What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 87th episode (aired February 3rd) 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 70.5% at 8:07 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 situation becomes increasingly serious after the newspaper article
In episode 87, a newspaper article about debt repayment spreads word about Toki being a "Rashamen" throughout the town, causing Toki to become depressed. Tsukasasuke (Takashi Okabe) and Fumi (Chizuru Ikewaki) are worried about Toki, but Tsukasasuke has an injury to his face.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the TV intently, was slightly low in the beginning, but fluctuated wildly from the middle of the show after the opening, but gradually rose, even reaching the 70% range at times.
◇The peak was at 8:07 AM, when the angry Heaven threw Kajitani away.
The first big peak of the day, reaching 70.5%, occurred at 8:07 a.m., midway through the game. This was after Nishikori (played by Ryo Yoshizawa) explained that the newspaper article was the cause of the fan with "Toki Rashamen" written on it being thrown at the entrance of Heaven's house, and of Tsukasasuke's facial injury.
At that moment, Kajitani (Iwasaki Udai), who wrote the article, arrived, and it was around 8:07 AM. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to do that either, but something just started going wrong..." Kajitani apologized, and Iwasaki grabbed him, saying, "Write in tomorrow's newspaper that 'Otoki is not a rasshamen'!"
Kajitani asks, "Then let me confirm one thing," and confirms, "You really... really... aren't you a Rashamen, are you?" Heaven explodes in anger, yelling in English, "Don't mess with me! Shut up! I can't forgive you!" and throws Kajitani into the garden. Heaven tells Toki, "I will protect you," and gently embraces him. This exchange with Kajitani was the climax of episode 87.
Heaven is furious again over Toki's injury
The next smaller peaks were at 8:10 AM (68.3%) and 8:11 AM (67.2%), when Toki and Fumi go shopping in disguise. Refusing to sell them clams, the two are told, "We can't sell to you guys," and so they flee, hiding their faces. On their way home, someone throws a stone at Toki, causing him to bleed from his forehead. The situation becomes increasingly serious, leading to the shocking scene where someone even throws a stone.
The final episode, at 8:14 AM, had a rating of 69.4%, just short of 70%, but the level of interest skyrocketed. When Heaven returned home and noticed Toki with a bandage on his head, she instinctively ran out the front door with a wooden sword in hand. Despite Nishikori's attempts to stop her, she continued on her way. A voodoo doll was found discarded in the garden. The drama ended with Toki desperately trying to stop an enraged Heaven, saying, "Stop it! I'm fine!"
The first and second most popular scenes of the day were both scenes in which Heaven loses her temper. It's a bit surprising to see Heaven's anger suddenly reach its peak, but after being treated so badly, you can't help but sympathize with him. It's also a great scene that shows his deep affection for Toki, so it's no wonder it attracted so much attention.
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)
