After the second episode of 'Attack on Titan' aired, the average viewership officially broke past 11%.
But most viewers were still frozen by the final scene—when the Colossal Titan suddenly appeared atop the massive city wall where Eren was standing. The sun was eclipsed by its enormous head, towering even higher than the fifty-meter wall.
The visual impact was so overwhelming that many viewers remained motionless in front of their TVs long after the episode ended.
"Wait... That was it? That felt like five minutes, tops!"
"My god, the Old Theft's cliffhanger skills are lethal. He really ended it there and expects us to wait a full week?! Criminal."
"It looked so cool—those omni-directional mobility gear let them fly through the air and strike titans in the neck!"
"How did they even film this? Seriously, even the extras moved so smoothly. It was too awesome."
"But how do you even cut a titan that size? That thing's neck is several meters thick. Can a human blade even get through?"
"I'm doomed. This episode ended in such a way that I can't sleep tonight."
"It's already midnight, but I'm wide awake. Honestly, 'Attack on Titan' might have the strongest opening of all the Old Theft's shows. Episode 1 was nonstop action, and Episode 2, even though it was mostly setup and worldbuilding, still hit hard at the end. I seriously doubt anyone who watched both episodes would drop this show."
"No wonder they air it at 11 PM—they don't want us sleeping. I was drowsy before, but now I'm just lying here needing to know what happens to Eren, Reiner, Sasha… Given the Old Theft's track record, someone's definitely going to get killed."
"Enough talk. I need to fix the injustice I committed last week. I only gave this show a 9/10. I'm changing it to 10. Immediately."
Some viewers had initially believed that 'Attack on Titan' relied too heavily on shock and gore to attract attention.
But after Episode 2, with its expanded worldbuilding, deeper titan lore, and layered depiction of life within the walls, it was clear: this show wasn't just about man-eating monsters.
And even more telling, it had zero combat scenes, yet still managed to captivate.
That spoke volumes.
The Day After
Search traffic on major sites exploded. 'Attack on Titan' overtook 'Ultraman Tiga' as the most talked-about series of the winter season.
That night, the latest episode of 'Ultraman Tiga' aired—but for the first time, it fell slightly behind in ratings.
Turns out, Great Zhou had plenty of kids, but also plenty of adults—and Jing Yu had captured both demographics with his two shows.
With 'Attack on Titan' now firmly established, Jing Yu's company began to move.
Just like with 'Ultraman Tiga', they launched preorders for 'Attack on Titan' figures and merch.
And sales?
Actually, not bad.
They followed a top-tier trajectory for a domestic drama product line.
But compared to 'Ultraman''s launch last season, the difference was clear.
Adults binge shows, sure—but their wallets are a bit more rational.
Not many people want to decorate their shelves with nude, muscle-bound giant monsters.
Maybe once Mikasa and Levi get more screen time, merch for those two might sell better. But overall? The franchise's commercial merchandising potential was always going to be limited.
Jing Yu had expected this and felt no disappointment when the preorder numbers came in.
A New Project?
His mind was already elsewhere—thinking about his next big project.
Back when he worked for a TV network, the higher-ups chased him to make new stuff.
Now that he was the boss, it was his employees who were watching and waiting for him to act.
His company had grown: hundreds of staff across multiple departments.
The game division was busy—games based on 'Ultraman Tiga', 'Gundam', and 'Attack on Titan' were in production.
Older IPs like 'Evangelion' and 'Rurouni Kenshin' were also being developed into games.
That department didn't need Jing Yu's oversight.
But the TV drama division?
Their three main productions were almost done.
'Ultraman Tiga' was halfway through its season but had finished filming last week.
'Attack on Titan' had a long way to go, but shooting was proceeding smoothly.
'Gundam' didn't need much on-set work—it was all indoor green screen and post-production VFX.
That meant a lot of the TV team was about to go idle.
The film department?
Well, Jing Yu had approved a few indie projects.
One emotional drama was even released last month.
As for its box office…
Jing Yu had a ten-second cameo, but the film's promo proudly claimed he "starred."
The movie had a budget of 31 million yuan, earned 45 million, and got a 5.6 rating from viewers, most complaints being:
"Came here for Jing Yu. He only showed up for ten seconds?!"
It was a minor flop. Jing Yu could only sigh.
"I need to start scaling back this pace."
His company relied on his work for profit, but it couldn't go on like this forever.
Eventually, Jing Yu himself would burn out.
And…
He knew it: the better his works got, the pickier his fans became.
He couldn't raise the bar infinitely. Shows like 'Attack on Titan' and 'Gundam' were already at the peak of what anime-based live-action could be.
There's no such thing as a perfect successor—only different styles for different audiences.
"I need to start thinking about stepping back," he thought, scribbling story ideas on a script draft.
Not fully stepping away—he wasn't planning to become just an investor.
But maybe… more like Hayao Miyazaki.
"Retired" for decades, but whenever the mood struck—boom, another masterpiece.
