On Monday morning, after a weekend break, workers across the country got up early—
whether commuting by bus, subway, bicycle, tractor, or just walking.
And on the way to work, many of them opened their phones to check their usual film and television forums for the latest updates—
Only to find that discussions about 'Clannad' had taken over the entire screen.
[Strongest TV drama of the year: 'Clannad'!]
[That twist in the final episode—we all wrongly blamed Jing Yu.]
[Calling the courier to recall the knife I mailed to Jing Yu!]
[Final episode god-tier twist—strongest single episode in the past decade.]
[Episode 8 broke me. Episode 9 revived me with Ushio. Episode 11 gave me a stroke. Episode 12 redeemed everything. Jing Yu, I'm sorry—I misjudged you.]
[From this day on, anyone who insults Jing Yu is my enemy—no matter how far, they shall be punished.]
[Jing Yu is a god. 'Clannad' is god-tier.]
[I admit I shouted too loudly last week. Jing Yu, please accept my kneecaps.]
[I love you, Jing Yu!]
The forums were overflowing with praise for Jing Yu and 'Clannad'.
Compared to last week's vitriol, the public opinion had done a complete 180.
Many viewers who had abandoned the show the week prior were now left dazed by what they saw online.
Questions flooded the web:
"What the hell is going on?!"
"I don't get it—how did 'Clannad' bounce back from that?"
"Holy crap, from the comments—it looks like Nagisa Furukawa and Ushio Okazaki came back to life?! What even happened in the final episode?"
"Damn it, I dropped the show, and now I'm curious again."
"Nagisa and Ushio come back to life? And people are praising this plot?"
"What's going on?! Is Episode 12 really that amazing?"
"I'm so upset—I didn't quit the show, I just had to work overtime last night! I woke up to everyone spoiling me with talk about Nagisa and Ushio coming back. How am I supposed to watch it now?!"
"You quitters better pick this show back up. 'Clannad' Season 2, Episode 12 was god-tier—hands down the best drama episode I've ever seen."
"Same here. I cried my eyes out last night. I've never been moved like that by a show before."
"I watched it with my wife—we were joking at the start, but by the end we were hugging and sobbing."
"I couldn't sleep after watching it. I was so emotionally overwhelmed that I kept thinking about it all night. Honestly, it's more than a show—it healed me. I was feeling awful yesterday, but after watching the finale, I suddenly saw the world in a new light."
"Is it really that good? You guys sound like Jing Yu hired you as PR bots."
"Believe what you want. But I feel sorry for anyone who dropped 'Clannad' after Episode 11. They stopped just one step away from witnessing its most brilliant moment. What a shame."
"Absolutely. I only watched the finale because I like finishing things I start. But afterward, all I could say was—thank god I did."
"Damn, you guys are convincing. I stopped watching when Nagisa died. Didn't expect her to come back. Alright—I'll go finish the show. But if it sucks, I'll come back here and roast you all."
All across major forums and fan groups,
Praise for 'Clannad' flooded in like a tidal wave.
This time of year—the end of the Great Zhou autumn drama season—was typically when debates flared about which show was the best of the quarter.
But after 'Clannad''s final episode aired—
The conversation was over.
No doubt. No competition.
As long as they'd finished watching the series, no matter what other shows they followed,
viewers unanimously agreed that the best drama of the quarter—and maybe the year—was 'Clannad'.
At first, when 'Kaiji' aired alongside 'Clannad', even Jing Yu's fans thought 'Clannad' was a rare miss.
But now?
The rankings had reversed completely.
'Kaiji' Season 2, which ended in the same week, along with flagship shows from the other major TV stations—
were all drowned out by 'Clannad' fans.
Starting Monday, 'Clannad's rating began climbing at a jaw-dropping pace.
From just above 5.0 on Sunday, it soared to 9.3 by Monday night.
By Tuesday morning, it hit 9.5.
And by Friday—
It reached the 9.7 threshold.
Its paid streaming numbers also exploded over the following days.
More and more people, swayed by the online hype, caught up on the final episode—
and then joined the chorus of praise.
By the sixth day after Episode 12 aired, every drama forum had one common pattern:
Any thread praising 'Clannad' would instantly shoot to the top, reaching thousands or even tens of thousands of comments.
This phenomenal discussion frenzy even started influencing traditional TV-only viewers.
Many of them didn't care for online streaming platforms—
But that didn't mean they could ignore a show now widely considered the best of the season, even of recent years.
These people began creating accounts—
just to binge-watch 'Clannad'.
Opportunistic critics who had previously bashed the show immediately switched gears, now shamelessly praising it to the heavens.
Under these conditions, 'Clannad''s paid viewership climbed from just over 13 million before the finale—
to 14 million, then 15 million…
And by late September, it reached 17 million.
Qingyun Video also saw a massive boost in user registration—
over four million new users in a few days, all thanks to 'Clannad'.
When everyone at work or in your neighborhood is talking about a drama—
and you're the only one who hasn't seen it—
You're going to feel left out.
In less than two weeks, 'Clannad' had pulled off a miraculous reversal in reputation, commercial success, and public opinion.
Who in the Great Zhou entertainment industry could have predicted this?
After Episode 11 aired, the show's reputation had hit rock bottom.
And yet, Jing Yu still pulled it back with Episode 12—
One single episode that turned everything around.
For his industry peers,
This was nothing short of shocking.
But after the shock faded,
TV networks saw an opportunity.
The first to move were the Six Major Stations, who contacted Jing Yu directly to buy 'Clannad's broadcast rights.
And why not?
The show had the ratings and the buzz.
Sure, audiences don't always like reruns—
But it depends on the meal.
Plain old fried rice? No thanks.
But Royal Gourmet Fried Rice made with the finest ingredients?
Even the Big Three Stations, which usually avoided this kind of deal, were now reconsidering.
Because traditional TV ratings had clearly dropped thanks to streaming competition.
Prime-time viewership was falling, and so was advertising revenue.
Cooperating with Jing Yu?
At this point, pride was irrelevant.
Plus, many TV-only audiences had never seen the online version of the show.
They weren't internet-savvy.
Now, if networks bought the rights and aired the series, they could even reel in 'Clannad' fans for a second watch.
The ratings?
Almost guaranteed to be strong.
With their experience, the Six Major Stations recognized this opportunity and acted fast.
Yunteng TV, meanwhile, was slower to respond—
But quickly joined the battle for the broadcast rights too.
'Clannad' was guaranteed to outperform their original programming.
Given Jing Yu's good relationship with Yunteng TV, the network definitely had the edge.
And in the end—
It was just money.
Whatever the Six Major Stations could offer, Yunteng TV could match without blinking.