The broadcast of Episode 6 of 'To the Moon' effectively swept away the slow, meandering tone of the earlier episodes.
No one had expected the story of Johnny's past to take such a dramatic turn.
Even when Su Yan had played the pixel-style game in his previous life, he'd been deeply moved by this part—and in this world, having the renowned child actor Cao Shou portray young Johnny brought the heartbreak to life with chilling realism. His raw performance of grief after the death of his brother Joey hit hard for viewers.
Especially since, for many people in the Xia Nation, the experience of favoritism in multi-child families was painfully relatable.
["Didn't feel much during the first five episodes, but after Episode 6? I just feel so bad for Johnny!"]
["Maybe… River was the only one in Johnny's life who truly loved him."]
["Ugh, it's so heavy. Beautiful, but painful. This is Su Yan the Sadist's signature style, huh?"]
["Honestly, people complain about the pacing, but everyone still seems on board! If any other writer did this, they'd get roasted, but Su Yan hits us with this out of nowhere, and we just go, 'Yeah, that tracks.'"]
["Well, duh. You think we, fans of 'Rurouni Kenshin' and 'An Ancient Love Song', came unprepared? We were ready for Su Yan the Sadist's emotional ambush!"]
The next day, 'To the Moon' Episode 6 ratings were released:
3.51%
A massive jump from Episode 5, launching the show from tenth to seventh in the rankings.
The media was left speechless.
Seriously? Su Yan's show just casually bounces back like that?
We just spent all week trashing it, and now we get publicly slapped in the face?
On the other side of things, the rating rebound brought Shinozaki Ikumi—who had been in low spirits since last week's dip—back to life.
She was an emotional person.
Not incapable of hiding her emotions, just unwilling to hide them around friends. What's the point of pretending when it's exhausting?
But for Su Yan, his mind wasn't on the latest ratings anymore.
He was watching something else: the ratings of this season's four top-tier A-grade dramas.
It was already February.
'To the Moon' wasn't a long series. Though the original game had a decent amount of text, Su Yan hadn't transcribed everything word-for-word into the script—doing so would have made the show unbearably slow.
He'd planned for a 10-episode run from the start.
And he hadn't forgotten the goal he set for this drama:
Reach #1 in ratings before the finale.
With the current 8.9 rating for 'To the Moon', the only chance of topping the charts in the remaining four episodes was if Episode 7 went viral, exploding in popularity across the Xia Nation's TV industry.
Su Yan stared at the paid streaming data on SakuraNet: 4.3 million views per episode, and fell into thought.
After a moment, he went to find Shinozaki Ikumi.
His purpose was straightforward.
"You want me to redirect some of our budget to promote 'To the Moon' online after Episode 7 airs?" Shinozaki asked, surprised.
"Exactly," Su Yan nodded.
"If we want more than just a top-ten spot, we'll need to push the big reveal in Episode 7 with a coordinated marketing campaign."
Although the drama had been getting solid prime-time support from the TV station...
Word of mouth on TV couldn't compete with the speed of the internet.
SakuraNet might be majority-owned by Sakura TV, but it operated independently—meaning it didn't take orders from the production department.
If you wanted its full promotional backing, you had to pay.
"That kind of campaign's not cheap. SakuraNet's ad packages are expensive," Shinozaki said, arms crossed.
Most outside studios paid steep prices to place shows on SakuraNet.
But for in-house shows, the TV station usually handled basic promotion—few producers bothered buying additional ads.
"We don't need a long campaign. Just focus on the week surrounding Episode 7," Su Yan said.
This was the turning point—whether 'To the Moon' would climb further or remain stuck in the top 10 would depend entirely on the post-episode buzz.
If that meant sacrificing some production budget, so be it—the name had to get out first.
"A week, huh…" Shinozaki thought it over.
"Hmm. Actually, doable. The station just gave us that extra 2 million for production. We can squeeze out another million or so without affecting the shoot quality."
"But are you sure it's worth it?" she asked. "Will just one week of strong promotion really boost the show that much?"
"Of course not," Su Yan laughed.
"No show blows up just because the creators talk it up. We need the fans to do it. But first, we—officially—have to spark it. Buy a bit of exposure. Add momentum. We're not forcing it; we're fueling it."
"You really think the fans will promote 'To the Moon' on their own after Episode 7 airs?" Shinozaki asked skeptically.
