After 'Clannad''s earlier dip in reputation and its dramatic rebound this past week, the most direct result was a massive spike in paid viewership.
After all, if you opened any TV drama forum and saw nine out of ten posts raving about how emotional and touching Episode 9 was, it was almost impossible not to get curious and fall into the rabbit hole.
So by the time Episode 10 aired, Clannad's average paid views per episode had already surpassed 13 million.
Still a bit behind 'Kaiji', which held steady at around 15 million—but in terms of buzz and online hype, 'Clannad' had already pulled ahead.
'Kaiji' was the type of show that could quickly wear out its welcome. At first, audiences would get hyped watching Kaiji miraculously escape desperate situations—but after a while, the villains just all started to feel like fodder. It became: "Trash. All of you are trash. Watch my man Kaiji take you down one by one!"
Once that mindset set in, the show's appeal inevitably began to decline.
8:00 PM, sharp.
Episode 10 of 'Clannad' aired on time.
The tone of this episode was noticeably lighter compared to Episode 9.
Well, relatively lighter.
During the few days spent traveling with Ushio, Tomoya Okazaki had finally realized his failures as a father. He no longer ran from them—instead, he began to truly face his daughter.
The first thing he did?
He brought Ushio home from her grandparents' place.
At five or six years old, this was the first time Ushio had ever lived with her father.
The first half of the episode focused mostly on heartwarming father-daughter moments.
The style was more reminiscent of Episode 1's slice-of-life atmosphere.
And fans? Absolutely loved this kind of content.
Emotional and tearjerking moments were fine now and then, but no one wanted to cry their eyes out every single week.
That was the consensus, at least... during the first five minutes of this episode.
Later, Fuko Ibuki, who had appeared as a spirit in Season 1, finally regained consciousness and returned to her body.
However...
Neither Fuko nor Tomoya had any memory of their time together during her soul-form phase.
Still—seeing Fuko and Ushio, the two "Cuteness Queens," appear on-screen together...
Had a lot of viewers smiling like doting aunties in front of their screens.
Then came the next story beat:
Tomoya, bringing his daughter Ushio, went to visit his father Naoyuki Okazaki, whom he hadn't seen in six years, now recently released from prison.
"You've done enough. So... you can rest now. Go back. Your mother's waiting for you."
"It's okay now? I've fulfilled my duty? That's... wonderful."
The father-son conversation was brief, but once again brought viewers to tears.
It didn't take up much screen time, but it hit deep and left a mark.
"Don't smoke too much, okay? I'll come visit you—definitely."
This line, spoken as Tomoya saw his father off to the countryside to live with his grandmother...
It was another emotional gut punch.
Because the show had built up to this for months.
All the layers in Tomoya's personality, all the tension between him and his father...
So when this scene unfolded in such a quiet, understated way, it effortlessly broke through viewers' emotional defenses.
Later, during a scene where Ushio and Fuko were playing a game...
Fuko asked, "What's your impression of your mom, based on what your dad told you?"
"She cried a lot."
"But... she worked very hard to bring me into this world."
"And... she was Dad's favorite person."
Ushio's words, coupled with the tears silently falling from Tomoya's eyes—
"Why am I crying my eyes out again?"
"Damn it, Jing Yu-sensei is too good at wringing tears out of us. That father-son reconciliation already had me tearing up, and now this…"
"Ushio is way too precious. I absolutely love this character. Who's the actress?!"
"That scene where they sing Dango Daikazoku together at bedtime hit me right in the feels."
"Guys, I never used to cry watching dramas—but for the past three weeks, every single episode has had me bawling. Is it me, or is it Jing Yu-sensei?"
"I hereby declare: 'Clannad' is the best drama Jing Yu-sensei has ever made."
"Agreed. The thematic depth far surpasses his previous works. I thought it was just a simple romance story—I didn't expect the second season to head in this direction."
"Masterpiece, confirmed."
"Sure, the view count still trails behind 'Kaiji', but these past two episodes have taken the show to an entirely new level. Honestly, 'Clannad' now holds a higher place in my heart than even 'Hikaru no Go'."
"This has to be Jing Yu-sensei's most tearjerking work yet."
"He's always been good at emotional writing, but this time... It's evolved into something else."
"Only two episodes left. I'm already feeling withdrawal."
"I'm hoping for an ending where Tomoya marries Fuko, and the three of them—him, Fuko, and Ushio—form a new family."
"Yes to Fuko and Ushio! Anyone else as Ushio's new mom? Nope. But Fuko and Ushio? Perfection."
"I'm heading straight to Jing Yu-sensei's Qingyun Blog account to leave a comment!"
"We should all do it. If the final episode is still being filmed, maybe—just maybe—our voices will influence the story."
"I doubt it... But it's worth a shot. Nagisa Furukawa is gone. Tomoya has to move forward. And Fuko and Ushio get along so well. If that ending really happens, I'll give this show a perfect score."
But just as fans were joyfully discussing all the possible future developments...
The episode reached its final scene.
Five years old—the same age Nagisa had been when she first fell seriously ill.
Now Ushio... at five years old...
Began showing the same symptoms.
Fatigue. High fever. Weakness. And then—collapse.
In that moment, all of Great Zhou's fan groups went silent.
It hadn't been that long ago—maybe just two or three weeks—when the episode aired showing Nagisa dying after giving birth to Ushio.
But because these past two weeks had been so emotionally rich and powerful, audiences had unconsciously buried that pain.
Until now.
At the end of Episode 10, when Ushio, flushed and burning with fever, collapsed into Tomoya's arms—
Everyone remembered.
Back in Episode 7, Nagisa had died in almost the same way, right beside Tomoya.
So...
What kind of plot twist was this?
Huh?
We just spent two weeks praising you, Jing Yu. And now you're acting up again? Reverting to your old ways?
We could live with you killing Nagisa.
But Ushio? This adorable, five-year-old angel?
What the hell is wrong with you?
Can you not think like a normal human being for once?
Can you please be a decent person?