At the beginning of February, during the broadcast season of 'Attack on Titan' and 'Gundam SEED', the movie version of 'Ultraman Tiga' was released as well.
This coincided perfectly with the Spring Festival in Great Zhou, based on the traditional calendar. Jing Yu's reason for releasing the movie during this time was simple—
He was targeting the children's market of the Spring Festival.
Normally, it's nearly impossible for a children's movie to top the Spring Festival box office.
After all, children's spending power doesn't compare to adults', and moviegoers during the New Year are mostly adults anyway.
However, young fans have massive loyalty. Even if most adult moviegoers saw the word 'Ultraman' and just ignored it, the franchise's overwhelming popularity in Great Zhou ensured that the 'Ultraman Tiga' movie still had an excellent box office showing.
On its first day, it pulled in 140 million yuan, ranking fifth in opening day revenue among Spring Festival releases—and when it came to audience ratings, it was solidly number one.
There had already been a break during New Year's Day, but Spring Festival naturally meant several more days off.
Jing Yu finally pulled himself out of his non-stop work grind and went on a short coastal vacation with Yu Youqing.
Of course, even while on vacation, Jing Yu kept a close eye on the data for his projects.
After Episode 5 of 'Attack on Titan' Season 2 aired, fan praise for the series had risen to a frightening level.
Fans began fiercely debating whether 'Attack on Titan' might be Jing Yu's most iconic drama series to date.
Given that 'Fullmetal Alchemist' didn't exist in this world, 'Attack on Titan's early story quality was truly unrivaled. While 'Gundam SEED' also held its own, it was slower to heat up. The earlier episodes of 'Gundam SEED' felt a little drawn-out—its impressive production values and special effects kept ratings high, but the story couldn't quite compete with Titan's gripping intensity.
As for the 'Ultraman Tiga' movie…
Jing Yu felt like he had basically created the Great Zhou version of the 'Pleasant Goat' or 'Boonie Bears' movie franchise.
Kids absolutely loved it, and even parents gave it high marks—praising the portrayal of justice, the heroic 'Ultraman' defeating evil monsters, and the film's unwavering positive energy.
Its release during the Spring Festival was just a trial.
"Honestly, if it works, I might as well release a new Ultraman-style movie every Spring Festival. Totally brainless... but totally profitable," Jing Yu muttered to himself, enjoying the breeze on the beach.
He and Yu Youqing were simply too famous. Going to public places was out of the question. So when they traveled to this coastal city, they actually rented private access to the beach for a few days.
"But what about a few years from now?" Yu Youqing asked, lounging beside him in a light blue swimsuit. Her long limbs were exposed, and her chest was compressed by her suit, but she still wore a huge sunshade to avoid a tan.
"Won't Tiga's popularity fade eventually? People might not care anymore."
They had come here just to chase the sun—Modo was still locked in winter cold.
"That's why it won't just be Tiga," Jing Yu replied immediately. "Ultraman is a massive franchise. Once this Spring Festival ends, I'll begin developing scripts and planning for future entries."
"Still… won't it get formulaic?" Yu Youqing asked with a hint of concern. "Same old monster battles, over and over. Won't the audience lose interest?"
"Of course it'll get formulaic," Jing Yu replied without hesitation.
"Most people, after watching a few similar stories or just growing up, won't be drawn in anymore. But! No one stays a kid forever—yet there will always be kids. These kinds of formulaic stories endure not because of seasoned viewers, but because of the endless new audience being born every year."
Ultraman, Pokémon, Marvel, Disney, Hello Kitty...
How many 30- or 40-something adults still obsess over those things?
And yet—they're global mega-IP franchises. There will always be children who love them.
Yu Youqing finally understood where Jing Yu was coming from. She thought for a moment.
"You're right. The children's market is huge. 'Ultraman Tiga' only cost about 60 million to make, and it nearly broke even on day one. If this franchise takes off, it could become one of our company's flagship IPs…"
"Exactly. And it's not just 'Ultraman'—'Gundam' is a series too. We're also developing Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon games. Even 'Fate/Stay Night' has tons of content down the line," Jing Yu said with a long sigh.
Though his BlueStar Media & Film company had only been around a few years, Jing Yu was already planning its long-term cultural branding.
Not just domestically—but internationally as well.
Subsidiaries were being set up overseas to handle promotion, merchandise, and licensing for his works abroad.
It was a vacation, so Jing Yu had the time and mood to chat about things like this.
Yu Youqing smiled as she looked at him, then said:
"You've clearly been planning this all along. I thought you were the type to just wing it, one step at a time."
"No way. Every single project I release—I put real heart into. Of course, if something ends up not fitting Great Zhou's tastes, then that's a different matter," Jing Yu replied.
Some of his earlier works had run into cultural friction.
For example, Great Zhou audiences weren't entirely comfortable with how his "fictional Japan" often portrayed certain traditions.
Like the outdated male-dominated customs. Plotlines where women become full-time housewives after marriage…
In earlier shows like 'Legal High', Jing Yu hadn't modified the source material on that front. When the show aired, the public criticism was intense.
