What was the most captivating scene in the 95th episode (aired February 13th) 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 67.3% 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.
◇ In the second half, it remained roughly flat at the high 60% range
In episode 95, Toki (Takaishi) and Heaven (Tommy Bastow) decide to go to Kumamoto and begin preparing to say goodbye to the people of Matsue. Toki visits the tenement house and spends time saying goodbye to Sawa (Marui Wan). Meanwhile, Heaven tells the students at the junior high school that she is leaving Matsue, with Nishikori (Yoshizawa Ryo) and Shoda (Hama Shogo) looking on. To the deeply upset students, Shoda tells them that he will be the next principal.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the TV intently, rose sharply after the opening. After reaching the high 60s at 8:08 a.m., it did not reach 70%, but remained roughly flat until the end, fluctuating slightly.
◇ Nishikori's appearance drew attention
The rapidly rising attention rate reached its first peak at 8:08 AM at 66.4%. After peaking at 8:11 AM (67.2%), it reached its third peak at 8:14 AM, the last minute of the program, at the highest point of the day, 67.3%. Although attention rates fluctuated slightly, it can be said that these seven minutes were a period in which the program continued to capture the attention of viewers.
First, at 8:08 a.m., there is a shocking scene where Nishikori finally reveals a secret he has been hiding all this time.
Just before the announcement at 8:07 AM, Shoda announced that he would be the next principal, to which the students were extremely shaken. Nishikori confessed, "I didn't graduate from the Imperial University," and "Not only did I graduate from the Imperial University, I don't even have a teaching license to teach English." At 8:08 AM, Nishikori apologized to the students, saying, "I'm sorry for deceiving you," and then left the classroom. Heaven quickly followed him, and when she called out to Nishikori in the rain inside the school, he apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, it's my fault." Heaven called out to him, "Nantokashimasho," but Nishikori calmly replied, "It's okay. I knew this would happen someday."
Next, at around 8:11am, Heaven and Toki are waiting at the pier as they depart for Kumamoto. Many students and others have gathered to see them off, but Nishikori is nowhere to be seen. Toki and Heaven seem to be curious about Nishikori, looking around. Viewers must have been wondering about Nishikori, who is not there. Will he rush over late? Or will he?
At the time, Nishikori was in his study at home. At the end of the segment, around 8:14 AM, Nishikori is sitting at his desk reading Heaven's "Diary of a Stay in Japan," when he suddenly coughs and coughs up blood. The hemoptysis is noticed in the latter half of the 8:13 AM segment, and for the 8:14 AM segment the camera continues to focus on Nishikori's profile. At first, his face is looking straight ahead, but then he turns slightly to the right, toward the camera, and his eyes move slowly up and down and left and right, as if his gaze is wandering. Then the sound of insects can be heard, and his gaze turns out the window in front of him. Perhaps he is thinking about Heaven, who has left for Kumamoto. At the end, his eyes appear moist.
During that time, Nishikori was completely silent for about 54 seconds. The music soon faded away, and only the faint sound of insects could be heard. But it didn't feel long at all. It was a magnificent final scene. The second half of episode 95 was dominated by scenes involving Nishikori, which kept viewers hooked almost throughout. Episode 95 was an episode dedicated to "Nishikori" Yoshizawa Ryo.
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)
