February 25th, Friday — Episode 8 of 'Your Lie in April' aired.
Until Episode 7, 'Your Lie in April' had always maintained a light-hearted tone —
The always-smiling Kaoru Miyazono, the broken boy Kousei Arima, who was slowly pulled back to life by her hand.
A story about love and music, wrapped in a theme of healing and salvation.
Yes — a warm, comforting tale.
But Episode 8... changed everything.
Tsubaki Sawabe had always harbored feelings for Arima Kousei.
Blinded by his closeness with Kaoru, she impulsively agreed to date an upperclassman from their club.
But their relationship never went beyond commuting to school together — and in all their conversations, she never stopped talking about Kousei.
In Episode 8, that upperclassman finally realized he meant nothing to her and broke things off.
Fans cheered.
The whole 'Your Lie in April' fandom exploded in celebration.
But then came the rest of the episode...
Kaoru Miyazono is hospitalized.
Her condition is so serious that she can't even stand.
She breaks down crying in a dimly lit hospital hallway, alone and helpless.
At that moment, many fans felt something was very wrong.
"Wait... what's happening? What kind of illness is this?"
"She can't stand? No feeling in her legs? Is this ALS?!"
"What the hell?! Why is a school romance drama pulling this crap?!"
"Relax, guys, I know this trick — the writer's just trying to scare us. Kaoru's way too popular. No way they'd actually kill her. Besides, if she dies, how would there be a second season?"
"Who said there would be a second season, though…"
"Even if the writer probably won't go that far… I'm still uneasy."
"Chill."
In the first half of the episode, when Kaoru's condition worsened, the audience was just anxious.
But the second half? It shattered that thin veil of hope.
Kaoru is readmitted to the hospital.
She drops subtle hints during a visit with Kousei.
And later that night, Kousei visits her again, only to see her lying weakly in a hospital bed.
In his mind, memories of his mother's final days come rushing back...
Tension skyrockets.
The audience's unease hits a new peak.
"This can't be real. It's a lie… it's a lie…" Kousei denies it again and again in his heart.
"Do you... want to die with me?" Kaoru says softly, looking at him with calm, clear eyes.
The episode title fades in:
"A Similar Person."
At that moment, fans completely lost it.
"This isn't subtle anymore. That's a direct red flag."
"The title — 'A Similar Person' — is she saying she's going to die, just like Kousei's mom did?"
"NO. WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT IS THIS ILLNESS?! WRITER, ARE YOU SICK?!"
"Chill, guys. In dramas, diseases are at the mercy of the writer. You can be terminal one minute, totally fine the next. This is just a gimmick."
"Is it really? She's already talking about double suicide, man. I can't take this."
"If Kaoru dies, I'll never recover."
"Writer, please don't get artsy and kill Kaoru off. PLEASE."
"No way they'd do that. It's a school romance. They're just teasing drama. No way I'm falling for it."
Despite the emotional chaos, Episode 8's ratings rose again — hitting 2.29%.
Its spot on the spring drama rankings remained unchanged at #15.
But the discussion volume exploded.
On Jinhui TV's official site, hundreds of fans — both from within the province and beyond — flooded the forums:
"Dear writer, please don't do anything stupid."
"We're begging you. Be kind."
Even the network's complaint hotline got swamped.
Every call said the same thing:
"Tell the writer Jing Yu to show mercy!"
This was one of the "air while filming" drama model's key traits —
There were even past stories of ultra-wealthy viewers paying stations to kill off one character and promote another if they didn't like how the plot was going.
The call center at Jinhui TV had never received this many complaints for a single drama.
And the production team quickly heard about it.
Gao Wencang and Liu Neng had been visibly stressed for days.
And this was just Episode 8, where Kaoru was only hospitalized.
If this was how fans reacted now... how would they survive the actual finale?
Still, having already approved Jing Yu's Episode 11 script, they couldn't very well backtrack now.
So during daily work, they tried dropping hints to Jing Yu:
"You know… maybe soften it a bit?"
"Just think about it again?"
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Jing Yu responded with a smile.
That smile chilled them both to the bone.
You know what you're doing. That's great. But we sure don't…
By the end of February, the filming of the final episode began.
Yu Youqing, Liu Yushi, and Chen Zhongyi — the entire cast — finally received their scripts for the last episode.
"Wait, what? You're serious?"
Liu Yushi, who played Tsubaki, stared at her script in disbelief.
"Kaoru really dies? You're telling me Kaoru Miyazono gets killed off?"
"Teacher Jing Yu is… really bold. Does he realize most of this show's success comes from Kaoru? A drama with 2% national ratings, and he's declaring war on tens of millions of her fans?!"
"You've got to be kidding…" Chen Zhongyi muttered.
"Senior, why aren't you saying anything? You shocked too? Your character's the one getting killed off! And you're close with Jing Yu. Maybe you can—"
Chen Zhongyi didn't finish his sentence.
It was too soon in their friendship to speak freely. But Yu Youqing surely understood the implication.
But Yu Youqing simply clutched the script to her chest, eyes filled with satisfaction.
"This ending is beautiful. I love it."
"Bea—beautiful?" Liu Yushi stammered.
"Yes. Very much so. I've always liked bittersweet endings. That's what drew me to 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' in the first place — the script touched me."
"And now…" She glanced at the two of them.
"This ending moves me the same way."
You're crazy.
You must be a masochist.
Liu Yushi and Chen Zhongyi both screamed silently in their heads.
Who in their right mind would want their own character — a fan favorite — to die in the finale?
If Kaoru doesn't die, a second season is always possible.
But if she dies? What's the point?
The show is a massive hit, and both Liu Yushi (Tsubaki) and Chen Zhongyi (Ryota) have seen their popularity skyrocket thanks to it.
Of course, they want 'Your Lie in April' to continue.
"But if Kaoru dies, and the audience turns against the show, giving it bad reviews…" Liu Yushi said worriedly.
"I don't think they will," Yu Youqing replied calmly.
"'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' also had a sad ending. And it only boosted its reputation."
"You underestimate the audience's emotional resilience. What they can't accept are pointless tragedies — like a main character getting hit by a car while chasing a fallen coin."
"But if the ending moves them, if it means something, if it reaches them — then even if it's a tragedy, they'll still love it."
Liu Yushi and Chen Zhongyi exchanged a look.
"Besides," Yu Youqing added, "we're just actors. It's fine for us to discuss, but we don't need to worry too much. This show belongs to Jing Yu. He's the creator. We're here to support his vision."
Why are we even stressing over this?
Their conversation ended shortly after.
Once the script was distributed, word about the finale spread within the crew — though no one dared speak publicly.
But everyone in the production was shell-shocked.
Teacher Jing Yu, you're really going for it, huh…
A drama with 2% rating, and you're going to kill off the most beloved character in the final episode?
But as filming for Episode 11 began, one thing became clear to everyone:
It was too late to change.
Jing Yu had made up his mind.
In three weeks, the ending he crafted — with all its weight and risk — would be delivered to the audience.