In the 12th episode (aired April 14th) of the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM, etc.), Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , what was the scene that most captivated viewers? 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 peak was 76.5% at 8:06 AM and 8:10 AM, the highest ever for the drama.
" 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.
◇The highest value of 76.5% was reached at 8:06 AM and 8:10 AM.
Rin (Mikami) receives help from Kenjiro Shimada, nicknamed "Shimaken" (Masaya Sano), in dealing with foreign customers. In episode 12, she decides to start studying English, hoping to be of some use to Mizuho-ya herself. Naomi (Uesaka) hears from Yoshie (Taizo Harada) that Rin's life has settled down. Then, Naomi comes up with a plan, borrows a dress from Mary (Anya Floris), and heads to the Rokumeikan.
The "attention level," which indicates the percentage of viewers watching the screen intently, first rose above 70% at 8:05 AM and remained above 70% for a total of nine minutes thereafter. The only time it dropped below 60% was at 68.7% at 8:07 AM, indicating that the broadcast maintained a consistently high level of attention throughout.
◇The first peak was the comical scenes of Rin and Naomi.
The first time the viewership reached the 70% range that day was at 8:05 AM (72.8%), around the time Shimaken, who had been talking with Rin and Tamaki (Ruka Miyajima), a mother and daughter, left the shop and Usaburo (Yajuro Bando) returned. The highest value of 76.5% was recorded at 8:06 AM, in the first half of the scene where Usaburo gives his dictionary to Rin, who has expressed her desire to learn a foreign language. Rin, delighted, looks at the dictionary and says, "I will do my best," and then asks, "So, what country's language is this?" Usaburo exchanges glances with the shop assistant, Fumiko Yanagawa (Chika Uchida).
The latter half of the 8:06 AM segment takes a dramatic turn as Naomi makes her appearance. Naomi, along with missionary Mary (Anya Floris), goes around gathering ingredients for a soup kitchen. She tearfully thanks a shopkeeper for his donation and even manages to get some more vegetables. On their way home, Mary is astonished to see Naomi acting completely unfazed and asks, "Were you faking it just now?"
The segment around 8:06 AM was a fun one, with Rin and Naomi each showing a slightly comical side.
◇The second peak was due to a certain plan that Naomi put into action.
At 8:10 AM, when the highest value of 76.5% was recorded once again, it was the moment when Naomi put a certain plan into action. Having borrowed clothes from Mary, Naomi arrived at the gate of the Rokumeikan, and when she saw Oyama Sutematsu's (Mikako Tabe) carriage approaching, she pretended to be dizzy and crouched down on the road. Sutematsu stopped the carriage and asked, "Are you alright?", to which Naomi apologized, "Oh, that was Ms. Oyama's carriage! I am terribly rude," and this part is within the 10-minute mark.
After this, Naomi, concealing her true identity and pretending to be the daughter of an interpreter, subtly showcased her English skills by speaking to him in English. Then, she lied, "Would you allow me to work at the Rokumeikan? Actually... my father has fallen ill, and now..." and bowed her head, saying, "Please, I beg you." Although the level of attention dropped slightly in the early 8:12 AM hour, it remained above 70%, and viewers seemed strongly interested in whether Naomi's "plan" would succeed.
Sutematsu has had a significant impact on Rin and Naomi, often due to their misunderstandings. In episode 5, the scene where Rin and Sutematsu first meet recorded the highest viewership rating of the day at 70.0%. In episode 8, the scene where Naomi and Sutematsu meet by chance also saw a sharp increase in attention. It seems that, once again, any scene featuring Sutematsu will see a surge in viewership.
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)
