What was the most captivating scene in the 90th episode (aired February 6th) 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 70.6% at 8:13 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.
◇ Attention levels steadily increased towards the end
In episode 90, the "Rashamen Incident" sparked by Kajitani's (Iwasaki Udai) newspaper article has been resolved, and Toki (Takaishi) and Heaven (Tommy Bastow) enjoy a walk for the first time in a while. However, Heaven senses something strange about Toki's behavior. Heaven makes a decision and tells Toki.
The "attention level," which shows the percentage of viewers watching the TV who were paying close attention to the screen, fluctuated wildly, but the graph gradually rose towards its peak at 8:13 a.m. Recently, there have been many episodes where the graph has remained flat for long periods of time. Perhaps the 90th episode was one in which viewer interest was gradually building up.
◇Heaven receives a mysterious letter, Toki is paralyzed
The level of attention rises in small peaks before building up to a peak at the end. The first peak occurs at 8:05 AM (64.2%). Heaven is writing a letter to a foreign professor at Imperial University when Toki, who is sleeping in the next room, wakes up with a loud cry. Heaven gently asks, "Do you love me? Sleep paralysis," and Toki says he was surprised to be paralyzed for the first time in a long time.
This time, Toki is struck by sleep paralysis. What on earth could this be a sign of? Has Toki still not fully recovered from the "Rashamen incident"? What was Heaven's intention in sending the letter? Each of these events made me curious.
◇A comedy skit unfolds around the wooden box that arrived
The next peak, at 8:08 a.m. (68.1%), is a fun scene that could be considered a "comedy skit," a specialty of "Bakeke."
A large wooden box arrives for Heaven from overseas. As Heaven prepares to open it, the Matsuno family gathers around, wondering what's inside. "Ah, could it be this?" Nishikori (Yoshizawa Ryo) suddenly shouts in excitement, "If Nishikori can guess, then so can I," and Toki quietly stands up, not to be outdone, and adds, "Ah, what, could it be this, could it be this?" Heaven opens the lid, saying "Heaven!" in the same tone as she did on the "Heaven Quiz," to find it filled with her own "Japan Travel Journal."
◇ "Matsue... Hanareru... Shimasho"
Then, after a small "hump" at 8:11 AM (67.4%) when Tsukasasuke (Okabe Takashi) tells his family that he has quit his job as a milkman, the show reaches its final "peak" at 8:13 AM. The highest reading of the day was 70.6%, and the next time, at 8:14 AM, it remained high at 69.0%. "I listened to my heart," Tsukasasuke says of the reason for his decision, and these words resonate even in the peak of the final scene.
At 8:13 and 8:14 AM, Heaven accompanies Toki on a shopping trip, and the two of them walk through the streets of Matsue. It's likely that Heaven intended to tell him during this walk. At one point, Heaven looks a little worried, but then her expression changes to one that suggests she's made up her mind, and she calls out to Toki, who is walking ahead of her, "Toki-san." This is the end of the 8:13 AM scene.
"I... have... heard my heart... and have done it," Heaven begins, and then with a stiff expression, "Matsue... will... bloom... and then..." Toki looks confused and says, "Huh?", and the song ends.
Perhaps "Japan Travel Diary" was also a factor in his decision to leave Matsue. If so, perhaps the 90th episode was the one in which the "omens" that had caught the viewers' attention piled up one by one, leading to the final peak.
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)
