initial D' had crushed its competitors in both ratings and quality. It was obvious that if the show had aired on a top-tier network instead of Yunteng, the average ratings would've easily broken 10%.
And its cultural impact? Way beyond what anyone expected.
Giving the awards to someone else would've seriously undermined the credibility of the Golden Dragon Awards.
So while her teammates all clutched their trophies, Xu Jun was left empty-handed. She knew that even TV viewers were probably cheering at her loss.
Yeah, she was feeling it.
At that moment, Jing Yu noticed her gloomy expression and felt a little bad.
He walked over and exchanged a few words with her.
"It was a pleasure working with you. If there's a next time, and you're willing to be in one of my projects again… I'll make sure you get a character that's truly loved."
Jing Yu paused, then gave her what could be considered a promise.
Next time?
Xu Jun's eyes lit up with surprise.
A role that Jing Yu described as "widely loved"? That was worth far more than some trophy.
Awards were just the cherry on top. A role that could skyrocket your popularity? Now that was the real prize.
"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Jing Yu. Thank you…"
Her earlier gloom was swept away, and she broke into a beaming smile.
What she failed to notice, though, was Jing Yu's carefully worded condition—"if you're willing to work with me again."
Jing Yu glanced at the multiple trophies in his hands.
Just one year ago, he had walked away from Jinhui TV.
And now, here he was.
If the Great Zhou drama world had a "main character" every year, then without a doubt, this year's protagonist was Jing Yu.
Viewers at home got their fill, too. Couldn't see him at the Mount Akina pilgrimage? No problem—they got to see him here.
Even long after the awards ended, forums across Great Zhou were still buzzing with discussions about Jing Yu.
The Next Day – January 1st
While the morning media blitzed every outlet with coverage of the Golden Dragon Awards, by that evening, audiences were already adjusting their focus to the new spring season lineups on the Big Six networks.
Officially, Jing Yu wasn't part of any upcoming spring dramas.
But behind the scenes?
Every halfway-decent TV station in Great Zhou was quietly shifting resources toward Yunteng TV—and toward Jing Yu, now a free agent.