乞うご期待 is a set expression that means "Don't miss it!"
What's up with the weird word order? If I interpret this to really mean ご期待を乞う, then I can't think of any other circumstance in Japanese where the object of a main verb can follow the verb.
2 Answers
From today's perspective, it might as well be called a sample of anastrophe. However, not many words other than 乞う use this type of formula.
Etymologically, it comes from a specific practice in the 漢文訓読 tradition. There is a Chinese verb 請 "treat" that is also used as if English "please". This "interjectory" 請 is often read out at the original place instead of brought after the object.
請息交以絕游
請【こ】う 交【まじ】わりを息【や】めて 以【もっ】て游【ゆう】を絶【た】たん（帰去来辞）請君爲我傾耳聽
請【こ】う君【きみ】 我【わ】が為【ため】に耳【みみ】を傾【かたむ】けて聴【き】け（将進酒）
The 乞う～ expression is the remnant of this construction, normally with homonymous 乞 instead of correct 請.
answered Oct 2, 2019 at 9:38
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Wow that makes a lot of sense. So just as Chinese starts a request with 請 (qǐng), used similarly to the way English speakers start a request with 'Please', this is also directly translated into Japanese by putting '請う' first. Interesting! Wow, Kanbun is really tricky...– rjhOct 3, 2019 at 11:11
I think the headline is used 「倒置法」 and 「体言止め」・「喚体句」 i.e.「ご期待を乞う」→ 「乞うご期待」.
The author using the figure of speech to emphasize the author's "wish": 「乞う」 and the reverberation of 「体言止め」 is actually sustaining "anticipation" : 「御期待」.
「乞うご期待」seems to have started to be expressed as 「乞御期待」 in the advertisement of the movie currently showing at the theater.
「乞うご期待」: I very wish you guys really look forward to for the next time
answered Oct 1, 2019 at 23:10
乞う，ご期待so I don't think your theory works