Which drama series most captivated viewers in their final episodes that aired between April and June 2025? When ranked by "attention level," which indicates the degree to which viewers in front of the TV were glued to the screen, the third place for the "individual overall" targeting men and women of all generations was NHK's "Shiawase wa tabete nete mate," second place was Fuji TV's "Second to Last Love 3," and the top spot was taken by a somewhat unexpected drama. We will introduce the results by gender and generation.
The data used was a unique indicator of "attention level" published by REVISIO, a company that surveys viewing habits of programs and commercials in 2,000 households in the Kanto region and 600 households in the Kansai region. A dedicated device equipped with a human body recognition sensor constantly measures whether people are looking at the TV screen, and calculates the percentage of people in front of the TV who are paying close attention to the program. The higher the number, the more people were engrossed in the program and unable to take their eyes off it.
This ranking was based on the final episodes of 17 TV drama series that were broadcast on commercial and NHK TV during the golden or prime time slots from April to June.
Coming in first place for "individuals overall" was TV Asahi's "PJ: Air Rescue Team," which, although it only ranked 10th in household viewership (surveyed by REVISIO), also ranked first among "men" (all generations) in attention. The final episode depicted students completing a year of rigorous training to become rescue workers and moving on to a new stage in their lives. It also ranked second among the "core viewership demographic" (men and women aged 13-49), suggesting that the "graduation" of young people captured the hearts of a wide range of viewers.
Coming in second for "Overall Individuals," "Second to Last Love 3" ranked second for "Men" and third for "Women" (all generations), ranking highly in both categories. However, perhaps because the drama portrayed adult men and women around 60 years old, played by Kyoko Koizumi and Kiichi Nakai, trying to live life happily even as they age, it only ranked ninth among the "core viewers" of the younger generation. There was a difference of nearly 20 points between it and the first place drama, and the characteristics of the work were clearly reflected in the results.
In terms of household viewership ratings, the top spot went to TBS's "Caster ," followed in second place by " Taigan no Kaji Second to Last Love 3 ," and in third place by TBS's "Taigan no Kaji: Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Michi!".The rankings are quite different from those of the most popular shows, and it is interesting to note that shows with high viewership ratings are not necessarily the most popular.
One of the most talked-about spring dramas was Fuji TV's " A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You," which ranked 8th overall among individuals, but came in 3rd for attention among the "core audience." The final episode showed Natsumi (Kyoko Yoshine), and many people on social media expressed their "Meoto Biyori loss." The data also backed up the fact that Natsumi and Takitama's frustrating yet endearing newlywed life had captivated the "core audience."
Furthermore, "Someday, a Hero," which had the lowest household viewer ratings out of the 17 dramas, came in first in terms of attention among "women" and "core viewers." The drama tells the story of a mysterious man (Kenta Kiritani) who has been missing for 20 years, who stands up against corrupt, enormous power with his former students who are feeling resigned to the harsh world they live in. Even if you are a small presence in society, you may be able to become a "light" or a "hero" to someone. The message of this drama may have struck a chord with viewers living today. (Text by Sasamoto Hirozai/MANTAN)
