"They're here! After over half a year of waiting, the Old Theft's new drama is finally airing!"
"Half a year? Where did you put 'Ultraman Tiga' then?"
"Forget it. My daughter likes 'Ultraman Tiga', but I can't understand it. I don't even acknowledge that show as one of the Old Theft's works—it's too far from his usual style. This new show about Titans is the real deal."
"No need to say more. Just from the trailer of 'Attack on Titan', I'm already hyped. Even though the Old Theft said in an interview that the short guy in the trailer isn't the main character, I don't care—no way the lead is cooler than him!"
"Isn't that character called Levi?"
"And the female lead has an eight-pack too!"
"An eight-pack on a girl? What guy could resist her charm?"
"One of the other actors said in an interview that this series might be a bit gory."
"Do they even need to say that? Just watching the trailer makes it obvious."
Before the premiere of 'Attack on Titan', the fan group for Jing Yu was buzzing with excitement.
Song Jialin, a long-time fan of Jing Yu, couldn't get into 'Ultraman Tiga', though with so many kids liking it, she held back from criticizing too much—she just accepted it wasn't her taste.
But 'Attack on Titan'? That was different.
Man-eating titans? Way cooler than so-called apostles or monsters. Especially that Levi character...
Song Jialin, who had a slightly eccentric taste, had maxed out her anticipation for the premiere of 'Attack on Titan'.
11:00 PM sharp.
Even though it was nearly midnight—a terrible timeslot—Yunteng TV was pulling a solid 10.13% viewership rating.
Dozens of mid-to-large TV stations across Great Zhou could only sigh in defeat.
Jing Yu's meteoric rise in just five or six years was simply too fast—and his talent clearly outclassed his peers in the Great Zhou entertainment industry by at least two whole tiers.
One tier for the quality of his works.
Another for the quantity of his creative output.
This dual advantage made Jing Yu unbeatable in the industry.
It was like in Jing Yu's previous life—if Cameron could release a 'Titanic'-level film every year, he'd be unrivaled in commercial cinema. But he only made two films in twenty years, so he had competitors.
Quality and quantity—both are essential.
And Jing Yu crushed his peers on both fronts.
While others were busy analyzing the viewership trends and speculating how high the ratings would go by the series finale...
The first episode of 'Attack on Titan' officially began.
"On that day, mankind remembered... the fear of being ruled by them, the humiliation of living in cages…"
The iconic opening monologue.
Inside the walls, a young Mikasa, Armin, and Eren looked up at the 50-meter-tall outer wall—where a steaming red giant hand clung to the surface, its flesh looking burned and melted.
Above it loomed a giant's massive head, peeking over the wall.
Then came the legendary opening theme: Red Lotus Arrows.
In Jing Yu's previous life, the manga of 'Attack on Titan' was already fairly popular, but it wasn't quite in the same tier as giants like 'Naruto', 'Bleach', or 'Fairy Tail' before the anime adaptation aired.
But with the right animation quality, a good anime can push a manga's popularity to unimaginable heights.
The first season of 'Attack on Titan' was undoubtedly a masterpiece in terms of animation.
And the soundtrack? Absolutely legendary—especially up through Season 4.
In Jing Yu's previous life, the series had five or six "God-tier" songs, according to fans.
From Epic Betrayal ('Vogel im Käfig), Soaring Skies ('Attack on Titan' (1st OST album)), to the infamous Dad Drop Theme ('YouSeeBIGGIRL/T:T')—fans kept shouting "Hiroyuki Sawano yyds!"
So when the wall-crashing scene played out, and the opening theme rolled in...
The translated Great Zhou lyrics synced perfectly to the beat. That shift—from dark and oppressive at the start to triumphant and explosive later—paired with high-flying omni-directional mobility gear warriors charging fearlessly at the giants...
Even viewers with low emotional resistance were overwhelmed.
They hadn't even seen the plot yet, and the theme song alone had them with goosebumps and blood pumping.
"This theme... did the Old Theft cheat?"
"How can something be this hype?"
"So this is what a 300-million-dollar mega-drama looks like? Insane."
"My body went numb. The Old Theft is just too good."
"He wrote and composed the theme, too? I know we've said it a hundred times, but he's not even human! Screenwriters already feel despair looking at him—now the music industry probably does too."
"These lyrics... they paint a world where nature is ruled by pure survival of the fittest."
Song Jialin stared at her screen, unmoving.
That minute-long theme had her blood boiling.
Then the real episode began.
It introduced the three protagonists: Mikasa, Eren, and Armin.
Eren: impulsive, with a strong sense of crisis.
Mikasa: quiet, composed, but deeply loyal to Eren.
Armin: timid and soft-spoken, but logical and clear-thinking.
The world setting was also introduced—humanity hiding behind towering walls built to keep the titans out.
Lax guards, drinking on duty, ignoring the titan threat.
Eren's father's friend: the kind-hearted Hannes from the Garrison Regiment.
The Survey Corps, which ventured outside the walls to investigate the origin of the Titans, only to return bloodied and broken each time.
The atmosphere was heavy—overwhelmingly so.
Even with a peaceful life inside the walls, a sense of dread loomed constantly in the background and worldbuilding.
Especially the moment when a grieving mother confronted the Survey Corps, asking if her son's death led to any discoveries—
"No. We learned nothing."
That line left Song Jialin deeply unsettled.
Couldn't they at least tell a comforting lie?
Then came the foreshadowing...
Eren's father was about to travel deeper into the inner wall for "a medical visit", promising Eren he could check the basement when he returned.
This moment—just minutes into the episode—would become the central mystery of the entire show.
Eren's mother argued with him over his dream to join the Survey Corps.
So far, not a single titan had appeared on-screen since the opening teaser.
"The pacing is so slow!"
"Classic Old Theft—always loves a slow burn. In 'Ultraman Tiga', the monsters would already be fighting by now."
"Is Mikasa really that strong? Why are all the kids scared of her?"
"An eight-pack muscle girl beauty—wouldn't you be scared?"
"Still, the atmosphere building is top-notch. I'm already scared just waiting for the titans to show up."
Then, plot twist.
During Eren and Armin's chat, Armin casually said:
"Even if the wall hasn't been breached for 100 years, there's no guarantee it won't be today."
Right on cue, a giant red hand clutched the wall.
The 50-meter outer wall was no match for the titan that loomed even taller.
One kick—and the wall exploded.
Sound design: deafening.
Tension: off the charts.
The fans went dead silent.
The breach opened the floodgates. Countless titans poured in.
Limbs flew, blood splattered, humans screamed as they were crushed like pigs awaiting slaughter.
In Eren's home, debris from the breach trapped his mother under the rubble.
Eren and Mikasa tried to save her—but she urged them to run.
A 15-meter titan was approaching.
Hannes rushed in to help—but Eren's mom told him to take the kids and flee.
The omni-directional mobility gear was fully revealed for the first time.
"Hannes, take Eren and Mikasa. Please."
"Don't underestimate me, Carla. I'll kill that titan and save all three of you."
He charged, blades in hand...
Then froze—paralyzed by the titan's cold, emotionless gaze.
Courage, hope, all melted like ice.
He turned around, scooped up the children, and ran without looking back.
Song Jialin was stunned.
"He ran?!"
"So cowardly!"
"Wouldn't you? It's a 15-meter titan! What do you think this is, a comedy? You think a grappling hook can beat that?"
"That's not cowardice—it's damage control."
"Holy crap, this world is dark."
"Just how emotionally starved was the Old Theft to write something like this?"
"So what happens to Eren and Mikasa's mom?"
Then it happened—the infamous "mother-eating scene".
The titan grabbed her from the rubble, twisted her in its palm...
And bit her in half.
Blood sprayed.
The titan looked satisfied.
Everyone watching: silent.
The visuals. The pacing. The close-up.
Incredible.
The Old Theft really went there.
The scene was so visceral that even ten out of ten viewers felt the true horror of the titans.
When humanity, once atop the food chain, suddenly becomes prey...
Even viewers with nausea stuck around—because their brains demanded more.
And then came Hannes' line:
"You couldn't save your mother because you lacked strength.
I couldn't face the titan because I lacked courage."
That gut-wrenching line sealed the tone of the entire episode.
Despite the horror and discomfort, viewership only climbed—starting at 10%, midway through the episode, it had already broken 11%, pushing toward 12%.
After Eren's mother died, the survivors, including him, Mikasa, and Armin, fled inward.
The Armored Titan appeared—smashing through the next layer of defenses.
All this happened in the first episode—and none of the three protagonists could do a damn thing.
They were just victims—vessels to show the audience how brutal this world was.
And Levi? He didn't show up at all.
"That's it?!"
"I can't take this!"
"It ended there? Is the Old Theft mad?"
"This plot is insane."
"I'm speechless. This is so cruel."
"I don't think I can keep watching. Who's signing up for next week's emotional trauma?"
"I didn't expect this level of darkness. Seeing your mom eaten alive—in that way?"
"Where's Levi, the badass? From the trailer, humanity wasn't this helpless! No one fought back?"
"I feel tricked. If I'd known, I would've waited a few weeks to binge it instead of being left hanging like this."
People who expected a power fantasy were instead left shell-shocked by a full episode of despair.
Midnight had come.
But nobody could sleep.
Who could sleep after this?