The audience exploded!
And this is only the beginning.
In the show, Sunday's identity was revealed through expressive techniques and flashbacks.
But in the plot, no one knows yet.
The audience's emotions at this moment are extremely complex.
Shock at Sunday's identity and how deeply it was hidden.
Fear of the storm-like darkness beneath Sunday's gentle exterior.
And worry that the characters they love in the show may now be in danger—because of Sunday!
--------------------------------------------
"Too exaggerated..."
At this very moment.
On a certain streaming platform, inside a viewing room.
Several streamers are watching Episode 3 together with their audience.
This kind of reaction-style viewing has always existed.
And the producers don't care that this format might divert traffic from the official MiHoYo site, because the number of viewers is simply overwhelming.
Every Saturday, countless people flood in—just one day's server cost equals the annual revenue of many companies.
Ninety percent of viewers choose to go to the official site for the cleanest viewing experience, while the remaining ten percent prefer watching along with some streamers, enjoying their reactions and feelings, which brings a unique experience.
This trio, known as the Kafka Viewing Group, is one of the officially authorized alternative viewing rooms by MiHoYo.
The three members are a screenwriter, an art professional, and a young actor.
Their perspectives often help viewers more clearly perceive the hidden details in Honkai: Star Rail.
That's also why the producers authorized them.
At this moment.
Inside the live room.
The viewers' comments overlap with those from the official site.
But the three streamers all have their mouths wide open, staring at each other.
...
: Hahaha, that expression—more shocked than me!
: But it's so satisfying to watch! That unexpected yet logical twist—only Honkai: Star Rail can pull this off.
: Never thought Sunday was the deeply hidden secret wolf. This game of Werewolf in Penacony is simply masterful! So brilliant!
: After the episode ends, I'm definitely going to scour the internet for all the streamers' reactions!
...
Looking at the bullet comments in the live room.
The core member of the Kafka Viewing Group, industry-renowned screenwriter Rion, finally comes back to his senses.
He glances at the comments, then at the screen.
At this moment.
Sunday's memory segment has just ended. He's holding his head, being watched worriedly by his younger sister.
And next, according to the story's progression.
There's a transitional scene.
Taking this opportunity, Rion prepares to chat with the viewers as they watch, especially about Sunday's brilliant segment.
"I know everyone must be really excited right now."
Rion composes himself. Not to mention the audience—he himself is still overwhelmed.
Can't help it. It was just that good.
"Of course we're excited!"
"That emotional punch really hit hard!"
"Does Writer Rion have any analysis?"
"Just in time for a slower plot moment."
"Exactly! I'm sure we missed tons of details!"
The comments stream across rapidly.
Rion chuckles: "But actually, the reason we three were so shocked we couldn't speak wasn't just the twist in Sunday's backstory."
"Of course, MiHoYo's writers are definitely top-tier—no doubt about it."
"They perfectly hid Sunday within Penacony! Only now revealing him! That kind of twist is exactly the emotional climax a story needs."
"In this regard, I think MiHoYo's writing is among the best—not just in our entertainment industry, but even the writers community."
"But that's not what I want to focus on. I want to go deeper, to something more fundamental."
As Rion speaks, his tone calms. He carefully recalls all the moments related to Sunday.
At the same time, he starts explaining common narrative reversal techniques to the viewers.
"There are many kinds of plot twists."
"For example, someone close to you suddenly turns out to be a murderer."
"Or your younger sister suddenly confesses her love to you."
"Or you're a poor person who suddenly wins the lottery."
After Rion finishes, the gentle and elegant art professional, Ms. Yun, chimes in appropriately: "These are common twists—identity-based reversals."
And just then, the comments tease:
"Writer Rion, tell us more about that sister one~"
"Write a few thousand more words and I'll throw you a big tip."
"Whoa, sibling drama!"
Seeing the playful comments, Rion chuckles: "See? You're all excited because identity twists create contrast and urgency."
"But this kind of technique has a downside—it's too ordinary, too simple."
