Compared to 'Fate/Zero', the pacing of 'Fate/stay night' was noticeably slower.
Moreover, 'Fate/stay night' focused more on depicting the Masters, while 'Fate/Zero' placed greater emphasis on the Heroic Spirits.
After two weeks of airing, audiences across Xia Nation had already begun to sense the difference—and the tone was far less heavy and tragic than 'Fate/Zero'.
What kind of Master's did 'Fate/Zero' have?
Emiya Kiritsugu—who killed his own parents in pursuit of justice.
Kotomine Kirei—who once described himself with the line: "My father gave birth to a dog!" A man who took pleasure in others' suffering and loved eating mapo tofu.
Matou Kariya—the ultimate tragic simp.
Tohsaka Tokiomi—intelligent throughout the entire series, yet ultimately defeated by his disciple's twisted sense of "joy."
Ryuunosuke Uryuu—a deranged serial killer who took pleasure in murdering children.
Even Kayneth, the only relatively normal one, ended up being betrayed by his own fiancée.
Only Waver had a decent ending.
In short, every Master in 'Fate/Zero' suffered.
By contrast, 'Fate/stay night' was filled with a youthful, school-life atmosphere.
But the shift in tone didn't matter.
After all, despite having different main writers, both works shared the same world setting—and were masterpieces in their own right.
As long as Artoria remained, and the production quality held steady, the ratings wouldn't drop.
At the same time, after 'Fate/stay night' entered its second week of airing, Xia Nation media began reporting on its overseas performance.
Unlike the Xia Nation, the overseas TV industry was far more complex—filled with various business alliances and streaming platforms.
Still, across the six countries where it aired, as well as on the overseas platform NK (the second-largest streaming site), the results were solid.
Su Yan had invested heavily in overseas promotion.
However—
Due to the slow-burning opening of 'Fate/stay night', its paid viewership and ratings in those regions ranked only second or third among currently airing shows.
Even Xia Nation audiences who had watched 'Fate/Zero' found the first two episodes of 'Fate/stay night' somewhat difficult to get into—
Let alone foreign viewers.
But Su Yan wasn't worried.
In his previous life, 'Fate/stay night' had actually come before 'Fate/Zero'. It was only after 'Fate/stay night' became popular that 'Fate/Zero' was created.
Understanding the world and its rules was only a matter of time.
Su Yan had patience.
Domestic audiences already trusted him after so many works.
As for overseas audiences—
It wasn't too late to build that trust now.
By mid-January—
Su Yan had two major releases this quarter: 'Fate/stay night' and the second 'Rurouni Kenshin' movie.
For the first two weeks, the focus had been on promoting 'Fate/stay night'.
Now, with the series underway, Dimensional Pictures shifted to aggressively promoting 'Rurouni Kenshin' Movie 2.
The film industry in Xia Nation was already highly developed.
When it came to promotion, there weren't many tricks left—
Just straightforward spending.
The first 'Rurouni Kenshin' film had already established the tone: intense martial arts combat combined with themes of nation and duty.
Fans who liked the first film would naturally watch the second.
There was no need for Su Yan to repeatedly emphasize the film's high-level action choreography like he did the previous year.
Audiences already knew what to expect.
The only notable change was the background of the antagonist, Shishio, in the Kyoto Inferno Arc, which required some adjustments—but nothing difficult.
Once the trailer for 'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' was released—
It pushed 'Fate/stay night', which had been dominating popularity charts, down to second place.
At the same time, thanks to Su Yan's collaborations with various international partners—
He agreed to cast their actors in supporting roles (as long as they had real acting ability), and in return, they helped secure theatrical releases for his films overseas.
Even in a market economy, breaking into foreign markets without connections wasn't just about spending money—
It would be like throwing money away with little effect.
The entertainment industry, like any other, ran on relationships.
'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' was set to release on February 6th (Spring Festival) in Xia Nation—
And also in three major Western countries.
Although local films would naturally receive priority in screening allocations, and imported films would face some suppression—
With the support of overseas partners, this suppression wouldn't be too severe.
It wouldn't drop to absurd levels like under 3% screenings or being relegated entirely to midnight slots.
Overall, thanks to Su Yan's investment, the film would receive over 12% screening share on opening day overseas—
With adjustments based on performance, and potential expansion to more countries.
As a result, Su Yan was extremely busy during these two weeks.
He was promoting 'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' both domestically and internationally.
The entire Dimensional Pictures company was fully mobilized.
Amid all this—
Episode 3 of 'Fate/stay night' aired.
Emiya Shirou, who had been dragged into the Holy Grail War, struggled internally with his ideals of becoming a "hero of justice."
In the end, he chose not to withdraw from the war when offered the chance by Kotomine Kirei.
On his way home—
He encountered Illyasviel and her Servant, Berserker.
As an incompetent magus, Shirou couldn't supply Saber with enough mana, preventing her from fighting at full strength.
During the battle, Saber was injured.
To protect her, Shirou used his own body to take Berserker's attack—
And was gravely wounded.
If not for the relic left by his father—the scabbard of Saber's sword, which had healing properties—
He would have died on the spot.
After three weeks of airing—
The frustration surrounding Shirou as the protagonist finally erupted among Xia Nation audiences.
He was brave.
Fearless.
Determined to become a hero of justice.
But what did it matter?
There was a word for bravery without ability:
Recklessness.
["I'm so mad—how can the protagonist be this weak?"]
["Saber was so strong in 'Fate/Zero', and now she's getting beaten by some unknown Servant?"]
["He's such a burden and so stupid. If he wanted to save Saber, he could've just used a Command Seal to teleport her. Why tank the damage himself?"]
["But… that was kind of cool."]
["This plot feels kind of… interesting. Is Su Yan planning to make Saber fall in love in 'Fate/stay night'?"]
["? Why would you think that?"]
["Look at Episode 3—it's full of interactions between Shirou and Saber. It keeps emphasizing that Shirou treats Saber as a girl. In 'Fate/Zero', no one cared about the Servants' feelings—they were just seen as historical figures. If Su Yan is focusing on this, isn't it setting up a romance?"]
["No way. Saber falling in love? With this guy? He's just like his father—wanting to be a hero of justice. What's so special about him? If anything, it'd make more sense for Saber to like Kiritsugu."]
["Why is that impossible? According to the setting, Saber has never been in love. And both Shirou and Saber are kind of naive in a stubborn way—naturally, they'd resonate with each other."]
["If Su Yan actually writes Saber into a romance, I'll respect him—but if he messes it up, he's going to face backlash from millions of fans. Don't think we'll always defend him—if he ruins a beloved character, I'll turn from fan to hater instantly."]
["You're all talking about Saber and Shirou—I'm more interested in Illya. She's so cute! She's basically Shirou's older sister, right?"]
["Age-wise, yeah. And she calls him 'big brother'—it's adorable."]
["So cute… she'll probably become part of their group later, right?"]