Zhang Du pulled his eyes away from the fan group chat and turned to the screen, where the opening theme of 'Fate Zero' was playing on the TV.
He couldn't fully understand what was going on in the opening just yet, but—
"The special effects are amazing!" Zhang Du couldn't help but exclaim.
It wasn't that Great Zhou lacked good special effects companies—it lacked a scriptwriter like Jing Yu, one who could deliver such a high return on investment.
Most investors knew that throwing in more money could improve production quality, but they also had to weigh profitability. That's why, in Great Zhou's TV drama industry, a show like 'Fate/Zero', with a production budget just over 200 million, could still deliver this kind of visual quality—earning a flood of silent thumbs-up from the audience.
That said, while 'Fate/Zero' was undoubtedly impressive, the early episodes definitely leaned heavily into setup.
When the opening finished, Zhang Du leaned forward, expecting some action or major hook to kick things off.
But to his surprise—
There were no flashy battle scenes, no grand reveals.
Instead, the show opened with a long sequence of character introductions.
In the freezing winter, a mature and cold man named Kiritsugu Emiya and his gentle, beautiful wife, Irisviel von Einzbern, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Illyasviel von Einzbern.
The tone was dark and moody—a quiet sadness lingered in every frame.
"Iris... one day, I will send you to your death."
"I know. It's the fate of the Einzbern family."
Both spoke in soft voices, yet the subject was heavy.
Especially Kiritsugu's character setup—
Zhang Du felt like this guy was suffocating under some kind of invisible pressure.
"Is there really an ideal or goal worth sacrificing your own wife for?"
Zhang Du found it hard to accept, but he kept watching.
Next scene: Fuyuki Church.
Tokiomi Tohsaka and Risei Kotomine were trying to recruit Kirei Kotomine into Tokiomi's faction—their classic double-dialogue dynamic perfectly brought to life.
Through their conversation, the audience learned about the Holy Grail War:
Every few years, the Grail would choose seven participants. These Masters could summon legendary heroes—either from history or belief systems—to fight on their behalf in a battle royale for the Grail, which could grant any wish.
Of course, Tokiomi's goal in speaking with Kirei was to bring him into an alliance.
Even though it was a seven-person free-for-all, no one ever said alliances weren't allowed.
Cowards, Zhang Du thought, already frowning at both Kirei and Tokiomi.
"Only cowards form alliances. Real warriors go solo and take all six!"
He figured Tokiomi—with his smug look—was definitely going to be the first to crash and burn.
Kirei, on the other hand, seemed much calmer. Zhang Du instinctively felt this guy was more formidable.
Just as the story began to draw him in—
The scene changed again.
Kariya Matou met with Aoi Tohsaka.
What's with these names? Zhang Du thought. Even if it's a fantasy world, the naming doesn't have to be this hard to remember!
Tokiomi Tohsaka, Kariya Matou, Aoi Tohsaka, Kiritsugu Emiya—
It hadn't even been ten minutes, and there were already this many characters introduced?
Then there was Kariya Matou himself—
Is he sick or something? The guy looked pale and frail as hell.
This segment also briefly introduced the young versions of Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou, though they didn't have much screen time yet.
The love Kariya had for Aoi was crystal clear to the audience, and the fact that he agreed to enter the Holy Grail War to rescue Sakura, the daughter of the woman he loved, from the clutches of the Matou family—that plot point really made Zhang Du uncomfortable.
Another hopeless simp?
Then Zouken Matou showed up—
And at that point, Zhang Du's brain started to short-circuit.
Fifteen minutes in, and there've already been like... what, 15 or 20 characters?
Would a genius writer like Jing Yu really make a rookie mistake like dumping a mountain of lore and characters at the start? Wouldn't it be better to weave the story and exposition together?
This was the classic problem with the Fate franchise's watch order.
If you'd seen 'Fate/stay night' first, 'Fate Zero' wouldn't be so overwhelming. But diving straight into 'Fate Zero'? Anyone would get lost in the lore.
That's why Jing Yu had planned—
The streaming platform versions.
Anyone confused could buy the expanded version of 'Fate Zero' from the online platforms.
Each episode's ending would include a special feature where Jing Yu personally explained the lore and worldbuilding to help viewers understand what was going on.
Of course, most of it would click after a few episodes anyway.
He also deliberately cut certain scenes—like the infamous Crest Worm experiments performed by Zouken on Sakura.
In 'Fate Zero', Sakura's story was mostly referenced in dialogue—no explicit visual depictions. Jing Yu figured no one wanted to see a toddler writhing in a bug pit. That alone might send viewers running.
Zhang Du, who was a bit smarter than average, eventually managed to piece things together.
The main characters introduced so far were:
Kiritsugu Emiya, Kirei Kotomine, Tokiomi Tohsaka, and Kariya Matou.
Kiritsugu seemed like a lone wolf.
Kirei and Tokiomi were allies.
Kariya had a thing for Tokiomi's wife, Aoi, and was plotting to rescue Sakura from his own father, Zouken.
This web of relationships... is a mess.
Just when Zhang Du thought the character introduction phase was finally over—
The fifth Master, aka "the professor," entered the story.
Historically, Lancer-class Masters always got the short end of the stick. And the professor—one of the most tragic figures among Fate fans in Jing Yu's previous life—was no exception.
"Again? Still introducing characters? It's been 20 minutes!"
"I came for the battles and the visuals—where's Jing Yu?! Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"Damn it, this pacing is slow."
"Was this much setup really necessary? And is Kiritsugu really the main character? Feels like he barely gets more screen time than the others. Kariya Matou is actually standing out the most."
"I like Tokiomi Tohsaka."
"No love for Grandpa Zouken? He just wants to live forever—what's he done wrong?"
"Honestly, yeah, it's slow... but the worldbuilding? I'm hooked."
"Right? I feel this anxious anticipation. We've got most of the Masters now—where are the Servants? Show us the damn Servants already!"
While the professor was scolding a student's paper in class, another key character appeared: Waver Velvet.
He and the professor were teacher and student, but their relationship fractured when the professor mocked Waver's thesis in front of the class.
That's why Waver ended up stealing the package from Macedonia that was meant for his professor.
If the professor hadn't humiliated him, he would've been the one to summon Alexander the Great—and maybe he wouldn't have died so tragically.
By this point in episode one, six of the seven Masters had appeared.
The heavy-lifting worldbuilding and narrative setup were mostly complete.
The episode was already halfway through.
And the viewership numbers for 'Fate Zero'? Still climbing.
If this had been any no-name writer trying to start a series with such a slow burn, most viewers would've changed the channel before the first ad break.
But this was Jing Yu.
The audience trusted him.
Still, the longer this tension dragged out, the more viewers stayed glued to Yunteng TV—anxious, but with their patience wearing thin.