Gentle music began to play.
"It was a dream!"
The beautifully dressed girl sat up and pulled open the curtains.
Brilliant sunlight poured in. A fair and lovely face. Bright, sparkling eyes. A lively, adorable smile. Pink hair fluttering in the breeze.
Yes. That's it.
This was exactly what everyone wanted to see.
The trailer continued.
An evil witch. A suddenly appearing, cute, rabbit-like creature. The plea to become a magical girl. The determination to have one's wish granted. And Gu Qingyuan in black stockings and a JK uniform…
With the music and visuals working together, the trailer completely satisfied fans' expectations.
And the dialogue between Gu Qingyuan and Shen Liqian—brimming with intense CP chemistry—
Maybe not having a male lead wasn't a big deal after all.
[I swear, this year's Best Drama at the Xia Flame Awards already belongs to 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'!]
[Let's see who still dares to say this show will definitely be a tragedy!]
[A group of girls becomes magical girls to defeat evil witches and fulfill their wishes. Yes, this is the kind of drama perfectly suited to the Xia Nation audience!]
[As long as it's a show with Rika's actress, I'm watching.]
[I've developed a condition where I can't concentrate unless I follow Shen Liqian.]
[I'm relieved! As long as there's no romance, even if Su Yan goes tragic, it won't be that devastating.]
[Has the sadist Su Yan really transformed his style?]
[Did he give up on depression-core storytelling? I'm happy—but also kind of not used to it.]
[With this art style and music style? No need to say more. Top-tier.]
[All I see is eye candy. A story about five beautiful girls. Sadist Su Yan really understands me. Men and women falling in love is outdated—girls' friendship is the real deal.]
[I wasn't optimistic at first, but after watching the trailer, I'm tempted. This cute style actually looks pretty good.]
[And the magical girl transformation scenes in the trailer—so interesting! How did he even think of that?]
[I can already predict that by July's summer season, a bunch of copycat shows will flood the market.]
[Su Yan makes magical girls. His peers can borrow the idea and make magical boys~]
[Why are you all so optimistic? Has no one considered that this trailer might be misleading us?]
[Don't be paranoid. Always assuming the worst about sadist Su Yan is pointless!]
[Su Yan's tragedies are usually in romance stories. I don't see any tragic angle in 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'. You're not seriously saying he could turn this into a tragedy, too, right?]
[You never know! With Su Yan's dramas, anything is possible. Stay optimistic if you want—I'm raising my guard.]
After the trailer for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was released on ZhongxiaNet—
Zhongxia TV quickly aired it during prime time as well.
Within half a day, news about the series topped entertainment trending lists.
Xia Nation media outlets eagerly jumped in to ride the wave.
📰Su Yan's New Drama Promotion Begins — From the Trailer, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Appears to Chart a New Stylistic Path.
📰'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Trailer Surpasses 6 Million Views in Three Hours — Su Yan's Market Attention Leads by a Cliff Margin.
📰A Campus Youth Friendship Drama? Judging from the Trailer, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Seems Utterly Ordinary. Can It Carry the Fans of 'Tokyo Love Story'?
📰'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Is Just a Reskinned, Unoriginal Work. No Standout Setting, and the Trailer's Only Highlight Is the Cast's Looks. Likely to Flop.
📰Genius Screenwriter Su Yan's Next Masterpiece After 'Tokyo Love Story'. Can 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Replicate That Level of Popularity?
📰'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Production Budget: 87 Million. Sakura TV's S-Tier Drama 'Peerless' After Additional Funding: 92 Million. If 'Peerless' Loses Again This Season, Akasaka Yoshitoki's Career in the Xia Nation Industry May End.
📰'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' Broadcasting Rights Sold to Zhongxia TV for a Rumored 49 Million — Nearly Equivalent to an A-Tier Drama's Full Budget. Combined with Brand Collaborations and Product Placements, the Series May Recoup Most Costs Before Airing.
Within a single day, fans and media hype pushed 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' to peak visibility.
At Sakura TV, Akasaka Yoshitoki frowned at the market response.
He felt irritated—but powerless.
For now, he was still the Production Minister, holding significant authority over station operations.
In the past, he had never poured himself so fully and meticulously into a project's release.
But now, at this life-or-death moment, he couldn't afford restraint.
Connections. Relationships. Every available resource—mobilized.
He personally oversaw multiple directives and tasks. Even with 'Peerless' already carrying a massive budget, he requested additional production funds from upper management.
The entire Sakura TV apparatus gave 'Peerless' the green light across all channels.
This was the drama he was staking everything on.
If it failed—
His gaze lingered on a framed photo listing senior production staff. It stopped on Kogata Aya.
If that happened, Ogata Aya and the board members behind her would surely move against him.
Even his own backers in the decision-making layer wouldn't be able to protect him.
Over the next two weeks—
Across every corner of the Xia Nation entertainment industry, advertisements for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' and 'Peerless' flooded the market.
Among fan communities, expectations for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' were far higher.
