What was the most captivating scene in the 93rd episode (aired February 11th) of the NHK morning drama "Bakeke" (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and other times), starring actress Takaishi Akari? 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, and the highest point was 63.7% at 8:14 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.
◇Is the “Rashamen incident” still ongoing?
In episode 93, Heaven's (Tommy Bastow) true intentions for leaving Matsue are gradually revealed. Tae (Keiko Kitagawa), Kan'emon (Fumiyo Kohinata), and Sannojo (Rihito Itagaki) discuss Heaven's proposal to go to Kumamoto. Tae and Kan'emon's conversation gradually turns to Toki's condition, and they agree that the "Rashamen Incident" has not yet been resolved. Toki (Takaishi) consults Sawa (Wan Marui) about going to Kumamoto, but receives an unexpected response.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the TV intently, fluctuated after the opening, forming three small "peaks," each of which peaked in the low 60% range. During this 19th week, attention levels were somewhat lower, with the highest daily value remaining in the 60% range since the 91st episode on Monday.
◇Sawa's words resonated with Toki
Of the three episodes, the first "peak" was at 8:05 AM (61.9%). This is the scene where Kan'emon visits the Ameshimizu household. While Kan'emon and Sannojo are chatting away, Tae brings water to wash their feet. In fact, this is a time when the story doesn't progress much. Tae begins by asking, "Do you know about that Otoki incident, Lord Kan'emon?" and the story gets to the main topic, the "Rashamen incident," at 8:06 AM. Attention levels begin to drop sharply.
The next peak was at 8:09 AM with 61.6%, which was relatively high, following the previous peak at 8:08 AM (61.2%).
At around 8:08 AM, Toki is shopping at a store in Matsue when he has a vision of people around him gossiping about him and insulting him, calling him a "Rashaman." Feeling almost hyperventilating, he rushes into the nearby Yamahashi Pharmacy. Around 8:09 AM, he enters the "Shiratori Club" salon on the second floor and calls out to Sawa, who is studying.
Toki calls out, "Osawa!" to which Sawa replies in a puzzled voice, "Who is that?" When Toki pops his head out from the cloth covering his face, Sawa bursts out laughing, saying, "Oh, O-Toki..." Toki also laughs, saying with a wry smile, "Can't you tell from my voice?" but also seems relieved. Viewers were no doubt drawn in by the "Bake-ke"-like development, which shifts from a tense scene at around 8:08 AM to a hilarious scene at around 9 minutes. In other words, it's a sudden development reminiscent of a "ghost story."
However, after this, when Toki discusses leaving Matsue with Sawa at 8:10 a.m., interest plummets to 53.9% at 8:11 a.m. It then rebounds and finally peaks at 8:14 a.m., reaching the highest level of the day at 63.7%.
The video continues from 8:14 AM onwards, with Toki gazing melancholy at Lake Shinji, where the sunset is beautiful. Sawa's answer to Toki's question was a surprise to him, but there must have been something that bothered him.
"If no one knows me, that just means that no one around me knows me either."
Sawa's words are played again in the background of the video. Toki is likely ruminating on Sawa's words in his mind. The video ends with a close-up of Toki's face, who looks as if he is about to burst into tears.
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)
