Sunday night.
Starting at 7 p.m., Zhongxia TV went all-out promoting the premiere of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
They even aired a special segment introducing Xia Nation audiences to the concept of a "magical girl."
Of course, while the Xia Nation had never really produced works in this genre before, the concept itself wasn't difficult to grasp.
Just like Ultraman or Kamen Rider in Su Yan's previous life, even someone unfamiliar with the concept would understand the appeal after a single episode.
A story of justice defeating evil might be old-fashioned.
But if the screenwriter was Su Yan, that was a different matter.
Everyone knew this much—
Su Yan's settings might seem cliché.
But his plots?
Never predictable.
Since it was adapted from an animated series, there were some adjustments to episode length.
The original anime episodes had relatively light content. In the live-action adaptation, each episode roughly covered about one and a half anime episodes' worth of material.
And to ensure a complete seasonal narrative, they also incorporated the content from the film 'Rebellion' into the TV version.
That way, it had enough material for a full season.
Which meant—
The famous "three-episode rule" from the original anime became a "two-episode rule" in the Xia Nation drama version.
Of course, audiences in the Xia Nation had no idea about these behind-the-scenes calculations.
After 7:30 p.m., Zhongxia TV's ratings surged.
Viewers flooded in.
Across major online platforms, topics related to 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' shot straight to the top of trending charts.
An Yongrui put down his phone, adjusted his posture, and glanced at the time.
7:59.
After waiting so long, it was finally starting.
Let's see what this is about.
As that thought crossed his mind, the Zhongxia TV screen flickered.
A pink-haired girl in a Sakura Isles-style middle school JK uniform ran breathlessly down a corridor.
The moment she pushed open a massive door—
The sky.
A monster larger than the city itself, with cold, evil eyes, twisted the entire city into chaos.
The witch's gaze was merciless.
People died in droves from unseen calamities.
The entire city—
Reduced to hell.
In Su Yan's previous life, a lot of anime character designs looked cool in animation but awkward in real life.
Pink hair, for example. Was that really something an ordinary person could pull off?
Before filming 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', Su Yan had spent considerable time debating whether to tone down such elements.
In the end, he kept them.
The five-color team concept demanded distinct colors. If everyone wore black hair and black JK uniforms, it would've been far too bland.
Fortunately, the stylist he hired at great expense earned every cent.
Combined with Shen Liqian's stunning visuals—
Her first appearance as Madoka instantly captivated the audience.
An Yongrui felt nothing but admiration.
And the special effects—
They were crucial.
The apocalyptic witch sequence carried immense pressure and scale.
On the school rooftop, the pink-haired girl watched anxiously.
In the sky above, a black-haired girl dodged torrents of energy unleashed by the witch.
"You can change fate," said a cute, red-eyed rabbit-like creature softly to the pink-haired girl.
"The unavoidable destruction and sorrow. You just need to overturn them all…"
"Really? Someone like me… can change this ending?"
"Of course. So make a contract with me and become a magical girl!"
Far away in Tokyo, Su Yan muttered internally:
Shut up, you shameless con artist.
But in Hudu, An Yongrui felt his interest spike.
He'd watched the trailer and done his homework.
He knew that becoming a magical girl meant having one wish granted.
So this scene seemed to show the pink-haired girl's companion losing to the witch, while the rabbit creature urged her to step in and help.
Then—
The atmosphere shifted. The music stopped.
The girl jolted awake in bed.
"It was a dream!"
?
An Yongrui blinked.
A dream?
You got my blood pumping for that—and it was just a dream?!
Upbeat background music began.
Warm tones. Energetic song. Bright smiles from cheerful girls.
The opening theme—infamous in Su Yan's previous life as one of the biggest "OP scams" in anime history—now played before Xia Nation audiences.
The melody remained the same, but the lyrics had been rewritten in the Xia Nation language to match the original meaning.
An Yongrui didn't blink once during the opening.
["Not bad! Girls teaming up to fight witches. Youth, friendship, beautiful girls. Does the old thief Su Yan make something like this once in a while? Pretty interesting!"]
From the visuals and effects quality alone, all his doubts had vanished.
Production-wise—
Flawless.
Now came the story.
After the opening, the narrative shifted to Madoka's warm family life.
A capable yet adorable and beautiful mother.
A handsome stay-at-home dad.
A cute little brother.
A wealthy family. An elite private school.
Shen Liqian playing a well-off young lady?
Effortless.
After all, she'd grown up in a similar environment.
You didn't get to study violin with top instructors and compete in national youth finals without family backing.
Once the family dynamic was established, the focus moved to Madoka's school life.
She had two close friends.
The lively, blue-haired girl—Miki Sayaka.
