Episode 128 covers the twists and turns of Anpanman's anime adaptation. Does the level of interest among viewers increase every time it seems like it's about to fail?

What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 128th episode (broadcast on September 24th) of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), starring Mio Imada ? 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, and the highest point was 74.1% at 8:12 AM.

" 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 74.1% at 8:12 a.m. for "TV Man, Put Your Life on the Line!"

In episode 128, TV producer Takeyama (played by Maehara Akira) visits Takashi (played by Takumi Kitamura) to tell his story about wanting to turn Anpanman into a TV anime. With just three episodes remaining, the story finally reaches the topic of that anime that everyone knows.

The graph of "attention level," which measured the percentage of people actually watching the TV screen, showed three large "peaks." Each of these peaks almost perfectly matched the twists and turns in the story of Anpanman's animated series.

The first peak was at 8:01 AM, at 72.5%, followed by 70.4% at 8:02 AM, both of which were in the 70% range. This time slot saw Takeyama suddenly visit the Yanai family, then being ushered into the workplace and meeting Taka. The 8:01 AM slot was where Takeyama showed off his love for Anpanman. When asked by Nobu (Imada), "Which character is your favorite?", he cutely replied with a big smile, "It changes depending on the day, but today I like 'Kabirunrun'." As soon as Nobu said, "That picture book...", Takeyama immediately replied, "It was from April 1983." He also correctly guessed the dates the other characters first appeared, prompting Nobu to comment, "You're like a walking encyclopedia of Anpanman." Viewers likely agreed.

Just when you think the animation is starting to move smoothly, things take a turn for the worse around 8:02 AM. Taka's expression is gloomy as he listens to Takeyama's story. Taka refuses, saying he doesn't want to hurt Anpanman. The reason given is that a previous producer had almost changed the story to one in which Anpanman completely defeats the bad guys. These two minutes of contrasting light and dark were the first peak.

The next climb was a slightly smaller one, reaching a mid-peak of 68.7% at 8:05 AM. Unable to give up, Takeyama visited the Yanai family again a few days later. This is the scene where Nobu conveys Takeyama's enthusiasm to Taka, who was not there. The segment up to the point where Takeyama talks about his respect for Anpanman is just under five minutes long.

"Anpanman is really weak and uncool. But it's that uncoolness that makes him cool. I can't help but respect this weak and uncool Anpanman." Nobu said of Takeyama, "When I heard that, I knew I could leave Anpanman in his care." Taka immediately called Takeyama and said, "I don't trust you or the TV station yet. But I trust my wife. So let's do it," and accepted the idea of ​​an animation. In fact, this part continues from 8:06 to 8:07 AM. Attention levels dropped slightly, but the sequence of events giving the go-ahead for the animation undoubtedly increased it.

The biggest peak was a broad mountain with a peak of 74.1% at 8:12 AM. The rate entered the high 60s at 8:09 AM and never dropped below that level. The 12-minute mark at the peak is when Taka and Takeyama discuss "Anpanman March," the theme song for the anime "Anpanman."

After a difficult birth, Taka finally wrote the lyrics for the theme song. Nobu was also very satisfied. And from here on, the 12-minute mark begins. Takeyama was pleased, saying, "The lyrics were wonderful," but also revealed that he had received criticism that the lyrics were not suitable for children. When Nobu strongly objected, saying, "I think (those lyrics) are the most important of all," Takeyama responded, "(This) is the essence of Anpanman. I will overcome any opposing opinions. I'll put my life as a TV man on the line!" Considering Taka's reaction when they discussed the anime adaptation, how will things develop from here? The point where the tension was at its highest was the peak of the day.

After this, it was 8:13 AM. Taka said, "You shouldn't put something like that on," and readily agreed to rewrite it. "I don't want to compromise precisely because it's a children's program. But more than anything, I want to make everyone involved in this job happy." The interest rate had dropped slightly to 71.0%, but it seems viewers' eyes remained glued to the show.

The 128th episode, which ended around 8:14 AM, showed scenes from meetings and dubbing sessions for the anime adaptation, and maintained a high level of interest until the very end, with a viewership of 70.4%. Incidentally, in the dubbing scene, the voice of Anpanman, Tobe Yuko, was provided by Toda Keiko. Toda also voices Anpanman in the anime series "Soreike! Anpanman" (Nippon TV).

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)