Depressive Screenwriter

On Sunday evening, "The Simplest Romance" and "April," Episode 6 of "Scarlet Love Affair," were broadcast successively.

The following day, after the viewership ratings were released...

"April" Episode 6 had a viewership rating of 4.41%, continuing to rank third.

"The Simplest Romance" Episode 6 had a viewership rating of 4.48%, continuing to rank second.

Meanwhile, "Scarlet Love Affair," which premiered in the same time slot as "April," had a viewership rating of 2.01%, just a hair's breadth away from falling below the 2% mark.

Episode 6 of "April" had a relatively smooth plot, as the piano competition had just concluded in Episode 5.

Episode 6 leaned towards being a transitional episode, lacking the musical plot that viewers anticipated.

Instead, it focused on depicting the emotional development between Kaori Miyazono and the male lead, Kousei Arima.

Under the moonlight, the two watched a sky full of fireflies by the lake.

Kousei Arima, looking at the girl in front of him, affirmed his feelings and desired to walk alongside her.

Of course, at the end of this episode, due to Kaori Miyazono's performance in the previous concert, she and Kousei Arima received an invitation from another music competition organizer to participate in the competition that day.

However, the plot of Episode 6 ended abruptly at the moment Kaori Miyazono and Kousei Arima were about to go on stage, with Kaori Miyazono still not present.

Whether the plot is full of ups and downs can directly reflect the viewership ratings.

If the plot is smooth, the increase in viewership ratings will naturally be small.

However, the fact that "April" maintained its third-place ranking this week gave a group of colleagues in the television industry a sigh of relief.

Especially the employees of the three major television stations.

They usually look down on peers outside the big three. Su Yan, this suddenly-emerged genius, was already a source of jealousy, and Su Yan even "courted death" in their eyes by leaving Sakura TV.

Then, "April" premiered on Qingkong TV with such good results.

Although Su Yan didn't target them, they themselves felt embarrassed.

The television station they were so proud to work for was being pressured to this extent by a work from a screenwriter in his early twenties. Recently, the higher-ups at the station have been using Su Yan as an example during meetings, devaluing them to nothing.

Hatred between people often arises from inexplicable places.

"I knew it, how could it be so outrageous!"

"No matter how great 'April' is, Qingkong TV has its limits. It can't possibly increase viewership ratings indefinitely, right? It's already at the 4.4% level, it can't increase anymore."

"It just held up in Episode 6, what about Episode 7? Can 'The Simplest Romance' Episode 7 still maintain its second-place position for the season?"

"It's truly a rare sight. I would one day worry about Sakura TV's drama being surpassed by Qingkong TV."

"'The Simplest Romance,' hold on! Don't let 'April' surpass you! It's already embarrassing enough for one of the three major television stations to be unseated by Qingkong TV. If two are unseated, that would be a disgrace."

"I'm from Zhongxia TV. I hope 'April' reaches the top in viewership ratings. Let's all be embarrassed together, no one can escape!"

When employees of the three major television stations have offline gatherings recently, the topics about Su Yan and "April" are always the most frequent.

Clearly, "Xia Feng Hua" is the highest-rated drama of the season.

But audiences and the media alike report on "April" more frequently than the former.

Everyone acknowledges that Qingkong TV has its limits.

It's already very difficult to get a drama's viewership ratings to break 4%.

If you want to aim for 4.5%, 4.8%, or even 5.0% viewership ratings, that's too outrageous.

How can viewers' viewing habits be so easily reversed?

Dramas with this level of viewership ratings only appear when they premiere on the three major television stations.

But coincidentally, "April," "Xia Feng Hua," and "The Simplest Romance" all have viewership ratings in this range.

It's as if "April" only needs to put in a little effort in a certain episode, add a bit of explosive plot, and the viewership ratings can surge.

And this explosive point...

Appeared when Episode 7 of "April" premiered on another Sunday.

