Although episode 8 of 'Fate/Zero' had finished airing, for most viewers, there was still an indescribable feeling lingering in their hearts.
The 'Fate' series, in Su Yan's previous life, had been a massive IP in the anime community for nearly twenty years.
From the original visual novel written by Kinoko Nasu, to Gen Urobuchi expanding the universe with 'Fate/Zero'—
Even before Su Yan transmigrated into the Xia Nation, the franchise was still releasing new anime or film adaptations every couple of years.
And for such a long-lasting series to rise to prominence—
Artoria was undoubtedly one of the biggest reasons.
Before episode 8 aired, everyone already expected that this episode would be filled with action and top-tier visuals.
But knowing that didn't mean they could stay calm after actually watching it.
Even though Artoria's highlight in this episode was just that single strike—
And even though the line "Excalibur" in the drama still sounded like the familiar "ex-curry-stick" meme—
At this moment, 'Fate/Zero' fans had no mood to joke about it.
Across major video platforms that night, fans were already going wild.
["This is what a true female protagonist looks like!"]
["I was so hyped watching this!"]
["That old thief really knows what he's doing—creating such a cool female character."]
["Thank god this drama has no romance. Artoria should never fall in love!"]
["A teenage girl pulls the sword from the stone and becomes king. Because she's too just and noble, her subordinates grow suspicious, leading to internal conflict. After her death, she's summoned by the Holy Grail, and her only wish is to save her fallen kingdom… When you combine her backstory with tonight's episode, I legit teared up as a college student."]
["Seriously. After reading the background story, that sword strike hit so much harder."]
["Zhuang Yuxin is definitely blowing up now. She's going to win Best Actress next year."]
["Not necessarily. There's still 'Kimi ni Todoke' airing in July, starring Gu Qingyuan… but yeah, Artoria's chances are way higher. This role is just too charismatic."]
["Saber forever!"]
["All those people who said this show was boring at the beginning—come out now. Didn't you say Su Yan's dramas are nothing without romance? What now?"]
["The plot is getting more and more complex. Who's actually going to win the Holy Grail War?"]
["Gilgamesh feels insanely overpowered. That Berserker isn't weak either. And that Ea sword they mentioned sounds ridiculously strong."]
["Tonight we celebrate the King of Knights!"]
["Even though I usually prefer romance dramas, 'Fate/Zero' tonight was insanely good. The effects were incredible."]
["I'm hooked. From today on, I'm a fan of Zhuang Yuxin!"]
—
Artoria's performance in episode 8 caused her name to flood every major platform overnight.
Before this, although Zhuang Yuxin was popular, it was more that the drama itself was popular. Her personal fame hadn't reached the explosive level of actresses like Gu Qingyuan or Shen Liqian, who had collaborated with Su Yan before.
But now—
Everything had changed.
People in the Xia Nation TV industry began to notice something unusual.
Zhuang Yuxin's trajectory looked very much like she was about to be elevated by Su Yan into a Best Actress-level star.
—
Tokyo.
After Su Yan announced in the company's internal group that episode 8 of 'Fate/Zero' achieved a 5.89% rating, the entire company erupted into cheers.
After all, with results like this, the winter season bonuses were guaranteed to be substantial.
In past years, Dimensional Pictures had already been giving project bonuses that were two to three times employees' salaries.
And this year—
With the success of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie', those bonuses would only increase.
However, Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi were relatively calm about 'Fate/Zero's performance.
There simply weren't many competitors left in the Xia Nation TV industry who could challenge Su Yan.
Perhaps if the three major TV stations went all out, they could produce something threatening—
But over the past year, they had mostly been "coasting."
After all, Su Yan didn't release dramas every season. If they wanted to compete, they could just aim for other seasons.
When Su Yan aired a show, everyone else was content fighting for second place.
With such a relaxed competitive environment, Su Yan naturally felt little pressure.
As for whether 'Fate/Zero' could surpass 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica's ratings record—
That would be nice, but it didn't matter much.
After all, both were his works.
What he and Shinozaki Ikumi were more concerned about—
Was the box office of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie'.
After three to four weeks in theaters, its performance had begun to slow, with daily box office dropping to around 20–30 million, bringing its total to 2.564 billion.
The Spring Festival championship was already secured—
But whether it could surpass 3 billion remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, work at the company continued nonstop.
Once 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' finished its theatrical run, it would move into overseas distribution—
Licensing screenings, revenue-sharing deals, regional buyouts, and streaming rights for international platforms.
Most of these tasks didn't require Su Yan personally, but some deals still needed him to meet with partners and finalize contracts.
Even if those markets were small—
Profit was still profit.
At the same time, while wrapping up 'Fate/Zero' and 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie', preparations had already begun for promoting the July summer releases—
The film 'Your Name' and the drama 'Kimi ni Todoke'.
In Su Yan's previous life, although 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' performed well in Sakura Island—
The true box office giant there was 'Your Name'.
In a region with just over 100 million people, it had achieved box office numbers in the tens of billions of yen.
Among all his current projects, this was the one Su Yan looked forward to the most.
Although the summer season usually couldn't compete with the Spring Festival—
There were always exceptions.
There had been cases in Xia Nation film history where the annual box office champion emerged from the summer season.
And then there was 'Kimi ni Todoke'…
At this stage, Su Yan no longer lacked fame or money.
Ratings and box office were no longer his primary goals.
What he truly wanted—
It was to let people in this world experience the same joy he once felt from these works.
As his first true pure romance drama in the Xia Nation—
He was especially looking forward to the surprise it would bring to his audience.
After all—
When everyone expected another "depressing love story" from him…
Only to gradually realize that this was actually pure romance—
In a way, that twist itself was a kind of "betrayal" toward his fans.
Thinking of this, Su Yan smiled to himself, leaning back in his chair.
Just then—
The front desk had some documents delivered to him through his assistant.
At first glance, Su Yan assumed they were gifts from fans and was about to store them in his office safe.
But then—
Several red invitation letters caught his attention.
Imperial Capital Film Festival nomination invitations.
He paused briefly, then quickly understood.
This was completely expected.
Last year, both '5 Centimeters per Second' and 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' had strong performances—earning over 1.4 billion and 1.2 billion respectively, ranking 5th and 8th for the year.
With dozens of awards given at the festival—
If he didn't receive any nominations, that would be the real anomaly.
It would mean the entire industry was deliberately excluding him and Dimensional Pictures.
He glanced through the invitations:
"Best Screenplay Award — Nominated work: '5 Centimeters per Second'. Nominee: Su Yan."
"Best Music Award — Nominated work: '5 Centimeters per Second'. Nominee: Su Yan."
"Best Actress Award — Nominated work: 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet'. Nominee: Shen Liqian."
After briefly reviewing them—
Su Yan set the invitations down.