The first-day sales of Part Two of '5 Centimeters per Second' easily surpassed one million—no surprise at all. In fact, in the days that followed, its sales momentum even exceeded that of the first chapter.
On the day 'Cherry Blossom' hit eight million sales, Part Two, 'Cosmonaut', quickly followed with over four million.
Despite the online debates surrounding 'Cosmonaut', the sales data on Qingyun Video remained completely unaffected.
Some viewers may have struggled to grasp the narrative intention behind the film's second chapter, but they still jumped in without hesitation.
After all, Jing Yu's track record has shown everyone that his works might be slow burners—but they never crash and burn in the end.
['5 Centimeters per Second' rating rises to 9.3. Despite polarized opinions on the plot, the second chapter has received overall positive recognition from audiences.]
[Based on current projections, '5 Centimeters per Second' may land at around 11 million total sales. BlueStar Media & Film Company, under Jing Yu, is expected to earn over 140 million yuan in profit.]
[Qingyun Video signed a buyout clause with Jing Yu, promising to cover any shortfall if earnings didn't reach 200 million. With '5 Centimeters per Second' airing exclusively on the platform, Jing Yu is guaranteed a profit—viewers get a blockbuster for cheap, but Qingyun might end up the biggest loser.]
[In under two weeks since release, Qingyun's user base jumped from 33 million to 37 million. Jing Yu's appeal remains terrifying—even after switching to online platforms.]
[The emotional reunion between Akari and Takaki in 'Cherry Blossom' still lingers in memory, but in 'Cosmonaut', their lost connection left many sighing. Fans are now calling strongly for the third chapter to reunite them.]
[Springtime tearjerker? Maybe not. With only two-thirds of the story aired, it's too early to say. Fans believe the final chapter will offer a new kind of pure love experience. We believe in you, Jing Yu-sensei! You've left the angst genre behind for the world of sweet romance—just like you did with 'Kimi ni Todoke!']
[It's well known that Jing Yu loves his plot twists. Fans are convinced that the emotional weight built up in 'Cosmonaut' will be flipped on its head in the final chapter.]
[The speed at which cherry blossoms fall is five centimeters per second. A satellite may travel billions of miles through the universe… and still never touch a single hydrogen atom. Loneliness—that is the theme of '5 Centimeters per Second'. When two hearts in love drift apart, it's like satellites adrift in space—alone forever.]
[Will the mysterious Easter egg Jing Yu mentioned tie into the film's final ending?]
There's no doubt about it—Jing Yu still holds immense sway in the TV drama industry. Even though '5 Centimeters per Second' is a film, most of the online discussion feels like it's happening within the TV drama community.
Jing Yu's drama fans spent the entire week actively promoting the film across platforms.
Of course, general audiences focused on the story, while industry insiders focused on the platform model.
Based on '5 Centimeters per Second's performance, it's clear that releasing a theater-grade film exclusively on a streaming platform is not yet profitable.
But that doesn't mean the model is doomed.
Qingyun Video only has 30 million registered users. But what if it reaches 50 million, 80 million, or even 100 million someday?
Of course, you can't assume sales scale linearly. Just because '5 Centimeters per Second' had 10 million paid views with 30 million users doesn't mean that 100 million users would result in 30 million sales. A film's target audience is fixed—say, 20 million people in Great Zhou enjoy this kind of content. Gaining more users who love different genres won't help much.
Still, the data offers a general idea.
If a platform like Qingyun really takes off…
It may not replace TV networks or cinemas, but it can at least rival them in profitability from hit content.
In the long run, it gives creators another bargaining chip in negotiations.
Cinemas and broadcasters alike are now on alert.
Some networks—especially among the Big Six, like Yunteng TV—felt torn watching their own channels air ads for Qingyun, Qiezi, and JiXun Video.
On one hand, the crisis is clear. On the other hand, those platforms are offering massive ad deals. Refusing their placements would just drive them toward competing networks.
Sometimes, what people call "the tide of the times" is exactly this: legacy industry giants refusing to adapt to new challengers. They can slow down the future—but they can't stop it.
Looking back now at Jing Yu's investment in Qingyun…
Maybe he'll lose a little on '5 Centimeters per Second's profits. But he traded exclusive streaming rights for equity.
And the whole industry now feels—Jing Yu may have won.
During the two weeks '5 Centimeters per Second' was airing, Jing Yu wasn't just sitting at home.
TV dramas like 'Clannad' and 'Kaiji were progressing smoothly in production.
At the same time, the 'Fate franchise's VFX team stationed a group in Jing Yu's studio at his request—just to build effects based on his input.
