When it comes to producing film and television, as long as the funding is in place, everything else can be worked out.
Jing Yu currently had plenty of funds on hand, and with his reputation, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' wouldn't have any trouble attracting actors—only trouble finding the right ones.
Take characters like Ayanami Rei and Asuka Langley Soryu, for example. Jing Yu had searched far and wide in the film and television industry and still couldn't find anyone whose vibe matched the original characters.
The biggest difference between anime and live-action is the room for imagination. While anime can depict vivid characters, viewers tend to "enhance" them in their minds. That means famous 2D heroines come with an automatic mental filter for anime fans.
But once these characters are portrayed by live actors, audiences can no longer enhance them mentally—and that's why live-action adaptations so often feel off.
Fans have a mental image of the characters that the chosen actor rarely lives up to, making it hard for them to accept that this person on screen is the one they'd always imagined.
It's the same with Rei and Asuka. Their tsundere and emotionless traits are cute in anime, but when played out by real people, it can feel off-putting.
Fortunately, Jing Yu had visual enhancement tools at his disposal. As long as the actors' performances were solid, technology could help elevate their image in viewers' eyes.
That's why he so decisively cast Yu Youqing and Xia Yining in the two lead female roles.
As for Ikari Shinji—well, that was a no-brainer. Jing Yu would play him himself.
Honestly, the Shinji character tends to get a lot of hate. Unlike the popular Asuka and Rei, Shinji's timid and indecisive personality annoys many viewers.
If Jing Yu stayed faithful to the original and cast a plain, forgettable actor for the role, the audience would roast him alive.
But since Jing Yu himself was taking on the part…
Let's be real—audiences follow their aesthetics.
A withdrawn, anxious, pretty boy? Viewers will say: "The world failed him."
But a shut-in, pudgy hikikomori? Viewers will say: "What a creep."
Anime doesn't convey this difference as clearly, but live-action magnifies it.
Jing Yu didn't worry much about the main trio—his real headache was casting the other key characters.
People like Ikari Gendo, Misato Katsuragi, and even the beautiful boy Kaworu Nagisa, who likes Shinji.
To be honest, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' had many forward-thinking plot points. Maybe that's what made it a classic—timeless despite the years.
Jing Yu didn't reveal much to the media about the plot of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', but in Great Zhou's TV industry:
"Hey, did you hear? Jing Yu's new project—the one people online are calling a robot battle drama—is apparently starting casting!"
"Of course I heard! There are over twenty roles open for auditions. I hear even A-list actors are submitting tapes to Bluestar Media & Film Company."
"Even A-listers? But didn't your friend in Modo City say the three leads were already decided—Jing Yu himself, plus Xia Yining and Yu Youqing from his agency? And everyone else is okay just playing supporting roles?"
"Well, yeah. You know how it is in our industry. Being a supporting actor in a Jing Yu drama is better than being the lead in a Big Six TV station drama. Look at Li Xianwen—he starred as the male lead in the flagship drama on Huanshi TV last season. But on the Great Zhou male celebrity popularity chart, he got beaten by Gilgamesh, Emiya Kiritsugu, Iskandar, Diarmuid, and even Waver—all from 'Fate/Zero'! That show alone took up 19 of the top 40 actor spots, including even Hassan the Assassin, who barely even showed his face!"
"That's true. Being a lead sounds good on paper, but popularity is the real currency. And supporting roles in Jing Yu dramas often outperform other shows' leads in visibility."
"Iskandar's actor even got a 6 million increase in his appearance fee this quarter. That's real money. Not some empty title."
"Right now, the most sought-after person in Great Zhou's TV industry is Jing Yu. Everyone knows that if you get into his drama—even in a small role—you'll become famous. The only downside is that he rarely leaves any lead roles open because he always acts in his own work."
"Can't blame him! If I wrote characters that could go down in television history, I'd want to play them too. Why hand them off to someone else?"
"Exactly!"
"Bluestar Films is accepting audition tapes from all over Great Zhou. I'm planning to submit one myself—maybe I'll get lucky."
The whole acting world was buzzing.
Jing Yu's talent for making stars was undeniable. Even a minor supporting role in one of his shows could lead to unimaginable fame.
So, although 'Legal High' and 'Natsume's Book of Friends' were the hottest series at the time, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' was quietly becoming the most talked-about upcoming drama behind the scenes.
By late April, episode 4 of 'Legal High' aired.
This episode featured a lawsuit between Komikado and Miki over residents' right to sunlight.
At this point, audiences had grown familiar with 'Legal High's episodic structure: one case per episode.
Of course, some episodes were better than others.
This one wasn't quite as compelling as the first three—sunlight rights just didn't resonate that much with Great Zhou viewers. But even so, it still pulled in an 8.55% rating.
After all, watching a human rights lawyer get betrayed by the very people he was defending did have its drama.
From episode 3 onward, the show's ratings growth had started to slow, but staying above 8% was enough to lock in the #1 rating for the season in Great Zhou.
Meanwhile, 'Natsume's Book of Friends' was playing a completely different game.
Where 'Legal High' had steady growth, 'Natsume's Book of Friends' saw another surge in viewership after episode 3.