Trailers never reveal too much. The major Titan shifters hadn't even made a shadowy appearance. Jing Yu only showed a few scenes of wild Titans feasting — and then let Levi have one badass moment.
But even with just that?
It was enough to make viewers' scalps tingle.
For many, 'Attack on Titan' was their first time watching a "gourmet show" where the main dish was... humans. The shock value was immense. But for every scene of humans being eaten alive, there was a counterbalance — like Levi's entrance — that brought cathartic satisfaction.
By the time the 1-minute trailer ended, Jing Yu's fans were already fully hyped.
"What the hell, Jing Yu!? Did you go dark mode!?"
"I thought 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' with Eva Units going berserk and eating Angels was already insane. 'Attack on Titan' just said 'hold my beer' — they're eating people!"
"Bro, I was eating barbecue! You owe me for my wasted food. How is anyone supposed to eat after that!?"
"Wait, was that the short guy at the end the protagonist? He's so scrawny and short — but damn, he's cool. Those dead-fish eyes just scream, 'You mess with me, I'm your dad.'"
"No wonder Jing Yu didn't cast himself in this one. That kind of main character wouldn't suit him."
"Still, his longtime collaborators Yu Youqing and Xia Yining are both in the show — but as side characters?"
"Supporting roles? Why aren't they leads?"
"Probably because they've collaborated too much with Jing Yu. If they play romantic leads with any other male actors, fans will immediately get pulled out of the story."
"That's so sad, though. Doesn't that limit their acting careers?"
"Sad? Come on. The two of them reportedly own shares in Jing Yu's company — maybe 1% or 2% each. The man makes billions a year. Plus, they get solid paychecks for acting and royalty splits on works they've starred in. These women rake in tens of millions annually doing nothing. You think they're worried about branching out?"
"That's insane!"
"Only two or three people who followed Jing Yu when he left Yunteng TV have that kind of treatment. The rest of BlueStar Media & Film? Strictly industry-standard pay. If you're a new actor signed to Yunteng TV these days, contracts last five or ten years."
"Sounds like exploitation."
"Nah, it's not that deep. In other companies, they might say an actor only made it because of the platform, which can be unfair. But in Jing Yu's case, it's true. Any actor who rises through one of his shows owes everything to the show. Switch them out, and the drama would still go viral. So, of course, he won't let people blow up on his work and then run off."
"Classic example? Tang Rui. She made tens of millions off the role of Artoria. Even after signing with Jing Yu's company, he didn't stop her from working on other projects. But her other roles? Meh. Now she's focused entirely on the 'Fate' series and its promos. Oh, right — rumor is, she has a role in Jing Yu's other series 'Gundam' too."
"Still sucks that Jing Yu doesn't act much anymore. His dramas always hit harder when he's in them."
"Yeah, but the guy's worth billions. The fact that he's not just lounging at home full-time is already a miracle. You expect him to endure the heat and cold on set again? The man's a workaholic legend as it is."
"Just hope his passion doesn't burn out. If he retires before 40, it'll be the dark age for us fans."
"Ugh, I already can't wait for 'Attack on Titan' to air. Still ten days to go…"
The trailer for 'Attack on Titan' exploded on Qingyun Video, hitting the trending charts and surpassing 10 million views in less than half a day.
Yunteng TV moved fast too, slotting the trailer into prime-time TV promos the very same day.
One good thing about the Great Zhou was that even though some people occasionally complained about "bloody violence harming kids' mental health," society as a whole didn't overreact.
As long as the story wasn't too out there, the public was pretty tolerant of controversial themes.
In fact, Titan's graphic scenes of humans getting eaten? Mild stuff, really.
Even under the official review board's standards, it was nothing too extreme.
So when Yunteng TV aired the trailer, ratings shot through the roof.
Meanwhile, with 'Attack on Titan's hype building, the actors playing major roles also began gaining serious traction online — before the show even aired.
Lu Wen, a 15-year-old newcomer, as Eren
Han Bixian, a former child actor, played Armin.
Xu Xin, a young rookie actress, plays Mikasa.
All three were suddenly trending — their popularity now rivaling that of second-tier celebrities.
Among them, Xu Xin's casting as Mikasa was a standout.
The others were easier to find, but finding someone who could embody Mikasa was no small feat.
She needed to be beautiful, resolute, commanding, capable, but not come off as overly masculine.
Jing Yu had searched high and low—and finally found the perfect match.
She literally had an eight-pack.
Only 16 years old, but she'd been working out since elementary school. Slim build, long legs — looked like a typical anime cutie at first glance. But once the jacket came off? Defined abs, biceps, and toned arms — sharp and chiseled.
Truth is, there were plenty of people who fit anime character types in real life.
The problem in Jing Yu's past life wasn't that they didn't exist — it was that studios refused to cast them.
Why? Because they were nobodies. No clout, no followers, and studios didn't want to take risks on unknowns.
But now, Jing Yu was the biggest name in the entire industry. He didn't have to care.
If an actor brought both star power and suitability, great. If not? No problem — as long as they fit the role, that was all that mattered.
As September neared its end, 'Ultraman Tiga' had aired over a dozen episodes.
