Depressive Screenwriter

Compared to Fate/Zero (FZ), Fate/stay night (FSN) has a slower-paced plot.

Furthermore, FSN's plot focuses more on the Masters, while FZ's plot emphasizes the Servants.

Two weeks after its premiere, the Xia country audience subtly noticed the difference, and the plot wasn't as deeply tragic as FZ.

What kind of Masters were in FZ?

Kiritsugu Emiya: a man who killed his father and mother to uphold justice.

Kirei Kotomine: famous for his self-assessment, "My father raised a dog!", a man who finds pleasure in seeing others suffer and enjoys Mapo Tofu.

Kariya Matou: the ultimate pathetic simp.

Tokiomi Tohsaka: he was smart throughout the entire series, but unfortunately, he lost because of his disciple's inexplicable delight.

Ryunosuke Uryu: a perverted murderer who enjoys hunting children.

Even the only normal one, Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald, had his wife cheating on him.

Only Waver Velvet had a good ending; all the Masters in FZ were miserable.

In contrast, the plot of FSN is filled with a youthful, school-like atmosphere.

However, the change in style doesn't matter. FSN and FZ, although written by two different authors, are both masterpieces set in the same world. As long as Artoria is still there and the TV series' production quality remains high, the viewership will not be low.

Meanwhile, after the premiere of FSN's second episode, Xia country media began reporting on the series' success overseas.

The overseas TV series industry is different from Xia country, with various commercial alliances, diverse online broadcasting platforms, and complex situations.

However, the broadcasting results in the six countries where it premiered and on NK, the second-largest overseas video website, were good. Su Yan still spent a lot of money on overseas promotion, but due to FSN's slow start, the number of paid views on the online broadcasting platform and the viewership in the six countries were only second or third among the TV series that premiered at the same time.

Xia country viewers who watched FZ found the first and second episodes of FSN a bit difficult to follow, let alone foreign viewers.

But Su Yan isn't worried about foreigners not understanding. FSN was released before FZ in Su Yan's previous life, and the FZ novels and anime only came about after FSN became popular. Understanding the world and settings is just a matter of time.

Su Yan has plenty of patience. Xia country viewers have watched many of his works and have innate confidence in him, and it's not too late to build that confidence with foreign viewers now.

It's mid-January.

Su Yan's plan for this quarter was to release FSN and the second Rurouni Kenshin movie simultaneously. The first two weeks were mainly for promoting FSN. Now, two weeks after FSN's premiere, Su Yan's company has begun a large-scale promotion for the second Rurouni Kenshin movie.

The film industry in Xia country is very mature. In terms of promotion, Su Yan basically can't come up with anything new; it's just a straightforward investment of money into publicity.

The first Rurouni Kenshin movie has already established the tone of the film: martial arts fighting combined with a bit of national sentiment.

Those who liked the first movie will naturally watch the second one. Su Yan doesn't need to frantically emphasize the superb martial arts action in his Kenshin movie adaptation like he did last year.

Viewers who have seen the first movie naturally understand what the quality of the finished product will be.

The only difference is that the background of the male villain, Shishio Makoto, in the Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno movie needs to be modified slightly, but these things are easy to change.

After the trailer for Kyoto Inferno was released, it pushed the already incredibly popular FSN to second place in terms of popularity.

Moreover, with the Rurouni Kenshin movie, Su Yan cooperated with many foreign capital firms. Su Yan agreed to use their people as supporting characters in his works, provided that their people actually have acting skills and are not just pretty faces. In return, they agreed to help Su Yan's works get released in major theaters and cinemas overseas.

Although the Xia country world, like the previous life, is a market economy, if there is really no one to take care of you in the overseas market and you rely solely on throwing money, then it's really just being foolish and rich. The money will be spent, but the effect will definitely not be good.

The film industry is basically the same as all industries: it's all about relationships and social skills.

The Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno movie will be released in Xia country on February 6th, the day of the Spring Festival, and will also be released in the three largest Western countries. Although overseas regions may prioritize local films and suppress imported films to some extent, overall, with the support of overseas partners, this suppression will not be too excessive, and there won't be situations where the screening rate is below 3% or all screenings are scheduled in the midnight slot.

Overall, under the condition of Su Yan investing money, the screening rate on the release day in the three overseas countries will be above 12%, and the screening rate and the number of releasing countries will be increased or decreased based on the subsequent response.

Therefore, Su Yan has been very busy these past two weeks, not only promoting the Rurouni Kenshin movie domestically but also overseas.

The entire Dimensional Films company is in full swing.

In this situation, the third episode of FSN premiered.

Shirou Emiya, the male protagonist who was inexplicably caught up in the Holy Grail War, after experiencing inner struggles and wanting to become an ally of justice, ultimately did not choose to withdraw from the Holy Grail War at the suggestion of Father Kirei Kotomine. On the way home, he was attacked by the Master Illya and her Servant Berserker.

As an unqualified mage, he couldn't provide Saber with magical energy, nor could he allow Saber to fight at full strength, causing Saber to be injured in the battle with Berserker. To protect Saber, Shirou Emiya used his mortal body to withstand Berserker's attack, ultimately getting injured. If it weren't for the relic his father left him, Saber's scabbard, which has healing abilities, he would have died on the spot.

Thus, three weeks after the premiere of FSN, the frustration felt by Shirou Emiya as the protagonist finally arose among the Xia country audience.

He is brave, unafraid of death, and wants to become an ally of justice, but what's the use?

There's a word to describe bravery without ability.

Reckless!

"I'm so angry! How can there be such a weak male protagonist?"

"Saber was so strong in FZ, but in FSN, she's being beaten by unknown Servants."

"He's so useless and stupid. To save Saber, he could have just used a Command Seal to make Saber teleport. Why personally take the damage? Isn't that idiotic?"

"But he's kind of handsome!"

"I feel like the plot is a bit subtle. Su Yan isn't planning to have Saber fall in love in FSN, is he?"

"? Why do you think so?"

"Look at the third episode's plot. It's all about the interaction between Shirou Emiya and Saber, constantly emphasizing that Shirou Emiya treats Saber as a girl. But in FZ, including Kiritsugu Emiya, no one cared about the Servants' thoughts; they all treated them as historical figures who had died. Generally speaking, if Su Yan emphasizes these two aspects so much, shouldn't the next step be them falling for each other?"

"Impossible, right? Saber falling in love with someone else? What a joke! Isn't this male protagonist just like his father, Kiritsugu Emiya, with the same ideal of becoming an ally of justice? What's so special about him? I think Saber liking Kiritsugu Emiya is more likely than her liking Shirou Emiya!"

"Why is it impossible? Saber hasn't been in love in the original setting, and Shirou Emiya and Saber are both childish like idiots. It's normal for them to attract each other and acknowledge each other's ideals, right?"

"If Su Yan dares to write Saber falling in love, I'll really admire him! If this kind of plot isn't written well, it will definitely encounter a backlash from millions of Xia country fans. Don't think that we fans usually speak up for him. If he dares to ruin his popular characters, I'll let him know what it means to turn from a fan to a hater."

"You're all discussing Saber and Shirou Emiya's future development. Am I the only one who cares about that girl named Illya? She's so cute. She should be Shirou Emiya's adopted sister, right?"

"From an age perspective, that's right. She even calls Shirou Emiya 'big brother.' So cute."

"Cute, she should get along well with Shirou Emiya later and become one of them, right!"