"Ah, it ended just like that!"
"I knew I wasn't wrong about Teacher Jing Yu. 'Kaiji' is truly amazing."
"Wow, it's been so long since I've watched such a tense and thrilling battle of wits. Kaiji in episode one and episode two feel like completely different people!"
"But that ending… such a cliffhanger! Now Kaiji only has rock cards left. What can he do? The three of them only have three stars total!"
"Ugh, I just want next week to get here already. Don't waste my time!"
"I thought I was the only one who couldn't get enough of watching people play rock-paper-scissors for two whole episodes — turns out everyone feels the same!"
"That's why I hate it when people say good scripts and ideas have all been used up. Total nonsense. Look at what Teacher Jing Yu did — he turned rock-paper-scissors into high art."
"I officially crown this the strongest drama of the summer season."
"Same here. I've seen all the well-known dramas airing this summer, and while the first episode didn't stand out much, episode two of 'Kaiji' had zero dull moments."
"I love Jing Yu's romance dramas, but this kind of strategy drama? Surprisingly addicting."
"Sigh... but 'Clannad', something just feels off! Both dramas were created by Jing Yu during the same period, so why is there such a big difference? I'll check out episode two tomorrow — maybe it'll surprise me."
From the second episode onward, 'Kaiji's approval ratings skyrocketed.
Since it wasn't broadcast on TV, there's no traditional viewership rating, but on Yindou Net, the score jumped to 9.1, and its discussion threads on major forums surpassed the flagship dramas airing on the top three networks — a clear sign of just how much viewers loved episode two.
However…
For 'Kaiji', this is just the beginning.
The restricted rock-paper-scissors on the gambling ship, the narrow walkway atop the skyscraper, the Emperor and Slave card game against the final boss, and the arc involving breaking the Marsh machine from the original second season…
All are tightly connected, and each arc is more exciting than the last.
That said, Jing Yu doesn't plan to adapt the entire original storyline into this world's TV drama.
The later mahjong segments, for example, are almost impossible to adapt — Great Zhou's mahjong rules are completely different. Adapting them would mean rewriting the whole plot.
So Jing Yu intends to stop at a natural point. The main plot on the surface is about defeating the Teiai Group, but really, the heart of the story is Kaiji's desperate struggle through adversity.
After all, if the Teiai Group were to be taken down, it would just take one ethical police officer or a government official — done in minutes.
The only reason the company lasts in its original form is because the author refused to let it collapse — purely sustained by sheer creative drive.
Compared to the rave reviews of 'Kaiji''s second episode...
'Clannad''s episode two remained quite underwhelming.
The only notable difference was that the initial female lead, Fuko, finally got more screen time.
She started handing out her hand-carved sea-themed wooden sculptures at school, in hopes of encouraging classmates to attend her sister's wedding.
But the plot still revolved mostly around daily comedy; romance barely progressed.
Of course, 'Steins;Gate' didn't pick up steam until episode four either...
Still, the online buzz around 'Clannad' began to grow restless.
"Honestly, it's boring…"
"Is Fuko the female lead? She's kinda cute. That girl named Nagisa Furukawa, though — way too bland."
"Even though she's played by Yu Youqing, the character just has no charm."
"So far, it looks like class rep Kyou and her little sister Ryou both like the male lead… Is this gonna be a multi-heroine love story?"
"No way — multi-heroine setups were ancient. You don't see those in modern dramas anymore."
"I mean, Nagisa isn't all bad. Visually, she's one of the prettiest of the girls introduced. Only Tomoyo, played by Xia Yining, matches her looks. But man, her character is just… not appealing. The weak and timid type really isn't popular anymore."
"Agreed. Kyou and Tomoyo have way more presence. And Fuko at least knows how to act cute — super adorable when she does!"
"Compared to 'Kaiji', this is like night and day!"
"Anyway, I'll wait a few weeks and see how the word-of-mouth develops. Maybe it's a slow burn like 'Steins;Gate'. If so, I can always catch up later."
"Preach. Same plan here."
"Yup, for now, I'm just following 'Kaiji' — the rest can wait."
A few days after episode two of 'Clannad' aired, its reputation hadn't really risen — but it hadn't fallen either. It basically held steady.
Across the two episodes, the total number of paid subscriptions just passed five million, averaging out to around 2.6 million per episode.
If this trend continues, even after all 26 scheduled episodes air, and factoring in product placements and ads, Jing Yu might still come up ¥10–20 million short of breaking even.
By contrast, 'Kaiji' was averaging over five million views per episode already — and this was just the first two weeks.
Of course, 'Clannad' still has multiple revenue streams. It won't lose money.
But for someone like Jing Yu, with his current reputation, anything less than a breakout hit is practically a loss in itself.
Even if it doesn't cost money, it costs something more important — fan trust and reputation.
Everyone in the Clannad production team felt the pressure.
'Kaiji' had a total investment of just over ¥50 million.
'Clannad'? Over ¥90 million.
To have such a stark contrast in outcome after airing only two episodes was… understandably disheartening.
But most still had faith in Jing Yu.
The outside media, though? Not so patient.
[Genius Screenwriter's First Flop? ¥90 Million Investment Drama Faces Early Cancellation After Weak Debut]
['Clannad' Shows Us How to Ruin a Script in Two Episodes — Too Many Characters, Too Little Focus. Jing Yu Tries to Create a Multi-perspective School Drama… But Ends Up with a Mess.]
[The Fall of a Genius!]
[Jing Yu's Most Boring Romance Yet. How Long Can the Star Writer's Reputation Hold?]
In short, the public opinion around 'Clannad' was exactly as Jing Yu expected.
Most of the scathing reviews and takedowns were deliberately orchestrated by the Big Six TV networks.
Any opportunity to drag Jing Yu down, they wouldn't miss.
If his reputation crumbled, the threat he posed to them would shrink significantly.
If not for the fact that 'Kaiji''s episode two was getting so much praise, silencing the "Jing Yu is washed-up" narrative, the backlash against 'Clannad' would've been even harsher.
But now? This was enough.
The main challenge with 'Clannad' was surviving the first two episodes.
After that, the story gets good. Keep watching, and once the plot reaches the part where the male and female leads get married — masterpiece tier.
The problem is that it happens around episode 13 or 14.
So Jing Yu isn't even hoping for a turnaround anytime soon.
'Clannad' is a true slow burn — even more than 'Steins;Gate' — but its early setup is actually more engaging than 'Steins;Gate', so at least it should retain some viewers.
Late at night, Jing Yu glanced at the episode stats sent over by Qingyun Video, then tossed the report aside.
He wasn't the only one anxious — the Qingyun team was just as tense.
After all, their site's traffic depended heavily on Jing Yu's new shows.