As fans of the original work, everyone already understood the Old Thief's tendencies and knew the upcoming plot by heart. But for some pure anime enthusiasts, on the websites they frequented, the original fans were deliberately causing mischief.
[I recommended "puella magi madoka magica" to my niece, but I didn't tell her what would happen in the third episode today. Do you think I did the right thing?]
In the novel section, someone posted this, and soon others responded.
["The OP is really twisted, learned from the Old Thief, didn't he?"]
["I have a friend who only watches anime and doesn't care about anything else. Under my strong recommendation, she also watched it. Hehe, I'm already looking forward to how she'll complain to me this weekend."]
["So I'm not the only one doing this? We're all kindred spirits!"]
["Could this be the joy the Old Thief experiences?"]
["Terrifying, everyone's faces are truly hideous! But, in the end, all of this is the sin committed by the Old Thief; we are just seduced by him!"]
This was the comment section for the original work.
However, the anime-focused forum websites had a completely different vibe.
["Brothers, this week's puella magi madoka magica absolutely cannot be missed! It's incredibly good! There's a huge plot twist!"]
Similar promotional posts also suddenly appeared in large numbers, with many people ganging up to mislead others.
They wanted to transfer all the suffering they endured onto the netizens!
Malik: kimoji~.jpg
This is what brings joy!
The thoughts have been cleared, so to speak.
…
"Yes, I see. Thank you for informing me, Miss Ayame."
Hanging up the phone, Gokou Ruri's face showed a hint of joy.
Although, relying on her teacher's guidance and the advantage of the other-world genre, her debut performance was only in the lower-middle tier.
But as long as she could maintain profitability and not falter going forward, she could survive as a light novelist, and from then on, she wouldn't have to do odd jobs to make a living.
Her life finally had a good start, and her past hard work had finally paid off sufficiently.
"I will continue to work hard from now on, following in my teacher's footsteps…"
The girl clenched her phone.
"Sister Ruri, you've been very happy lately."
"Yeah, yeah, and it seems like she's secretly tinkering with something. Could she be hiding a secret from us?"
Gokou Hinata and Gokou Tamaki, her two younger sisters, exchanged glances.
"Alright, alright, you'll know what I'm doing later."
Gokou Ruri walked over and ruffled their hair.
'Once I get my manuscript fees, I can improve my family's situation, and then I can get a gift for Tamaki and Hinata each.'
She thought to herself.
"Today, Madoka's third episode is airing. Do you want to watch it with me?"
Gokou Ruri suddenly added.
A hint of cunning flashed in her red eyes.
"Yes, we want to watch it, we want to watch it."
The two of them raised their hands.
"Alright then."
She nodded.
The three of them waited until late at night.
Gokou Ruri watched the TV, then tilted her head slightly.
She was looking forward to the scene unfolding, and at the same time, she was anticipating her two sisters' reactions.
The previous plot goes without saying; she could recite it by heart. The anime's handling was also very appropriate, perfectly depicting Mami Tomoe's joyful mood and the beautiful atmosphere.
But the sudden twist that followed made her eyes narrow.
A familiar iconic scene reappears!
Seizing the opening, the witch Bebe bit into Mami Tomoe, who was in a daze!
Since it was a late-night show, there was no need to meet the copyright holder's requirements, so a gloomy and eerie evil atmosphere filled the screen at that moment, shocking the young, fragile hearts of the girls.
"Ah!! Mami's head was bitten off!"
"So scary! I don't want to watch anymore! This isn't a magical girl show!"
The two younger sisters immediately hugged each other, their voices trembling.
"Pfft."
Looking at their distressed expressions, Gokou Ruri couldn't hold back and let out a laugh.
"Hmm? Could it be, Ruri, you already knew the plot? And you still egged us on to watch!"
"Mean Ruri!"
The shivering Gokou Hinata and Gokou Tamaki immediately united in their anger, two pairs of eyes looking over, both aggrieved and furious, on the verge of tears.
"Ahem, how about I treat you to bubble tea tomorrow?"
Gokou Ruri had no choice but to say.
"Bubble tea? Oh, that's good, that's good."
The two younger sisters immediately forgot what had just happened.
Bubble tea was a luxury for them, but their older sister was suddenly so generous, which made them even more curious: what changes had occurred in their sister during this time?
"Could she have found a boyfriend outside?"
"So suspicious!"
"Ruri suddenly has money, could she be a kept woman?"
"It's not that serious, maybe she just got a rich boyfriend..."
Watching her younger sisters' uninhibited back-and-forth, Gokou Ruri showed a rather helpless expression.
"You two..."
At the same time, in different locations, many people also saw the performance of this episode; some nodded with great satisfaction, some almost became reclusive, and some immediately picked up their phones to start operating...
"Heh heh..."
Seeing this scene, Eriri no longer felt angry, but just chuckled softly.
To her, this scene had become a kind of black humor.
...
"I have a feeling that after today, Mami will be completely famous, though it might not necessarily be a good reputation."
Kani Nayuta's voice grew softer and softer, as she tried hard to control her expression so as not to laugh.
...
"There's nothing left to be afraid of..."
When Kousaka Kirino saw this sentence appear, she had already started to laugh.
"Indeed, once you're dead, there's nothing left to be afraid of."
...
Elmi: "How interesting~"
"Hmph! It's nothing much, I could write a similar plot if I wanted to."
Yamada Elf pouted.
Elmi: "Oh."
...
In short, the iconic scene of the third episode was truly memorable, and perhaps Mami's death today will be firmly etched into the annals of history.
This was a scene that original fans had long anticipated, and even many people who didn't usually stay up late were willing to watch the live broadcast of this episode, leaving the channel with a pretty good viewership rating, entering the top five among animations in the same time slot.
In addition to effective promotion, the production team's promotional efforts also played a significant role, as original fans were one aspect, and anime fans were also a part of the overlap.
However, although this episode ended, the wave of public opinion had only just begun.
Because some people are truly innocent, without many ulterior motives, and fell for the tricks of certain individuals; of course, they wanted to get even and vent their emotions!
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter