As the ending theme of 'You in Winter' played, Gu Ruo blinked.
"That's it?"
As expected — pretty short!
She made a note in her personal notebook with a slight internal complaint.
By day, Gu Ruo was an ordinary office worker in the Modo City. Still, in private, she was a major blogger on a well-known film and TV forum, boasting over a million followers.
Every season, plenty of people waited to read her drama reviews before deciding which shows to follow.
And she took this hobby-turned side gig very seriously.
Next up...
'Initial D'!
After switching to Yunteng TV, Gu Ruo immediately saw the trailer for 'Initial D' playing.
"A new drama by Jing Yu. It's a racing series, but still... I get to see him again!" A flicker of anticipation flashed in her eyes.
Even though summer had passed for a few months now, the elegant Go player Sai and the mad scientist Okabe Rintaro still left an emotional mark on her.
In fact, even months after 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Steins; Gate' had concluded, their popularity hadn't really faded. The underwhelming dramas from the Big Six during the fall season had only made fans and critics compare everything to those two shows more frequently.
Because of that, 'Initial D', riding on the coattails of 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Steins; Gate', had drawn as much attention as any flagship drama from the Big Three networks.
Of course, the higher the expectations, the higher the standards. If 'Initial D' didn't live up to the hype...
"Teacher Jing Yu, good luck!" Gu Ruo silently cheered in her heart.
At exactly 9:00 PM, Yunteng TV's screen stuttered for a split second.
Then...
A black-and-white panda-colored car filled the screen.
The theme song of 'Initial D' began to play. With its energetic melody and accompanying fast-paced drift scenes, it immediately drew in a large number of male viewers.
"Looks pretty interesting!"
"That... that move is called drifting, right? I think someone explained it on the forum before."
"I heard it's a technique used in mountain and rally races. Formula cars don't drift like that."
"Formula cars have too much horsepower, too high speed, and their tires wear out fast — they'd fall apart trying to take turns like that."
"I don't really understand mountain racing. Haven't seen any of Jing Yu's previous works either, but this guy's been everywhere these past few months. Even the girls at my office changed their phone wallpapers to his face. I didn't want to know who he was, but I couldn't escape it. That trailer for 'Initial D' looked cool though. Hope the show's better than the trash we got in the fall season!"
"Let's go, Teacher Jing Yu!"
"Feels like this show's popularity and hype from Jing Yu's fans is already on par with the Big Three's flagship dramas."
"For sure! Yunteng TV alone might lose to the Big Three, but Jing Yu + Yunteng TV? As long as 'Initial D' doesn't flop, it won't lose in ratings!"
"I don't know how to drive, don't even have a license, but I'm still tuning in. I didn't understand Go either, but I still loved 'Hikaru no Go'. But honestly, why name this show 'Initial D'? Why not 'Car Soul' or something? What's 'D' even supposed to mean?"
"Y'all aren't seriously expecting some thousand-year-old car spirit to come back and teach the MC how to race, right? Please, what car spirit? A thousand years ago, all we had were ox carts and horse-drawn wagons. You guys are hilarious!"
"Heh! Honestly, if they did it that way, it might be even more fun."
While fans were joking around in chat during the theme song, every major TV network in Great Zhou — especially the Big Three — was watching nervously.
'Initial D''s debut rating of 6.12% made their execs' faces turn sour.
The previous flagship fall drama on Yunteng TV, which also starred Wu He and Li He, opened with a 4% rating and averaged 3.79% across its entire run. Everyone thought that even if Jing Yu released a new show this winter, it wouldn't do much better.
But 6.12%?
A total slap in the face.
Those nearly 2 extra percentage points? All thanks to Jing Yu and his personal fanbase.
Sure, if 'Initial D' turned out to be bad, ratings might plummet. But the sheer momentum Jing Yu had already gathered was enough to make the Big Three break into cold sweats.
Gu Ruo focused her attention back on the screen.
As the opening ended, the first scene was the AE86 model car.
Then, a text overlay appeared, listing the car's horsepower, torque, weight, dimensions — all the technical stats.
Gu Ruo, who understood cars fairly well, only needed a glance.
Grocery getter.
Its specs were worse than her own eight-year-old secondhand car.
What the hell?
A racing drama starting with a car like this? How broke was Yunteng TV?
But the next second...
The black-and-white car suddenly fishtailed, and a sharp screech of tire friction pierced the speakers.
Gu Ruo's eyes widened.
The car glided past a 180-degree hairpin turn, hugging the guardrail so closely there was barely a gap.
This… isn't CGI?
She blinked, then focused. It really wasn't.
She'd worked with some VFX professionals before as part of her blogging career. She knew enough to tell when something was digitally composited.
This was real. Actual stunt driving captured on film.
Badass.
In just the first minute, the AE86 gave a continuous drifting performance filmed in a single shot using aerial drones and multi-angle side cams.
Then the story shifted to the school.
The main character, Takumi, and his best friend, Itsuki, finally made their entrance.
For Itsuki, Jing Yu borrowed from both the manga and film versions, emphasizing his comedic value.
He was Takumi's best friend — and also the son of the gas station owner where Takumi worked part-time.
