July 10th, Sunday.
It was the day of 'White Album 2's second episode broadcast.
In general, TV drama ratings tend to rise episode by episode—as word-of-mouth spreads and the show gains momentum.
Assuming, of course, the quality holds.
'White Album 2' might not have had an explosive, attention-grabbing premiere, and its pacing was slower than most trendy dramas, but it had its own kind of sparkle—two well-crafted female leads, excellent music, and subtle character writing. That was enough to earn the second episode a stable and slightly higher starting rating of 1.82%.
Still, compared to other top 20 autumn dramas, this was a modest performance.
For loyal 'Your Lie in April' fans, as long as Yu Youqing showed up and the plot wasn't too dumb, they were staying. Simple as that.
But for general viewers, with so many good options airing in the same time slot, patience was running thin. Slow-burn storytelling wasn't something everyone had time for.
Jing Yu had expected this.
After all, in his past life, 'White Album 2's anime adaptation also started with mediocre buzz. But over time, especially after the rise of the infamous "White Album school of pain," it spread like wildfire across the anime fandom. Even those who hadn't watched the show had heard of the memes.
Looking closely at the show's structure:
Episode 1: Focused on Haruki Kitahara and Setsuna Ogiso. Introduced their personalities, dynamics, and charm points.
Episode 2: Shifted the lens to Kazusa Touma—her background, personality, daily habits, and especially how she gradually formed a friendship with Setsuna.
Because Haruki Kitahara wanted to revive the light music club and deliver a "perfect performance" at the school festival, he needed:
Kazusa Touma, the cold and sharp-tongued piano genius, is the keyboardist.
Setsuna Ogiso, the campus idol with pro-level vocals, is the lead singer.
So, the second episode centered on Haruki and Setsuna trying to persuade Touma to join.
Some of the plot was deliberately subtle.
For example:
Setsuna, despite her bright exterior, was very perceptive.
Every time Haruki mentioned Touma, she could sense his unusual interest.
And when she got to know Touma—this seemingly cold, sarcastic girl—she started to suspect there might be a deeper connection between her and Haruki.
After all, how could someone like Touma, who normally kept people at a distance, end up casually accompanying Haruki's guitar from the adjacent room? That didn't happen without a reason.
From the audience's point of view, Haruki and Touma looked like nothing more than distant classmates.
They barely talked, never interacted in class—why would anyone suspect they were secretly in love?
But once the story unfolds further, especially when Touma's "loyal dog" side is revealed, fans would realize:
She came to that practice room every day just to accompany his bad guitar playing.
That was her quiet joy, the only thing she looked forward to.
She said yes to joining the club, not because of Setsuna's sincere request, but because Haruki himself earnestly invited her.
She couldn't say no to him.
Only on a rewatch would viewers also realize:
Setsuna had already figured it out—that Haruki and Touma were mutually in love, long before either confessed.
That's exactly why, in Jing Yu's past life, Setsuna Ogiso earned nicknames like:
"Green Tea Setsuna"
"Zhuge Setsuna"
Morally, she might be in the wrong…
But technically, Haruki Kitahara was single.
So in terms of emotional legitimacy, she won fair and square.
Meanwhile, Touma, despite being the "third party," was the first one in love, and the one Haruki loved the most.
But she was just a little too late.
And so she was forced to watch:
Her most beloved boy and
Her only true friend
Grow closer every day, whispering sweet nothings right in front of her.
All while being asked to make a "friendship forever" promise with the girl who stole him.
Both heroines had fatal weaknesses, and in Jing Yu's past life, their fans fought endlessly over who was right.
There was only one character who escaped hate:
Haruki Kitahara —the certified scumbag.
He loved Touma deeply. But he still let himself be swayed by Setsuna.
He loved both—but knew he loved Touma more.
Still, fans weren't aware of all this yet.
At this stage, they just found it a little strange that someone like Touma would agree to join the music club so easily.
It felt sudden—but they didn't overthink it.
"At least it speeds up the plot."
"Dragging it out over 2-3 episodes would've been worse."
In the second half of the episode, the subplot of Haruki Kitahara preparing for a solo guitar performance at the festival caught viewers' attention.
He began intense practice under Touma's guidance, trying to overcome his weakness.
Meanwhile, Setsuna —sharp as ever—noticed a used men's toothpaste tube in Touma's house.
From that tiny detail, she deduced that Haruki had been staying over for the past two nights.
Cue the insertion of the second ED song:
🎵 Sayonara No Koto「さよならのこと」 (Dazhou title: "Goodbye") 🎵
Fan reactions:
"Another ending song?!"
"Jing Yu composed this, too? How many songs did he write for this show?"
"Say what you want, but the music in Jing Yu's shows is untouchable. Better than anything else airing this season."
"But the lyrics though... 'If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't be in pain'... It doesn't match the lighthearted love story vibe Jing Yu promised us. This feels tragic."
"Stop overanalyzing. So far, the show's great—friendship, romance, effort, victory. What's not to like?"
"But the pacing is so slow. Two episodes in, and they're still prepping for the school festival. Where's the romance I signed up for?"
"Probably next week. I bet we'll get a confession soon."
Episode 2 had no major shock moments, but it wasn't boring either. The pacing was slow, but it built steadily.
Average rating: 1.93%
Slight increase from Episode 1
But in the weekly rankings, it dropped one spot, now sitting at #20 among autumn dramas.