Compared to the kinds of works Jing Yu had previously produced, a show like 'Ultraman' was on a completely different wavelength.
His earlier projects, no matter how you sliced them, had always leaned toward teen and young adult audiences.
But 'Ultraman'—though in its previous life plenty of adults enjoyed it—those were mostly viewers who had grown up with it. The number of people who started watching 'Ultraman' as adults was still relatively small.
Jing Yu had already mentally prepared himself for complaints once 'Ultraman' aired. He expected that many fans would find it jarring and criticize it.
But there was no way he was passing up this genre. The commercial value was immense.
And indeed, once the trailer for 'Ultraman' dropped, the entire Great Zhou drama market was stunned.
That striking, high-contrast setup—the cosmic 'Ultraman' facing off against evil monsters…
"Wait, what even is this?!"
"This is what the old thief's been cooking for over six months?"
"Why does it feel so weird? Isn't it supposed to be something like 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'?"
"Feels super off. The more I watch, the more it looks like a kids' show."
"It's just a trailer. Don't overthink it. The old thief always throws up smoke screens."
"Actually, the visuals are on par with 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'. And it's still about protecting humans from monsters. But the transformations... Man, they're so cringe! My toes curled so hard I could scratch a hardwood floor."
"No wonder the old thief didn't cast himself in this one. I wouldn't either."
"Maybe he's just adding those cringe poses and lines to mess with us. 'Ultraman's' core setup isn't that different from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'—transformations are like piloting Evas, monsters are the Angels. It's probably another show about survival, destruction, society, and emotional growth."
"What's weird is, when 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' aired, my son thought it was boring. Said the protagonist was too pathetic. Didn't want to watch it. But this two-minute 'Ultraman' trailer? He was all in—kept asking me when it airs."
"Same here. My wife and I both thought it felt weird, but our daughter kept asking about the show after seeing the trailer. Are kids these days really into monster-fighting stories?"
"Eh, what do kids know? The old thief's dramas aren't made for anyone under fifteen. The trailer may look playful, but by episode two they'll bail. You know how the old thief loves to make people suffer."
"If you have kids, don't let them watch his shows. When the tragedy hits, they might get scarred for life."
"Starts off cute just to trick us, huh? Heh. Old thief, I see your game. I'm calling it now—by the halfway point, this show's gonna get dark and emotionally wreck us."
"Never trust the old thief's trailers. You'll only know the truth when the real thing airs."
What Jing Yu didn't expect was: once the trailer for 'Ultraman Tiga' dropped, most of his fans flat-out refused to believe it was a kids' show. Instead, they filled every social media platform warning others not to fall for it. The more childish the trailer seemed, the more convinced they were that the actual story would be a deep, dark psychological gut-punch.
Their interpretations of Jing Yu's work left him genuinely frustrated.
"Sure, I usually make shows for teens and adults, but what, I'm not allowed to shoot a kids' show once in a while?" Jing Yu muttered to himself in his office.
He knew that among his massive fanbase, some adults would genuinely enjoy a monster-of-the-week show like 'Ultraman Tiga', but they'd be the minority. The show's real target audience was the many children across Great Zhou.
The advertising reflected that too—focused mainly on bookstores near schools.
But now, thanks to all the chatter, it looked like he was using reverse psychology to mislead people.
Jing Yu quickly told his PR team to put out a statement.
There would be no emotional trauma, no cruelty in 'Ultraman Tiga'. The trailer reflected the actual tone of the show. This wouldn't turn into 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' halfway through with heavy symbolism and abstract storytelling.
This was genuinely a show meant for younger audiences.
And yet…
A few days passed, and not a single fan believed him.
"A kids' show? Please. Who are you trying to fool, old thief?"
"Give it a rest. After all the times you've tricked us, you think we'd believe anything you say now?"
"I'm already prepared, old thief. That act won't work anymore."
"July release, right? Ugh, one more month of waiting…"
Seeing the online chatter, Jing Yu gave up trying to explain.
It's not like adults couldn't watch 'Ultraman' anyway. He just didn't want them to walk in with the wrong expectations. But if they wanted to interpret it however they pleased, so be it. Jing Yu stopped trying to intervene and let the conversation evolve on its own.
Among adults, many were convinced this was another grim masterpiece. But to kids—
A hero from the Land of Light. Epic battles with evil monsters. Cool transformation poses...
Even from just the trailer, they were already hooked.
Since mid-May, the hype for 'Ultraman Tiga' had steadily climbed. By early June, it topped daily search rankings for all entertainment topics in Great Zhou.
Because Jing Yu didn't act in this show, there were no nationwide promotions like in the past.
Instead, the cast went on meet-and-greet tours across different cities, organized by the company. The actor who played Daigu even performed several transformation poses at these events.
Everything moved along smoothly.
By mid-to-late June, as the premiere date approached, Jing Yu's company website was getting hundreds of thousands of views per day. At this stage of his career, he didn't need to create artificial hype.
The marketing followed a normal budget and plan. Fans would spread the word naturally. Spending more wouldn't necessarily help.
In the original format, each 'Ultraman' episode was just over 20 minutes long. Jing Yu simply edited two episodes together to make up the length of one.
So, on Sunday, July 3rd at 8 PM, 'Ultraman Tiga' premiered on Yunteng TV and Qingyun video platforms.
