This wasn't the first time a fandom war broke out over one of Jing Yu's productions.
The most infamous case was back during the airing of 'White Album 2', when fans argued day and night. The war didn't finally settle until half a year after the show ended.
Now, it was still Jing Yu and his usual trio—but this time, the war was between fans of Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley.
Viewers naturally loved participating in this kind of drama. Even without Jing Yu deliberately steering it, by the time Episode 6 of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' aired, fan factions for the two female leads had fully formed.
"Rei Ayanami is obviously the first female lead."
"Shut up. It's clearly Asuka! Did you miss the sync-training episode? Shinji tried to kiss her in his sleep!"
"That was just instinct—doesn't prove anything! It's obvious Rei is more important to Shinji. In Episode 3, he risked his life to save her."
"So what? He also risked his life protecting the city's citizens—does that mean he's in love with everyone in the city?"
"Judging by his words and actions, he's clearly into Rei. You, Asuka fans, need to stop grasping at straws."
"Where did you even get that idea? Shinji and Asuka lived together for a week, ate together, gamed together, even slept under the same roof!"
"Same roof, sure, but separated by a door! And that almost-kiss only happened because Asuka passed out and rolled close to his bed."
"Still, they cohabitated for a whole week—can you deny that?"
"And after all that sync training, their compatibility wasn't even better than what he had with Rei. You, Asuka fans, are just desperate."
"Why are we always debating this nonsense? Can't anyone appreciate that the three leads might just have a pure friendship? Can't guys and girls be friends without romance?"
"LMAO—bro, you drunk or what?"
"Who watches a drama to see the male and female leads just be friends? Are you sick? I'd rather watch the two girls fall for each other than endure some friendship-only nonsense."
"Tch, y'all are forgetting Misato Katsuragi! What's wrong with loving a mature, intellectual big sister type?"
"She's like ten years older than Shinji, and still tangled up with her ex."
"Fun fact: The actress playing Misato is 28—one year younger than Jing Yu! But the man still pulls off playing a teenager without any weirdness. I know he's 29, but when he's acting, you'd never guess."
"I'm Team Misato. You, Asuka, and Rei stans can go argue elsewhere."
"Didn't Old Devil Jing Yu hint during an interview that the final heroine would be unexpected? What if it's a full party wipe ending—and no one wins?"
"???"
"This poor soul has clearly been traumatized by Jing Yu's past works. Let's not mock him. Let him heal in peace."
By February, all discussion around 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' revolved around its female leads.
Though this wasn't some manufactured stunt, Jing Yu welcomed it.
Praise or flame—it all meant people cared. The only real fear was that no one would be talking about it at all.
To ride the momentum, Jing Yu started giving frequent interviews with various Great Zhou media outlets.
Of course, one purpose was to promote the five or six projects he had entering production—
The other was… misdirection.
A few days later, news coverage of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' took a bizarre turn:
[BREAKING] Genius Screenwriter Jing Yu Tells Reporters: I Haven't Decided Who the Final Heroine Will Be in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'!
[Fan Meetup Tuesday] Jing Yu Says Rei Might Be the Winner—Her Online Popularity Is Too High to Ignore!
[Same Day Nightfall] Asuka's Fans Flood Comments With Over 100K Posts, Pleading Jing Yu to Reconsider—Their Numbers Aren't Small Either!
[Thursday Uprising] Misato Katsuragi Stans Launch Online Campaign: Don't Forget Us Too, Jing Yu!
Within a single week, Jing Yu met with five or six rounds of reporters. Every time the subject of Evangelion's plot came up, he gave vague or contradictory statements.
This strategy… worked wonders.
Now that the creator himself was actively stirring the pot, the fandom war over 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' reached a whole new level.
Fan engagement soared.
As a result, Episode 7 aired with a starting viewership rating of 11.35%, once again smashing Yunteng TV's launch-day record.
However, content-wise, fans still didn't get what they were hoping for.
Same slow pace. Same trio. Same "fighting an Angel of the week" setup.
And of course, the ever-mysterious "Human Instrumentality Project,"
which had been teased since Episode 1… but still hadn't been explained at all.
Most viewers were totally confused.
Instead, what we got was the first glimpse into the shadowy organizations operating in the background.
And in the latter half of Episode 7, Rei Ayanami mutters a string of cryptic inner monologue questions—
"Who am I? What am I? I am myself… This body is me. The form that constitutes me. But the me that others see—is that really me? …I feel like it isn't."
The series' postmodern, existential storytelling had begun.
To be honest, a lot of viewers were left completely baffled.
After all, diving into such heavy philosophical questions in what's essentially an entertainment-driven show felt a little out of place. Thankfully, Rei's stream-of-consciousness monologue was short-lived.
But things escalated fast:
In a later scene, the pilots swapped EVA units, and Unit-00—now under Shinji's control—went berserk and tried to kill Rei.
Suddenly, the oppressive atmosphere from Episode 1 returned in full force.
The slice-of-life "Angel of the Week" stretch had lulled viewers into a sense of comfort.
But Episode 7 reminded everyone—this was never meant to be just a monster-of-the-week show.
That feeling of dread?
It was back.