The film critics of Great Zhou naturally had more professional evaluation standards than the general public.
Why did Jing Yu make the entire film and television industry of Great Zhou feel immense pressure over the past few years?
Because Jing Yu's works were almost irreplicable — brimming with innovation.
Take 'Hikaru no Go' for example. Who dares claim they can make a Go-themed story more engaging than that? It's not even guaranteed that anyone would watch it. Audiences loved 'Hikaru no Go', but that didn't mean they loved the game of Go.
The same goes for 'Initial D', 'Steins;Gate', 'Kimi ni Todoke', and 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'.
These stories became hits not because of their subject matter, but because of the plot — because of how Jing Yu intricately portrayed the personalities and details of every character.
Genres can be copied. But such deep, moving character and story portrayals? That's not something you can replicate.
Even though 'Fate/Zero' had the highest premiere rating and the most paid viewership across all of Jing Yu's past works...
Ironically, it brought far less pressure to his peers.
Yes, the setting was well-crafted, and Artoria's background was fleshed out nicely. Still, it didn't reach the emotional depth that could really stir most viewers.
On the contrary, the protagonist Kiritsugu Emiya had little presence. Despite being the lead, viewers had more to say about the antagonist, Servant Diarmuid, than he did.
And relying on big-budget VFX and polished action choreography — that's a formula that can be reproduced.
People believe 'Fate/Zero' has high ratings mainly because of blind faith in the phrase "Produced by Jing Yu = guaranteed quality." Many viewers would watch anything under his name, but that doesn't necessarily reflect the true standard of the drama.
It's the same logic as Jing Yu's previous-life 'Avengers' movies: you could pull in billions at the box office with high investment and aggressive marketing.
But hardly anyone would call 'Avengers' a once-in-a-century cinematic masterpiece. When compared to 'The Shawshank Redemption' or 'The Godfather', the gap is evident.
Some of the more discerning critics had waited a full month, hoping the later episodes of 'Fate/Zero' would bring a twist. But now?
It just looks like a standard action-fantasy spectacle.
Disappointed.
"A Mediocre Production: The High Ratings and High-Paid Viewership of 'Fate/Zero' Is But a Final Gleam from a Genius Screenwriter Spending His Reputation."
"The Genius Has Lost His Touch — Is Jing Yu Only King When It Comes to Romance?"
"He once delivered masterful storytelling in racing, Go, and martial arts genres — but 'Fate/Zero' is a major letdown."
"The core narrative of 'Fate/Zero' is hollow. A bunch of people killing each other for a magical wish-granting cup — how's that different from people resorting to anything for money? Jing Yu's previous works always had a touching thematic core. This one? I've yet to find it."
"The most disappointing Jing Yu production, despite its sky-high ratings and popularity trajectory during broadcast. Hoping the story improves later on."
"Killing for the Holy Grail — it's a meaningless slaughter. The main storyline is: defeat all enemies, win the Grail, fulfill your wish, and done? Just thinking about it kills my interest in continuing. No matter how well Artoria is written, it doesn't change the fact that the premise is boring."
Many critics downgraded their reviews of 'Fate/Zero', but the show's popularity kept growing.
Audiences didn't care. Maybe the critics were right — maybe the depth of 'Fate/Zero' really couldn't compare to Jing Yu's earlier works — but hey, at least viewers were having fun watching.
That's popular taste for you.
The most commercially successful and widely influential works are often not the best.
'Hikaru no Go' and 'Fullmetal Alchemist' could be remembered by fans for ten or even twenty years thanks to their emotional storytelling.
But when it comes to pure business impact and revenue? They're outmatched.
Jing Yu himself admitted that some titles in the Fate series were mediocre — even boring.
But 'Fate/Zero'? He felt that this one, among the entire franchise, had a storyline worthy of being called legendary.
The character portrayals were top-tier — especially the much-maligned Kiritsugu Emiya.
Boring characterization?
Hollow themes?
Just another shiny VFX action fantasy show?
Those critics who passed such judgments without watching the whole series — Jing Yu couldn't care less.
Cheng Lie wanted Jing Yu to make a public statement rebutting those reviews, but Jing Yu refused. The audience has eyes — no need for spoiler-filled defenses.
Instead, he immersed himself in the adaptation of 'Fate/Zero' into a game.
And then, Episode 5 aired on schedule.
As Artoria and Diarmuid fought side by side against Bluebeard, their Masters were busy killing each other in the castle.
Kenneth, the self-proclaimed elite mage, was ruthlessly crushed by Kiritsugu's dirty tricks. Kiritsugu even destroyed his Magic Circuits, rendering him a cripple.
Then came the most iconic scene yet:
Kenneth's wife, Sola-Ui, seeing him reduced to a husk, threatened him with violence to transfer the Command Spells over to her.
Why? Because she had fallen for Diarmuid and wanted to be his new Master, to further her... non-professional relationship with him.
She even threatened to cut off Kenneth's hand if he refused.
Truly, the most tragic man of the series so far.
This episode also gave more screen time to Kiritsugu and his wife, Irisviel.
Irisviel's gentleness won massive affection from the audience.
Meanwhile, Kiritsugu's identity as a "hero of justice" began to surface.
He grieved over human suffering. He burned with rage at the abused and murdered children imprisoned by Bluebeard.
Set aside his ruthlessness and cold-blooded combat tactics — the man could arguably be called good.
So... why is he after the Holy Grail?
Though Episode 5 didn't spell it out, that question now lingered in viewers' minds.
Beneath Kiritsugu's cold facade, there seemed to be a hint of tenderness.
Also, the scene of Iskandar and Waver reacting to the corpses of dozens of children — with Waver crying and Iskandar silently mourning — left many viewers deeply moved.
Seven Masters, seven Servants, all fighting for the Holy Grail.
But not all of them were bad people.
Was it really just a cold-blooded bloodbath among selfish murderers, as the media claimed?
There were good people among them.
And these plotlines? They were genuinely emotional.
After Episode 5 aired, 'Fate/Zero's viewership climbed to 9.3%, with total online streams across three major platforms hovering around 14 million. Compared to previous spikes, the increase wasn't huge — but the negative press hadn't affected audience interest.
However, right around this time...
Jing Yu's own studio, Bluestar Media & Film Company, posted a surprise update on their official Qingyun Blog homepage.
The announcement: 'Fate/Zero' would be adapted into a game.
And to the shock of fans who had just watched Episode 5, the site even dropped a bunch of concept art for the game's characters.
Game?
What the hell?
They were really making a game out of 'Fate/Zero'?