Late into the night, the comment section on SakuraNet was completely overrun—
By furious 'Rurouni Kenshin' fans.
Everyone knew: in an era where TV networks held the largest share of power in the entertainment industry, SakuraNet was owned by Sakura TV.
And Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi were both employees of that network.
So the fans didn't hold back—
They went in, full firepower, no mercy.
"I'm speechless. That final hug from Yukishiro Tomoe—I'm a man in my 30s and I straight-up broke down crying."
"Tomoe may be gone, but her spirit—like the cross-shaped scar on Kenshin's face—will protect him forever."
"This is how you write a female lead. The show is a masterpiece in my heart. But Su Yan, as a writer? Blacklisted."
"I'll admit it: as an actor, Su Yan's performance and fight choreography were amazing. If I could give this show a 100 out of 10, I would. But as a screenwriter—and as a producer—Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi are absolute tumors in the industry. Rotten to the core."
"Do these two have no hearts? What kind of taste is this? Do they not know what we, the audience, want?! That ending to Episode 4… Why couldn't Tomoe live?!"
"You think this is fair to us? Seriously, screw you. Refund us! Or go shoot a fifth episode where Rurouni Kenshin turns into a supernatural fantasy show. I want to see Tomoe's ghost and Kenshin living happily together."
"I agree. As long as Tomoe's consciousness stays, I'll accept a human-ghost romance."
"I'm so lost. Why did this happen?!"
"Sigh… Stop cursing them. As much as I want to lash out at the writer too… the more I think about it, the more I realize—there really isn't a better ending. Sure, letting Tomoe live and giving us a happy ending would be satisfying. But those versions of Tomoe and Kenshin wouldn't even have a tenth of the depth they gained from this ending."
"Petty love stories are never enough to elevate a great narrative. I teared up, yes—but I respect this ending. Tomoe isn't some throwaway tragic female character who dies for shock value. Her sacrifice elevated the entire story. It allowed Kenshin to finally grow up—to wake from his idealistic dream and face reality."
"Best show I've seen this year: 'Rurouni Kenshin'. Worst screenwriter I've seen this year: Su Yan."
"Don't forget Shinozaki Ikumi. Her Sakura Island Love Song from earlier this year made me sick. And now in the second half of the year, she drops this god-tier drama? She tricked me into crying, again."
"Wuwuwu, I can't sleep. I know the ending is amazing, and even thinking hard, I can't come up with a better one. But I just… can't accept it. Su Yan, Shinozaki Ikumi, both of you reflect on yourselves!"
"Why blame Shinozaki Ikumi? She didn't write the script."
"But she's the producer! If the script had issues, she could've guided Su Yan to change direction early on. Tomoe's death? Half her fault."
"Does anyone know the actress who played Yukishiro Tomoe? Any other dramas she's in? I need to see more of her alive…"
All of 'Rurouni Kenshin's build-up in the first three episodes—
Exploded in Episode 4.
Just as Su Yan predicted.
The ending infuriated fans. They flooded the internet, yelling Su Yan's name into every trending tag.
But no one bashed the show itself.
The audience wasn't blind—after four episodes, they knew how good this show was.
They just needed an outlet—
A place to unload all the heartbreak over Kenshin and Tomoe's tragic love.
And of course, Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi became the perfect targets.
That night, 'Rurouni Kenshin' fans turned SakuraNet into a warzone.
Everywhere: discussions about Kenshin, Tomoe, Su Yan, and Shinozaki Ikumi.
Normally, when a drama triggers this kind of reaction, it signals collapse:
Plummeting ratings, nosediving viewership, mass viewer abandonment.
But 'Rurouni Kenshin' did the opposite.
Despite the flaming backlash, its rating rose from 9.4 to 9.5.
Its paid viewership surged far beyond previous days.
Why?
Because Xia Nation had four major streaming platforms:
SakuraNet, ZhongxiaNet, HongsongNet, and RaccoonNet.
Their viewer bases overlapped constantly. And now, SakuraNet had dropped a four-episode drama that, on its finale day, created this level of buzz—
And instead of its score dropping, it went up?
That made everyone curious.
What kind of show could make its original audience this unhinged?
If they hate it so much…
Why are they also calling it the best drama of the season?
Who's Yukishiro Tomoe?
"Best martial arts drama in ten years"? Really?
How can you call something a masterpiece while also cursing out the writer?
This show only costs a little over a million yuan to produce—and it's just four episodes! How is this "god-tier" level?
"Most heartbreaking love story"? No way it's that tragic…
I don't believe it!
And once curiosity gets sparked in casual viewers, it's nearly impossible to kill.
The next morning.
Shinozaki Ikumi woke up, opened her social media…
And felt like the sky had fallen.
"Why am I getting flamed? Why?!"
She was completely baffled.
She'd expected that Su Yan, as the writer, might take some heat.
But her, the producer? She'd worked so hard to bring the show to life on such a tight budget—and still made it look this good.
Now she was getting blamed?
Online, Su Yan had become "Culprit No. 1" for Tomoe's death.
Nine out of ten fans were roasting him nonstop.
Shinozaki Ikumi?
"Culprit No. 2."
Over half the audience blamed her for letting such a script pass into production.
Meanwhile—
Director Shi Peihua was being praised left and right for masterful directing.
And as for Gu Qingyuan, the actress who played Tomoe—
All ten people out of ten were heartbroken for her.
Tomoe's character had left an unforgettable impression:
Beautiful.
Strong.
Brave.
Principled.
Fearless in love and hate.
This—this was what a true heroine looked like.
The 'Rurouni Kenshin' comment section was filled with declarations of eternal fandom for Gu Qingyuan.
"I'm gonna follow her forever. Every drama she does—I'm watching."
But there was one thing that still made Shinozaki Ikumi feel better.
Despite the cursing—
The data didn't lie.
That night alone, Rurouni Kenshin Episode 4 racked up over 490,000 paid views.
Even Episode 1 saw an overnight jump of 300,000 new paid views—
And the rate was still climbing.
Clearly, the firestorm caused by Episode 4 had drawn in tons of viewers from other streaming platforms.
The show's rating? Untouched.
The word-of-mouth? Still strong.
The only thing that did collapse—
Was Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi's reputation.
"Whatever," Shinozaki muttered. "As long as the show's profitable and well-reviewed, that's what matters."
She took a deep breath, then smiled sweetly at herself in the mirror.
"As the producer, my reputation taking a hit for now is fine.
One day, the audience will realize—
Su Yan is the real culprit here.
As long as I'm careful not to produce anything this depressing again,
They'll eventually forgive a cute girl like me."