"So handsome! Teacher Jing Yu!"
"Ugh, now he's playing the brooding guy? Just standing there silently is a whole mood!"
"Someone stop this man. Always single, always making me fall for him. Yunteng TV is only seven kilometers from my place. I'm seriously thinking about camping out nearby, hoping to bump into Jing Yu!"
"Oh, the female lead's out now — her name's Natsuki! Nice name!"
In the show:
"Wait, you only earn 1,500 yuan a month working part-time at the gas station?" Natsuki looked at Takumi in disbelief.
In the fan chat, people were shocked, too.
"Where is this gas station? High schoolers working evenings and weekends, making 1,500 a month? Sign me up!"
"My dad only gives me $200 yuan a month for allowance. 1,500 yuan is like... my savings for half a year. Why's she acting like it's such a small amount?"
"Ugh, probably a rich girl. That casual tone when she said 'only 1,500 yuan' made my blood boil!"
"But real talk, Natsuki is really pretty. Xu Jun may usually play evil roles in historical dramas, but she pulls off the sweet student look really well, too!"
In the first ten minutes, 'Initial D' introduced all the major characters:
Main lead Takumi
His best friend, Itsuki, is the son of the gas station owner.
Iketani, their senior co-worker and leader of the local racing team, Speed Stars
And the rich girl Natsuki, who's assumed to be the female lead, is seen stepping out of a luxury car.
"These students work their butts off all month to earn 1,500 yuan. But me? I do nothing and get 30,000 yuan from my dad every month."
"Earning money is so hard! Am I allowed to make this much?"
"Of course! Because… you're Natsuki."
Viewers might not know exactly what level of Benz her dad drove, but once they heard the price — 2 to 3 million yuan — they understood.
Rich girl main lead alert!
I want a gentle, generous dad like that too…
That scene left many viewers muttering to themselves with envy.
And just like Jing Yu, back when he watched the original 'Initial D' anime in his past life, they all thought that was Natsuki's real dad.
Who would've guessed that, later in the story, it turns out the man she calls "dad" is actually the father of Shiraishi, a girl from Takumi's class who secretly has a crush on him?
Everyone got misled by the show — easily.
Then came a conversation between the gas station boss and Iketani, where they mentioned the fastest driver on Mount Akina — a legend from 20 years ago, who only appears at 4 a.m. delivering tofu in an AE86.
And since Iketani and the others raced at midnight, they'd never crossed paths with him.
The tofu shop's 86!
Gu Ruo immediately thought back to the opening scene with that AE86.
At this point, audience anticipation was sky-high.
Then came a hilarious scene where Takumi rode in Iketani's car, trembling in the passenger seat.
"Itsuki, you don't understand. Riding with Iketani-senpai was terrifying!"
Takumi's terrified expression left viewers scratching their heads.
Is Jing Yu's main character really learning racing from scratch?
He looked like a total rookie.
Meanwhile, the Red Suns racing team, led by Takahashi, arrived at the base of Mount Akina and issued a challenge to the Speed Stars.
Team match this Saturday. Solo match next Saturday. Both sides send out their best drivers for one-on-one races.
And then the Speed Stars got destroyed by the Red Suns, start to finish.
At this point, viewers were fully invested in the story.
Even though the main character, Takumi, hadn't done much yet, the other supporting characters were already so compelling that people hardly noticed.
"Whoa. So that's how mountain races work?"
"Real life's probably not this dramatic, but the general idea's the same."
"Damn that Keisuke guy is cocky!"
"Ugh, Iketani is too weak. Got wrecked. I thought he was a top racer — he said stuff like 'It's normal to be scared riding with Akina's fastest driver!' and 'Pros don't take passengers when racing downhill!' He even made Takumi get out. I thought he was a boss — turns out he got left in the dust after just three corners."
"So frustrating. I'm mad."
"That line from Takahashi — 'Your whole team is trash!' — actually made me laugh. Total disrespect. 'Trash' LOL."
"If that were me, I'd lose sleep for a week. Getting smoked on home turf by a substitute driver? And then being called trash? I'd die of shame!"
"Can't win, nothing to be done…"
"But not gonna lie — this show is so good! Like, maybe the Takahashi brothers are the actual protagonists? Imagine watching it from their perspective — the satisfaction would be unreal."
"Nah, I can't do that. I already see Jing Yu's Takumi as the main guy. Seeing my friends get humiliated while I stand by helplessly? That's rough."
"They can't stay this depressed forever, right? I'm identifying with Iketani, and seeing him get destroyed is killing me!"
"Wait, isn't Takumi the main character? Why hasn't he done anything yet?"
"Yeah, I feel like Jing Yu's presence is super faint right now…"
Just as the viewers in fan groups were venting...
The turning point arrived.
After winning the team match, the Red Suns stayed on Mount Akina for more midnight races. Eventually, the time hit 4 a.m..
Keisuke Takahashi, driving his FD[Mazda RX-7 Type R (FD3S)], was speeding down the mountain, familiarizing himself with the course for next week's race.
And then — in his rearview mirror...
That same AE86 was catching up fast.
Viewers felt their hearts tighten.
Because the show had been building up that AE86 for a long time.