From early in the day, topics related to 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' frequently trended.
Su Yan's fame in the Xia Nation was now overwhelming. And Gu Qingyuan and Shen Liqian had reaped enormous dividends from 'Tokyo Love Story'.
For audiences, a cast of familiar actors combined with a fresh genre created a viewing experience that other shows airing at the same time simply couldn't match.
As 8 p.m. approached—
Yi Jingshan hurried out of the subway, rushed back to her rented apartment, unpacked the dinner she bought on the way, and poured herself a glass of cola.
Working overtime even on the weekend, her greatest spiritual nourishment tonight was 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
The cheerful opening theme played again.
But once the episode began, the tone turned heavy and oppressive.
"I did ask for your consent about becoming magical girls. I just omitted explaining the truth."
Facing Sayaka—who was on the verge of a mental breakdown after learning the truth—Kyubey spoke in an innocent tone.
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Because you didn't ask. In fact, Mami never realized it until the very end."
Just a few lines of dialogue were enough to enrage Yi Jingshan.
Kyu! Bey!
You're the most evil one in this entire show!
The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
Madoka, who had already been hesitant, now completely retreated.
The episode shifted mainly between Homura and Madoka, and Sayaka and Kyoko.
Although Sayaka and Kyoko had fought twice, and Kyoko wasn't exactly a good person, she wasn't evil to the core either.
After learning the truth about magical girls, her attitude toward Sayaka shifted—from hostility to a strange sense of shared suffering.
["Feels like another CP is forming,"] Yi Jingshan muttered.
Kyoko tried to persuade Sayaka not to carry so much pressure.
Since she was already a magical girl, she might as well accept it and live freely.
She even told Sayaka about her own past—
Making a wish for someone else, only to be betrayed by the very person she saved.
Under the sunset, in a ruined church, two magical girls talked.
"You've already paid far more than you should have. So from now on, think about how to get the return you deserve." Kyoko said with a smile.
"Like you?" Sayaka asked coldly.
"Exactly."
"Sorry. I misjudged you in many ways." Sayaka met her gaze.
"But I don't regret making a wish for someone else. So that this feeling won't become a lie, I've decided—I won't regret it anymore. From now on, never again."
Their sunset conversation, Sayaka's resolute eyes, the background music—
The CP tension peaked.
They were enemies, yet connected by shared experience and mutual understanding.
A wave of emotion rose in Yi Jingshan's chest.
["But… why does it feel like Sayaka is forcing herself? That line sounds like a death flag…"]
Could a person really live without regret?
Then—
When their mutual friend, the green-haired beauty Shizuki Hitomi, announced she would confess to Kamijou Kyousuke—
And, out of consideration for Sayaka's feelings, gave her one day to confess first—
Yi Jingshan stared in disbelief.
What?
Writer, are you sick?!
Sayaka was already miserable enough.
She had become something non-human. The only thing supporting her emotionally was the boy she loved.
If the boy she sacrificed everything to save chose to date her best friend—
Who could accept that?
You're not even leaving her a single emotional pillar?!
Yi Jingshan felt anger rising.
But—
["Kamijou Kyousuke is played by Su Yan, right? The male leads he plays usually have integrity. Even if Hitomi confesses, he'll probably consider Sayaka's feelings and refuse… right?"] Her heart sank.
She was fully immersed in Sayaka's perspective.
Even though Hitomi had given her the chance to confess first—
Sayaka couldn't.
No longer human—
How could she boldly pursue romance?
How could she tell the boy she loved that she was no longer human, but a stone controlling the shell called "Sayaka"?
In the rain, Sayaka broke down in tears before Madoka.
The story—
It was unbearably bleak.
Yi Jingshan had to close her eyes at several points.
The character's suffering was too much. She couldn't bear watching the actors' subtle expressions.
Then—
Brokenhearted, Sayaka set out alone to hunt witches.
The bloodiest, most gorgeous, most unhinged fight scene so far erupted.
Emotionally numb, she adopted a suicidal fighting style.
Unfazed by death—just venting.
Covered in wounds, she didn't care.
Even when tentacles pierced through her abdomen, she didn't dodge.
She repeatedly used magic from her Soul Gem to repair her body.
She even rejected Kyoko's help.
Laughing wildly as she continued fighting.
"It's true. If I want to, I can eliminate pain."
Yi Jingshan's eyes widened. She could barely breathe.
Su Yan, when Mami was stylishly fighting witches, you skimmed over it—but now you linger in detail while torturing Sayaka? You did this on purpose!
Physical pain could be erased by severing the connection between the body and the Soul Gem.
But what about emotional pain?
She sacrificed everything to save the boy she loved—
Only for him to choose her friend.
And she couldn't even muster the courage to confess because she was no longer human.
