After the first episode of 'Kimi ni Todoke' aired, the entire Xia Nation fanbase of Su Yan was left completely stunned.
Everyone had expected some kind of shocking twist in episode one—
But no one expected that the show would be exactly like the trailer suggested:
A pure, straightforward romance. No tricks.
And—
Su Yan, who was famous for his emotionally devastating works, had actually sweetened a whole audience.
["Damn, this first episode is actually amazing!"]
["I teared up multiple times while watching. The old sadist is too good at this!"]
["Why is it this kind of style? This is insane."]
["You don't like it? I think it's really good!"]
["It's not that I don't like it—it's just shocking. Even if you beat me to death, I wouldn't have believed Su Yan could write something like this."]
["I watched it with my best friend, and we both teared up several times. But it's completely different from his usual heartbreaking kind of crying—this is the kind of sweetness that moves you to tears."]
["Just let these two get married already!"]
["Ending episode one like that should be illegal!"]
["My girlfriend always told me Su Yan's works were good. This is the first time I watched one with her… I'm a guy, and even my 'maiden heart' got awakened."]
["Can a male screenwriter really write something like this? This level of delicate emotion and inner monologue—even female writers might not pull it off."]
["I've completely changed my opinion of the old sadist."]
["Is it possible this is one of those 'sweet first, then tragic' shows?"]
["Probably not? They already like each other in episode one. Episode two confession, episode three marriage? And in Sakura Island, I think you can get married right after high school, right?"]
["Teacher Su Yan, keep it up! This is what pure love should feel like! Let the Xia Nation see—you're not just about tragedy, you're also a master of romance!"]
["Heh. Based on my years of experience watching this old sadist's shows, all of you will get stabbed in the back eventually. Mark my words—Kuronuma Sawako and Kazehaya Shota will definitely end in tragedy. If not, I'll livestream myself eating—"]
["Oh, look, the 'free meal guy' is back. You've said this about so many shows and have been proven wrong every time. Still haven't seen you eat anything yet!"]
Overnight, the entire TV drama community was flooded with discussions about 'Kimi ni Todoke'.
As for ratings—
With Su Yan's current fan loyalty and the naturally appealing story of the show, it debuted with a staggering score of 9.7, instantly silencing many critics.
The first episode's viewership rating of 5.56% was high—
But the market was no longer surprised.
Su Yan's works might not always get better in quality with each release, but their performance almost always improves.
After all, years of accumulated fanbase weren't for nothing.
With a strong core audience to generate buzz and draw in casual viewers, as long as the story didn't completely fall apart, the results were bound to be solid.
In the Tokyo area—
Su Yan, Shinozaki Ikumi, Gu Qingyuan, and the rest of the 'Kimi ni Todoke' core team spent the entire morning monitoring the show's reception.
But when the final numbers came out, they remained relatively calm.
"Well, 'Kimi ni Todoke' has had a smooth start," Su Yan said, placing down the documents in his hand and leaning back in his chair with a long exhale.
Inside his chairman's office, Shinozaki Ikumi, Gu Qingyuan, and others were also present.
As key members of the company, they often found excuses to come by under the pretense of work—
Though in reality, they just wanted to keep up with Su Yan's latest moves.
"It doesn't feel as exciting as before," Shinozaki Ikumi sighed, leaning back in her chair.
"Well… that's because Su Yan has been number one in the market for a long time now," Gu Qingyuan said, looking at him.
"He's already achieved so much that everyone's probably gotten used to it."
"Honestly, Su Yan—even if you retired from the Xia Nation film industry right now, your achievements would remain unmatched for a long time. You'd be a legend."
"Retire?" Su Yan paused.
Thinking about the system and all the unreleased content he still had, he smiled.
"I'm only 26. No need to retire that early."
"I was just making a comparison, not actually telling you to retire," Shinozaki Ikumi said, stretching her arms.
"If you really retired, it'd be a huge loss for the industry."
Then she added:
"But judging by 'Kimi ni Todoke''s genre—even though its premiere ratings are high, its long-term momentum probably won't match 'Fate/Zero'. It's unlikely to surpass 'Fate' in ratings."
When discussing ratings, they naturally compared them within the past decade or two.
Older works from decades ago had reached over 30% ratings—but back then, there were far fewer TV stations and far fewer dramas each year.
Those numbers were no longer comparable.
But within the modern era—
There was no doubt that Su Yan stood at the top in terms of influence, performance, and reputation.
"I expected that," Su Yan said with a smile.
"If my goal were to break rating records, I wouldn't have chosen this script."
"I made this show to give my fans a change of pace."
A story like 'Kimi ni Todoke' might match 'Fate/Zero' in quality—
But in terms of ratings, it would naturally fall short.
At the very least, even children could enjoy 'Fate/Zero'.
But for 'Kimi ni Todoke', many viewers outside the younger demographic would skip it just based on the genre.
Shinozaki Ikumi rolled her eyes.
"Then your fans are really unlucky."
"Your previous tragic works only left people upset for a day or two… but 'Kimi ni Todoke'—the way each episode cuts off is going to drive people crazy."
She had read the full script.
She knew that once a few weeks passed—
Fans across the Xia Nation would start suffering from those cliffhangers.
Gathering like this to discuss a show the day after its premiere had already become routine for them.
While they remained calm about the results—
The media in the Xia Nation was anything but.
Su Yan was the ultimate traffic magnet in the industry.
And now that his new drama had such a drastic shift in style—
How could they not report on it extensively?
Over the next few days, as 'Your Name' began large-scale promotional campaigns across the country—
Headlines about Su Yan's "style transformation" and 'Kimi ni Todoke' being a "pure love masterpiece" spread like wildfire.