What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 86th episode (aired February 2nd) of the NHK morning drama "Bakeke" (General TV, Monday-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 68.7% at 8:12 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.
◇The Matsuno family pays off their debts
In episode 86, the Matsuno family finally pays off all their debts. Toki (Takaishi), Tsukasa (Okabe Takashi), and Fumi (Ikewaki Chizuru) are overwhelmed with emotion and throw a debt-payoff party, inviting debt collector Zentaro (Maehara Mizuki). A reporter named Kajitani (Iwasaki Udai) witnesses the event and writes, "Now that Matsuno Toki and Heaven-sensei have married, the Matsuno family has had all their debts paid off by Heaven-sensei..." This completely changes public attitudes.
The "attention rate," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the TV intently, started off rather low at the beginning, in the low 60% range, but from the middle of the program after the opening, it remained in the high 60% range until the very end, maintaining a stable level of viewer interest.
◇ "I got dumped the other day" Shoda's words in the first class were the best
The highest point of the day was 68.7% at 8:12 AM, when interest rose slightly after remaining flat from the middle of the day. This peak occurred for two consecutive minutes, including 68.6% at 8:13 AM.
In fact, 8:12 AM has nothing to do with the debt repayment party, or even with the change in how the public views the Matsuno family. It is a scene that has no connection to the main storyline of the drama.
Shoda (Hama Shogo), who has been appointed as the new English teacher at Matsue Junior High School as Nishikori's (Yoshizawa Ryo) successor, begins to greet the students in the classroom. Shoda is smiling as he stands at the podium, but perhaps he is nervous inside. After introducing himself as a classmate of Nishikori's at Matsue Junior High School, he announces something that he absolutely does not need to say: "The other day, I proposed marriage to her, but she rejected me."
"But, but, I'll teach you properly," he declares to the slightly restless students, and then calls out to them, "Juniors, let's do our best." Nishikori and Heaven (Tommy Bastow) also seem a little worried. Perhaps it's the aftermath of being rejected by Sawa (Marui Wan), but Shoda seems unreliable, and viewers were drawn in by his slightly anxious start to life.
The 8:13am viewing, which maintained the same 68% level of attention, showed Toki walking through the streets of Matsue with his face covered with a towel. He witnesses Heaven and Toki merchandise being burned, and senses that the public's perception of him has changed.
Next, at around 8:14 AM, Toki hears voices from the town saying things like, "It seems they were a rape victim," "I guess she got her debts paid in exchange for becoming husband and wife...," "If you're O-Toki, then your parents are your parents," "What a filthy family," and "She's a mistress..." Unable to bear it any longer, Toki runs away from the scene. Attention to this final minute dropped slightly to 65.4%, and the show came to an end.
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)
