After the viewership numbers for Episode 6 of 'Initial D' came out, emotions ran high across all major TV stations in Great Zhou that night.
Over the past five weeks, since 'Initial D' began airing, every new episode has shown a significant ratings boost. Heading into Episode 6, most industry professionals predicted the drama's viewership would rise again, likely landing somewhere around 7.1% to 7.2%.
Just like with test scores—going from 60 to 80 is manageable, but jumping from 90 to 95? That's tough.
When a show achieves a rating of over 7%, further growth becomes incredibly difficult.
But to everyone's surprise, Episode 6 turned out to be 'Initial D''s highest weekly jump yet, rocketing from last week's 7.02% all the way to 7.55%.
What no one expected even more… was what happened after the episode aired.
The moment fans finished watching Episode 6, they flooded the Yunteng TV official website, furiously venting about the ending—specifically, the strange romantic development between Sato Mako (played by Yu Youqing) and Iketani.
"I can't take it anymore! I've been following Director Jing Yu's dramas ever since 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', and it's always Yu Youqing paired with him. Why is 'Initial D' suddenly different? I could've accepted her playing a side character, but now she's developing romantic tension with Takumi's bro? No way. I'm protesting!"
"Same here. I don't even mind Yu Youqing playing Sato Mako, but if she's in this drama, she should either play Natsuki or not appear at all. I can't accept this plotline."
"No to NTR."
"Right now, I feel like Kaori Miyazono, Emi Fukuju, Setsuna Ogiso, and Makise Kurisu have all possessed me—we protest this betrayal!"
"Boycott. We have to boycott this. If Sato Mako is going to be in the show, fine, but at least don't give her romantic scenes with Iketani!"
"Might as well write off Natsuki and promote Sato Mako to the main heroine at this point!"
"Mountain pass racing mixed with a love triangle—are they going for a White Album 2 vibe now?"
"Why?! I was here first! Why did Natsuki get there before me?!"
"Are we about to start calling Natsuki the b*tch and Sato Mako the homewrecker now?"
"What if Director Jing Yu is planning to make Takumi the third wheel in Sato Mako and Iketani's relationship?"
"Then what about Xia Yining? What's she doing?"
"I heard Xia Yining is also in 'Initial D'—just didn't appear in Episode 6."
"Oh? So it's a love square now?"
"What the heck are you all talking about? This is getting deep."
That entire night, the Yunteng TV website was swamped with this kind of discussion.
Director Jing Yu's long-time fans—especially those from his Jinhui TV era—were the loudest. Nearly every thread on the site was about boycotting the Sato Mako and Iketani romance.
Even Yunteng TV's senior execs started feeling uneasy.
After all, television dramas are often adjusted based on audience feedback.
Now that fans had clearly voiced their rejection of this storyline, it was only right to at least acknowledge that feedback.
Especially since 'Initial D' had now passed the 7.5% mark in ratings—there was too much at stake.
That said, when Yunteng TV's production department tried to contact the 'Initial D' team about it, Director Jing Yu didn't even bother responding.
Yunteng TV only held advisory authority over him, not the right to force script changes.
And after what happened with Fujiwara no Sai's resurrection in 'Hikaru no Go', they were even less inclined to interfere.
Because, in hindsight, looking at Sai's ongoing popularity and all the merch sales, even Yunteng TV had to admit: if Sai hadn't "died" back then, 'Hikaru no Go' wouldn't have reached the same emotional highs.
Still, since online backlash was growing, Jing Yu couldn't just ignore it.
But he also saw an opportunity.
In the original version of 'Initial D', fans were always frustrated by the unresolved romance between the Usui female racer and Iketani. This was the perfect moment to shift the blame and reframe the decision as a matter of loyalty to the source material.
So, he quickly had his team shoot a short response video.
On Thursday, Yunteng TV pinned the video at the top of their homepage.
The video showed the ever-handsome and composed Jing Yu, smiling into the camera, saying:
"A racer only needs two things: a car and skill. 'Initial D' is a pure racing drama. There will be no sweet romance plotlines here, rest assured.
I've heard your voices, and I promise—Sato Mako and Iketani's story will not taint the purity of the racers.
Romance… only slows drivers down."
"As for why I didn't cast my longtime partners Yu Youqing or Xia Yining as Natsuki?
Because they don't fit the role.
Why not?
You'll understand soon.
The truth about Natsuki's character will be revealed in the final three episodes of 'Initial D'."
That short, under-a-minute video calmed the fanbase somewhat.
While many were still curious about the cryptic comments, they figured—if he wants to keep us in suspense, fine.
'Initial D' was already past its halfway mark. In just a few more weeks, everything would be revealed anyway.
Soon, the weekend arrived, and the latest episodes from major networks started airing.
Two weeks after 'Initial D' broke past the 7% barrier, the latest episode of 'Arrow' (by Huanshi TV) also crossed that mark, earning 7.09%.
Meanwhile, 'Passing the Torch' and 'You in Winter' were still hovering around 6.9%.
While all three dramas were doing well, anyone with industry insight could see—
For this winter TV season, among the "Big Three" networks, the only show with a real chance of threatening 'Initial D' was 'Arrow', and only if the plot dramatically ramped up starting next week. It would need to sustain momentum through the rest of the season to pull ahead.
As for 'Passing the Torch' and ''You in Winter'', it was time to stop chasing first place. Instead, they needed to focus on competing for second or third place in ratings.
Just like in the spring and summer seasons, whichever Big Three network finishes fourth in flagship drama rankings ends up embarrassed.
Which is why things were looking tense for both Xingtong TV and Imperial Capital TV.
On Sunday, Episode 7 of 'Initial D' aired as scheduled.
The entire episode was basically focused on introducing the fastest female racer duo from Usui—Sato Mako and Sayuki,
And, of course, showcasing how the romance between Sato Mako and Iketani developed.
The fastest woman on Usui's mountain pass openly challenged the Akina 86, saying she was doing it for her former idol— Ryosuke Takahashi.
The battle would take place not on Akina, but at Usui.
What's more, Sato Mako made it explicit in the episode:
If she won this race, she'd officially start dating Iketani.
Episode 7 of 'Initial D' saw another ratings jump, climbing to 7.84%.
But viewers were once again questioning the plot.
"Didn't Jing Yu say there wouldn't be messy romance storylines?
Then why did half this episode focus on these two developing feelings for each other?"