The 90th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), which aired on August 1st, was packed with highlights. It was likely a milestone episode of the entire drama, but what scene captured the hearts of viewers? We analyzed the minute-by-minute changes in "attention level," which indicates the degree to which viewers were glued to the screen.
The data used was a proprietary index called "attention level" published by REVISIO, a company that surveys TV program and commercial viewing habits 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.
"Tomorrow's broadcast is a must-watch," Chief Producer Ken Kurasaki (CP), who oversees the production, said on his X (formerly Twitter) account on the night of July 31st, the day before the broadcast. The 90th episode was packed with so much to offer that it was an episode not to be missed.
Nobu (Mio Imada) and Taka (Takumi Kitamura and Taka begin their journey as husband and wife, the women of the Asada family return to Kochi.
◇The highest level of attention was received from "Kurabaa"'s "Thank you"
Looking at the minute-by-minute trends in household viewership and attention (surveyed by REVISIO, Kanto region), viewership remains roughly flat from the beginning to the end of the program, but attention fluctuates dramatically, forming multiple peaks that can be seen at a glance on the graph.
The highest attention rating of 77% was recorded at 8:14 AM, during the final scene where the Asada women return to Kochi. While Meiko (Nanoka Hara) is whining, saying, "I want to stay in Tokyo," and her sister Ranko (Yuumi Kawai) and others are trying to drag her back home, Kura (Miyoko Asada) turns around and says "thank you" to Nobu and Taka. The narrator then concludes by announcing that Kura (Miyoko Asada) has departed for Kamaji (Kotaro Yoshida). It's quite an impressive scene.
The next highest ratings were at 73% at 8:04 and 8:07 AM. At 4:04 AM, the ladies were excited about the couple's relationship at a wedding celebration banquet. At that moment, Chiyoko (Naho Toda) gushed, "More than supporting my husband, I'm deeply in love with Hiroshi (Yutaka Takenouchi)," and this is thought to be the moment that got the crowd excited.
The seven-minute mark is when Meiko passionately sings "Who Did This to a Woman Like This?" and then Kura pleads, "Taka-kun, just one more thing. Please, live a long life. Live longer than Nobu." This scene seems to hint at the ending. After this, Chiyoko goes to the bathroom and comes back surprised to find a hole in the ceiling. Tomiko (Nanako Matsushima) laments that she feels sorry for Nobu, but Nobu smiles and says, "It's okay. I'm happy and I love you." This is the seven-minute mark.
After this, attention levels declined and remained low until the end. In fact, Nobu follows Takashi after he leaves the banquet, and the two are sitting and talking at the sink in the communal bathroom. Apart from the opening scene where the theme song plays, the lowest attention level was at 65% at 8:12 AM, when Nobu says, "I'm so glad I met you, Takashi," and Takashi gently embraces her and they share a kiss. This was a scene that generated excitement on social media, but perhaps it was too much for morning TV viewers to pay attention to.
Compared to a normal episode, it had a lot of ups and downs overall, and it felt like there were a lot of peaks. It seems that CP Kurazaki's thoughts and what the staff wanted to convey were properly conveyed to the viewers. (Text by Sasamoto Hirozai/MANTAN)
