The latter part of Episode 1 mainly consisted of war scenes interwoven with Lelouch using his Geass power.
After gaining power, the first thing the boy thinks of is revenge.
As a prince of Britannia, he had been sent to this island nation as a hostage by his imperial father years ago. Yet that same father launched a war here without regard for his or his sister's lives, nearly getting them both killed in the chaos.
That was the reason Lelouch sought revenge against the Britannian Empire—and to destroy it.
In the second half of Episode 1, the audience was shown just how powerful Lelouch became when his intelligence was combined with his newly acquired Geass.
He contacted Kallen and the rebel forces via radio, remotely directed them to seize the Britannian military's Knightmare Frames, and commanded them in battle. Meanwhile, Lelouch used his Geass to infiltrate the Governor's residence—his half-brother Clovis's estate—and in the end, personally killed him.
Thus, Episode 1 came to a close.
Bo Yangyan found it extremely satisfying. There weren't overly complicated settings—after laying out the world, the story immediately moved to a boy gaining power, and then using that power to pursue his conviction of revenge against the Britannian Empire.
And in the following scene, when facing his half-brother's pleas for mercy, Lelouch showed no hesitation at all.
Even if Prince Clovis wasn't the mastermind behind their mother's death, based on what had been shown earlier—his actions as governor in Area 11—he deserved to die.
He was the very commander who had ordered the massacre of civilians just to keep secrets hidden. If Lelouch had spared him out of familial affection, that would have disappointed Bo Yangyan instead.
When Episode 1 finished airing, drama fans across the Xia Nation were left wanting more.
It could be said that expectations had already been extremely high before the show aired—but the actual viewing experience exceeded even those expectations.
["Amazing!"]
["That was so satisfying to watch!"]
["This is what teenagers are supposed to be watching!"]
["Totally different from 'Fate/stay night'—no slow buildup, they killed the governor in Episode 1!"]
["Someone like Lelouch? I'd stay far away from him in real life, but in a drama, he's insanely cool."]
["So did the green-haired girl played by Zhuang Yuxin actually die?"]
["No way. She still has plenty of scenes in the trailers—there's no way she's really dead."]
["Damn, I thought I was here for mecha fights, but I ended up just watching Lelouch the whole time."]
["Lelouch's character is exactly my type—I think like him all the time!"]
["That kind of thinking is dangerous."]
["Thinking and doing are different! If you don't even dare to think, isn't that kind of sad?"]
["Exactly. Dramas are about watching the protagonist do what we don't dare to do."]
["By the way, who do you think is prettier in this episode—Kallen, played by Shen Liqian, or the green-haired girl played by Zhuang Yuxin?"]
["I think Kallen looks better."]
["Same here!"]
["I prefer the green-haired girl."]
["I'm not really into green hair. Even though I like Artoria, I don't have that filter when watching this show."]
["Zhuang Yuxin was more stunning when she played Artoria. This green-haired role doesn't feel the same."]
["It's only the first episode—what can you tell? Artoria's charm also needed time to build through the story. Let's wait a few more episodes."]
["Anyway, after today's episode, I'm completely reassured about this show. This kind of theme is god-tier for me!"]
["Same!"]
["Anything from that old thief is guaranteed quality!"]
["Works from Dimensional Pictures don't need worrying about. With that level of investment, quality is assured—and with that old thief as the screenwriter, just dive in blindly! He hasn't made a single bad work so far."]
With the end of Episode 1 of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion',
Just as most people had expected, the internet was flooded with praise.
The premiere rating of 9.8 did include some blind support from Su Yan's die-hard fans, but if casual viewers didn't like it, the score would have dropped.
After fans hyped it up all night online, by the next day, media outlets across the Xia Nation joined in the wave of praise.
Although they were chasing traffic, the drama truly deserved it—its quality and storytelling were both solid.
Of course, upon closer thought, Lelouch's ability to infiltrate the Governor's residence and assassinate him so easily using Geass might feel a bit too simplistic and idealized.
But the most important thing in a drama isn't perfect logic—it's whether the audience enjoys it.
In real life, something like that would be impossible. A power that requires direct eye contact has obvious limitations. But in a drama, audiences don't care that much.
Adults might be more critical, but for teenagers, a work like this fulfills all their fantasies.
A chuunibyou-style protagonist like Lelouch naturally resonates with those in their own chuunibyou phase.
Media in the Xia Nation is also largely judged by results.
Unlike in Su Yan's previous world—where films and dramas often needed to carry educational or moral significance to gain mainstream approval—in the Xia Nation, everyone understood that film and television were forms of entertainment.
If a work could provoke deeper thought, great. But if not, as long as it was enjoyable, it met the standard.
Insisting that a show must both entertain and force viewers into deep reflection was seen as absurd. If people wanted profound philosophy, they could read classical literature—why watch TV?
So even though 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' had some flaws, audiences and media in the Xia Nation showed great tolerance and didn't dwell on them.
This actually surprised Su Yan.
In his previous world, although the series was popular, critics often pointed out Lelouch's chuunibyou tendencies and argued that his intelligence was exaggerated, relying on other characters being made less intelligent.
But in the Xia Nation, such opinions existed, yet never gained traction.
"First episode rating: 6.53%."
Shinozaki Ikumi looked at the report on her phone and said.
"Got it," Su Yan replied after a pause.
Neither of them reacted strongly to the number.
Because before the premiere, they had already set a baseline expectation.
This drama would definitely have the highest ratings among its competitors—and might even become the highest-rated work of Su Yan's career.
"Do you think it's possible to break 7%?" Shinozaki Ikumi suddenly asked after thinking for a moment.
At this point, only results at that level could stir any anticipation in her.
"If the premiere is already at 6.5%..."
Su Yan thought about the upcoming iconic scenes in Season 1—especially the later plot involving Euphemia—and smiled.
"I think there's a pretty good chance before the first season ends. Though… when the ratings peak, it'll probably also be when my fans start cursing me the most."
"Why?" Shinozaki Ikumi didn't quite understand.
"It seems like after 'Fate/stay night', my fans have almost forgotten what kind of stories I used to write."
"But with this one… they'll feel that familiar 'emotional damage' again."
Shinozaki Ikumi froze for a moment.
Although Season 1 of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' was still airing, Episode 2 was already in post-production. Thinking about how the story would unfold, she took a deep breath and then smiled.
"You brought this on yourself. I'm on the same side as your fans."