After that, all his adapted works were re-edited to remove those problematic elements.
Back on the beach, Jing Yu held Yu Youqing's hand as they lounged side-by-side.
"It's not just my projects I plan ahead for. I've got a plan for our lives too. Sure, I enjoy lazing around when I get the chance, but I'm not living life one day at a time."
A few days later, Episode 6 of 'Attack on Titan' Season 2 aired.
The episode followed right after the Spring Festival, a huge national holiday.
Most people in Great Zhou were still on break. The weather across most regions was cold, meaning:
This week, TV and cinema viewership surged across the board.
Even the Big Six TV stations saw their ratings rise between 0.5% and 1%.
But by Saturday evening, Yunteng TV's ratings began to spike rapidly from around 6–7 p.m.
Episode 6 was one of the most crucial of the entire series.
The Coordinate was revealed. The power of the Founding Titan made its first appearance.
By 11 p.m., before the broadcast had even started, Yunteng TV's ratings had already shot past 14%.
At this point, Yunteng TV's staff were unfazed.
In the past, airing one of Jing Yu's shows and scoring the highest ratings would have everyone on the network buzzing.
Now?
If one of his shows didn't pull massive ratings, that would be the anomaly.
The story picked up right after Krista had been swallowed by Ymir.
Just as many had guessed—Ymir hadn't harmed Krista. She was just keeping her in her mouth.
Ymir's real goal was to convince Krista to leave the walls with her—and go to Reiner's homeland.
The two argued while riding on Reiner's back in his Armored Titan form.
At that moment, Reiner, Bertholdt, Krista, and Eren were all being carried by the armored titan, fleeing at full speed.
Behind them, the Survey Corps was in hot pursuit on horseback.
But both sides were evenly matched.
Reiner couldn't shake them. The Survey Corps couldn't catch up.
"Damn, the Armored Titan's stamina is crazy! Better than horses?"
"Fun fact: Horses actually have poor endurance. They can't sprint for long. That's why ancient relay stations were set up close together—riders had to change horses often. That famous 800-li express delivery? It was just swapping horses non-stop."
"Exactly. In nature, one of the top species in endurance is humans. We can't outrun tigers or leopards, but ancient humans would literally run animals to death. Just chase them until they collapse. So it makes sense that Reiner could outpace horses. As a titan, he's basically an upgraded human."
"That's… insane."
"That's why 'Attack on Titan' is a masterpiece. It takes the raw essence of evolution and survival—natural selection—and weaves it into its plot. When humans can't beat monsters with brains, the only thing left is the brutal truth: predator and prey."
"But seriously, this stalemate can't last."
"Not sure how Old Thief plans to develop this arc. The Survey Corps is trying emotional manipulation now. Bertholdt's already wavering."
"The way Old Thief wrote Reiner and Bertholdt is brilliant. Reiner's broken by guilt—Bertholdt looks like he's got full-blown depression. These two aren't just villains. They're tragic."
"They're not evil. Just... on the other side."
"Come on. Their side had them break the wall and feed innocent people to titans. That's unforgivable."
"Exactly. Old Thief better not try some disgusting redemption arc. Give them a noble death, sure—but no forgiveness."
"Even if Eren forgives them, I won't."
As always, the viewer discussions exploded.
And many of their predictions were actually true to the original manga.
Things like Eren manipulating the past to cause his mother's death… Or side characters suddenly breaking.
The most infamous twist?
Armin and Annie getting together.
Annie, who slaughtered Levi's entire squad and countless Survey Corps members—suddenly became Armin's girlfriend?
Levi and Erwin gave their lives for Armin… only for this?
That's why so many fans hated the original manga ending—not because of who lived or died, but because the characters were fundamentally broken.
Their motivations, ideals, and arcs? Completely thrown out the window.
Eren began his journey to avenge his mother, only to become the one who killed her.
It made everything feel pointless.
Still, at least before the Marley arc—up to the "seeing the sea" storyline—Attack on Titan remained undeniably legendary.
Of course, it wasn't perfect.
Like the issue of mass conservation:
How does a 60kg person suddenly become a multi-ton titan?
No one could explain it.
Jing Yu simply chose to ignore it. Debating science in a fantasy battle show was pointless.
Back in the plot—
As Reiner escaped with the captives, Armin launched his psychological attack.
Knowing Bertholdt had feelings for Annie, he baited him with a lie:
Annie's been captured and tortured.
And just as Armin hoped—Reiner and Bertholdt began to hesitate.
That moment of indecision gave the Survey Corps an opening.
They rescued Eren.
By the halfway point of Episode 6, the long-awaited action kicked off.
The last few episodes were heavy on dialogue—fans were desperate for battle scenes.
When Reiner and Bertholdt finally stopped running…
Every viewer straightened up in their seat.
They knew—it was time.
Eren and the Survey Corps vs. the Armored and Colossal Titans—Round 2.