The currently airing NHK Asadora drama series "Anpan" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00am and others) has passed the halfway point and is finally in the second half. From episode 1 to episode 65 of the first half, many memorable scenes come to mind, such as the marriage of the heroine Nobu (Mio Imada), events on the battlefield where Takashi (Takumi Kitamura) is on the verge of death due to hunger, and the farewell between Go (Kanata Hosoda) and Ranko (Yuumi Kawai) who is leaving for the war. Which episodes were viewers most intent on watching? We investigated based on the "attention level," which indicates the degree to which viewers are "glued to the screen" in front of the TV.
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.
◇ Yam-onchan is strong! Two scenes ranked high regardless of age or gender
The rankings show which episodes attracted the most attention in four categories: "All individuals," "Male," and "Female," which are for all age groups, as well as the "Core audience" of men and women aged 13 to 49.
The top five in each category was the eighth episode, in which Yam-on-chan, Sokichi Yamura(played by Sadao Abe), bakes Anpan(bean-jam buns) at Nobu's request, with the promise that he will do it just once. The process of making Anpan was carefully explained, and it was an episode that made you want to eat it too.
Also, the 45th episode, in which the Asada family is ordered by the military police to make hardtack, but Kusakichi, who initially stubbornly refuses to make it, returns and bakes it, also ranked in the three categories other than "male." The 45th episode was ranked first among the "core viewers," and the data shows how popular Yamuonchan is.
Episode 56, in which Taka is ordered to work in the war zone as a part of the propaganda squad and begins creating a picture story to win over the local residents, ranked in all three categories except for the "core audience" category. It came in first place in the "individual overall" category. The following episode, episode 57, in which Taka and his best friend Kentaro (Fumiya Takahashi) perform a picture story in front of Chinese people, ranked third in the "core audience" category, suggesting that this series of episodes was of particular interest to viewers.
The No. 1 male ranking was Nobu taking the entrance exam for the Kochi Shimpo newspaper in the 65th edition. He came in third in the overall individual ranking. During the interview, he was questioned about his past, in which he was featured in articles during the war as a "mirror of patriotism," which was an unexpected turn of events for viewers, and may have attracted more viewers, mainly male viewers.
◇ Yuumi Kawai, who embodied Ranko's anger and sadness, captured the hearts of women
The ranking for "Women" is a little different from the other three categories. The first place goes to the third episode, in which young Takashi and Chihiro (Nanako Matsushima Hirayama, Motoki Nakazawa as adults) chase after their mother Tomiko (Nanako Matsushima) who is trying to quietly leave the house. It was one of the highlights of the first week, depicting the sad separation between mother and child.
In third place is the 38th episode, in which the news of Gou's death in battle reaches Ranko and the rest of the Asada family in grief. "What's so great about that?" Ranko confesses to Nobu her secret feelings that she feels so frustrated every time people around her say "that's great." It's an emotional episode that really appeals to the emotions and seems to capture the attention of women.
◇What is the episode where Ranko and Go-chan break up that was talked about as a “divine episode”?
The 29th episode, in which Gou sneaks out of a send-off party before going off to war, and Ranko chases after him, finally telling him how she really loves him, was called a "divine episode," but it received less attention than expected. It was ranked 54th among "individuals overall," and 63rd among "core viewers." It was ranked 35th among "women," the highest out of the four categories.
Episode 59 also became a hot topic when Takashi's father, Kiyoshi (Kazunari Ninomiya), appears before him as he collapses to the ground and loses consciousness from starvation. This was likely due to Ninomiya's surprise appearance, who had only previously appeared in flashbacks to Takashi's childhood. Kiyoshi told Takashi, "I can't let my precious sons die in this pointless war," and added, "You live for your father and make something that everyone can be happy about. It doesn't matter how many decades it takes. Don't give up and keep making it."
The episode could be said to be a link to future "Anpanman" episodes, and was an unusual episode in that it did not feature the usual opening theme song, "Sagemono" by RADWIMPS. It was fairly well-regarded, coming in 10th place overall, but it was only 28th among the "core viewers," suggesting that it may not have resonated as well with younger viewers than other episodes. (Text by Hirozai Sasamoto/MANTAN)