As he thought, he glanced at the script he was working on.
'Spirited Away'
'Your Name' and 'Castle in the Sky' were already released in this world.
Now it was time for 'Spirited Away'—the #2 box office hit of Jing Yu's past life in Japan.
And #1?
Well… that'd be 'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train'. (As of writing this Chapter✍)
Frankly, Jing Yu always thought 'Demon Slayer' was a bit overhyped.
It was great, no doubt. But Japan had so many moving, powerful anime.
Why was that the one to smash records?
How did it sell over 40 million manga volumes in a single year?
How did it beat 'One Piece', 'Slam Dunk', 'Hunter x Hunter', and 'Dragon Ball'?
Jing Yu didn't get it.
And he especially didn't get how's movie outsold 'Spirited Away'.
But reality was reality.
He wouldn't adapt 'Demon Slayer' for film—not in this life.
But 'Spirited Away'? That, he'd treat with the utmost respect.
He wasn't sure how it would perform in Great Zhou.
'Your Name' hadn't performed as well as it did back in his past life's Japan.
But still—he'd give it his all.
He'd personally play Haku, the dragon-boy protagonist.
As for Chihiro, he'd hold auditions for a new face.
And it wasn't just 'Spirited Away'—he was also planning spinoff films for series like 'Legal High' and 'Evangelion'.
Over the next few days, Jing Yu went into full seclusion mode.
Outsiders didn't know what was happening—but his team?
They knew the signs.
Whenever their boss locked himself in the office and wasn't gaming, it meant one thing:
He was creating something big.
Industry insiders quickly caught wind. Word spread among veteran professionals.
"That guy… he's working on a new project again?!"
Both TV and film sectors were on edge.
Every time people pitched new projects, they'd quietly ask:
"Hey, you know what Jing Yu's working on? Let's make sure we don't accidentally compete."
Everyone was uneasy.
Except for the regular audience.
Another Saturday Night
One week later—Episode 3 of 'Attack on Titan' aired.
To Jing Yu, this series had one very obvious strength:
Its pacing.
For a long-form shounen battle series, 'Attack on Titan' had one of the tightest openings.
From the initial titan attack to the second appearance of the Colossal Titan, there was very little downtime.
Even Eren's joining the Survey Corps was just a brief transition.
Then it jumped into:
Eren awakens his titan powers.
The battle over Eren between the traitor trio
The mission to retake Wall Maria
All high-energy arcs.
Only the royal government arc was a bit slow—too much dialogue and not enough Eren spotlight.
But by that point, no one was dropping the show.
Then came the god-tier "See the Sea" arc to seal the deal.
Compared to other shounen like 'Bleach', which took forever to reach its main plot, 'Attack on Titan' was streamlined.
In the Great Zhou TV version, this tight pacing paid off.
Even before Episode 3 aired, Yunteng TV's viewership shot up to 10.66%.
Not bad at all—especially for a show airing at 11 PM.
If the episode didn't grab people, or the previous cliffhanger wasn't strong enough, many would've just gone to bed and caught it online the next day.
But no one did.
Fan groups were buzzing with live discussions and analysis.
No jokes, no trolling—everyone was deeply invested.
11:00 PM – Episode 3
The theme song Red Lotus played once again.
But this time? The third time?
It hit different.
The first time, it felt dark and intense.
The second time was eerie and foreboding.
The third time—tragically heroic.
"This song was made for this show."
"Tailor-made. Only the Old Theft can compose the perfect music for his own scripts."
"Quiet! The episode's starting."
"Whoa, it's doing a recap. The Colossal Titan's back!"
"I can't handle the hype!"
"I feel like Episode 2 rushed things a bit. They could've shown more of Eren's training—like how he went from a total newbie to a omni-directional mobility gear pro."
"Didn't they explain that? His gear was defective! He's not a noob."
"Yeah, but that scene gave me a weird vibe—like the gear was sabotaged. Eren never suspected anything, and the Old Theft never followed up on it, but I swear there's something there…"
"Might be foreshadowing. If so, he'll circle back to it later."
Then the chat went quiet.
Everyone was pulled into the episode.
The VFX for the Colossal Titan? Absolutely top-tier.
Steam pouring off its body, radiating heat, emotionless eyes locked on Eren—who charged forward, only for the Titan to vanish in a blast of heat and white smoke.
"Wait… what?! He disappeared?"
"That makes no sense!"
"How do you just vanish?! That thing's like a thousand tons—it should at least collapse the wall if it dies!"
"And how did the Garrison miss it in Episode 1? A fifty-meter giant walks up to the wall, and no one sees it?!"
"I dunno. This show has so many mysteries. Is the Old Theft slipping, or is this just part of the plan?"
"It better be part of the plan!"
"Look, sometimes you bend logic for drama. But a fifty-meter titan vanishing? He'd better have an explanation."
"Forget all that—the point is, the wall's breached again! Please don't tell me this episode ends with another massacre like Episode 1…"