In the first episode (aired March 30th) of the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , what scene captivated viewers the most? We examined the minute-by-minute changes in "attention level" (according to REVISIO, Kanto region, preliminary figures), which indicates the percentage of viewers glued to their screens, and found that the highest value was 66.1% at 8:05 AM.
" Kaze,Kaoru" is based on the story of two trained nurses, Chika Ozeki and Masa Suzuki, who graduated from the same nursing school. The drama depicts how these two women struggle with how to interact with patients and doctors, clash with each other, grow as individuals, and eventually become the "ultimate buddy duo." Mikami plays Rin Ichinose, and Uesaka plays Naomi Oya.
◇Rin Ichinose, who enjoys happy days with her family, and Naomi Oya, who has no family.
The first episode begins with an introduction to the two main characters, Rin Ichinose and Naomi Oya. The year is 1882 (Meiji 15). In a village in the Nasu region of Tochigi Prefecture, Rin Ichinose lives a modest but happy life with her mother Mitsu (Miki Mizuno), her younger sister Yasu (Miharu Hayasaka), and her father Shin'emon (Kazuki Kitamura), a former chief retainer. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Naomi Oya, who has no family, is somehow making ends meet by working in a match factory.
Around this time, a marriage proposal arrives for Rin. The suitor is the eldest son of a former samurai family in Tokyo, a 23-year-old who runs a watch shop. The conditions are perfect, but Rin is not enthusiastic. Then Yasushi asks, "Would it be alright if I accepted the marriage proposal?"
◇"You can't exactly use a naginata (a type of Japanese pole weapon) to cultivate a field."
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the TV screen, started at around 65% when the drama began. For the first five minutes, excluding the opening sequence when the theme song played, it remained relatively stable. However, after reaching a peak of 66.1% at 8:05 AM, it rapidly declined, dropping to a day-low of 55.6% by the end of the episode at 8:14 AM.
The peak at 8:05 AM (66.1%) followed immediately after at 8:04 AM (65.9%), during a scene featuring Rin, where viewership was high for two consecutive minutes.
At 8:04 AM, Rin and Yasu are playing a board game. Rin is the first to reach the goal, "Mistress," and Yasu, who is still stuck at "Servant," exclaims regretfully, "Already finished?" Mitsu sees them and scolds her, "You little brat!" Then, as a custom befitting the daughter of a former samurai, Yasu begins practicing naginata under Mitsu's guidance.
At the peak of 8:05 a.m., during a break in practice, Rin begins to talk back to Mitsu, saying, "Isn't the naginata useless now?" Rin grumbles that she can't feel like a samurai because Shin'emon gave up being one when she was three years old, and adds, "You can't exactly use a naginata to cultivate a field." Mitsu, slightly at a disadvantage, counterattacks, "A woman's future depends on her husband, and at this rate, you won't be blessed with a good match," but Shin'emon has just returned and says, "I'm truly sorry about that," and "You've caused me trouble just because you married me."
This scene really brings Rin's character to life, and the banter between her and Mizuno, who plays her mother, is delightful. It's easy to see why this scene is considered the peak of the story.
◇The appearance of childhood friend Kotaro has slightly increased attention.
The show's popularity has been on a downward trend ever since, but it saw a slight reversal when Rin's childhood friend, Kotaro Takeuchi (Toranosuke Kobayashi), made his first appearance and greeted the Ichinose family along with his family. The fact that her father, Yukinobu, was played by Shiro Tsubuyaki also attracted viewers' attention, and the rating rose to 64.7%.
The viewership peaked again at 8:12 AM, reaching 61.4%. This was the scene where a marriage proposal arrives for Rin, and Mitsu explains it to her. The suitor is the eldest son of a former samurai family in Tokyo, a 23-year-old who runs a clock shop. The conditions are perfect, but Rin is not very enthusiastic and retorts, "But, what about this family? You don't need to take a son-in-law?" However, Shin'emon immediately refutes this, saying, "If he's someone you think is good, it doesn't matter if he's not a son-in-law."
Later, it becomes clear that Rin has feelings for Kotaro. In the final scene, Kotaro rushes to Rin and tells her, "There's been a case of cholera," ending the drama on an intriguing note. However, the level of interest in the show never really reversed or increased until the very end of the first episode.
The data used is REVISIO's proprietary "Attention Level" index (Kanto region, preliminary figures), which surveys 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 recognition sensor constantly measures whether people are looking at the television screen, and calculates the percentage of people in front of the television who were paying close attention to the program. (Text by Hiroki Sasamoto/MANTAN)
