In the third episode (aired April 1st) 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 68.7% at 8:13 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.
◇Attention levels fluctuate wildly.
In the third episode, while Mitsu (Mizuki Mizuno) and Yasu (Miharu Hayasaka) are in Tokyo to arrange a marriage, Kotaro's (Toranosuke Kobayashi) mother falls ill, and Kotaro becomes an outcast in his village. Rin (Mikami) tries to cheer Kotaro up, but to no avail. Seeing Rin downcast, Shin'emon (Kazuki Kitamura) begins to tell her about his own past. Meanwhile, at a church in Tokyo, Pastor Yoshie (Taizo Harada) summons Naomi (Uesaka).
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the screen intently, showed a graph with approximately four peaks, fluctuating wildly. However, the peaks at each peak only reached the high 60% range, indicating that the program failed to attract a large audience on this day as well.
◇Rin is depressed because she can't cheer up Kotaro.
The first peak in viewership for the third episode occurred at 8:03 AM, with a relatively small 64.4% rating. This was the scene where Mitsu and Yasu visit Shin'emon's younger brother to discuss a marriage arrangement. After the discussion about the marriage arrangement is over, Mitsu asks Yasu to leave and gives him her kimono and obi in exchange for 10 yen. This scene reveals that the purpose of their visit to Tokyo was not solely for the marriage arrangement, and that the Ichinose family's finances are not easy.
The next peak was at 8:06 AM, recording 67.8% viewership, making it the second most watched episode of the day. Rin tries to encourage Kotaro, who feels increasingly isolated in the village after his mother contracts cholera, but she can't seem to find the right words.
At 8:06 AM, Rin tries to grasp Kotaro's trembling hand, but hesitates. Kotaro tells her, "Go home now, you might infect him," and "We can't let Ichinose-sama be ostracized by the village," which leaves Rin feeling dejected. Perhaps this experience will become the catalyst for Rin becoming a trained nurse.
◇Suddenly, Shin'emon collapses.
The third "peak" is again a smaller one, but the peak lasted for two minutes at 8:08 AM (64.3%) and 8:09 AM (64.8%). This is the scene where Shin'emon tells Rin about his past. During the Boshin War, the domain sided with the new government forces, and peace was maintained in the villages. However, the lord, unable to forgive himself for forgetting the debt of gratitude to the Tokugawa family and siding with the new government forces, committed seppuku. After that, Shin'emon relinquished his position as chief retainer and began a life of farming.
"I simply felt that it would be a sad, too sad world if there wasn't someone who could stand by the defeated, the weak, and extend a helping hand." Every word of Shin'emon's nonchalant speech is impressive, but these words resonate particularly strongly. Will this, too, be a word that will influence Rin?
The final peak was at 8:14 AM, when the highest value of the day, 67.9%, was recorded. In the first half, Naomi is asked by Yoshie to become a missionary, but she refuses. Naomi says, "I can't do it," and says that she hates "all the things"—"people born into good families," "good people," and of all people, "herself"—and Yoshie is moved to tears by Naomi's words. This scene clearly conveys the characters of Naomi and Yoshie, but it is probably the scenes that followed that likely increased the level of attention.
Shin'emon was teaching Rin how to use the naginata (a type of Japanese pole weapon) when he suddenly began coughing, covering his mouth with his hand and collapsing in agony. The scene ends with Rin calling out "Father!" and clinging to him worriedly. He falls ill immediately after telling his daughter about his past. Will Shin'emon leave his daughter's life like this?
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)
