After more than half a month of promotion, the official trailer for 'Hikaru no Go' finally aired in full on Yunteng TV.
Naturally, many of Jing Yu's fans had been camped out in front of their TVs, waiting for this moment.
Among them was Yu Tingting, the admin of six separate Jing Yu fan groups, who was especially fired up.
What could she say? She was a certified face-value enthusiast, and Jing Yu, the person, along with his works, was both exactly her type.
Now, when it came to trailers, you typically don't expect much—it's usually just a vague tease. Tingting didn't expect to be particularly impressed by 'Hikaru no Go's preview either.
But reality proved her completely wrong.
The trailer began with a catchy and atmospheric BGM, the camera swirling to reveal a Go board glowing faintly.
Then, a young boy appeared on screen—adorable, but with panic in his eyes.
The next shot?
A man dressed in flowing white robes, holding a folded fan, his hair tied up neatly in traditional style, exudes grace and calm. A classic ancient beauty.
Yu Tingting's eyes widened.
I'm done for.
Across the country, countless viewers felt their hearts skip a beat the moment they saw Jing Yu's portrayal of Sai.
Yu Tingting gulped water.
"He looks amazing…"
"Teacher Jing Yu's ancient look is absolute perfection!"
"Oh my god, he looks even better here than in the character photo!"
"I swear, girls, I'm about to forget that scumbag Yuan Cunxi. How does Jing Yu pull off every aesthetic so seductively?!"
"Wait, isn't this supposed to be a modern Go drama? Why the period costume?"
"No clue, but just from this trailer, I'm definitely watching the premiere next week."
In just one minute, the trailer managed to throw out the core premise of the story:
A Go master from 1,600 years ago, during an era of war and turmoil, had his soul bound to a Go board.
"The Hand of God"? What's that? Sounds insanely cool.
He lived on, just for the sake of playing Go. That level of dedication? Impressive didn't even begin to describe it.
The trailer ended on a still of Hikaru Shindo and Akira Toya, the two boys, facing off in a Go academy—both with intense expressions.
Yu Tingting blinked.
"Wait... something's off. This trailer isn't as serious as I expected a Go drama to be."
She quickly typed into the fan group:
"Guys, I don't know anything about Go, but this trailer actually hooked me."
"Same! I wasn't interested in Go at all, but now I'm curious. It didn't look dry or boring."
"It's actually really interesting! A thousand-year-old Go ghost possessing a kid? What a wild concept for a drama!"
"We've had ancient immortals and fox spirits surviving into modern times, but a ghost bound to a Go board and crossing time just to play more Go? Now that's original."
While the fan group buzzed with discussion, the TV screen transitioned into behind-the-scenes footage and an interview segment with Jing Yu on set.
Yu Tingting immediately sat up, laser-focused.
"Hello everyone, I'm Xiao Su, host from Yunteng TV! You've just watched the trailer for 'Hikaru no Go' and might still be wondering what exactly this drama is about. So today, we're bringing you a special interview with the genius screenwriter Jing Yu! Don't go anywhere—he'll answer all your questions!" the bright-eyed host said with a mysterious smile.
The camera cut to Jing Yu, mid-makeup, smiling at the lens.
"Teacher Jing Yu, what inspired you to make a drama about Go?"
Jing Yu smiled, answering calmly.
"Go is a part of our country's traditional culture, but because of how hard it is to learn, it has struggled to reach a wider audience. I've studied Go since I was a child, and I've always wanted to use my abilities to change that. That's why I created 'Hikaru no Go'."
"So will this drama be a traditional and serious look at Da Zhou's professional Go scene?"
"Not at all," Jing Yu answered without hesitation.
"Even if you don't know anything about Go, you'll be able to understand this drama completely. In fact, I believe this drama can inspire even total newcomers to develop an interest and passion for Go."
"This is the best work I've created in my screenwriting career so far."
To be honest, this interview was crafted specifically to clear up the audience's misconceptions and prejudices about the show, under the guise of a casual Q&A.
While Jing Yu spoke with sincerity, some TV viewers still thought he was just overhyping his own work.
The interview lasted about twenty minutes, but it marked only the beginning of the promotional blitz.
In the following days, Yunteng TV began full-scale promotion for 'Hikaru no Go'.
Posters went up across Modo Metropolis and other major cities, both online and offline.
Famous film critics were invited to write commentary and praise the show. Jing Yu also made two live appearances on variety shows—part of a packed schedule arranged by Yunteng TV over just three days.
Of course, this wasn't unusual—other major networks were doing the same for their own spring dramas.
Even so, 'Hikaru no Go's popularity ranked #19 among all spring season dramas—a promising sign.
On December 31st, filming for the childhood storyline of Hikaru Shindo and Akira Toya officially wrapped.
Starting the next day, teenage actors would take over the roles for the middle school arc.
And also starting the next day—January 1st at 10 PM—the first episode of 'Hikaru no Go' would air.
"Alright, great work, kids. You both did amazing during this shoot," Jing Yu said warmly, bidding farewell to the two child actors.
One by one, the cast and crew began to head out.
"C'mon, Teacher Jing Yu, let's go grab a late-night snack!"
Cheng Lie suddenly threw a massive arm around Jing Yu's shoulders.
"Hey, ease up, man! I'm not a gym rat like you! Can't breathe!" Jing Yu struggled to break free.
Having been at Yunteng TV for a month now, the entire crew had gotten much more comfortable with each other.
"Ah, sorry, I guess I'm just nervous," Cheng Lie laughed.
"You? Nervous?" Jing Yu raised a brow.
"Of course! Even for me, it's rare to get this kind of project and funding. I've basically staked my career on 'Hikaru no Go'," Cheng said as they strolled down the street.
"Then why didn't you try to talk me into changing the genre?" Jing Yu asked.
"Because if I had, you might not have chosen Yunteng TV in the first place! You rejected Chenghai TV and picked us—clearly because you believed this was the best place to make your vision happen."
Cheng's smile was bright, but his eyes were steady and clear.
"Besides, I've studied your past work. All three of your previous dramas had lukewarm receptions before airing—but every single one outperformed expectations after launch. That tells me your understanding of the market is more accurate than most so-called experts."
"When I read the script for 'Hikaru no Go', I genuinely found it interesting. But I also doubted myself for a second, wondering if my taste was out of sync with the market. Then I remembered—it was written by you. The same guy who pulled a 3% rating in Lan Province. That was all the reassurance I needed."
Making a drama always involved risk. Even the most confident screenwriters often found that what they thought was good could become the audience's biggest complaint.
Experience couldn't always prevent that.
The same applied here. Everyone thought a Go drama had no market in Da Zhou—but that was just a preconception. Whether it had potential or not… only time would tell.
After all, if professionals were always right, why did multi-billion yuan projects still flop?
What about Magic Cannon, Fengshen Epic, or Asura?
Did those crews lack expert analysts? Of course not.
But when a show flops, it flops. Reality beats theory, every time.
Cheng Lie understood that better than most.
Something everyone thinks will fail might not be bad at all. It's simply a question of risk vs. reward.
The six major networks played it safe. Yunteng TV? Took the risks.
"I see." Jing Yu thought for a moment, then smiled.
"Producer Cheng, this might sound a little arrogant… but give it less than a month—'Hikaru no Go' will prove that you made the right choice."