Just imagining it was unbearable.
Then Madoka, crying, tried to persuade Sayaka that this fighting style would only destroy herself—
And that single sentence shattered Sayaka's sanity.
It became the breaking point between the two friends.
"Right now, I'm just a stone that exists to kill witches. Making a dead body move—pretending I'm alive."
"But how can Sayaka be happy—" Madoka tried to comfort her.
"Then you fight! Become a magical girl!" Sayaka screamed at her.
Yi Jingshan felt her stomach twist.
"Of course… You wouldn't give up being human just out of pity. You can do anything—but you do nothing."
Madoka had no reply.
It was easy to offer comfort.
But to truly share Sayaka's burden meant becoming a magical girl.
Yi Jingshan's fingers trembled.
What is this plot?!
Weren't magical girls supposed to be righteous heroes defeating evil?!
Why is it like this?!
Why does it feel like magical girls are just ignorant girls tricked by an evil Kyubey into signing a contract to become monsters?
Sayaka running in the rain—
Crying in regret for the cruel words she had said to Madoka.
Yi Jingshan sat in stunned silence.
Writer—
Are you even human?
How did you come up with this?
Do you not have a shred of mercy?
However cruel it can be—you film it!
She had originally watched for Shen Liqian and Gu Qingyuan.
Now all her sympathy belonged to Sayaka.
Episode 5 ended with Kamijou Kyousuke officially dating Shizuki Hitomi—
While Sayaka watched from afar, powerless.
["In a moment like this… can she really not regret it?"]
Who could not regret it?
The ending theme began.
Yi Jingshan's anger burst through her skull.
Online—
["Su Yan, what the hell is wrong with you writing this kind of plot?!"]
["Halfway through the episode, I already felt something was wrong."]
["This is way too dark. What magical girl? More like a depressed girl!"]
["It's only Episode 5! How are they going to continue?"]
["Ever since Episode 3, it's been off. Just nonstop suffering."]
["Sayaka's not going to die, too, right? First Mami, now Sayaka—then Kyoko, then Homura, and finally Madoka? Su Yan said it would be a happy ending. Is it going to be a 'netherworld reunion' happy ending?"]
["You've depressed a sunny young guy like me."]
["Is Episode 6 going to go even harder?"]
["When is Su Yan going to write a normal show?"]
["I'm the only one calm? I never trusted Su Yan from the start. This development? Totally expected! Haha!"]
["I don't believe you. You're definitely dying inside and just pretending!"]
["I was prepared for it to be tragic. Preparation doesn't matter. Once you're immersed, it still hurts."]
["Good thing I didn't watch weekly. I'll binge it later. Who could survive following this in real time? It'll torture you to death."]
["I already feel like dying. I can't sleep after watching this."]
["I thought this was mainly about Gu Qingyuan and Shen Liqian's characters. Didn't expect Sayaka and Kyoko's story to hit this hard."]
["Su Yan playing that scumbag role is infuriating."]
["Not exactly a scumbag—just emotionally thin. There's no way he didn't know Sayaka's feelings after all that time. And he still easily accepted Hitomi's confession!"]
["My stomach hurts. Can Episode 6 be a little healing?"]
Most Xia Nation fans were used to Su Yan's shows spiraling mid-season.
But Episode 5 still exceeded expectations.
That night, Su Yan's comment section and Dimensional Pictures' official website were flooded.
The media, however, sensed something familiar.
Another controversial mid-season arc.
In the Xia Nation, only Su Yan's works could be cursed endlessly by fans while ratings continued to rise.
Articles poured out:
📰'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Delivers Explosive Plot!
📰'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Turns Fully Dark and Tragic.
📰Su Yan Once Again Lures Fans Into a Trap with 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
📰'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Climbs in Ratings Amid Backlash—Sakura TV's Big-Budget S-Tier 'Peerless' Crushed.
📰Su Yan Has Officially Created a Gap Between Himself and His Peers—Dimensional Pictures is becoming a Unique Force in Xia Nation's Private Film Industry.
📰Fans Protest Dark Plot at 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' Set in Tokyo.
Yet—
Episode 5's rating:
5.43%.
The industry fell silent.
5.43%.
Absolutely insane.
Three consecutive works breaking 5.4%.
Are you trying to kill the competition?
Is next year's Xia Flame Awards already booked?
No one in the Xia Nation had ever won Best Screenwriter and Best Drama two years in a row.
Su Yan—
Were you really trying to make history?
The online backlash was only surface noise.
The rising ratings were the real data.
By now, the trajectory of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was not inferior to 'Tokyo Love Story'.
Within a single day—
All doubts vanished.
In the face of overwhelming performance, media outlets could only follow public sentiment.
Curse Su Yan, along with everyone else.
And praise 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' along with everyone else.