In late January, the casting audition for the TV drama adaptation of 'Fate/Stay Night' officially began. At the same time, the early-stage special effects production also kicked off. The companies involved were mostly the same ones that had worked on 'Fate/Zero'. Since there had been no issues with that production, Jing Yu had no intention of switching teams.
As soon as Bluestar Media & Film Company publicly announced the start of 'Fate/stay night's casting event, fans of the Fate series—whose enthusiasm had slightly cooled off two months after the game's release—were once again set ablaze.
Overnight, Bluestar's official website received more than a million visits, and the comment section had over 100,000 users online discussing the show.
Fans of major Great Zhou drama stars swarmed in groups to promote their idols, hoping Bluestar would consider them during casting.
The website had become a battlefield.
But just a couple of days later, when Cheng Lie revealed in an interview about 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' that Jing Yu would have more than three movie projects this year in pre-production, it completely ignited the entire film and television industry.
Even Jing Yu's fanbase found it hard to believe.
"What the hell? More than three projects?"
"Is Old Devil Jing Yu ascending from 'workaholic' to 'divine workaholic'?"
"Damn! Did he awaken or something? He used to spend half a year on one project, now he's working on several at once—is he transcending humanity?"
"But according to Cheng Lie, he's shifting more toward film this time. Has TV drama no longer been enough for him?"
"Hardly a 'shift'. Didn't he already make 'Love Letter' and 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'?"
"And both 'Love Letter' and 'Rurouni Kenshin' ranked in the top 100 of Great Zhou's box office. Honestly, Jing Yu's achievements in film are no joke."
"I feel like the movie industry folks are probably sweating now—Old Devil Jing is coming for them."
"Well, it's normal. Most top TV actors in Great Zhou eventually move into film. But seven or eight out of ten usually flop. Jing Yu's got real pull, though—'Love Letter' and 'Rurouni Kenshin' showed he can convert TV drama fans into theatergoers. Making over three films at once is probably just a diversification strategy."
"Whatever he's thinking, I'm just happy he's this productive. Guess I won't run out of things to watch this year."
"Bullshit! Of course, you'll still run out. Films take a year or more to make, but you finish them in two hours."
"Don't forget he's still got the 'Fate/stay night' drama, and 'Natsume's Book of Friends' isn't done yet either—it's still airing weekly!"
"That's scary when you think about it. He's like a high-yield sow!"
"What's scarier is that even under this workload, he still composes music for his projects. Go check the credits for 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'—both the OP and ED were composed by him. This guy is the real deal. No wonder he's so famous now."
"I bet his peers in the TV industry are celebrating—finally, they won't be tormented by him for a while."
Jing Yu's ambitious plans for the second half of the year completely stunned his fanbase.
The media reported on it widely. Now, not only TV stars, but even movie stars were getting restless.
Although movie actors had traditionally looked down on their TV counterparts—just like in Jing Yu's past life—he was clearly an exception.
After all, Jing Yu's previous films had solid results. As a screenwriter and actor, his total box office exceeded 2 billion Great Zhou coins.
That placed him in the top 30 across both acting and screenwriting circles in Great Zhou. And it was clear to everyone: if Jing Yu poured real effort into making films, his massive TV fanbase would almost certainly follow.
He wasn't your average TV drama star. His accumulated popularity and attention gave him a real shot at replicating his success in the film world.
While the industry was left speculating nervously, Jing Yu focused entirely on writing his scripts.
Very soon, the screenplay for 'Your Name' was completed. Shortly after that, scripts for both 'The Garden of Words' and 'Voices of a Distant Star' were also finished. Since both of those were short pieces, the workload wasn't too heavy.
With the scripts and settings locked in, casting began.
'The Garden of Words' was simple—only two leads, requiring decent looks and strong acting. Great Zhou had no shortage of such actors.
Besides, times had changed. With Jing Yu's current fame, even a 30-40 minute short film would attract countless A- and B-list stars willing to attach themselves to his name. Even if it were just a PSA(Public Service Announcement), they'd flock to it.
'Voices of a Distant Star' was similar. Among all the projects in development, what Jing Yu cared most about were 'Castle in the Sky' and 'Your Name'.
The latter was a live-action adaptation, and capturing the anime's light and airy tone would be tricky. Manga adaptations often hinged on retaining that distinct "2D energy." If you couldn't recreate it, even with the same lines and expressions, the live-action version could feel painfully awkward.
As for 'Castle in the Sky'—
It was, without a doubt, another effects-heavy blockbuster. While it didn't feature intense combat, it was akin to Pirates of the Caribbean—a project where massive amounts of money were poured into modeling, effects, and background design to evoke a sense of era and wonder. If the effects were subpar, no matter how good the plot, the audience would instantly lose immersion—and everything would collapse.
Once Jing Yu had successfully finalized the scripts and settings for all these works, the entire company sprang into motion.
From casting dozens of main and supporting roles, to forming production crews, coordinating with effects companies, and budgeting—all of it had to be done fast. Jing Yu didn't give them much time: he expected preliminary work to be finished within the month.
So, in late January—at the peak of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion's popularity—Bluestar Media & Film Company also became the hottest name in both the film and television industry.
Every day, hundreds of insiders reached out through all possible channels, hoping for a chance to collaborate with Jing Yu.
The names Jing Yu, Cheng Lie, and Bluestar Media & Film Company were now constant buzzwords across both industries.
And amidst all this, on yet another Sunday, Episode 4 of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' aired.