In the real world, with the broadcast of the first two episodes of Prequel of the Stars: Embers, its exceptionally high production quality and massive promotional budget sparked considerable discussion on Station 13.
Tendo, capitalizing on years of strategic planning and his flawless performance in the first two episodes, garnered favor from many Station 13 fans. He successfully converted a portion of the platform's general audience into dedicated character fans. Topics like 'Tendo Simei: Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic,' 'Sweets Can Heal Everything,' and 'Stars Prequel: The True Protagonist' emerged, leading to a visible surge in his popularity.
This also drew the attention of some unaware passersby to the new series, who, influenced by the trending topics, joined the ranks of viewers after some investigation, further expanding Prequel of the Stars: Embers' fanbase.
This trend escalated even further after episodes 3 and 4 of Prequel of the Stars: Embers officially aired on Sunday.
Episode 3 opened with Tendo and his companions arriving at the central arena to participate in the final assessment. To emphasize the difficulty of this ultimate test, the production team specifically provided a close-up shot of the Level 2 Star Beast, the Earth Dragon Lizard, when it appeared, imbuing the scene with a sense of immense pressure. Every rock scale on the Level 2 Star Beast gleamed with metallic cold light, and when its claws struck the arena, the entire screen on Station 13 trembled. Even through the screen, viewers could clearly feel the oppressive power emanating from the Earth Dragon Lizard.
Unlike their vague understanding of the Stars world yesterday, after two episodes of introduction, most viewers now grasped some of its lore. For instance, while Tendo and his companions were special children, in the vast Stars world, they were merely 'Half-Stars' without Star Essences, far weaker than 'Level 1 Star Envoys' who possessed Star Essences. Yet, these individuals, weaker than Level 1 Star Envoys, now had to face a Level 2 Star Beast that even Level 1 Star Envoys struggled against. The difficulty of this final assessment was thus self-evident.
'Good heavens, what's the meaning of this so-called final assessment? Is it hell difficulty right from the start?'
'The stats planner needs a beating! How are we supposed to beat this boss?'
'Previous comment, I suggest renaming it to About a Novice Accidentally Entering a Max-Level Dungeon.'
Watching the incredibly powerful Earth Dragon Lizard, viewers were curious about the plot's future direction. After all, according to typical anime tropes, such seemingly invincible opponents usually become stepping stones for the protagonist's rise. With this thought, viewers immediately watched intently.
However, contrary to their expectations, upon seeing the incredibly powerful Earth Dragon Lizard, Chen Kong, the protagonist, didn't immediately try to find a way to defeat it. Instead, he timidly wanted to cling to Tendo's leg!
"T-Tendo Ge..."
"No use, Xiao Kong. This assessment is a bit troublesome. With you, I can't guarantee I can handle this guy."
"Besides..." Tendo turned to Chen Xing, smiling, "...there's clearly a more suitable partner for you over there, isn't there?"
"Useless, don't drag me down later."
"Oh, o-okay, Jie..."
Watching the protagonist Chen Kong being rejected by Tendo and disliked by his sister Chen Xing on screen, the bullet comments were unanimously filled with complaints.
'Tendo: Xiao Kong, this assessment is a bit troublesome (This is a high-level game, you're too weak, I can't carry you).'
'Honestly, if it weren't for characters like Tendo and Caroline, who'd want to watch such a frustrating protagonist like Chen Kong?'
'Chen Xing: You're only my brother; otherwise, who'd bring a hanger-on to a ranked match.'
Although Chen Kong's reaction dissatisfied viewers, they didn't waste too much emotion on him. This was because Chen Xing's tsundere behavior, where her words contradicted her true feelings, greatly changed many viewers' initial impression of her as being too 'harsh.' This thoroughly overshadowed the complaints about the protagonist Chen Kong in the trending topics.
'It seems her so-called sharp tongue is just Chen Xing's way of being angry at her brother for not living up to expectations, not that she actually dislikes him that much.'
'Yes, yes, I originally thought Chen Xing was a bit too cold, but now it seems she's just cold on the outside but warm on the inside.'
'Tsundere Queen x Scheming Prince, Tendo-Xing CP(Couple) locked!'
'Hmm? Previous comment, why is it Tendo-Xing CP? Tendo-Caroline CP is clearly better! Don't try to pair them up randomly!'
'A mecha catgirl is the true way!'
'Tendo-Caroline is the official pairing! They're already living together! (Referring to their constant joint appearances)'
With the emergence of CP (couple) shippers, the direction of the bullet comments instantly shifted from discussing Chen Xing's character design to which characters were more suitable for shipping. Interestingly, due to Chen Kong's consistently poor performance so far, no matter how the CP shippers argued, Chen Kong was always excluded. No one wanted to pair him with any of the female characters who had appeared. After all, in the anime world where appearance is justice, the plain-looking and cowardly Chen Kong was indeed not very likable.
Yet, at this moment, Tendo on screen seemed to have heard the voices of the viewers outside the screen and directly spoke their thoughts.
"Hey, Caroline, do you think Chen Xing has some hidden attribute?"
"Otherwise, why does she clearly care about Xiao Kong in her heart, but every time they meet, it's like they're enemies, as if she wishes Xiao Kong would disappear from this world on the spot."
However, facing Tendo's complaints, Caroline, who was focused on analyzing the Earth Dragon Lizard's data, not only showed no reaction but even gave him the silent treatment, choosing to ignore him completely. Seeing this scene, the bullet comments instantly erupted in laughter.
'About My Boyfriend Being Less Attractive Than Data'
'Cat's indifference.jpg'
'Who says silent treatment isn't a form of violence?'
'Tendo: So I was the third wheel.'
Amidst the cheerful atmosphere of the bullet comments, the plot progressed to Tendo seeking out 'Jing Liuli' among the crowd. Jing Liuli's unique behavior, being able to fall asleep on the spot during the final assessment, instantly hit many viewers' "moe" (adorable) spots. After all, cute and drowsy characters have always had a market. Therefore, upon seeing Tendo use his trump card, Chen Xing, to forcibly wake up the sleeping Jing Liuli, viewers naturally accepted this new character who officially appeared only in the third episode.
At the same time, to help viewers more intuitively understand why Tendo sought out Jing Liuli, the production team specifically listed her basic data when she first appeared:
Name: Jing Liuli
Student Ranking: NO. 003
Star Core: Evernight Illusion Butterfly
Upon seeing that Jing Liuli, this mascot-like character, was actually ranked third among the students, second only to Tendo and Chen Xing, the bullet comments were stunned. No matter how they looked at it, Jing Liuli seemed unrelated to power. Especially when she was teased by Tendo and childishly wrote "Liar Tendo and Dogs Not Allowed" on her precious pillow with a marker, viewers naturally perceived her as a beloved group mascot and didn't think she could play a significant role in Tendo's team.
But now it seemed they had misjudged. Jing Liuli, who appeared useless on the outside, was actually not useless.
A world where only the protagonist Chen Kong is useless... achieved!
I'm currently translating and editing new stories. New stories will be arriving in a few days, and I'll be releasing two chapters a day for a period. Stay tuned!