(Qingyun's stream was delayed by a few minutes to give Yunteng TV a slight edge in viewership metrics.)
It had been over six months since Jing Yu released a new show, and fans were hyped. At the very start of the broadcast, Yunteng's ratings exceeded 9%.
And then…
Once the actual show started…
Many of Jing Yu's fans were completely thrown.
Strange military organizations. Bizarre monsters. The origin of 'Ultraman'. Daigu's team. Brief introductions to the supporting characters...
Since Great Zhou had never had an 'Ultraman' franchise before, Jing Yu needed to spend some time at the beginning of 'Ultraman Tiga' explaining the world:
Where the monsters came from. Why they suddenly appeared on Blue Star. What 'Ultraman' really was.
That setup took up part of the opening.
And then came the actual story...
"This just feels weird, okay?"
"Did you guys understand that mini-plot just now?"
"So… this guy named Daigu gets acknowledged by 'Ultraman Tiga's body and gains the ability to use its power?"
"And now the story's just Daigu and his team fighting monsters?"
"WTF…"
"This sounds like 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' but feels completely different."
"Evangelion was all about inner growth, hidden beneath the monster fights. But 'Ultraman Tiga'… is literally just monster fights!"
"Holy crap, did the old thief actually tell the truth this time? Is this really made for kids?"
"I'm in my twenties and I'm loving this! Fighting monsters is so awesome!"
"And that Ultra Beam—so damn cool!"
"I think it's actually pretty fun!"
"But I… just can't get into it."
"Same here. 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' was amazing, but I feel nothing watching 'Ultraman'."
"Really? My wife and I both loved 'Evangelion', but she didn't like 'Ultraman'. I thought it was a blast. I guess people's tastes really do vary."
"I'm not a fan either. But my daughter? Watching with her eyes glued to the screen."
"My son too. I called him twice, he didn't even react. More focused than when he studies."
"He's already copying Daigu's poses. I think he's totally into it. But give it two episodes and he'll probably get bored. Just like school."
The first episode of 'Ultraman Tiga' in the Great Zhou version combined the original two episodes—two stories into one.
The first introduced 'Ultraman', monsters, and their relationship with humans, giving Tiga a small demo fight. The second used an AI from a time machine to explain why Daigu could transform into Tiga.
The plot wasn't mentally taxing. You could just turn off your brain and follow along.
Because it was for children, any plot too complicated would get rejected.
That's why Jing Yu's long-time fans were shocked.
For the first time in their years of following him, they saw a show that was simple, easy to follow, and totally stress-free.
Even though 'Ultraman' was aimed at kids, adults could enjoy it too. Monster battles were universally appealing. Combine that with polished VFX, and the first episode ended with an average rating of 9.97%.
Adult fans were confused, but not disappointed.
You might not vibe with the show, but you wouldn't think it was bad. Those who didn't enjoy it could clearly explain why: it just wasn't their thing.
Every episode followed a predictable pattern: introduce the new monster, send out the Victory Squad, someone crashes the jet, Daigu mysteriously disappears, transforms, wins, returns, makes up a clumsy excuse, and everyone believes him.
Then during the fight, there'd always be a power-timer countdown to add tension, followed by Tiga's finishing move.
Shows like this were common in the original world. In 'Naruto', whenever a big boss appeared, hardcore fans already knew Naruto wasn't gonna punch it out—he'd win with talk-no-jutsu🤧.
In 'Detective Conan', someone dies, and you already know Kogoro is about to get tranquilized again.
And yet people never stopped watching.
By the end of the second story in episode one, the smarter fans had already figured out the show's formula.
But even knowing the pattern, they couldn't stop watching.
They found the themes—light, hope, justice—childish and unrealistic.
And yet… they were hooked.
After finishing the first episode, many had already decided they'd tune in next week.
Kids, though, were a whole different story. They started watching because their parents had it on, and with Jing Yu's name attached, probably half the households in Great Zhou were watching 'Ultraman Tiga' that night.
The adults all had different reactions. But the kids?
Their eyes sparkled.
For them, those so-called childish themes hit just right.
What could be more exciting than transforming into a giant warrior like 'Ultraman Tiga', fighting to protect the world, Blue Star, and the people you love?
Nothing—not among anything else airing at the same time.
After the first episode aired, some fans were thrilled. Most thought it was fine, easy to watch. A few were disappointed that after waiting six months, all they got was this kind of show. But if they tried to criticize it? They really had nothing to complain about.
Jing Yu had made it clear—it was a show meant for kids.
If adults wanted to complain that it was childish, well… that was on them.
"Damn it, old thief—you really played it straight this time? The trailer and the actual show matched? No twist?!"
That night, discussions exploded across every major forum. Fans weren't debating whether the show was good or bad—but whether Jing Yu was wasting his talent making this kind of thing.
There was no clear answer.
And in truth, though it looked like adult fans were the ones dominating the online conversation, the real impact of the premiere wasn't among grown-ups.
It was in the elementary and middle schools of Great Zhou.
By Monday, schools were full of chatter. Kids talked about it after class, boys gathered in groups practicing transformation poses.
But this phenomenon wasn't picked up by the media at first—
After all, elementary schoolers didn't have a voice online like adults did.
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T/N: I've decided to release 5 bonus chapters together with the usual 5‑chapter update 🎁 as a small thank‑you to everyone.…but it seems I've ended on a cliffhanger again 😅🪓