What was the most captivating scene in the 94th episode (aired February 12th) 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 8:14 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.
◇The highest price exceeded 70% for the first time in a while
In episode 94, Nishikori (Yoshizawa Ryo) continues to use every possible means to get Heaven (Tommy Bastow) to stay in Matsue. Meanwhile, Toki (Takaishi) is in a state of emotional uncertainty as he visits Tae (Kitagawa Keiko) and reunites with Sannojo (Itagaki Rikito). Toki's desire to stay in Matsue grows stronger, but Tae and Sannojo have something to say to him.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching TV who were paying close attention to the screen, continued to fluctuate mainly in the low 60s after the opening on this day. For three consecutive days starting Monday in the 19th week, the highest level remained in the 60s. It seemed unlikely that attention would rise significantly on this day either, but it began to grow rapidly after 8:12 AM, reaching the 70% mark at 8:14 AM for the first time in a while.
◇The 6-minute final scene attracts a little more attention
There were no major fluctuations in attention ratings until the end of the film, but there were subtle increases at 8:05 AM (66.2%) when Toki reunites with Sannojo, and at 8:09 AM (65.9%) when Toki returns home to find his grandfather Kan'emon (played by Fumiyo Kohinata) visiting. 8:09 AM in particular is an important moment that marks the beginning of the scenes at Heaven's house that continue until the end.
When Toki returns from Tae's house, Kan'emon arrives and is talking with Heaven, Tsukasa (Takashi Okabe), and Fumi (Chizuru Ikewaki). "We've decided to stay in Matsue," he says, "It will be sad to leave my daughter, but I will live with Otatsu (Mayumi Asaka)." Toki overhears Kan'emon's decision and is shocked.
"Why?" Toki interrupts without thinking, and the time is now around 8:10 AM. Kan'emon stands up and says to Toki, "Then I'll tell you." "If we stay together, we might cause another commotion." He is concerned that if Kan'emon and the Ameshimizu family, who have repaid their debt, are nearby, it could lead to the same commotion in Kumamoto. This tense exchange continues until around 8:11 AM, but for some reason, the attention is steadily waning.
Heaven and Toki speak their true feelings to each other, and the attention is gradually increasing.
The attention started to grow from 8:12 AM when Heaven told Toki that they should go to Kumamoto just the two of them. "No, no. No, no." Toki yells emotionally, letting out all the pent-up emotions she had been holding in: "Why are you trying to take everything from me? My beloved Matsue, and my beloved family."
Kan'emon tells her to "tell the truth," and Heaven finally reveals her true feelings at around 8:13 AM. "Without that (cloth covering her face), Matsue, Ark, can you do it?" "I don't know, let's go." Heaven continues speaking to Toki, whose eyes are beginning to tear up.
The day then reached its peak of 70.5% at 8:14 AM. "Kumamoto, let's go." Following Heaven's words, Kan'emon also advises Toki, "Miss, go with Perry." Toki finally answers "yes," and Heaven embraces her as she bursts into tears. Nishikori (Yoshizawa Ryo) has arrived and is watching this exchange from the garden.
The interest in the film began to rise as Heaven and Toki began to speak their true feelings to each other, and it reached a beautiful peak towards the grand finale. Nishikori quietly leaves the insect cage he brought with him at the gate and leaves. He must have understood the situation and realized that he couldn't stop them from going to Kumamoto. When you think about Nishikori's feelings, it's an all the more sad scene.
Incidentally, the boat-shaped insect cage that appeared in the story is still on display at the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum (Matsue City) as one of Lafcadio Hearn's favorite items. He apparently kept pine crickets, cicadas and other insects in the beautifully crafted insect cage and enjoyed their sounds. Did you notice that it actually appeared in the first episode of "Bakeke"?
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)
