The start of December saw Great Zhou's entire TV industry in a stir, repeatedly shaken by Jing Yu's drama announcements.
But Jing Yu was no stranger to the art of marketing. There was plenty of info he could've dumped all at once — but he chose not to.
On December 9th, he posted some content on his social media platform related to 'Ultraman Tiga'.
The first reveal? A hand-drawn concept sketch of the monster Reionics.
It showed the scale comparison between buildings, humans, and the monster, and the contrast was stark and striking.
Of course, Tiga's official design wouldn't be released this early, but showcasing a few lesser monsters' concept art was fair game.
And just from this one image, Jing Yu's fans were already making connections.
In fact, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and Ultraman had a lot of overlapping elements in their settings.
So-called "Angels" in Evangelion looked a lot like Ultraman's kaiju. And 'Ultraman', aside from its "Warriors of the Land of Light" background lore, was functionally the same as the Eva Units. Even Ultraman's warning-light system resembled Unit-01's timed power limit — both serving as narrative countdowns to inject tension into each episode and prevent the viewer from getting bored.
From Jing Yu's perspective, it was just mutual borrowing. Everyone referenced each other. Different names, same essence.
In his past life, some people criticized Japanese creators for recycling ideas — the same formulas in new packaging.
But here in Great Zhou, even when Jing Yu's fans noticed similarities between Ultraman and Evangelion, their reaction was pure excitement.
"There's no season two of Evangelion? Fine, we'll just watch Tiga!"
Just one monster design had Evangelion fans' DNA vibrating.
And just a few days later…
'Attack on Titan' also dropped character concept art for a unique type of Titan — alongside a size chart comparing the Titans, humans, and the walls.
Another series with gigantic monsters?
Jing Yu didn't need to explain much. A single concept art image was enough for sharp-eyed fans to extract all kinds of juicy hints.
All three shows featured massive creatures of some kind.
And then in mid-to-late December, 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED' dropped its first unit design — and fans' brains officially short-circuited.
Of course, it wasn't a Gundam that was revealed. It was a painted model of a Zaku — the base model mobile suit.
In Jing Yu's past world, everyone knew Zakus were cannon fodder — destined to be massacred by the hero's Gundam.
But in Great Zhou, no one had ever seen a Zaku before.
It looked ferocious. Brutal. Bristling with mechanical menace. For all the grown-up boys among Jing Yu's fans, that one image reignited their innate love for machines.
"I can't wait anymore. Damn, Old Thief's insane — three series, all with Evangelion-style giant monsters?!"
"Okay, 'Gundam' doesn't have monsters, but it's got giant mechs slicing each other up! Back when I was watching Evangelion, I used to wonder which of Unit-01, Unit-02, or Unit-00 would win in a fight. Now? No need to wonder. Old Thief's just gonna let them brawl Gundam-style."
"No wonder the production budget's so high. It has to look as good as Evangelion."
"Old Thief really knows our wallets. Just getting the basic models for Unit-01, 00, and 02 already costs me over a thousand. And I haven't even touched their alternate forms yet! How many mechs are we gonna see in this Gundam series?"
"Don't even bring it up. I couldn't afford those overpriced Evangelion figures either. But turns out, there are plenty of rich people in Great Zhou — most models are constantly sold out. I may not be able to afford them, but even the rich can't find stock!"
"Buy, buy, buy. As long as the story's good, I can already feel my wallet emptying."
"These three series from Old Thief feel like surefire hits."
"Can't wait for next year!"
"When do they air?!"
"Probably a year from now. Like Evangelion or the Fate series, these kinds of shows need at least half a year for special effects. They'll get the early episodes polished first, and then finish the rest while airing."
"That long?!"
"Of course. You think this is some romance drama? Those got shot two weeks ago and go live today."
"Ugh, honestly, I'd rather Old Thief stay quiet and drop a bombshell next year — surprise premiere with zero warning. That way, I wouldn't have to suffer through the wait."
"You're dreaming. They don't call him the Master Baiter for nothing. Before the premiere, he releases just enough teaser info to make people obsessed. During the airing, he cuts episodes to leave cliffhangers. Afterward, he deliberately leaves open-ended plotlines. Dude's a professional fisherman. He's fooled more fans than we can count. Just because the current concept art makes it seem like it's that kind of story doesn't mean it actually will be."
Through early and mid-December, Jing Yu steadily released setting info from his three new shows — and in less than a month, the initial hype had already spread across the entertainment world.
Most viewers still didn't know what the actual worldviews of these shows were, but that didn't matter — expectations were sky-high.
TV stations that were beginning to promote their spring dramas suddenly found their traction plummeting. No one cared.
By late December, Jing Yu's teasers came to a halt.
Not because he was giving the industry a break out of kindness…
But because New Year's Day was approaching, the scheduled premiere of 'Your Name' was nearly here.
In fact, Bluestar Film & Culture Company had been quietly promoting 'Your Name' all along.
But that had just been light pre-release marketing.
Now that it was only eleven days away from release, the company shifted gears — buying up cinema spots, streaming banners, TV ads, and public billboards in major cities.
Of course, Jing Yu wasn't the only one going all in during this period. There were also six other mega-budget films, each with production costs over 100 million, scheduled to release during the New Year holiday.
In just a couple of days, public discussion in the entertainment industry shifted — from focusing on Jing Yu's new dramas to the seven major theatrical releases launching soon.
Paid reviewers across platforms began posting video essays and review segments, hyping up the movies — cashing checks from the film companies, all eager to milk the audience.
And at this time, Jing Yu finally left his usual shut-in lifestyle in Modo City and began touring major cities across the country — promoting 'Your Name' and attending fan meetups ahead of its nationwide release.