"These days, as soon as a character's identity is revealed, many viewers can already guess the twist."
"Lots of writers are puzzled about how to hide their twists. Some choose very unreasonable methods—like having a good guy suddenly turn evil, and then deliver a last-minute explanation. It's just clumsy."
Ms. Yun adds, like in a comedy routine: "Right, that's the kind of 'plot-induced stupidity' viewers often complain about."
"More advanced writers, though, focus on character development."
Rion continues.
By now, there are far fewer comments in the live room.
The viewers are all listening intently.
This is their favorite part—first learning the industry tricks from Rion, then comparing them with MiHoYo's approach. It allows them to directly feel the difference in storytelling quality.
"For example, I'm a sensitive person. I might undergo a personality change after witnessing something unjust or cruel."
"And later, if I drastically change and become the protagonist's enemy, it would be a logical twist based on my character arc."
"The audience might even feel sympathy during the twist, because we've been portraying this sentimental person, describing his character all along,"
Rion said.
Yun nodded and said gently, "This adds depth to the twist. A typical reversal suddenly becomes sympathetic, and the audience will remember it and feel it's brilliant."
"This is basically what many top-level screenwriters, even authors pf novel's, do."
Rion pondered for a moment and continued: "You have to understand, a twist isn't just about creating a villain. It's about creating a living, breathing person. That alone is very difficult. Those classic works all use this approach."
"As long as the character design isn't conflicting—for example, I'm sentimental, then I become kind and passionate—then when it comes to the twist, you just add another reasonable emotion."Rion finished and waited for Yun's input.
"I'll add one more thing. Up until now, this technique has basically reached its limit. Although it's still good storytelling, many viewers can already see through it."
"Many screenwriters want to break through, but they can't."
Although Teacher Yun was gentle, her words were sharp.
"Exactly!"
At this moment, Rion suddenly got excited, spitting as he spoke:
"But, but Honkai: Star Rail!"
"It's completely different!"
"It's amazing!"
"Do you know what kind of technique the people at MiHoYo used?"
"They used philosophy to shape a character!"
"What is philosophy? Philosophy is useful, but to many viewers, it's empty and pretentious! Understand? In a series, if you talk to me about philosophy, that's just empty talk!"
"In a commercial work, it's best not to stuff in too much philosophical content."
"If there's too much, it becomes an art film!"
"From a commercial perspective, Star Rail combines philosophy with its cosmology and Aeons, getting the audience to voluntarily and sincerely study and anticipate this abstract concept. That's already amazing!"
"This perfect fusion of the two is incredibly imaginative! It directly elevates the story—not just a cool narrative, but a commercial piece with the depth of an art film!"
Rion spoke excitedly.
But some of the viewers didn't quite get it.
"Teacher, what does this have to do with Sunday's twist?"
"We know Star Rail's Aeon concept is excellent, but we want to hear you talk about Sunday!"
"Hahaha, did the teacher get too excited and go off-topic?"
Comments scrolled by.
Rion shook her head with a knowing look and said, "This has everything to do with Sunday's twist!"
"MiHoYo made character settings—head of the Oak family, gentle older brother, a follower of Harmony's Path."
"They laid the groundwork with ideals—that Robin segment with Sunday. Through a bird, viewers clearly saw the core of both characters' beliefs."
"But at that time, we still didn't suspect Sunday was the Hidden Wolf. Why? Because their ideals were correct. Even though they conflicted, in the eyes of the audience, those were the kind of beliefs that 'good people' have."
"The siblings took different paths but had the same goal: to save the bird."
"And at that point, through Sunday's scenes, we gained a deeper understanding."
"A kind, compassionate man, but also aggressive and proactive—especially that scene where he captures Aventurine."
Rion took a sip of water to moisten her throat and didn't hold back the most important part.
"And after that—was there any more foreshadowing? No!"
"Just relying on that isn't enough to support Sunday being the Hidden Wolf. If the twist just happened like that, the third episode would completely fall apart because there's no more setup."
