What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 126th episode (aired September 22nd) of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada ? The 126th episode showed signs of change in the relationship between Takashi (Kitamura Takumi) and Tomiko ( Nanako Matsushima ) after Takashi learned of his mother's feelings. 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 all scenes featuring Tomiko were highly attention-grabbing, but the highest level, at 8:13 AM, was the sudden appearance of a somewhat unexpected veteran actor.
"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 73.7% at 8:13 a.m.
"Anpan" is finally in its final week, with only five episodes remaining. Episode 126 focuses on Tomiko, who has often been portrayed as a "failed" mother. Taka's feelings towards Tomiko also gradually begin to change.
The "attention level," which measures the percentage of people actually watching the TV screen, fluctuated wildly that day, peaking three times. Of those, it exceeded 70% twice. Both times were almost entirely related to Tomiko.
The musical "Anpanman" has finished without a hitch. Takashi sees photos of the performance taken by Nobu (Imada) and learns that Tomiko had secretly been watching from the audience. Hatako (Noriko Eguchi), who also mentioned seeing the movie "The Gentle Lion" at the cinema, says, "Maybe she's actually a bigger fan of Takashi Yanai than anyone else." This opening scene takes place around 8:00 AM. The attention rating is at 64.7%, and then it steadily rises.
The first time it exceeded 70%, it was at 8:02 AM, at 71.8%, which is the scene where the editor visits the Yanai household. The editor, who receives the manuscript from Nobu at the front door, says that "Anpanman" has a bad reputation among parents and children's literature critics. "Making someone eat their own face is not good for education," he continues, "I wouldn't want my child to read something so grotesque," he says, before bursting into laughter.
Just as Nobu was about to argue, Tomiko, who was in the next room, interrupted. "Are you still Takashi Yanai's editor? You don't understand anything," she began, before overwhelming him with, "You think it's grotesque to make someone eat their face? Isn't that educationally wrong? So you're saying that even if you see someone starving to death in front of you, you shouldn't help them," and "That's far more grotesque." When the editor tried to escape by saying it was a critic's criticism, she gave him no way out, saying, "If you're going to criticize a work that an author has poured their soul into, then state your opinion honestly and openly, you coward." Completely cornered, the editor had no choice but to go home in shame.
It was a refreshing scene for the viewers as well. The viewers knew about Tomiko's feelings towards Takashi as a mother, but this scene left a strong impression on them. Hatako, who was watching the whole thing, whispered to Nobu, "I only just realized this, but you and Tomiko look alike, don't you think?" This part was rated around 8:03 AM (69.6%), but it was a memorable line.
The next three minutes when it exceeded 70% were 8:11 a.m. (70.3%), 8:12 a.m. (72.9%), and 8:13 a.m. (73.7%), with 8:13 a.m. being the highest point of the 126th session.
The 8:11 AM segment begins with a continuation of the scene where Tomiko, who is staying at the Yanai residence, sleeps with Taka, futons arranged side by side. It is a striking scene in which Taka, who has been avoiding Tomiko, subtly conveys his feelings for his mother. The next morning, Taka leaves the house together to go to Paris for work, while Nobu, Tomiko, and Hatako depart for Kochi. Tomiko suggests that they visit a nearby shrine to pray for a safe journey, but Taka, who says he doesn't have much time, heads straight to the airport.
Then, around 8:12 AM, Tomiko stood there, staring at Taka's back as he hurried onward, carrying his luggage. She naturally closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, as if praying for a safe journey. Taka turned around and noticed her. Realizing that she had been seen, Tomiko shyly said, "Hurry up." With a slight smile, Taka started walking again.
Next, at around 8:13 AM, the scene shifts to a camera shop. After returning from a trip to Kochi, Nobu appears to have brought in some film. He asks the shop owner, Horii Mitsuru (Ishibashi Renji), to develop and print the film. Horii asks, "Your teacher is the illustrator of a picture book called 'Anpanman,' right?" Nobu happily replies, "Yes, it's a picture book for kindergarteners, but you know it well."
Horii revealed, "My three-year-old grandson loves Anpanman. He asks me to read it to him every night," and recited Anpanman's lines: "I'm Anpanman! I always help hungry people. My face is incredibly delicious. Come on, hurry up." Ishibashi's delivery of the lines has a unique flavor, making it a captivating scene.
Up until this point, the film was in the 13-minute range. Over 70% of the time was spent on scenes involving Tomiko, but the highest point, at 8:13 AM, was not when Tomiko made her appearance. However, with the lingering impression of Taka and Tomiko's acting still lingering, coupled with the surprise of veteran actor Ishibashi suddenly appearing, it could be said that this was the moment that drew the most attention.
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)