And the elegant, refined green-haired beauty—Shizuki Hitomi.
Sure—
Blue hair. Green hair.
Not exactly common.
But with the protagonist already pink-haired, An Yongrui quickly accepted it.
Beauty is justice.
Any hairstyle or color that might seem ridiculous—
If it's on a cute face—
It's not awkward.
It's adorable.
The three girls' carefree daily life unfolded.
Then—
In class, the transfer student appeared.
Homura Akemi, played by Gu Qingyuan.
Long black hair cascading like a waterfall.
A cold, aloof expression.
And that subtle gaze—
Always drifting toward Madoka.
Gu Qingyuan's previous role as Satomi had left a deep impression on An Yongrui.
But here—
He felt none of that bias.
Her acting had improved tremendously.
Her eyes, movements, subtle details—
They sparked curiosity.
Not associations with past characters.
The story had entered its main thread.
What was thought to be a dream—
Wasn't.
The transfer student, Homura, looked exactly like the girl who fought the monster in Madoka's dream.
After engineering a private conversation with timid Madoka—
Homura's expression seemed restrained.
As if suppressing something.
Madoka, confused by the strange tension, grew even more cautious.
An Yongrui narrowed his eyes.
Something felt off.
The show didn't state it outright—
But it felt obvious that Homura knew Madoka.
So why didn't Madoka recognize her?
And why had Madoka dreamed about someone who would only transfer in the next day?
Having watched many of Su Yan's dramas, An Yongrui knew—
This was probably foreshadowing.
"Kaname Madoka, do you consider your life precious?" Homura asked coldly.
"Of course. I have family and friends…"
"Really?"
"Of course it's true!"
"If that's the case, then never wish to become someone different. Otherwise… you'll lose everything."
Ah.
Here it was.
Classic Su Yan cryptic dialogue mode.
It happened in 'An Ancient Love Song', 'Rurouni Kenshin', 'Life is Strange', and 'Your Lie in April'.
Annoying?
Maybe.
But impossible not to be curious.
Still—
Where were the witches?
The magical girls?
The rabbit?
The danger?
So far, it felt like pure school slice-of-life.
Another after-school tea session with Madoka, Hitomi, and Sayaka.
An Yongrui was about to grab his phone and complain in the fan group that episode one was slow—
When—
In the darkness, a white rabbit fled from something sinister.
A gunshot rang out.
From the shadows emerged—
Homura.
Her cold, beautiful lips are instantly recognizable to countless viewers.
An Yongrui straightened up.
In a shopping mall, Madoka heard a faint cry for help.
Following it, she found a bloodied rabbit and picked it up.
Opposite her stood Homura—cold and merciless.
"Leave that thing."
A dispute broke out.
Save it or kill it?
Sayaka intervened with a fire extinguisher spray.
Suddenly—
A sinister force enveloped the mall.
The trio fell from reality into a surreal, bizarre, labyrinthine world.
An Yongrui was thoroughly confused.
But now—
The rabbit's role became clear.
In Madoka's arms, it explained witches and labyrinths.
Exposition—for both the characters and the audience.
Then—
The fan-favorite character appeared.
Tomoe Mami.
To save the rabbit Kyubey, she entered the witch's human-devouring barrier—
And rescued Madoka and Sayaka.
And then—
An Yongrui's pupils widened.
Black stockings.
Blonde hair.
Elegant. Cool. Beautiful.
Before male and female viewers alike—
Mami performed a magical girl transformation.
No cringe dancing.
No exaggerated shouting.
In the live-action version, the transformation was restrained—befitting her character.
And then—
Explosive, cinematic-quality effects.
A golden magical girl outfit.
Hundreds of muskets materialize behind her in midair.
Fire.
Flames erupted.
Evil scattered.
["So that's what this genre is?"] An Yongrui grinned excitedly.
["That transformation was insanely cool!"]
A brief exchange between Mami and Homura.
Homura retreated.
Kyubey, healed, gazed innocently at Madoka and Sayaka.
"I hope you'll sign a contract with me and become magical girls!"
An Yongrui clenched his fist.
Become magical girls…
Can guys sign contracts too?
Scene cut.
The next day in the story.
After the incident, Madoka, Sayaka, and upperclassman Mami formed a trio.
They discussed magical girls after school.
In exchange for one wish—
You became a magical girl.
And shouldered the duty of hunting witches and protecting the peace.
Magical girls spread hope.
Witches spread despair.
To safeguard humanity's happiness—
Magical girls must fight invisible monsters that ordinary people cannot see.
["So becoming a magical girl means protecting world peace?"] An Yongrui nodded.
["I get it now. You get a wish granted. You gain powerful abilities. And you save the world."]
["Only an idiot wouldn't want to become a magical girl."]