At the end of Episode 6, Kaori Miyazono did not arrive at the agreed time.

This violin and piano duet was left with only Kousei Arima's piano solo.

Encouraged by Kaori Miyazono, the male lead broke through his inner demons and learned from the words of his mother's lifelong friend that the reason his mother forced him to learn piano so cruelly before her death.

Was because Kousei Arima's mother only knew how to play the piano, and she hoped to teach him all these skills.

That way, even if she died, her son Kousei Arima could rely on the piano to live well in this world.

Intense love gave rise to extreme practices.

Wanting desperately to teach Kousei Arima more before her death, the mother ultimately brought about her son's breakdown.

Until this concert...

Kousei Arima, who broke through all his inner demons and learned the truth from his mother's friend.

Played a tone that made the audience in front of the television feel warm.

A consistently touching piano performance.

This is what the audience of this drama has been looking forward to since the first episode.

However...

The explosive point of Episode 7 is not limited to this.

The music plot in the first half of the episode and the memories about the mother tricked a bunch of viewers' tears.

But the plot in the second half...

The female lead Kaori Miyazono was hospitalized.

She lay in the hospital bed, telling Kousei Arima with a gentle smile that she was fine.

At this time, the narration of the plot, Kousei Arima's inner monologue.

[You won't leave my side like my mother, will you!]

After this kind of plot appeared, the fans of "April" have tasted something wrong.

Got sick?

So in the second episode, Kaori Miyazono fainted at the venue after performing, was that an illness, not physical exhaustion?

Also...

The more I think about the male lead's inner monologue, the more it seems like he's setting a flag?

Kousei Arima's mother died of illness.

Now the girl he likes, Kaori Miyazono, is also hospitalized due to illness.

Heh, how does this look like a coincidence?

On the night Episode 7 of "April" premiered, fans were furious, pouring into Su Yan's account comment section on Raccoon Net to speak wildly.

"Su Yan, you old thief, are you starting again?"

"Please, be a human, okay? Set the plot of the next episode to be that Kaori Miyazono has some minor problems like being prone to low blood sugar due to physical exhaustion, and then Su Yan-sensei, you and I are still good friends!"

"Brothers, why do I feel something is wrong! Su Yan, he wouldn't, want to kill Kaori Miyazono, would he?"

"No, no, no, no matter what, this is a campus urban romance musical drama! Is there really a need for a plot where the female lead dies of illness? No matter how imaginative Su Yan is, he wouldn't be so ruthless, would he? Kaori Miyazono is a female character he created, he should have some feelings for her, right?"

"Then Yukishiro Tomoe, Riku En, and Xiaoxi are also characters he created!"

"."

"."

"I'm super, Su Yan, you old thief, if you dare to kill Kaori Miyazono, then I'm really going to find you for a real battle."

"Isn't it? Does anyone know Su Yan? Go and persuade him?"

"He doesn't even give face to Akasaka Yoshitoki, the production department manager of Sakura TV, who would he listen to?"

"Everyone, don't panic, it's just Episode 7, Kaori Miyazono is just hospitalized, she's not going to die immediately, there's still a chance for redemption."

"The main thing is that Su Yan has a bad track record! If the female lead of someone else's drama has a car accident and becomes a vegetable, I wouldn't worry, because I'm sure the screenwriter wouldn't let the female lead die and would definitely wake her up. But Su Yan, I'm afraid that if the female lead's hand is pricked by a nail, she will die of tetanus later."

"Indeed, I have psychological shadows. Su Yan, can you see it? Let Kaori Miyazono get well in Episode 8, and I'll forgive you."

"No, it's meaningless to find Su Yan, you have to find Su Yan's collaborator, Shinozaki Ikumi. No matter what, he wouldn't disregard his partner's opinion, would he!"

"That's right, and Gu Qingyuan and Shen Liqian, go to their accounts and express your opinions."

