The popularity of the 105th episode fluctuated wildly, just like Nobu's emotions. At 8:14am, it reached a peak of 72.9%. Was it tears? Laughter? Screams?

What was the most captivating scene in the 105th episode (broadcast on August 22nd) of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada ? An investigation into minute-by-minute changes in "attention level," which indicates the degree to which viewers were glued to the screen, revealed that the highest level of attention (surveyed by REVISIO, Kanto region, preliminary figures) in the 105th episode, which focused on the aftermath of the fight between Taka ( Takumi Kitamura) and Nobu (Imada), was at 8:14 AM, when an illustration appeared towards the end of the drama, at 72.9%.

"Anpan" is based on the married Takashi Yanase(1919-2013), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman," and his wife, Nobu (1918-1993). It is a "story of love and courage" that will fill you with the joy of living, depicting how these two, who were once nobodys, overcame all sorts of troubles to become "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."

◇The highest temperature was 72.9% at 8:14 AM. The moment Anpanman was born!?

Episode 105 depicted the aftermath of Nobu and Taka's "closely separated" life. The moment when "Anpanman" was born was also shown towards the end of the episode, and the staff probably considered this to be one of the most important episodes of the entire "Anpan" series. The opening with the theme song was cut, and an unconventional structure was adopted, with the names of the cast members displayed in subtitles at the end. In many cases, the reason the basic structure of a drama is deliberately broken is because the staff is aware that it is a special episode.

However, the "attention level," which indicates the percentage of people actually watching the TV screen, did not remain high from start to finish. It fluctuated wildly to an extent that has not been seen recently, with the graph showing multiple peaks and valleys.

As the drama began, attention began to grow, with the first mountain being reached at 8:04 a.m., with 70.8% of viewers watching. After hearing the origin of Taka's name from Tomiko (Nanako Matsushima), Nobu heads up the mountain alone. The four-minute mark begins when Nobu passes a parent and child descending as he begins to climb the mountain, and ends just before he reaches the peak. Just like Taka, who worries about his actions and asks, "Why a mountain?", viewers may have been closely watching what would happen next.

However, after 8:05 a.m., attention dropped sharply.

Standing at the summit, Nobu shouts "Yahoo!" to the surrounding mountains. What will Nobu do? Next, he sings "Te no Hira wo Taiyou ni" (Te no Hira wo Taiyou ni), then screams out, "Takashi, you idiot!" Perhaps his voice and thoughts reach Takashi, who is at his home studio. He takes out a piece of paper to draw for the first time in a long time. Then, as he recalls the time in Kochi when he first encountered Nobu and the anpan (sweet bun) of Sokichi Yamura(Sadao Abe), also known as "Yam-on-chan," the progress drops to 61.5% at around 8:06 AM, but then reverses course. Takashi becomes engrossed in the process, begins to draw something resembling anpan, and at 67.9% in the 7-minute mark, he builds a second, slightly smaller mountain.

Nobu returns to find Taka working on a painting in the darkened room. "I never became anything. I never accomplished anything - not a teacher, not a secretary to a congressman, not working for a company. I never even got to give birth to Taka's baby," she confesses. The attention level for the two of them interacting in this dimly lit room hovers around the mid-60s, but begins to rise again at 8:11 a.m. when they start talking about "Taka's baby."

"That's not anyone's fault," Taka said, holding Nobu's hand and gently saying, "This is fine for us as a couple." Nobu shed big tears and confided, "But sometimes I wonder, what was I born for?" and "I feel pathetic, like the world has forgotten me, left me behind." Taka replied, "Nobu-chan, you were always running for someone. Always at full speed. Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today. You're great just the way you are," to which Nobu replied, "Thank you."

"Taka-san, what did you draw?" Nobu asked, looking down at the picture on Taka's desk, and Taka immediately smiled, saying, "No way! This Anpan guy is the best," and "He's handing out bean buns." The 8:14 a.m. mark from this point onwards was the highest point of the 105th contest, at 72.9%.

It showed a man with a round face, wearing a Anpan and holding an anpan in each hand, flying through the sky. "This fat man will later become Anpanman, a huge hit among children, but that's still a long way off. Check it out!" The narrator explained the picture, and the 105th episode came to a close.

Nobu's emotions fluctuated wildly in episode 105, as he "screamed," "cried," and "smiled." Ultimately, the relationship between the two deepened, and the flow towards "Anpanman" finally began to become apparent. The viewers' attention to the screen fluctuated just as wildly as Nobu's emotions, but in the end, it seemed they were drawn to Taka's illustration.

The data used is a unique indicator called "attention level" published by REVISIO, a company that surveys the 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. (Text by Sasamoto Hirozai/MANTAN)