But in the broader offline market, public perception felt evenly matched.
In terms of promotional intensity, 'Peerless' arguably went even further.
Akasaka Yoshitoki was going all-in. Whatever promotional resources he could secure, he used. As for taking the blame later, he no longer cared.
He even activated his industry network to publicly express skepticism and criticism toward 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
The results were… limited.
Still, insiders could clearly sense the tension between Sakura TV and Dimensional Pictures.
Late March arrived.
With warmer weather came blooming cherry blossoms.
The crew of '5 Centimeters per Second' began filming the iconic scenes from the first act, 'Cherry Blossom'—petals drifting through the air—and the final third act reunion between Takaki and Akari after more than a decade.
Although Su Yan wasn't acting in the film, he visited the set daily.
A live-action film inevitably differed from the original animation. And with a different director, stylistic changes were inevitable.
Still, Su Yan made it clear: the creative direction should lean toward Makoto Shinkai's original atmosphere.
The director might have his own brilliant insights—but Su Yan wouldn't gamble.
As the investor and top authority on the set, his preferences carried weight.
Fortunately, the director—renowned in Xia Nation romance cinema—actually found Su Yan's perspective insightful, refining and enhancing it rather than opposing it.
Of course, not everything remained unchanged.
In the third act's ending montage—where flashback scenes flicker as the theme song plays—they couldn't use the original Japanese song.
After all, '5 Centimeters per Second' was a Xia Nation film, with most box office revenue coming from the mainland. Using a Sakura Island-language track wouldn't be appropriate.
So Su Yan invested heavily to commission a famous Xia Nation musician to compose a similar-style original song for that segment.
Overall, filming progressed steadily. Within two months, production would wrap and enter post-production.
Then promotion. Then release.
At the end of March, Su Yan, Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan, Shi Peihua, and other main creatives traveled to Zhongxia TV to record two variety show appearances promoting 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
And just like that—
March ended.
April arrived.
With the turn of the month, the atmosphere in the Xia Nation entertainment circle shifted once again.
Fans of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' dominated online discourse, aggressively promoting the show across forums.
Su Yan's anti-fans collectively threw their support behind 'Peerless'.
As for Hudu TV's seasonal flagship drama 'Cicada's Cry'?
What was that—roadside filler?
No one cared. Even the media barely mentioned it.
With two S-tier dramas clashing this season, everything else was merely background noise.
Friday, April 2nd.
Under the watchful eyes of industry peers—
Sakura TV's 'Peerless' premiered its first episode.
That night, trending topics across media outlets and entertainment forums were completely dominated by 'Peerless'.
Su Yan had always criticized Akasaka Yoshitoki for being malicious—but never incompetent.
From script to production quality, cast lineup, and marketing push, 'Peerless' had no obvious weaknesses.
It represented the top tier of Xia Nation television standards.
Even Su Yan's fans and media outlets that disliked Akasaka Yoshitoki had to admit on Saturday—
The first episode was excellent.
There was little to criticize.
Whether the story would collapse later was another matter.
But episode one?
It was genuinely good.
If not for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' airing this season, many drama fans would've boldly declared 'Peerless' the seasonal—even annual—ratings champion already.
By noon, the ratings were out.
5.11%.
Purely in terms of premiere performance—
It was the highest first-episode rating among S-tier dramas in recent years.
Higher than both 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' and 'Tokyo Love Story'.
Given the massive promotional investment, media outlets weren't particularly surprised.
Only Su Yan's fans felt a bit of pressure.
[That's explosive.]
[5.11%… insane.]
[What will the first episode rating of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' be? Will it lose?]
[No. It will win.]
[Anyone worrying about the sadist losing clearly doesn't understand the popularity of Rika. As long as Shen Liqian is the female lead, regardless of future plot direction, at least episode one will get support from Rika fans.]
[5.11% is scary. But remember—'Peerless' is the challenger. It's up against Su Yan, the man who set a 6.02% ratings miracle with 'Tokyo Love Story'.]
[I can't take it. It feels like ants crawling in my heart. 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', hurry up and air!]
[Honestly, I suddenly feel a bit sorry for Akasaka Yoshitoki. Without Su Yan, Sakura TV would've taken the annual champion and runner-up last year. All the Xia Flame Awards Su Yan won would've belonged to Sakura TV. Now, even with such an excellent drama as 'Peerless', people still favor Su Yan.]
[So what? How many artists were suppressed by Akasaka Yoshitoki and forced out of the industry? Aren't they pitiful? This is what happens when a villain runs into a god. He got suppressed. Serves him right!]
[I can't wait for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' tomorrow night to shatter all of Akasaka Yoshitoki's illusions. Surpass the sadist? Please. Pack your bags and leave!]
The debate over 'Peerless' lasted an entire day.
But by Sunday—
It abruptly faded.
Xia Nation drama fans' interest in 'Peerless' peaked only on Friday and Saturday.
Because Sunday—
It was the premiere day of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
All day long, drama fans across the Xia Nation were noticeably more active than usual.