What was the most captivating scene in the 113th episode (broadcast on March 11th) of the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), starring actress Akari Takaishi ? 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 74.4% at 8:07 AM.
" Bakebake" is the 113th morning Asadora. 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(Yakumo Koizumi), 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.
◇The peak of the day was at 8:07 AM
In order for Heaven (Tommy Bastow) to become a Japanese citizen, he must be recognized by Governor Eto (Shiro Sano). In episode 113, Heaven visits Nishikori (Ryo Yoshizawa ) to get his help, but is refused. In despair, Toki and Heaven are confused and unable to understand Nishikori's true intentions. Meanwhile, Tsukasanosuke ( Keiko Kitagawa ) and Fumi ( Chizuru Ikewaki ), make an unexpected proposal.
The "level of attention," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the TV who were paying close attention to the screen, made a relatively large "peak" early on, peaked in the middle, and then made a smaller "peak" towards the end. Until the day before, there had been a "late-stage pattern" of increasing towards the end, but on this day, there were a series of scenes that suddenly attracted viewer attention from the beginning.
Heaven and Nishikori meet for the first time in a while
Episode 113 began with Heaven being invited into Nishikori's study after visiting him. At 8:00 AM, before the main story began, the viewership was low at 62.2%, but at 8:01 AM, when Nishikori began to explain that he had received a letter from his younger brother, Takeru (played by Sugita Rairin), explaining the purpose of his visit, the viewership suddenly rose to 72.0%.
Governor Eto is angry and won't take her seriously, and Heaven asks in English if he can help her. Nishikori denies Heaven's request, saying in a weak voice, "The governor doesn't trust me right now." The two continue to exchange words matter-of-factly, but at last Nishikori's face and voice are clearly visible. Viewers may have been glued to every word he said.
◇What's strange about " Ushimizu Toki"?
The next peak came midway through the opening segment. Attention levels had dropped to the 53% range by 8:03 AM, but then rebounded, peaking at 70.1% at 8:05 AM, and then peaking at 74.4% at 8:07 AM, the highest level of the day. For three minutes from 8:05 AM to 8:07 AM, the ratings remained in the 70% range, capturing the attention of viewers.
The point where Fumi begins to talk to Toki and Heaven, who are at a loss after being refused help by Nishikori and Shoda (Shogo Hama), starts at 8:05 a.m. (70.1%). Fumi, who has brought Kanta to meet Tae, says that Tae has agreed to register Toki, Heaven, and Kanta in the Ushimizu family register.
The next segment, at 8:06 AM (71.4%), began with Fumi apologizing to Toki for acting selfishly. Fumi, who understands Toki's devotion to the Matsuno family despite the fact that he regards Tae of the Ushimizu family as his mother, was likely curious to see Toki's reaction. As the camera cut to Toki, she excitedly declared, "I'm going to become Ushimizu Toki." It was a somewhat unexpected response. Tsukasanosuke seemed a little puzzled, asking, "What's so funny?" Then Heaven burst out laughing, saying, "I get it, Mom," and Fumi slammed her knee (or rather, the tatami mat) and shouted, "I get it." Like Tsukasanosuke, many viewers were likely left wondering what had happened.
The peak was at 8:07 AM (74.4%), when Fumi and Heaven whispered to Tsukasanosuke. After being given the hints "The Hour of the Ox" and "Even the plants and trees are asleep,"Tsukasanosuke finally seemed to understand, saying "I see." "Ushimizu Toki" has been changed to "Mitsuotoki" (the hour of the Ox), and Toki is delighted. When Fumi, Heaven, and Tsukasanosuke loudly chant "Ushimizu Toki" and "Mitsuotoki" together, the four burst into laughter. It was a sudden turn of events typical of "Bakebake," as the serious scene suddenly transformed into a wordplay comedy skit.
Come to think of it, the first episode of "Bakebake" began with the Matsuno family all going to the shrine for a midnight visit. From there, the plot was spectacularly resolved until the 113th episode, "Ushimizu Toki = Midnight."
In fact, the next segment, at 8:08 AM, returns to serious scenes. Toki says that she will be sad to no longer be "Toki Matsuno," but continues that Tsukasanosuke will still be her "father" and Fumi her "mother." It is a scene of friendly conversation between father and daughter, but the attention rating for this scene plummets to 64.4%.
◇ Sannojo and Tae's smiles are heartwarming
Towards the end of the show, the viewership rose to 70.8% at 8:13 AM, reaching the 70% mark for the third time. When Sannojo(Rihito Itagaki ) of the Ushimizu family ate Tae's cooking and commented, "My mother's cooking has been delicious lately," Tae was a little surprised, but laughed, saying, "You're right. I think so too." "It used to be terrible." Kitagawa's performance as Tae, whose facial expression changed moment by moment in response to Sannojo's words, drew the viewer's attention. It was also impressive to see Sannojo drink his soup and let out a "ah" like a crested ibis. The two had been swept away by the rough waves of the times and had been through a lot, but it was truly a joyous scene to see them smiling.
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)