The show completely dominated the elementary and middle school demographic. Merch sales were through the roof.
And even though only half the show had aired, thanks to merch and advertising revenue alone, 'Tiga' had already turned a healthy profit, earning Jing Yu several hundred million.
Its commercial success sent shockwaves through the industry.
"Wait, this much money… from just two stunt actors in rubber suits, a few model cities, and some after-effects light beams?"
Jing Yu's peers immediately started planning copycat shows.
If 'Ultraman' could battle little monsters, then their own shows could feature interdimensional demons, UN superpower squads, or whatever. Same formula, different skin.
Jing Yu didn't mind. Couldn't stop it anyway. Money was endless — he wasn't trying to hoard it all.
Even in his past life, despite 'Ultraman''s dominance, 'Kamen Rider' and other series still made bank.
He'd pioneered the genre in Great Zhou, so the lion's share of profit was his regardless.
By late September, as other fall shows wrapped up, only 'Tiga' remained on air — and its ratings had surpassed 11%, a shocking number.
Before'Attack on Titan's premiere, Yunteng TV invited Jing Yu and the cast for a prime-time promo interview.
This marked Jing Yu's first public TV appearance in over six months.
He was joined by actors playing Levi, Sasha, Reiner, Bertolt, and others.
Though the hosts were supposed to focus on the leads, they knew exactly who the viewers came for — so most questions were directed at Jing Yu.
And he played along perfectly:
"This might end up being the highest-rated series of my career."
"It's a show that I promise — everyone will be satisfied with."
"The blood and violence? That's just surface-level. Underneath, this story is filled with tragedy, romance, and human spirit. It will move you."
Classic Jing Yu swagger — but not unwarranted. If he, the writer, didn't hype it up, how could the audience believe?
And he wasn't wrong. Ignoring the final arc, 'Attack on Titan' was God-tier in its earlier and mid-stage plot.
The momentum, plot depth, themes, and emotional beats — flawless. Nobody expected the ending to crash and burn so hard.
Even if the ending had just been meh, like 'Naruto' or 'Bleach', the first half alone made it a 9.9/10 series. A few dings couldn't change that.
But no — the original manga ending wasn't just bad.
It was "feeding fans poop" levels of bad.
Imagine if 'White Album 2' had ended with Haruki's two love interests suddenly falling in love with his dad, becoming his stepmoms, and turning the household into a harem.
Yeah. That's how bad 'Attack on Titan's ending was to hardcore fans.
That's why Jing Yu would absolutely be rewriting the ending.
Even if he couldn't craft something divine, just following fan theories and predictions from before the manga's end would already be a thousand times better.
That confidence was what let Jing Yu stand on TV and boldly proclaim 'Attack on Titan' a masterpiece.
The next day was October 1st.
The drama market in Great Zhou exploded into high alert.
'Tiga' was still burning hot, and the six major TV stations had no plans to compete with Jing Yu.
They accepted it: the man's shows easily broke 9–10% ratings. Their best dramas? 7% at best, maybe 8% if lucky.
They weren't even fighting for #1 anymore — just vying for second place.
Jing Yu was in a league of his own. The others were fighting for silver.
And honestly? That internal competition between the networks was fiercer than ever.
As for 'Attack on Titan'?
It was only competing with 'Tiga'.
Two shows, same season, both created by Jing Yu — dueling each other.
Since 'Attack on Titan' aired in a late-night slot, it didn't clash with the other networks' prime-time dramas.
So Yunteng TV suddenly felt like a lone god above the battlefield.
Clearly, they were airing both the #1 and #2 shows of the season, yet the media barely even mentioned them in coverage of viewership wars.
"Who's going to compete with Yunteng TV this quarter?"
The entire Yunteng TV team felt a strange sensation:
"So lonely. Invincible… and bored."
Still, that wouldn't last forever. The moment Jing Yu decided to sell the company or shift to film, they'd be back to reality.
But even without rivals, Yunteng TV didn't let up.
With only days left before 'Attack on Titan's premiere, they launched a full-scale advertising blitz.
Forums, video sites, nonstop TV teasers…
Metro stations in major cities, bus stops, even buses themselves — all plastered with 'Attack on Titan' ads.
If you followed TV at all, you couldn't avoid it.
Meanwhile, Jing Yu drip-fed minor spoilers to fuel the hype.
Details about Titan sizes — 5m, 7m, 15m — and their habits, plus a glimpse into the world's lore.
These bits came from the first two episodes, but he released them early to whet the audience's appetite.
A few days later, Saturday night arrived.
7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 — the primetime battleground. The major networks fought hard.
But ratings were just average — debuting at around 6%, like always.
Then came 10:30 PM.
The usual time when most people, especially students, were heading to bed.
But on Yunteng TV, ratings started to skyrocket.
From 4%, to 5%, to 7% — and just before the premiere — it hit 10.11%.
Millions of viewers decided to stay up late tonight.
This wasn't like 'Tiga'. 'Attack on Titan's trailer had already set huge expectations.
Before the first episode even aired, it had already broken 10% in viewership.
In the past, that kind of number was considered legendary.
Now, with Jing Yu's influence and Yunteng TV's growing reputation, it had become his new standard.