Initially, the VFX company's leadership pushed back. After all, Jing Yu was "just" an actor and screenwriter—what could he know about special effects?
They thought it'd be like a coal baron pretending to tell a film director how to shoot scenes—total nonsense.
But after a few days of working with him…
The engineers back at HQ started complaining.
They thought he was an amateur. But they didn't expect Jing Yu—despite coming from a screenwriter background—to have actual knowledge, possibly from his "system interface." From the moment they met, it was clear: he knew everything—the equipment, the staff capabilities, the production scale.
No one could BS him.
And so, the entire VFX crew working on the 'Fate/Zero' project under Jing Yu's direction kicked into overdrive early.
Meanwhile…
Jing Yu was filming, while also coordinating with Yunteng TV to begin pre-marketing for both 'Clannad' and 'Kaiji.
Though web dramas didn't need to follow Great Zhou's seasonal broadcast model, nor compete for ratings like traditional shows…
Their online buzz and engagement metrics were tracked by platforms—similar to the "Baidu Index" from Jing Yu's previous life.
Dramas are always adapted to audience habits. Since Great Zhou viewers were used to seasonal releases, Jing Yu didn't plan to retrain them overnight.
Unlike films, dramas could air as they were shot. These two had already been filming for almost a month—more than ready for a projected early April release.
And with all of this underway—
The final chapter of '5 Centimeters per Second' was officially released on March 29th.
As 9 p.m. approached, Jing Yu's fan group once again buzzed with chatter.
Fans flooded Jing Yu's Qingyun's Qingmao blog inbox, begging him to come watch it with them live.
Xu Fei was among them. After all, Jing Yu occasionally replied to his DMs.
But the moment the clock hit nine, her attention snapped back to the screen.
A clear sky—just like always.
Just like the opening of 'Cherry Blossom', cherry blossoms fluttered across the screen.
The story returned to the city where Akari and Takaki had attended elementary school.
Takaki had graduated from college and was now working as a programmer.
This was clear from how fluently he typed code.
Time had passed—from the era when neither of them had phones as kids, to 'Cosmonaut', where cellphones existed, and now to the final chapter, where even personal computers were commonplace.
In just over a decade, the world had changed so much.
Cherry blossoms fell onto his desk.
Takaki sighed… and stepped outside.
The same familiar slope.
The same railway crossing chime.
The same… intersection.
Those with sharp memories—like Xu Fei—immediately recognized the scene.
It was the exact railroad from the beginning of 'Cherry Blossom', where Akari and Takaki had promised to watch the cherry blossoms together the next year.
In that scene, a young Akari had waited on the opposite side of the tracks.
Now, that moment was reappearing.
Xu Fei had a feeling. She sensed something coming.
Across the tracks, a woman approached from the opposite direction.
The railway alarm blared, urging pedestrians to cross. Just as the two passed each other—
Takaki froze.
Something clicked.
And the woman… also seemed to react.
They crossed paths—then stood still on opposite sides.
"Right now, if I turn around… I feel strongly that she'll turn around, too." —Takaki.
He turned.
A train thundered past.
And through the blur, he seemed to catch a glimpse of her turning as well.
But the train cut off his view.
That moment—
Xu Fei sat up straight.
In the fan group:
"Holy crap, they're doing it like that?"
"Brothers, I'm fired up."
"All of you who said '5 Centimeters per Second' was a tragedy—come out NOW. @'SilentLittlePig', remember your bet? If this movie had a sad ending, you'd crossdress and film a video on the playground for us? Time to start warming up with some squats!"
"HAHA, I knew it! Jing Yu-sensei has evolved into a pure love writer. This transition—how obvious does it need to be? The trailer showed the same location and setup from their childhood—it's Akari waiting again after the train passes!"
"No way… Jing Yu-sensei, please don't play me. I trusted you—even called you the cuckolded warrior king. What happened to your bleak outlook on love in 'Initial D'? The ruthless swordplay in 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'? Now you're making romance?"
"Exactly! I can't accept this! Jing Yu-sensei is meant to be the tragic love king, the horned chieftain of heartache. Angst, betrayal, toxic love—that's your home turf!"
"Please don't betray us, Jing Yu-sensei. We believe in you."
Still, those expecting a tragic ending were now the minority.
After being healed by 'Kimi ni Todoke', most fans no longer wanted to dwell on the heartbreak of Jing Yu's older works.
So in the fan chat, the diehard tragedy fans became a joke.
For a while, the chat was filled with nothing but joy.