"Alright, now comes MiHoYo's most brilliant move!"
As keyboard clicks rang out, Rion spoke while pulling up the scene on the screen.
...
"The most crucial clue for Sunday's twist is—faith!"
"Did MiHoYo lay the groundwork? They did! They've been setting it up since Aha first appeared!"
"Myriad Celestia Trailer! Harmony! The Family!"
"And on MiHoYo's official site, in the lore, in the express crew, and in scattered dialogues with other characters across the universe."
"Through these, we gain a general understanding of Harmony's philosophy, and all the groundwork stems from those deep narrative layers!"
"Since Harmony lends strength to the weak, and Sunday is someone willing to save lives, no matter how ordinary you are."
"But what kind of place is Penacony? Capital, debauchery, class divide—people from all over the universe gather here, and Sunday just happens to be a very important figure in the Harmony faction, facing all of this every single day."
"And every day here brings a heavy blow to the volunteers who treat the crude-minded in the district worse than the last."
The sound of typing finally stopped.
Rion took a breath, eyes filled with admiration, awe, and deep respect, and struck the final key for this analysis.
"All plot twists are usually revealed by the characters themselves or narrated by the show's population: 'I've changed because of this or that reason.'"
"Only Honkai: Star Rail used an exaggerated technique. It let the audience define it themselves in their minds: Sunday is a hidden wolf."
"Did you notice? Before that confession flashback, not a single person suspected Sunday."
...
"And in the final part of the confession, when he questioned Harmony—didn't everyone, including you, immediately realize Sunday was the one hiding the deepest?"
"Because every one of you understands the concept of Aeons, understands the concept of Path Striders, and knows Sunday is the last person who should be questioning Harmony."
"And the moment he questioned Harmony, a great plot twist destined to be remembered in film history was born."
"This kind of questioning is philosophical, related to the philosophy of Harmony itself. Star Rail first implanted a philosophical concept, created an Aeon, and through that, flipped expectations."
"All of this is incredibly logical!"
After these words were spoken.
The comment feed fell silent for a moment, then exploded.
...
: Holy crap! It really is like that!
: We didn't even need MiHoYo to say it—we completed a rational character reversal ourselves!
: And the craziest thing is, the subtlety they managed to hide in this is insane!
: It's like an open-book exam. Even if they gave us the entire breakdown in advance, until the very last moment when MiHoYo turned over the answer sheet, we had no idea it was like this.
: So Sunday's reversal was essentially achieved through our own understanding of Harmony.
: Top-tier. This execution is insane. I'm literally speechless.
: If Star Rail hadn't given us enough understanding of Harmony in the earlier story, this scene might have been a complete failure... But it wasn't. So—was this all part of MiHoYo's calculation?
: Damn, MiHoYo understands my brain better than I do.
...
After Rion's breakdown, the viewers finally completely understood the deeper meaning of that previous segment.
They were left in awe at Star Rail's flawless plotting.
This terrifying ability to lay foreshadowing made the viewers feel sheer exhilaration—and immense pride.
Whoever said Star Rail was going to collapse in episode 3—
Come out and face us!
After this intense and satisfying analysis—
The transitional scene on screen reached its end.
Along the way, Sunday, Robin, and Welt were on the road searching for the Dream master, meeting various people.
Just like the earlier confession, Robin and Sunday both responded to the same person's doubts with different answers.
But in the end—
Sunday's words were no longer confused. He now sounded more like a person ready to sprint into the unknown.
The audience understood, too.
These plotlines were probably crafted for those who genuinely had no concept of Harmony, walking them through a lengthy reversal process.
However, the small portion of viewers who didn't grasp Sunday's questioning of Harmony—would definitely miss out on the shock and awe of that moment.
And at this moment—
In a golden hour—
The trio stood before a woman.
The woman's expression was calm, but what came from her mouth was not the voice of a young girl, but that of the Dream Master.
After experiencing such a grand twist—
The viewers watched with even greater excitement, instinctively sensing...
The ending of Penacony—might be arriving soon!