What was the scene that most captivated viewers in the 103rd episode (aired on February 25th) of the NHK morning drama "Bakeke" (General TV, Monday to 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 62.5% at 8:11 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.
◇Low interest
In episode 103, as talk of closing Kumamoto Fifth High School becomes more and more real, Heaven (Tommy Bastow) decides to make a living as a writer, but his resolve wavers when his colleague Robert (Joe Tremaine) says something. Meanwhile, each of them shows Heaven the topic ideas they have collected for their manuscripts. Toki (Takaishi) introduces Yoshino Ise (Imo Yu), who is knowledgeable about old legends.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the TV intently, barely exceeded 60% at each peak, showing a somewhat low level. Furthermore, the graph fluctuated wildly, and there seemed to be few scenes that kept viewers engaged.
◇“Tsukasasuke” Okabe Takashi apologizes to his family again by kneeling down
After the opening theme song played, there were four small peaks of similar magnitude, with the final peak at 8:11 a.m. reaching a peak of 62.5%.
The first "mountain" begins at 8:03 a.m. (61.5%) and takes place at Kumamoto Fifth High School. Heaven is approached by her colleague Robert, who has been hired by a school in Tokyo, who asks her if there is any work for her. Heaven replies that he is going to be a writer, but after being asked repeatedly, "Can you write?" she begins to lose confidence.
The next episode, at 8:06 AM (61.8%), features Tsukasa (Takashi Okabe) failing again in his investment and apologizing to his family by kneeling down. Tsukasa explains that he only used the amount he had previously increased in the azuki bean market, but Toki and Fumi (Chizuru Ikewaki) are not going to forgive him for such an excuse.
The scene in which Tsukasasuke suggests, "How about writing a story about how I lost my money?" and Heaven responds with, "That's not right," aired the next time at 8:07 a.m., garnering an attention rating of 60.6%.
◇What kind of story will Ise and Mokichi offer before Heaven?
The third "mountain" at 8:09 AM (62.3%) begins when Toki invites a mysterious woman, Ise (Imo Yu), to his home and begins introducing her to Heaven. Then, Takeru (Sugita Rairin) and Masaki (Hidaka Yukito) bring Murakami Mokichi (Ogata Susumu) from the same village. When Murakami sees Ise, he tries to leave. He seems genuinely afraid that he will be cursed by Ise. This is likely the beginning of the scene where we hear the legend, which is the theme of this week, from Ise and Mokichi.
The highest reading of 62.5% was recorded at 8:11 AM, when Ise tells Heaven that every time a sliding door is opened forcefully, it shortens one's lifespan by one year. Heaven, intrigued, asks, "Why?" The segment up to the 11-minute mark.
The remaining time between 8:12 and 8:14 AM remained at around 61%. "Legends are legends. There are bound to be questions," Ise replied, and Heaven switched her target to Mokichi for the time being. Mokichi began to confidently tell the story of how if someone sits in the same place where the warmth of the previous person remains, they will bear the misfortune of the first person. This was something that the maid Kuma (played by Natsume Towa) had already mentioned at the end of episode 101. Heaven, who had not had much success, began to get irritated, and the show came to an end.
Episode 103 may have felt like a tease, going around in circles around the periphery, which is why it didn't gain much attention. The next day, episode 104, will likely delve into the core of Ise's story, that he is "cursed." It will be interesting to see how the attention will change at that point.
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)
