What was the most captivating moment in the 106th episode (broadcast on August 25th) of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and other times), starring Mio Imada ? When we looked at minute-by-minute trends in "attention level," which indicates the degree to which viewers were glued to the screen, we found that the highest attention level in the 106th episode (surveyed by REVISIO, Kanto region, preliminary figures) was 77.5% at 8:11 AM, when the suspicions surrounding Takashi ( Takumi Kitamura) were suddenly cleared immediately after they had deepened.
"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 value was 77.5% at 8:11 a.m. After 10 minutes, attention remained high.
In this week's 22nd week, Taka has completed an illustration of a fat man handing out Anpan, but his idea for a manga depicting the man as a hero is not approved by his editor. Nobu (Imada) encourages Taka by saying he likes the man's drawing. Meanwhile, Yagi (Satoshi Tsumabuki), who has recognized Taka's talent for poetry, sets up a publishing department at his company, Kyushu Cotton Center, and asks him if he would like to publish a collection of poems.
In Monday's 106th episode, Taka self-publishes "My Manga Poetry Collection" as a birthday present for Nobu. The highlight of the day is when Meiko (Nanoka Hara) happens to come across Taka meeting with an editor at a cafe to discuss self-publishing. After being told to keep this a secret from Nobu, Meiko jumps to conclusions and causes a bit of a commotion in the family. Even after becoming a mother, this episode is typical of Meiko, whose panicky nature hasn't changed.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of people actually paying attention to the TV screen, starts off a little slow. It rises sharply, reaching its first peak at 8:07 AM at 76.3%. The scene begins exactly seven minutes into the program, with Taka and his editor having a meeting at a cafe. When Meiko appears with her daughter, Taka asks her to "keep the fact that we're having a meeting here a secret from Nobu-chan." Meiko is a little surprised and starts thinking all sorts of unnecessary things, which anticipates the upcoming twists and turns and is entertaining for the viewer.
After that, expectations dropped sharply from 8:08 AM, but rose again at 8:10 AM, remaining above 75% until the 14th minute. From the latter half of the 8th minute, the scene began in which Ranko (Yuumi Kawai) and Meiko rushed over and the three sisters celebrated Nobu's birthday, and at the 10th minute, when the expectation recorded 76.5%, it was right at the climax of the scene where Meiko reveals to Nobu that Taka had told her not to tell anyone.
"I saw you the other day. You were having a secret conversation with a woman in a coffee shop in the afternoon." Nobu's eyes darted from side to side as Meiko said this, unable to hide his agitation. "Taka-san, I told you to keep it a secret from your sister. Isn't that strange?" With Meiko further casting suspicion on him, Nobu puts the glass of juice he was drinking on the table, making a loud noise. At that moment, Taka-san returns. In a sense, this was the moment when his suspicions reached their peak.
The highest reading for the day continued at 8:11 AM, reaching 77.5%. As soon as he got home, Taka said, "So you were celebrating with anpan. I'm glad I made it in time," and handed Nobu a book titled "My Manga Poetry Collection" as a birthday present. "No way!" Nobu's expression changed instantly. Taka explained that he had self-published the book with an editor introduced to him by Ranko. He apologized to Meiko, saying, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was in a meeting the other day," and all doubts vanished. The situation had completely changed from a minute before, and Meiko's embarrassed expression was irresistible.
The anticipation level drops slightly at 8:12 AM when the scene shifts to Taka's visit to Yagi's office, but returns to the upper 76% range from the 13-minute mark, when it becomes clear that Yagi and the others have been reading "My Manga Poetry Collection." "The heart that appreciates what is beautiful. The heart that sympathizes with sadness. Just like in the picture storytelling, this is so like you. This is lyric poetry that resonates with everyone." Yagi praises Taka and tells him to "write more poetry." Yagi, who is usually calm and collected, is extremely excited on this day, and quickly takes action one after another.
The drama ends with Nobu reading a book of poems in front of her house. The narration in which she recites excerpts from the poems is memorable.
Anticipation first peaked at 8:07 AM when Meiko witnessed Takashi having a "secret rendezvous" with a female editor. It continued at 8:10 AM when Meiko told Nobu about the "secret rendezvous," and then peaked at 8:11 AM when the whole story became clear. In a sense, it could be said that viewers were drawn to the screen, just as the scriptwriters and directors intended. The conversation scene with Yagi from 8:12 AM onwards was one where attention might have waned, but this time it continued to garner interest until the very end. Perhaps viewers couldn't take their eyes off Yagi, whose energy was different from usual.
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)
