Anpan:Attention Trends for Episode 112: Ranko and Yagi's "adult love" is captivating. What happened at 8:09am, when the highest rating was 70.6%?

What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 112th episode (broadcast on September 2nd) of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), starring Mio Imada ? When we looked at minute-by-minute trends in "attention level" (surveyed by REVISIO, Kanto region, preliminary figures), which indicates the degree to which viewers were glued to the screen, we found that the scene that attracted the most attention was the midway scene between Ranko ( Yuumi Kawai) and Yagi (Satoshi Tsumabuki), which completely transformed the drama into an adult melodrama.

"Anpan" is based on the married couple Yanase (1919-2013), the manga artist and picture book writer who created "Anpanman," and 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."

◇ "Why?" Yagi asked Ranko at 8:09 AM, the highest point was 70.6%.

In episode 112, when Kentaro (Fumiya Takahashi) tells him that the members of the Original Manga Club have gone on a world trip, Taka (Takumi Kitamura) is shocked that he wasn't invited. When Nobu (Imada) hears about it from Meiko (Nanoka Hara), he becomes angry and regrets Taka's feelings, and grabs the dejected Taka's arm and runs out of the room.

The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of people actually watching the TV screen, showed a "late-stage type" graph with a large peak towards the end of the drama for the previous day's episode 111, whereas episode 112 showed a "mid-stage type" graph with a stable high level of attention in the middle. The scene towards the end where Nobu grabs Takashi's arm and runs out of the room did not attract much attention. In fact, the focus of attention that day was on a different scene.

The opening scene, which aired at 8:01 AM and recorded a moderate viewership rating of 69.1%, saw Taka and Takuya (played by Motoki Omori) talking in a cafe when Kentaro arrived late and criticized the members of the Original Manga Club for going on a world trip without even saying a word to Taka, saying, "That was terrible." Kentaro later realized that Taka hadn't even known this fact, and together with Takuya, he tried his best to support Taka and comfort him when he was feeling down. The exchange between Kentaro and Takuya was a fun scene.

After this scene, the opening theme song plays. Attention levels drop for a moment, but as the drama returns, they begin to rise again towards the middle of the show, reaching their peak. The first peaks were at 8:05 AM, when it recorded 70.1%, and at 8:06 AM, when it recorded 69.8%. What was it about this scene that recorded such high levels of attention for two consecutive minutes?

The 8:05 AM segment begins with Nobu, who is baking bread with Meiko and Hatako (Noriko Eguchi), getting angry when he finds out he wasn't invited on a world trip. Hatako responds, "There's no need to get so angry. It's fine, isn't it?" To which Nobu replies, "You know, if you think you can just get away with it like that, you'll get all riled up," and takes out his anger on the bread he's kneading. Recently, Nobu has been showing more of a calm demeanor, so this episode felt like a long time since we've seen such a straightforward, impulsive Nobu. Even as an adult, this Nobu is still the Nobu he is.

However, the high level of attention was likely due in large part to the interaction between Ranko (Yuumi Kawai) and Yagi (Satoshi Tsumabuki) that began around 8:05 AM. Ranko is surprised when Yagi suddenly visits her room and asks, "What's wrong?" Ranko and Yagi gradually confirm their feelings for each other and grow closer, but each has their own past to carry with them, and they never cross a line. Viewers must have been thinking, "Another melodrama between these two!"

The six-minute mark is when Ranko, worried about what the neighbors think, invites Yagi into her room. "Please come in. It's like this. I'm moving tomorrow. I'm sorry I couldn't even offer you tea," she says apologizing, to which Yagi responds, "Thank you for coming in at such a time. I'll be right out," and enters the room. There aren't any major developments, but the interest level doesn't drop much. What happens next? Are things finally moving forward in their relationship? Viewers were sure to be glued to the screen.

Yagi tells Ranko that the promotional copy she wrote was well-received, but she declines, saying, "I appreciate it, but I've already agreed to write another movie review..." Yagi asks, "Is there anything I can help you with with the move?" and, looking around the room, catches her eye at a traditional Japanese hanten coat that was a keepsake from Go (Kanata Hosoda) hanging on the wall. The two of them lower their gazes to avoid eye contact, and remain silent for a while. Around this time, around 8:07 AM, the ratings dropped slightly to 67.5%, perhaps because they couldn't bear the tension of the long scene, but they still held the viewer's attention.

From 8:08 AM onwards, if we just write the content, it's a series of seemingly ordinary scenes. Ranko hands over a jar of jam and says, "I bought this a long time ago, but I just can't open it." Yagi struggles but manages to open the jar and asks, "Anything else?" Ranko bows and says, "It's okay. Thank you," and Yagi says, "Well then," and leaves the room. That's all. However, with Yuumi Kawai as "Ranko" and Satoshi Tsumabuki as "Yagi," the tension continues and it's impossible to take your eyes off them. The level of attention begins to rise again.

And then, at 8:09 AM, the highest level of the day was recorded at 70.6%. It was raining outside. Ranko chased after Yagi and handed him her umbrella, saying, "Please use this." That was the scene.

Yagi worries, "You'll get wet, won't you?" but Ranko replies, "It's fine." Yagi then takes Ranko's hand, which is holding the umbrella, and asks, "Okay, I'll borrow it, but when will you be at work next time?" Ranko, with a confused look on her face, replies, "I... I'm not going to work anymore, Yagi-san." At first, Ranko hesitates a little when Yagi asks, "Why?" but gradually she just stares at him in silence. This is around the 9-minute mark.

The next scene, where Yagi says "Don't say that" with a sad expression, comes at around 8:10 AM. The two stare at each other in silence, and then the camera shifts to an aerial shot. A bright red umbrella held by the two is projected onto the screen. It's an impressive shot that makes you wonder who the two are under the umbrella. This is the scene that would have attracted the most attention, but it seems to have run out of steam, with 68.8% of viewers. Although it dropped slightly, the scenes with Ranko and Yagi that followed in the middle of the drama kept viewers captivated until the very end. After this, attention levels dropped rapidly.

Up until this point, the conversation between the two had been dragging on without any direct deeper meaning to their relationship, so the lines "I'm not going to Yagi's company anymore," "Don't say that," and "Why?" felt like a sudden turn of events. The room and outfits were colorless, like a black-and-white screen, so the red umbrella also made a strong impact. It was a scene in the middle of the story that drew a lot of attention, and it was no wonder.

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)