Late at night, Shinozaki Ikumi was still watching the audience's comments on "April" online.

But her certified account on Raccoon Net quickly received hundreds, thousands, to tens of thousands of private messages and comments.

They were all putting pressure on her, hoping that she would exercise the power of the producer to restrain Su Yan from playing with fire in the plot anymore.

It would be perfect if the drama "April" ended according to the rhythm of the first six episodes. Why create a plot where the female lead gets sick?

"What can I do! Before, I was the producer and he was the screenwriter, and he still took me into consideration, and the ending of the work was only taken out at the end. Now he's the boss and I'm the general manager, and he doesn't even pretend," Shinozaki Ikumi sighed.

Su Yan's fans are already seeing ghosts in the dark.

"But fortunately, I persuaded Su Yan to make a second ending"

Shinozaki Ikumi felt a little more at ease when she thought of this.

If Su Yan hadn't agreed to this, she couldn't imagine what the scene would be like when the last episode of "April" aired.

Su Yan has a strong mentality and is not afraid of being scolded.

But Shinozaki Ikumi is a bit glass-hearted.

The next day, during lunch break, the "April" crew.

The entire crew's senior management gathered around staring at Shinozaki Ikumi.

Although everyone was chatting and talking about the world, their attention was actually all on Shinozaki Ikumi's phone.

After all, the viewership ratings of "April" have always been distributed to Shinozaki Ikumi by Qingkong TV.

Soon, her phone made a text message ring.

Everyone's eyes turned over in unison.

Shinozaki Ikumi nervously clicked on her phone.

The moment the first two lines of text appeared on the screen, her expression froze, and it took several seconds to recover, her voice was a few decibels louder than usual.

"'Your Lie in April' Episode 7, viewership rating 4.46%."

"Sakura TV's 'The Simplest Romance' Episode 7, viewership rating 4.45%."

"'Xia Feng Hua' Episode 7, viewership rating 4.59%."

"Top three in viewership ratings this week, first, 'Xia Feng Hua'. Second, 'April'. Third, 'The Simplest Romance'."

Shinozaki Ikumi looked at Su Yan, Shi Peihua, Gu Qingyuan, Shen Liqian, and the actors who played important supporting roles such as Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryota Watari.

"We've advanced to second place in the seasonal viewership ratings!"

A cheer rang out in the studio.

"I knew it."

"Second... feels like a dream."

"Really second. Can you get second in viewership ratings when it's broadcast on Qingkong TV?"

"Everyone, don't leave after work tonight, let's go out to dinner together to celebrate!"

Su Yan, as the chairman of the company, also said at this time with a happy voice.

Although it was expected, it was still difficult to express the joy after the fact became true.

"But don't relax too much, this is just the result of Episode 7. In the later episodes, 'The Simplest Romance' still has a chance to surpass us in viewership ratings," Su Yan said in a deep voice, looking at everyone in the studio.

"However, since we are already second in viewership ratings, then considering maintaining this ranking and not being surpassed is definitely not our first goal. Everyone must understand what our next goal is!"

"In competition, the second place is the biggest loser!" Su Yan said.

"There are four more episodes of 'April' to be broadcast... I hope that in the process of filming the final plot, everyone can give their best level. Let 'April' bring some small shocks to the summer season and to the three major television stations! We, take first place."

Su Yan had given this kind of speech many times in the past.

But only this time, when Su Yan mentioned that 'Your Lie in April' was going to reach the top in viewership ratings.

The whole crew wouldn't have a funny feeling in their hearts.

But, it should be so.

Seven weeks.

From the sixth place in the season at the start of the broadcast to the second place in the season.

Broadcast on Qingkong TV but all the way killing the A-level dramas of the three major television stations.

If you don't take first place, then it doesn't conform to youth, doesn't conform to everyone's expectations, and doesn't conform to common sense.

How can a dark horse give up halfway?

A dark horse is to be dark all the way to the end!