"Let me ask you," Su Yan countered. "If you were a fan, and you just watched Episode 7, what would you do?"
"Hmph. For a show this emotional? I wouldn't want to suffer alone. I'd absolutely tell my friends to watch it," Shinozaki admitted after thinking for a moment.
And just like that—she understood.
"Alright, I get it. Let's also get Qiu Junlin and Takezawa Kayano to help with the promo. You and Gu Qingyuan can shoot some behind-the-scenes clips, too. For a drama like this, even an extra 2–3 million in budget won't improve quality much. Putting that into marketing is a smarter play," she said with a smile.
"And I still remember your goal, y'know…"
"Number one, right?"
Over the next few days, SakuraNet users started noticing a distinct shift: 'To the Moon' was suddenly everywhere on the site.
Recommendation slots on the homepage, sidebar banners, trending lists—Su Yan, Gu Qingyuan, Qiu Junlin, and Takezawa Kayano's behind-the-scenes clips were all getting front-page features.
The most direct result: a sharp uptick in paid viewership.
But it still wasn't enough.
As the eighth week of the winter season progressed, the competition aired one by one.
On Friday, 'The Gate' saw its ratings dip to 4.07% due to a key supporting character's death. 'Imperfect Divorce' overtook it slightly at 4.10%.
But 'The Crimson Magician' remained a beast.
Its consistent storytelling and word-of-mouth kept it steady at over 4.25% for two weeks straight—holding firmly onto the #1 spot for the season.
Unless something unexpected happened, it was poised to finish as the season's top show.
Meanwhile, as 'The Crimson Magician' aired, Sakura TV's ratings also saw a clear increase over last Saturday's 9 PM slot.
On SakuraNet, right before 'To the Moon' aired, the fan comment sections were already lighting up.
["It's time."]
["Waited all week for this."]
["Tonight's the episode, right? The one where we finally learn what River wanted to say before she died?"]
["Should be."]
["Seven episodes of riddles—something's gotta get revealed."]
["Please let the story be gentle tonight. I cry easily. Last week's arc with Joey and Johnny destroyed me."]
["Same. I'm a parent now. I can't handle stories about kids dying. Last week gave me nightmares."]
["I heard this writer doesn't believe in happy endings. Both his past dramas ended tragically. Is this one gonna hurt too?"]
["Guys, River's already dead. Johnny's on the verge. What more tragic ending can there be? Just smile and watch."]
["Exactly. Last week caught us off guard with Joey, but based on the Episode 7 teaser, River appears this time. And she only dies in old age, right? Childhood scenes can't be that sad. It'll probably be sweet. Let's enjoy it."]
["I've been watching this with my daughter for weeks. She was hooked by Episode 4—the wedding scenes had her eyes sparkling. But Episode 6… not good. Hoping Episode 7 heals the trauma."]
["Why is everyone so worried about a tragic ending? If the male lead reaches the moon and dies fulfilled, that's a perfect ending, no? Chill out. All I care about is whether he makes it to the moon."]
["Wait… are there actually people watching this thinking it's a legit sci-fi drama?"]
Song Na closed her laptop and exited the Su Yan fan chat, turning her focus to Sakura TV.
Soon, the ad ended—a spot where Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan, in costume as the show's doctors, endorsed an electrolyte drink.
Then the soft, familiar melody began.
It was the 'To the Moon' opening theme.
She'd waited a whole week—finally, it was here.
Song Na let out a long breath.
Strictly speaking, 'To the Moon' still didn't quite surpass 'Rurouni Kenshin' or 'An Ancient Love Song' in her heart—it had been too slow to start.
She was a die-hard 'Rurouni Kenshin' fan. For half a year now, she'd rewatched it more than ten times. That lingering heartbreak hadn't faded. The only relief was seeing Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan onscreen again in this new drama.
And yet, even now, it hadn't delivered the one storyline she'd been waiting for:
The romantic subplot between Eva and Neil.
Still, with her naturally calm temperament, Song Na decided to flip her perspective.
"Well… since there's no love line between Eva and Neil, that means no heartbreaking romance either. I don't have to worry about Su Yan pulling one of his signature gut-punches."
She exhaled, clearing her thoughts.
Then fixed her eyes on the screen, fully focused on the story of Episode 7.