Entertainment: You're asked to make a healing animation, but it will make the whole internet de

Amidst much anticipation, Clannad Season 2 has officially premiered.

However, the moment the familiar opening theme ended and the main feature began...

All the viewers watching on their screens were stunned.

The bright and warm campus is gone.

Instead, there are streets with gloomy tones, noisy construction sites, and cramped rental rooms that make it hard to breathe.

The Tomoya Okazaki who always complained about how troublesome it was, with his slightly long hair and a look of languor and rebellion in his eyes, was also gone.

The image shows a young man with his long hair cut short, wearing a dusty work uniform, his eyes filled with weariness and confusion.

He was no longer the delinquent who could roam freely on campus.

He became an ordinary electrician, struggling to make a living on the outskirts of the city.

The plot is no longer a lighthearted daily life story, nor is it a hilarious吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or witty remarks).

It was the repeated setbacks I encountered while job hunting.

It is the cold commands and harsh criticism from senior colleagues in the workplace.

It was the deep-seated loneliness of returning alone to that tiny rented room after get off work.

From campus to society.

There seems to be no transition in between.

Reality, without any warning, delivered a resounding slap to the face of all viewers with its coldest and hardest side.

On the night of the premiere, the bullet comments and comment sections of major platforms were instantly flooded with confusion and anger.

Where is my happiness? Where is my campus comedy? Su Laozei, give me back the heartwarming daily life from season one!

【Isn't this exactly what I do after get off work every day? I work a long, tiring day, and then I have to watch cartoons and suffer a second time?】

The art style has become so depressing. Seeing Tomoya like that makes my heart ache.

What the heck?! This was supposed to be a pure love story, how did it suddenly turn into a documentary about office workers? I wanted to watch a sweet romance, not this damn life!

It received countless perfect scores due to the perfect ending of the first season.

Within the first hour of the second season's premiere, it was engulfed by a flood of negative reviews.

The back-end systems of major rating websites.

The staff stared in disbelief as the ratings for Clannad Season 2's entertainment value and lightheartedness plummeted like an avalanche.

The negative review rate is skyrocketing at an alarming rate.

Su Bai has betrayed all the viewers!

He never intended to reform! He just lured us in here and then tortured us in even more cruel ways!

The comments section completely collapsed.

......

Tencent Animation Headquarters.

The data analyst practically burst through Wang Hao's office door, his face beaming with barely suppressed elation.

"President Wang! It's collapsed! Utterly collapsed!"

The analyst handed Wang Hao a data graph on a tablet. The curve representing Clannad's reputation was plummeting at an alarming angle.

"Our data shows that Clannad Season 2's ratings have plummeted, with negative reviews increasing by 300%! Because the plot is too depressing and realistic, a large number of viewers have said they've dropped the show!"

"On the other hand, our 'Sword Immortal Romance' has completely overtaken it in terms of reputation and ratings because of its consistent strategy of providing sweet moments!"

As Wang Hao looked at the curve representing Su Bai's failure, his smile grew wider and wider, eventually turning into a triumphant laugh.

He gracefully twirled his fingers.

"I've said it before: what the audience needs is a dream, not reality."

His voice was filled with the arrogance and pity of a victor.

"Su Bai is too arrogant. He thinks he can keep manipulating people's hearts with his little bit of cleverness."

"But he doesn't understand that people watch animation to escape the pain of reality, not to relive it in a virtual world."

"He's finished."

......

Healing Animation Company.

The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive.

The studio was filled with anxiety. Everyone was pale as they scrolled through their phones, their hands and feet cold as they looked at the overwhelming negative reviews and insults.

"Mr. Su, the official website server is about to crash."

"The ratings on major platforms have already fallen below 8 points."

Holding the tablet, Shen Qingyue looked at the words of betrayal and deception, and felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.

She rushed to the only man who remained calm, her voice trembling with tears.

"Su Bai! Did you see that?! It's all over! Everyone thinks they've been deceived! Is this what you wanted?"

Su Bai didn't look at her; his gaze was instead browsing an inconspicuous corner with great interest.

That's a new trending topic called #ClannadSeason2IsTooReal#.

There aren't many posts under this topic, but each one is like a letter written to life.

[Having graduated only six months ago, and after three months of job hunting, I was rejected by my tenth company today. Back in my tiny rented room, barely ten square meters, eating instant noodles, I turned on the second season of Clannad. Seeing Tomoya's expression, I, a grown man, couldn't hold back my tears. Su Bai, thank you for letting me know that I'm not the only one going through this.]

I'm an electrician, just like Tomoya. My foreman scolded me today, saying I'm clumsy. I used to think anime was all lies, but today I realized there's an anime that truly helps us understand our lives.

At first, I felt very depressed, but as I watched, I felt like I saw a reflection of myself in Tomoya. Although it was very painful, for some reason, I wanted to keep watching, to see how he, and also to see myself, would end up.

These comments seem so insignificant compared to the mainstream anger and abuse.

But they are like sparks, emitting a faint yet real light in the cold ruins of the internet.

Su Bai turned off the screen, turned to look at Shen Qingyue, whose face was filled with despair, and a mysterious smile appeared on his lips.

"Don't worry, this isn't a collapse, it's a process of selection."

"If you want people to truly feel the warmth of home, you must first let them, and also let Tomoya, walk alone through a cold and icy street."

"We're just refining the emotions, temporarily removing viewers who only want sweet moments."

Su Bai's voice was calm and resolute, carrying a sense of all-knowing composure.

"Only when the audience truly immerses themselves in the weight of this life lesson will the hard-won brilliance that follows become all the more precious."