Was the ring that Yagi gave to Ranko a surprise to viewers? The peak of interest in the 129th episode was 74.1% at 8:12 AM.

What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 129th episode (broadcast on September 25th) of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada ? With just two episodes left, various popular characters from the past suddenly appeared in each scene. It was an intriguing episode that kept viewers glued to their TV screens for even a moment. When we looked at the minute-by-minute trend 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, the highest level was 74.1% at 8:12 AM. What kind of scene was it?

" 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 74.1% at 8:12 am. Where did Nobu go after he disappeared?

The 129th episode will feature the TV anime "Soreike! Anpanman," which took two years to complete, and Nobu (Imada), Takashi (Kitamura Takumi), Meiko ( Nanoka Hara ), Kentaro ( Takumi Kitamura Fumiya Takahashi), and Takuya (Motoki Omori) will be reflecting on it. Various characters who have appeared up until now will learn of the start of the anime and will congratulate Nobu and Takashi.

The graph of "attention level," which measures the percentage of people actually watching the TV screen, shows that the level was in the 70% range for a long period of time, indicating that viewers were relatively glued to the screen. There was a short peak at the beginning, and then a long peak in the 70% range from the middle to the end.

The early episode peaked at 8:03 AM with 71.8% and then at 8:04 AM with 71.0%. The three-minute mark begins with the appearance of "Yam-onchan" Kusakichi (Sadao Abe). While he is engrossed in watching TV at a street corner electronics store, a boy (Kimura Yuki) who looks just like a young Takashi approaches and asks, "Are you Uncle Jam?" Kusakichi replies, "No! I'm Yamura," touches the boy's hair, and leaves with a smile. Incidentally, the boy is supposed to look just like Takashi when he was young, with Kimura playing the younger version of Takashi.

The second half of the segment from 8:03 AM to the first half of the segment from 8:04 AM shows Nobu watching the anime with Taka, and then reporting to her late father, Yutaro (Ryo Kase), that "It seems like Anpanman has made my dream come true." After a series of quiet scenes like this, the second half of the segment, around 4 minutes in, shifts to a girls' school in Kochi. Nobu is presenting a character drawn by Taka for the school. If you look closely, you'll see that the person receiving the gift is Kuroi (Kumi Takiuchi), who taught Nobu strictness. The person acting as the host is Usako (Sara Shida), Nobu's childhood friend who is now the school principal.

At 8:02 AM, Teshima Osamu (played by Gordon Maeda) and Sera (played by Katsutoshi Kihara), who was the administrative assistant to the congresswoman Maki Tetsuko (played by Keiko Toda), also appeared. Viewers must have been wondering, "Who's going to appear next?" In this atmosphere, the reappearance of Yam-on-chan and Professor Kuroi certainly caught the attention of the viewers.

The attention rating then drops for a moment, but rises again. From 8:10 AM, it re-enters the 70% range. At 8:10 AM (73.1%), the show depicts the busy office of Taka, but Nobu seems to be acting strangely. The latter half of the 10-minute mark shows a series of scenes in the tea room where Nobu is asking Hoshiko (Furukawa Kotone) for something. Perhaps it's evening, but the dimly lit tea room conveys a slightly ominous feeling.

At 8:11 AM (70.6%), the segment with Nobu and Hoshiko continues. When Hoshiko asks, "Why me?", Nobu quietly responds, "You started to like Anpanman even before anyone else paid him any attention."

The scene changed at 8:12 AM, when the 129th episode recorded its highest rating of 74.1%, and when Taka returned home, Hoshiko was waiting for him. "I'm starting work here today," Hoshiko said. When Taka asked, "What about my wife?" Hoshiko replied, "She's gone to the hospital." Was she visiting someone? After Taka thought this, he finally realized that Nobu was ill. Viewers who had sensed an ominous atmosphere may have thought, "I knew it." This scene was the peak of the day.

After a medical examination at the hospital, it was presumably decided that she would undergo surgery. Taku goes to pick up Nobu, who is lost in thought while gazing at the river. Scenes of these two appear from 8:13 AM onwards. After the 70.0% interest rate at 8:13 AM, it dropped slightly to the high 60% range, but remained relatively high until the end, leading up to the final episode the next day.

◇ The ring hidden in the birthday card caught viewers off guard!

Incidentally, the scene in the middle of the show where attention waned was the one between Ranko (Yuumi Kawai) and Yagi (Satoshi Tsumabuki), which began around 8:05 AM. Ranko was going overseas to cover a refugee camp, and Yagi sent her a birthday card, saying, "It's a little early for your birthday, though." For viewers who had been anxious about whether their relationship would progress, just the appearance of these two was enough to draw attention. Up until now, the scene had often garnered attention, so the reaction on this day was unexpected.

In the 127th episode aired on September 23rd, there was a scene where Ranko gently embraced Yagi, who had cried after opening up about his war experiences. Perhaps viewers' interest in the series waned somewhat as it suggested that their relationship was progressing.

Ranko and Yagi's conversation continues calmly. About three minutes into their scene, it's midway through the 8:08 AM mark. Ranko casually opens the card and notices a ring stuck inside. This may have come as a surprise to viewers as well. Attention levels had been rising gradually since hitting bottom at 8:06 AM, but at 8:08 AM it was still only 66.6%, not very high.

Ranko strokes the ring on her finger and gazes at Yagi's back. Trying to suppress a smile, she silently prepares to leave Yagi's office. At that moment, Yagi says, "Think about it when you get back." Ranko replies "Yes," and leaves the office. This is around 8:09 AM. At this point, the rising curve of attention finally picks up speed, and it suddenly reaches 69.9%. This leads to a series of ratings in the 70% range from 8:10 AM onwards.

Yagi's surprise gift may have fooled the viewers as well. That was the impression I got from the level of attention that day.

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)