The NHK morning drama series "Bakeke" is currently airing (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). Which episodes of the first half, from episode 1 to episode 65, which were aired up until December last year, were most enthusiastically watched by viewers? The story of the heroine, Matsuno Toki (Takaishi Akari), the daughter of a fallen samurai, has been quite eventful so far. Based on the "attention level" (Kanto region), which indicates the degree to which viewers in front of the TV are glued to the screen, we looked into whether there are any differences between different generations.
The data used was a proprietary index called "attention level" published by REVISIO Inc., which 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. The higher the number, the more people were engrossed in the program and unable to take their eyes off it.
◇The episodes that are most popular among "individuals overall" are turning points in the story.
To confirm the generational differences, we used "individuals overall," which covers a wide range of ages, and "core viewers," which covers men and women aged 13 to 49. We ranked the top five for each, but there were no overlapping episodes. It's amazing how different the generations are.
The top spot for "Individuals Overall" went to the 34th episode (74.0%, broadcast on November 13, 2025), where the line "I don't wanna leave you" became such a hot topic that it even trended on social media X. The instantaneous attention rate (preliminary value) for each minute also hit 83.0% (preliminary value) at 8:12 AM, when the line "I don't wanna leave you" was uttered, the highest figure for the first half of "Bakeke" airing.
Heaven (Tommy Bastow) angrily retorted that Toki was a "maid," not a "rassman." Trying to explain further, he spoke the Japanese word "dakitakunai" with a dictionary in hand. Toki blurted out, "Huh?" and "That's rude in itself!" His mother, Fumi (Ikewaki Chizuru), immediately retorted, "You want to hold me, don't you?" His father, Tsukasasuke (Okabe Takashi), also chimed in with, "That's right!" It was a typical "Bakeke" episode, with a serious scene suddenly evolving into a comedy skit.
The rankings below second place for "Individual Overall" include Episode 30 (broadcast on November 7, 2025), in which Toki sees her biological mother Tae (Kitagawa Keiko) begging and decides to become a "Rashamen" at Heaven, and Episode 16 (broadcast on October 20, 2025), in which Toki's then-husband Ginjiro (Kanichiro) runs away from the Matsuno family. These are important scenes that appear to be lined up in order according to the overall flow of the story.
◇Is "love" the most popular topic among young people?
On the other hand, the rankings for the "core audience," limited to a slightly younger demographic of men and women aged 13-49, are completely different. The top spot goes to Episode 10 (broadcast October 10, 2025), in which Ginjiro crosses the bridge to marry into the Matsuno family. Led by Toki in a pure white wedding kimono, the entire Matsuno family arrives to greet Ginjiro and his companions. Ginjiro approaches Toki and extends his right hand, and the two, holding hands, slowly walk toward the Matsuno home. To congratulate the couple, neighbors rain confetti down from above. At the same time, women, including childhood friend Nozu Sawa (Marui Wan), surround the couple and throw even more confetti. Toki, smiling, tries to throw the confetti back, which is adorable. In a way, the episode ends with a scene that feels like the height of happiness.
Of course, the 10th episode is also a turning point in the story, but it only ranked 21st among "individuals overall," which is a moderate level of interest, and not particularly high. It seems that the episodes that aired have a theme of "love" and are relatively high up in the rankings for the "core audience."
For example, in the 5th episode (broadcast on October 3, 2025), which came in second place, the Matsuno family decides to find a husband to escape their impoverished life. Toki visits Yaegaki Shrine in Matsue, which is famous for matchmaking, to try out a love fortune-telling. While her friends quickly get good results, Toki is frustrated as she struggles to get any. It's a fun episode, but it only came in 12th place in the "Individual Overall" category.
The fifth-place episode, episode 50 (aired December 5, 2025), is when Kotani (Kyōhei Shimokawa), a student at Heaven who has a crush on Toki, invites her out for a rendezvous. Toki's love of ghost stories is so intense that Kotani can't keep up and ends up running away, but it's still a love-related episode.
After that, episode 9 (broadcast on October 9, 2025), in which Toki, who is so nervous that she moves like a mechanical doll, and Ginjiro go on a blind date, came in eighth place, and episode 20 (broadcast on October 24, 2025), in which Toki spends a dreamlike time with Ginjiro in Tokyo, but cannot leave the Matsuno family behind and chooses to part ways with Ginjiro and return to Matsue, came in ninth place.About half of the episodes up to the top 10 are related to love.
One of the things that interests viewers of morning dramas is the love life and marriage of the heroine. Who will be her partner is a major point of interest. The survey results show that young people in particular tend to be interested in these aspects. (Text by Sasamoto Hirozai/MANTAN)
