Attention rate for episode 109: Did Kaho's sharp tongue scare viewers? The highest rate was 72.3% at 8:07 AM.

What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 109th episode (broadcast on August 28th) of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8am and others), starring Mio Imada ? When we looked at the minute-by-minute trends in "attention level" (surveyed by REVISIO, Kanto region, preliminary figures), which indicates the degree to which viewers in front of the TV were glued to the screen, we found that the first half of the drama, when Kaho ( Yuzuna Nagase ), a fourth-grader who is a fan of Takashi's ( Takumi Kitamura ) poetry, unleashed her sharp tongue, was the most captivating overall.

" 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 score was 72.3% at 8:07 AM, when the sharp-tongued Kaho and Ranko met.

The 109th episode is about Kaho, an elementary school student who sent Takashi a fan letter, coming to the Yanai household. Miho Nakazono, who is in charge of the script, read Takashi Yanase's poetry collection "Aisuru Uta" when she was a child, and sent him a fan letter, which led to her corresponding with Yanase. She says that she modeled the character Kaho on herself.

Nobu (Imada) and Taka greet Kaho with a smile when she visits with her grandfather, Sunao (Asano Kazuyuki), but Kaho doesn't smile at all and rambles on, saying things like, "The house is shabby," "I want to drink some cider," and "You must have no money if you're serving Anpan to guests," completely bewildering the two. She blurts out whatever comes to mind without hesitation, and in a way, has a childlike attitude, which makes for a fun drama to watch. Nakazono also said in an interview, "It felt good to write about her speaking her mind so freely" (please read Nakazono's interview article for more details).

The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of people actually watching the TV screen, was high in the first half and slightly lower in the second half. This is a somewhat unusual pattern, as many episodes of "Anpan" have recently maintained a relatively high level for almost the entire 15 minutes.

As soon as the opening theme song played, anticipation levels rose. At 8:02 AM, the ratings were at 68.5%, and three minutes later, at 70.1%, they had already reached the 70% mark. When Kaho arrives at the Yanai household, she makes comments such as, "The house is shabby," "I want to drink some cider," and "They must be broke if they're serving Anpan to guests." While the girl's character is revealed, the story also piques interest as to her yet-to-be-revealed "true face."

"Until now, I thought poetry was difficult, but I was happy to think that even I could write something like this." As they listened carefully, Kaho's comments became increasingly rude, and Nobu and Taka were confused. At 8:04 and 8:05 a.m., the rating dropped slightly, but at 8:06 a.m. it returned to the 70% range, and at 7:07 a.m. it reached the highest point of the day, 72.3%.

At 8:07 AM, Kaho goes out to use the restroom and is confronted by Ranko upon her return. Nobu introduces Kaho to Ranko, whispering that she's come all the way here, but if things continue as they are, she'll be disappointed and sent home. Kaho replies, "I wasn't expecting anything special, so don't worry about it," to which Ranko laughs, "Oh... you're right." Nobu says, "If it's Ranko, I might lose," and leaves Kaho in Ranko's care as she goes off to buy some cider. Up until this point, the time is in the seven-minute range. It's not Ranko vs. Kaho, but it's definitely a pairing that builds anticipation for what happens next.

Afterwards, Ranko and Kaho hit it off while talking about movies. They chat about "My Fair Lady" and "Roman Holiday" while drinking the cider Nobu had bought on their front porch. When Kaho says about Joe, the newspaper reporter in "Roman Holiday," "That guy is tall and looks a bit like my father," Ranko replies, "Wow, your father is handsome, isn't he?"

Meanwhile, the Sunaman, who remained in the room, tells Nobu and Takashi that Kaho had recently lost her beloved father, and that she had been crying constantly, but that after reading Takashi's poetry collection "Beloved Songs," she gradually regained her strength. This is the first time that Kaho has said she wants to go outside since her father passed away.

It was a good scene that revealed some of the issues Kaho was dealing with, but after 8:08 AM the viewership dropped sharply and never rose above 70% again.

Even in the second half, small mountains were created twice: at around 8:10 AM, when Nobu confesses to the Sunao, who thanks him by saying, "This is the first time Kaho has said she wants to go outside," and "You (Taka) have moved my grandson's heart," that "Taka and I both lost our fathers when we were about Kaho's age," and at 8:13 AM, when Ranko confesses, "Kaho and I like the same poem," and the two recite Taka's poem, "Sadness in the Palm of Your Hand," holding hands and laughing. The impact of the sharp-tongued character was so strong that viewers' attention was probably focused on the first half.

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)