["So Kenshin isn't invincible? He can actually lose?"]
["Why is the second movie so much better than the first? The fights are insane!"]
["Kenshin vs. Sōjirō completely stunned me in the theater. They're both so strong—just how powerful is Shishio to have someone like Sōjirō as his subordinate?"]
["Su Yan already said in his comments—Sōjirō isn't weaker than Shishio."]
["What's wrong with Su Yan? It's the New Year, and he releases a movie that doesn't even finish the story? This is torture."]
["Why isn't anyone talking about Hiko Seijuro's appearance at the end? That entrance was amazing. And what about Kaoru—does no one care if she lives or dies?"]
["Why care about Kaoru? Tomoe already died—what difference does it make if she lives?"]
["I'm more interested in the power levels of the new characters."]
["Honestly, Battōsai-era Kenshin should be the second strongest. You know why—if you're holding back from killing, you can't use your full strength. That's why he lost to Sōjirō in this movie. His master is probably number one. As for Shishio—I think he's strong, but still weaker than peak Battōsai Kenshin."]
["Reverse-blade Kenshin and Battōsai Kenshin are completely different tiers. Back then, his only 'sheath' was Tomoe. Now he's bound by this no-kill vow—sure, he can handle weak enemies, but against true masters? Not killing is basically a joke."]
["Anyone who's slaughtered a pig knows—killing it is easy, but trying to hold it down without killing it? That's way harder."]
["So there's definitely going to be a third movie, right?"]
["Obviously. The story isn't finished. Shishio wants to take over all of Sakura Island—Kenshin will definitely go stop him in the third film."]
["I can't take it anymore—I'm going to spam Su Yan on Dimensional Pictures' website."]
Su Yan had already anticipated this reaction before 'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' was released.
But to make the Spring Festival schedule, there was no way to complete and release the final installment together.
So—
He accepted the backlash.
After all, this kind of structure wasn't uncommon.
In his previous life, 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2', 'Fast & Furious', and countless Marvel films had all used similar split-story approaches.
Dividing one story into multiple films over several years often frustrated audiences.
But even so—
The frustration was directed at Su Yan himself.
Not the movie.
Because the audience wasn't blind.
The second 'Rurouni Kenshin' film was superior to the first in every aspect.
Fight choreography, production quality, screenplay—
Everything had improved.
And most importantly—
The villain, Shishio, carried an overwhelming presence and tension.
For the first time, audiences truly felt that Kenshin had encountered a life-threatening opponent.
In the first film—and even in the TV series—
Kenshin's enemies often felt weak.
It always seemed like Kenshin was holding back due to his "no-kill vow."
Otherwise, he could have easily defeated them.
But Shishio?
Many viewers believed that even Battōsai Kenshin would struggle against him.
Because he wasn't just strong—
He was intelligent.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Su Yan finally took a break from work and went to the cinema.
Of course—
He didn't watch 'Rurouni Kenshin'.
Instead, he watched competing films released during the same period.
From his perspective, Xia Nation's domestic films were actually quite solid.
But for audiences—
His works felt fresher and more novel.
On New Year's Day—
The box office results came in.
As expected—
'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' ranked #1 for the day.
With 411 million in a single day, it claimed 36% of total box office revenue with just 26% of screenings.
The criticism from fans?
The complaints?
Those were secondary.
What truly mattered was:
A 9.8 rating
And overwhelming box office dominance.
This time, media across the Xia Nation were almost entirely positive.
No skepticism.
No backlash.
In previous years, Su Yan had been a newcomer—
And newcomers inevitably threatened established interests.
But now?
Who could oppose him taking the biggest share of the Spring Festival box office?
In terms of money, influence, reputation—
No one could outmatch him.
If they couldn't compete on quality—
They couldn't win through underhanded tactics either.
At this point, Su Yan could force any competitor into a fair fight—
Whether they wanted one or not.
The Spring Festival box office exploded from day one.
Over the following days—
'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' and 'Fate/stay night' Episode 6 continued to dominate public discussion.
But for Su Yan—
Things were different now.
He still paid attention to results—
But not with the same urgency as before.
Reaching the top for the first time was exciting.
But staying there for years—
With no real challengers—
Changed one's mindset.
While employees at Dimensional Pictures celebrated daily—
Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi remained calm.
On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Su Yan asked:
"How's the overseas response?"
"On release day, it ranked around fifth or sixth in daily box office overseas," Shinozaki Ikumi replied. "But now, it's climbed into the top three in all three major markets."
Only when discussing overseas results did her expression show excitement.
The heavy Sakura Island elements in 'Rurouni Kenshin' might not resonate strongly with foreign audiences—
But the action did.
As long as viewers weren't blind—
They could see the film's quality.
Over the past week, both word-of-mouth and box office performance had steadily grown.
"That's good enough," Su Yan nodded. "It's my first major release in overseas markets. Just getting recognition is enough for now."
He paused, then smiled.
"In the next few years… we'll expand step by step. It's unrealistic to expect one film to dominate both Eastern and Western markets."
Shinozaki Ikumi looked at him, catching the deeper meaning.
"So… you're planning to make films tailored for Western audiences in the future?"
"Of course."
Su Yan nodded.
Most of the works he had access to were from Japanese media.
But he had also seen plenty of classic Western films.
He simply hadn't reached that stage yet.
When the time came—
He wouldn't limit himself.
"You know," Su Yan said suddenly, "we've known each other for seven years."
"…Why bring that up now?" Shinozaki Ikumi glanced at him curiously.
"In seven years, we've gone from nothing to standing at the top of Xia Nation's entertainment industry."
He took a breath.
"But in less than another seven years…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'll make Dimensional Pictures—and our names—famous in Western markets too."
Shinozaki Ikumi froze for a moment.
Then, holding the overseas market reports for 'Rurouni Kenshin'—
She smiled.
"I'll be watching."
The overseas release of 'Rurouni Kenshin' was just a test.
And so far—
The results were better than expected.
While audiences and industry insiders in Xia Nation remained unaware of Su Yan's broader ambitions—
They could only watch, envious—
As the film's box office numbers continued to skyrocket.
After one week:
The total box office exceeded 1.4 billion.
Entering the second week:
Daily revenue still surpassed 100 million.
Even the most conservative estimates predicted—
The film would surpass 3 billion at the total box office.
Possibly becoming the highest-grossing film of Su Yan's career.