In the seventh episode (aired April 7th) 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 74.6% at 8:11 AM. The highest attention level has been increasing with each episode, and on this day, it set a new record for " Kaze,Kaoru."
"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.
◇ Maintained levels in the 70% range from 8:08 AM onwards.
The seventh episode tells the story of Rin (Mikami), who marries Kameji Okuda (Miura Takahiro), who runs a transportation business. She works hard to serve the Okuda family in order to build a good relationship with her husband Kameji and her mother-in-law Sada (Negishi Kie), but she is not easily accepted. Meanwhile, Naomi (Uesaka) continues to study English while working at a new match factory.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the screen intently, surged at 8:08 AM, just as it had for the sixth episode the previous day, after the opening sequence ended. It remained in the 70% range until the ending, suggesting that the program successfully captivated viewers.
◇The peak was Kameki's "Sake! Sake!"
While the scenes before the opening credits focused on Rin and Kamegichi's wedding, the scenes after the opening credits depicted their life in her new home. As her mother, Mitsu (played by Mizuno Miki), had opposed the move, and it was a somewhat uncertain new home, viewers may have been more interested in what kind of person Kamegichi was than in the wedding itself.
Rin tries her best to be of any use to the Okuda family, helping with breakfast preparations, assisting Kamekichi with his delivery work, and fetching water, but Kamekichi and Sada show no interest. The daughter of a former chief retainer has married into the family. Is that fact alone enough for them? Their attitude suggests they don't want anything more.
The peak of the seventh episode, at 8:11 AM, was a scene where Rin asks Kamekichi, who is demanding alcohol during dinner, "Could you please go easy on me?" Kamekichi, completely unwilling to listen, simply replies, "Alcohol! Alcohol!" The previous day's episode depicted Naomi's predicament, but today it was Rin's turn. From this point on, Rin faces a series of difficult situations.
◇She gives birth to a daughter, but is moved to tears by Kamekichi's coldness.
At the ending at 8:14 AM, viewership rose again, reaching a 73.9% rating, the second highest of the day. The scene began at 8:13 AM, showing Rin giving birth. The baby was a girl, and Kamekichi showed no joy, simply saying, "It's a girl." Sada's interest was solely focused on the fact that the child was born to the chief retainer's daughter, adding, "It's a girl, after all. It'll bring some prestige to our family," and "We should invite the whole neighborhood over to show her off."
The scene begins around 8:14 AM, right after Rin asks, "What should we name this baby?" Kameki leaves the room, only saying, "Do whatever you want." Sada follows him, saying, "I'll offer you some mochi." Left behind, Rin says to the baby she's holding, "Good morning, it's your mother," but then stops short when she starts to say, "And your father..."
Even when Rin was the only one to be there for her father, Shin'emon (played by Kazuki Kitamura), who died suddenly from cholera, she didn't cry. But this time, she shed tears, saying, "Dad, I'm lonely." Following Naomi the day before, Rin let out a cry from her heart at the end. Viewers were captivated by the scene, and it garnered significant attention, alongside the "Alcohol!" scene.
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)
