What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 78th episode (broadcast on January 21st) of the NHK morning drama "Bakeke" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), starring actress Takaishi Akari? When we looked at minute-by-minute trends in "attention level" (surveyed by REVISIO, Kanto region, preliminary figures), which indicates the percentage of viewers glued to the screen, the peak was 67.3% at 8:09 AM.
"Bakeke" is the 113th morning drama. The heroine, Toki Matsuno, and her husband, Lefkada Heaven, are based on Setsu Koizumi, the daughter of a fallen samurai from Matsue, and Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), known for his works such as "Kwaidan." The drama boldly reconstructs the characters, changing some of the names of characters and organizations to create a fictionalized portrayal.
◇Has a turning point come for Sawa and Nami as well?
In the 78th episode, which marks the halfway point of the 16th week, "The Other Side," a turning point also comes for Toki's childhood friend Sawa (played by Marui Wan) and the prostitute Nami (played by Sato Honami), who remain in "The Other Side." Sawa, who is studying hard with the aim of becoming a full-time teacher, begins attending the "Shirotori Club," while Nami receives an offer to buy her freedom.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the TV intently, was low early on, but fluctuated around 65% midway through the show after the opening. It peaked at 67.3% at 8:09 a.m., roughly the same as the previous day.
◇ The shop owner was furious as he hesitated to accept the offer.
The popularity peaked several times, reaching its first peaks at 8:04 AM (65.9%) and 8:05 AM (65.8%). Sawa (Marui Wan) was told to visit the salon "Shirotori Club" and when she arrived at the location she had been told she would, she saw a sign for "Yamahashi Pharmacy." As Sawa was confused, the owner, Yamahashi (Emoto Tokio), came out to the storefront and invited her inside, saying, "Come in, come in..." and led her to the Shirotori Club on the second floor. The Shirotori Club was a place for people who wanted to study, and it was a gathering place for people aspiring to become lawyers or civil engineers.
This is the section that ends at 8:04 and 8:05 a.m. At first, it was hard to understand the reason for Sawa's visit, but when it was revealed that Yamahashi Pharmacy had expanded into a salon in addition to a Western restaurant, viewers' interest was immediately piqued.
The level of attention then dwindled, but at 8:07 a.m. (65.1%), when a salon member decided, "So you want to be Otoki-san, right?" and Sawa loudly retorted, "No!", viewers were surprised and the ratings picked up. For some reason, all of the "peaks" after this were scenes related to "loud voices."
After a slight drop, the price surged to its highest of the day, 67.3%, at around 8:09 AM. Nami, upon hearing of her offer to buy her freedom, begs the owner of the store to wait for a few days, if that's okay, and is yelled at, "You're kidding me!" Fukuma (Hiroueno), who offered to buy her freedom, intercedes, and they agree to wait for a reply. This, like the 8:07 AM point, is another scene of loud shouting.
There were further peaks at 8:12 AM (66.7%) and 8:13 AM (66.9%). After Fumi (Ikewaki Chizuru) told reporter Kajitani (Iwasaki Udai) about the chopsticks that got stuck in a gap in the kitchen, everyone went to the kitchen to check the situation, which occurred around 8:12 AM. Understanding the situation, Tsukasa (Okabe Takashi) mocked her, saying, "What's that story? There's no way that story would be published in the newspaper," to which Fumi loudly retorted, "That's why I said it's not a funny story." Here again, the "loud voice" was key.
Kajitani uses Fumi's story and publishes it in the newspaper, and the next morning, a large number of Matsue residents come to Heaven's house and take turns picking up the chopsticks. This is depicted from 8:13 a.m. onwards.
Episode 78 seemed to be an episode where attention skyrocketed every time a character shouted.
The data used is REVISIO's proprietary indicator "Attention Level" (Kanto region, preliminary figures) published by the company that surveys TV program and commercial viewing habits 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)
