"Anpan" records highest viewership of any Asadora on NHK Plus for weeks 1-13

It was revealed on July 16th that the number of viewers for the first half of the story, weeks 1 to 13 ( broadcast from March 31st to June 27th) of the NHK Asadora , Monday to Saturday at 8:00 am and others), starring Imada Mio, either simultaneously or on catch-up streaming (from the day of broadcast to the next 7 days) on NHK Plus, was the highest ever for a morning Asadora.

"Anpan" recorded the highest average UB (unique browser) of any morning Asadora that has been distributed on NHK Plus since April 2020 (compared to the average number of viewers per episode from the 1st to 13th weeks). The UB number refers to the number of devices on which the program was viewed, and even if the same device is used multiple times, it will still count as 1.

Chief Producer Ken Kurasaki, who is in charge of production, commented, "The whole team is encouraged that Anpan has reached so many people through streaming. With 100 million people and 100 million different lifestyles, I'm sure there are a variety of everyday lives, such as people who can't be at home at 8 a.m. because of work or school, or people who don't have a television at all."

"At the NHK Drama Festival held at Tokyo Tower on July 12th and 13th, I had the opportunity to speak directly with viewers of all ages who love Anpan, from children to students, and working people to seniors. What I realized was that many people are not only watching it on NHK Plus, but also recording it, or watching it on BS or NHK On Demand. I also heard a lot of happy comments from people who say they watch it multiple times a day," he recalled.

"Of course, we would like you to watch it in the morning, the start of your day, but we would also be happy if you would continue to watch it on the medium and at the time that suits your individual lifestyle. The story is already in the second half. We will see how Nobu and Taku will end up together, and new, fascinating characters will continue to appear, so we hope you will not miss a single day of watching."

"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobuyuki (1918-1993), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman." It is a "story of love and courage" that will make you feel the joy of living, depicting how these two, who were once nobody, overcame all sorts of rough seas and arrived at "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice."