Anpan:The trend in attention in the 107th episode: A sudden turn of events for "Ranko"Yuumi Kawai and "Yagi"Satoshi Tsumabuki. What happened at 8:11 AM, with a peak of 74.9%.

What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 107th episode (broadcast on August 26th) of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada ? Episode 107 was a noteworthy episode in which there were signs of a change in the relationship between Ranko ( Yuumi Kawai) and Yagi (Satoshi Tsumabuki), who viewers were excited about, wondering if they might end up together. We looked into the minute-by-minute trends in "attention level" (surveyed by REVISIO, Kanto region, preliminary figures), which indicates how glued viewers were to the screen in front of the TV, to see if the scenes between the two characters really attracted "attention."

"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 rating was 74.9% at 8:11 AM. You can't take your eyes off the 3-minute scene between "Ranko" and "Yagi"

The ceramic goods featuring Takashi's (Takumi Kitamura) poems and illustrations, which Yagi created as a result of his inspiration, sold so well that additional orders were received. Episode 107 begins with a fun scene in which Nobu (Imada) drinks tea from a cup containing Takashi's poem, reciting the poem aloud and teasing Takashi as they sit at the same table. After the opening with the theme song playing, the scene continues with Takashi and Kentaro (Fumiya Takahashi) talking about Yagi while eating at a cafe. In fact, the attention rating remained low from the start until 8:04 a.m., at around 61-63%.

Around 8:03 AM, the scene shifts to Yagi's company. Ranko, who has come to the office to help with some paperwork, smiles as she sees Yagi lovingly embracing the orphans who have arrived. This scene gives the impression that the relationship between the two is gradually progressing, but even this scene is in the late 4-minute range. The anticipation level has not yet been built up.

At 8:05 AM, the ratings finally reached 70.4%, with anticipation finally reaching the 70% mark. It was at this scene that Yagi called the Yanai household and asked Nobu to pass on a message to the poets there, telling them to write more and more poetry. Nobu countered, "My husband is a manga artist, so even if you tell me to write more and more, I can't keep writing poems one after another." It was perhaps Nobu's one word that fired the show, drawing the attention of viewers.

The level of attention continued to rise after that, reaching its first peak at 74.7% at 8:07 AM. Ranko gazed intently at Yagi, who continued to read Taka's poem with complete concentration, and smiled faintly. There didn't seem to be much difference in Ranko's expression as she gazed at Yagi at around 8:04 AM, but strangely, the level of attention at this point increased.

At around 8:08 AM, when Yagi tells Kasuya (played by Shunsuke Tanaka) and Akira (played by Tomoaki Saito) that "We're going to start a publishing division. Our first project will be a collection of poems by Takashi Yanai," the ratings temporarily dropped to 69.1%, dropping below 70%, but then rose again. The show then moved on to the scene between 9 and 11 minutes into the show, where Yagi and Ranko are alone in the office.

When Ranko sees a picture that Taka has drawn of Yagi and the children, she asks Yagi, "When you give presents to the children, do you always hug them like that?"

"Yes. What children need to survive in this world are, first and foremost, nutritious food, a place to live, and then music, stories, and poetry," Yagi replied. "Another thing they need is..." he continued, "human warmth. Those children don't know the warmth that is given unconditionally by their parents." Ranko said, "Yagi-san, you've embraced hundreds of children so far, haven't you?" Yagi replied, "I guess that's how it is."

Hearing this, Ranko blurts out, "Someone... who will embrace you like that, Yagi..." Yagi stares at Ranko and says, unable to hide his agitation, "No... I..." Ranko looks uncomfortable and says, "Sorry. That's a strange question," as she leaves the office. After leaving the office, Ranko stands motionless in front of the door for a while. Yagi also stands frozen, seemingly thinking about something.

This roughly third-minute scene between the two gradually gained attention, and although it was a long scene, the numbers show that once it grabbed the attention of the viewers, it didn't let go. The highest rating of the day, 74.9%, was recorded around 8:11 AM in the second half, when Ranko blurted out, "Someone...someone who will embrace Yagi-san like that..." Kawai was adept at missing the pitch in the final "hito" (person), giving the impression that she had said something she shouldn't have. The moment their gazes met, when they hadn't consciously met until then, was particularly captivating. It was a quiet scene without any words or music, but the two actors gave such a passionate performance that it didn't seem to matter.

After that, the attention level gradually declined, but remained at 70% until around 8:14 AM. This was the scene where Yagi visited the Yanai family to tell them about the publication of his poetry collection. This scene was also worth watching, but it felt like the afterglow of the scene between Ranko and Yagi continued until the very end of the 107th episode.

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)