Bakebake:The show's viewership rating reached over 80% for the third time. Which scene captivated viewers the most? A look back at episode 121 with data.

In the 121st episode (aired March 23rd) of the NHK Asadora drama series "Bakebake " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.), starring actress Akari Takaishi , 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 81.7% at 8:13 AM. This is the third time in four months that " Bakebake" has recorded an attention level in the 80% range. It seems that viewer interest surged at the start of the final week.

"Bakebake" is the 113th morning Asadora. The heroine, Toki Matsuno, and her husband, Lefkada Heaven, are modeled after Koizumi Setsu, the daughter of a fallen samurai family in Matsue, and Lafcadio Hearn(Yakumo Koizumi), known for his works such as "Kwaidan." The drama boldly reconstructs these events, changing some of the character and organization names to portray them as fiction.

◇A "ghost story" arrives at Heaven's home, filling the family with joy.

In episode 121, a large package arrives from America for Toki (Takaishi) and Heaven (Tommy Bastow). Inside is the book "KWAIDAN" ("Ghost Stories") that Toki and Heaven have completed. Toki is overjoyed, along with Tsukasanosuke(Takashi Okabe), Fumi (Chizuru Ikewaki), Kanta and Isao, and the maid Kuma (Natsume Touha). Then one day, Heaven tells Toki that he has a pain in his chest.

The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the screen intently, was somewhat low at the beginning, but after 8:08 AM, it stabilized in the 70% range. At 8:13 AM, it even reached the 80% range, making it a broadcast that kept viewers glued to the screen.

◇The latter half of the season, when the shadow of illness began to creep into Heaven's life, maintained a level of attention exceeding 70%.

This week marks the final week of "Bakebake." Episode 121 promises to be an exciting and suspenseful conclusion for viewers.

At the beginning of the story, a large package arrives for Toki (Takaishi) and Heaven from America. Inside is "KWAIDAN," the book that Toki and Heaven have completed. Heaven reads a review from Eliza (Charlotte Kate Fox) and explains that it is selling well in America and that Eliza has praised it highly. Toki and her family are overjoyed, believing her words, but Heaven's expression clouds over.

In the early stages of the episode, the viewership hovers around 60% for much of the time, failing to fully capture the audience's attention. The first time the viewership rose above 70% was at 8:05 AM (74.3%), around the time Joe (played by Sugita Rairin) arrived. At Heaven's request, Joe had translated "KWAIDAN" into Japanese and brought it with him so that Toki could read it. It was a scene that made viewers happy just watching Toki's joy.

The viewership rating immediately dropped back down to the mid-60s, but then hit 73.4% at 8:08 AM and remained above 70% until the end. The turning point at 8:08 AM was when Heaven reads a book review article from America that Eliza had sent him. He felt a sharp pain in his chest after reading the article, which harshly criticized the book as "nothing more than a collection of childish folktales."

After that, from 8:09 a.m. onwards, the story unfolds as follows: One day, Heaven tells Toki that he has a pain in his chest and hands her a will in which he leaves all his possessions to her. He continues, "If this...pain gets worse, I'll die," and asks Toki not to cry when he dies, but to put his ashes in a small bottle and bury him in a lonely temple. Toki replies, "Stop joking. Are you alright?" but Heaven apologizes, "I'm not alright. Doctor...I said it. Really. I'm sorry."

At 8:13 AM, the level of attention, which had been hovering around the mid-70s, suddenly jumped to the 80s (81.7%). That evening, Heaven woke up from her nap and told Toki, "I'm sorry, Mom, I'm all better," explaining that her chest pain had gone away during her nap.

Relieved, Toki, with tears in her eyes, vented her emotions to Heaven, saying, "Stop causing trouble! Just stop it!" and "If you say anything strange again, I'll put you in a little bottle!" At 8:14 AM, the rating plummeted to 70.3%, but it still managed to stay above 70% until the end.

Historically, Yakumo Koizumi died of angina in 1904, the same year he published "Kwaidan." Naturally, viewers are aware of this, which is probably why the show's popularity skyrocketed once the changes in Heaven's health began to be depicted. The story of "Bakebake" is drawing to a close. The final week promises to be full of unmissable developments.

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)