That night, angry fans of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' flooded the official Yunteng TV site, the Blue Star Media & Film Company site, and Jing Yu's personal social media pages, unleashing their fury.
After all, in episode twelve, they at least got a third-generation Rei Ayanami after the original was killed off. Even if most people thought the new one was a fake, it still helped soothe the viewers a bit.
But now?
What the hell is this plot?!
Asuka died, and the protagonist didn't even blink.
We get it—he's just a normal person emotionally. But even so, being a coward has limits, right?
Sure, the plot says the reason he couldn't pilot Unit-01 to save Asuka was that it was restrained and couldn't start.
But then why did it start later?
Because he panicked after hearing Asuka was dead—and only then did Unit-01 sense his emotions and break free?
So now it's all clear.
Unit-01 could break free, but whether it did or not depended on Shinji Ikari's own will. If he wanted it badly enough, the Eva would respond.
But Asuka being alive wasn't enough to stir his resolve?
Only after she died did he suddenly get the motivation? Seriously?
This basically means Shinji avoided fighting, and only when Asuka was dead, and there was no more escape, did he finally agree to fight.
From a viewer's perspective, it looks like this: "I had the power to save someone, but I came up with excuses and didn't. Then after they died, I came out to 'check on things' and broke down crying."
Sure, you could explain it by saying "he's just an ordinary guy," and it's normal for ordinary people to be weak and passive.
But let's be real—the audience doesn't care about that logic. You might be a regular person in the show, but to us, the viewers, you're the protagonist. And this is what we get?
"Jing Yu, give me back Asuka. Give me back Misato."
"What's the point of yelling at Jing Yu? He's not Shinji."
"Yeah, he is! He's the screenwriter, the investor, and the actor playing Shinji! Who else are we supposed to yell at? This is all his fault for giving us this trauma."
"This is so outrageous. I've never seen a show where I despise the main character this much, yet still love the show this much. I love everyone else—except for this male lead. He disgusts me."
"Jing Yu destroyed me emotionally tonight. If he keeps this up, I'm done with him."
"Final episode next week. What's left for them to show? Misato's dead, Rei is a fake, Asuka's dead, Kaworu is dead... next episode is just gonna kill off the male lead, right?"
"If the protagonist dies, it'll be a happy ending."
"If the last episode ends with his death, I won't roast Jing Yu anymore."
"Sigh. To be fair, it's not even about Jing Yu anymore. Shinji's whole purpose feels like it's to make the other characters shine. If he weren't so trash, everyone else wouldn't seem so cool."
"Maybe... just maybe... the final episode could redeem Shinji Ikari?"
"Redeem him how? Asuka was out there fighting to the death, while he was curled up sulking underground. That's not something you can just 'redeem.'"
"No more words. Jing Yu, I won't hate you for life, but killing Asuka like this? I'm blacklisting you for at least six months."
"Six months? What are you saying if Jing Yu doesn't drop anything major in the first half of the year, you'll stop hating him, but if he drops a few movies later, you'll forgive him? Have some damn backbone—blacklist him for three years minimum!"
The audience in Great Zhou, though furious, was still somewhat rational. Even though there were lots of complaints about Jing Yu online, the criticism remained about the story, not personal attacks.
Still, Jing Yu couldn't dodge the backlash-fueled popularity spike. Over the next two days, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' fans voted him to the top of the Spring Drama's "Most Disliked Male Star" chart.
Media outlets in the film and drama world eagerly jumped on the trend. The age-old "Evangelion plot collapse" rhetoric resurfaced—though hardly anyone believed it.
Jing Yu had earned too much credibility over the years. The audience might hate Shinji Ikari, but no one questioned the quality of the show. The "collapsed plot" or "botched ending" takes were treated like jokes at best.
But being the breakout phenomenon of the year in Great Zhou, its final episode was naturally the focus of massive attention.
Fans were still furious—but they were also deeply curious. What if Jing Yu actually pulled off a perfect reversal?
With Yunteng TV and Blue Star Media & Film Company pushing out heavy marketing all week, by Thursday, anyone even remotely tuned into the drama scene in Great Zhou would see at least two or three promotions daily for the 'Evangelion' finale.
The entire TV drama world of Great Zhou had gone silent—except for this one show.
Jing Yu himself was still promoting the show near Modo City, appearing with Yu Youqing, Xia Yining, and others in interviews, variety shows, and fan events for several days straight.
And so, time marched on.
Sunday arrived.
"It's finally over." Cheng Lie looked visibly worn out.
"Still worried the audience won't like the ending?" Jing Yu asked, noting his expression.
"Oddly enough, I feel calm now."
Cheng Lie exhaled deeply. With 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' ending, he finally felt some relief.
Maybe it wasn't Jing Yu's most technically polished work, but it was by far his most successful.
In terms of commercial value and public visibility, it was top-tier. Just look at the merch—pre-orders for Unit-01, Unit-00, and Unit-02 figurines on the official site had passed three million units in under two weeks. The deposit revenue alone for Blue Star Media & Film Company had exceeded 300 million yuan.
Just this one show had generated billions in profit this year—and that's not even counting long-term residuals. Cheng Lie had worried a lot about whether audiences would accept such a heavily abstract ending. But now? He wasn't so anxious anymore.
"You, though—you're really not worried at all? Episode thirteen nearly got you canceled by your own fans. Episode fourteen is about to air, and you're sitting here totally chill?" Cheng Lie glanced at Jing Yu with some concern.
He only cared about the show's performance. If fans didn't like the ending, at worst, he'd get flamed for a week or two.
But Jing Yu was different. He might have a huge fan base, but that meant he could also get torn down just as quickly.
"What's there to be afraid of? Even if they can't accept it right away, in the end, time will prove the value of this work. Besides, don't underestimate the audience in Great Zhou. Their appreciation level is high. I really don't think they'll reject episode fourteen." Jing Yu said calmly.
"You sure about that?" Cheng Lie raised an eyebrow.
"More or less," Jing Yu replied—though even he sounded unsure.
Because really, who could be sure?
Back in his previous life, Anno Hideaki's TV version episodes 25 and 26 were also abstract as hell and low-budget. But he had poured his heart into them. In the end, fans raged, accused him of ruining the ending, and even threatened him. The man went into a breakdown. The lack of funding was real. The sincerity behind the original ending was real. And still, the fans said it was garbage.
Only afterward did he make the movie ending.
And that movie version ended up being widely praised in his previous life.
But who knew if Jing Yu's episode fourteen would end differently in this world?
All he could do was hope.
And just like that, evening came.
The finale's broadcast time ticked ever closer.