In the 38th episode (aired on May 20th) of the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM, etc.), Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , 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 peak was at 8:08 AM, recording a record high of 79.4% since " Kaze,Kaoru" began.
"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 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.
◇Percentages remained above 70% from the middle of the season onward.
In episode 38, Chikako's (Yukie Nakama) hospital room is visited by her doctors, Imai (Yuta Furukawa), Kurokawa (Kisei Hirano), and Fujita (Ryotaro Sakaguchi), who try to discuss her condition in front of her husband, Motohiko (Ayumu Tanida). Meanwhile, Makimura (Yuta Hayashi), his brother Soichi (Shuhei Uesugi), and Shimaken (Masaya Sano) appear at Mizuhoya, and Yasu (Miharu Hayasaka) also shows up.
The level of attention remained high throughout the day, especially from the middle of the show onwards, where it recorded levels in the 70% range for a total of seven minutes. Attention levels remained stable without any significant drops, peaking at 79.4%, coming very close to the 80% range.
◇Rin deliberately drops the paper to help Princess Chikako.
Episode 38 saw several turning points in various aspects of the story, and introduced new characters. Perhaps because of this, the overall level of attention was high, and the highest viewership rating for the day was the highest since the drama began.
The drama's viewership suddenly surged to 69.6% at 8:01 AM. This scene shows Chikako's doctor, Imai, along with Kurokawa and Fujita, visiting her hospital room and discussing her condition in front of her husband, Motohiko, and son. Sensing something from a slight change in Chikako's expression, Rin deliberately drops the sheet of paper recording her medical condition. This prompts Chikako to ask, "Could we discuss this another time?" The scene ends with Chikako looking at Rin, seemingly understanding her consideration. This incident seems to foreshadow a slight change in Rin and Chikako's relationship.
◇Is the peak of the love at first sight for Yasu?
The next period of increased attention was from 8:07 AM (71.3%) to 8:11 AM (73.7%), with viewership exceeding 70% for five consecutive minutes.
8:07 AM is a continuation of the scene at 8:01 AM. Sensing that Chikako has a reason for not wanting to have surgery, Rin asks, "Is there anything I can do?" Chikako looks at Rin's face and seems to think for a moment, but finally says, "Could you change my sheets?" Just not getting as angry as she used to is a big step forward.
The next segment, at 8:08 AM, saw an even greater surge in viewership, reaching a peak of 79.4%. The scene then shifts to Mizuho-ya, where Rin's mother, Mitsu (Mizuno Miki), is instructing her clerk, Matsubara (Ogura Fumiya), to rearrange the store's merchandise. Makimura and his brother Soichi, along with Shimaken, appear, followed by Yasu (Hayasaka Miharu) bringing Rin's daughter, Tamaki (Ema). Whenever the high-spirited Mitsu makes an appearance, something always seems to happen. Perhaps the sudden increase in characters heightened anticipation and caused the viewership to skyrocket.
At 8:09 AM (76.9%), Tamaki strikes up a conversation with Soichi and offers to show him around the store, which, as expected, triggers the start of the "incident." Noticing the expression on Yasu's face as he watches the scene intently, Mitsu gets a hunch and asks Shimaken about Soichi's age and occupation. Yasu then interrupts and asks, "Is he married?" The exchange between her and Mitsu, who scolds Yasu, is amusing.
At 8:10 AM (77.4%), the show's popularity briefly rises again. It begins when Soichi approaches Yasu and asks, "It seems your daughter dropped this. Are you her parent?" Mitsu immediately denies it, saying, "No, Yasu is a young woman about to get married." She then approaches Shimaken and asks him to "please act as a go-between (between the two of them)." What a resourceful Mitsu! The hospital segment is often rather grim, so Yasu's adoring expression as she gazes at Soichi, among other things, makes for a fun, almost comedic development that will make you laugh.
At 8:11 AM (73.7%), the scene returns to the hospital. Naomi goes around scolding patients in their rooms, including Maruyama (Tokie Wakabayashi), who keeps scratching their backs while receiving treatment. However, the patients argue back, leaving Naomi to ponder for a moment. That was the scene.
◇Who is Yuunagi, the prostitute who resembles Naomi? Kanta also makes a reappearance.
Attention levels dropped to the 60% range at 8:12 AM, but rose again to the 70% range at 8:13 AM (76.3%) and 8:14 AM (72.9%).
During these two minutes, events unfold around Naomi that foreshadow a new and dramatic turn of events. As Naomi walks through town after finishing her shopping for Rin, a man suddenly calls out to her, "Are you Yuunagi?" When Naomi replies that he has mistaken her for someone else, the man says, "Now that I think about it, Yuunagi is getting on in years. She used to be a prostitute. I was indebted to her a little while ago." However, he doesn't say anything more and leaves with a younger man.
Naomi, an orphan abandoned at a church, suspects her mother may have been a prostitute. Could Yuunagi be her mother? It's understandable that Naomi would start considering that possibility.
Intrigued, Naomi follows the man, who hands money to a man who has come to meet him and enters an alley. "Hello, teacher." The man is greeted there by Kanta (Kitsusuke Fujiwara), who had once deceived Naomi. Who is Yuunagi, who resembles Naomi? Who was the man who called out to her? What kind of mischief is Kanta up to this time? The drama ends with Naomi spotting Kanta, leaving many mysteries unresolved and leading into the next episode. It was an ending that made us eager to see the next episode, episode 39. (Text by Hiroki Sasamoto/MANTANWEB)
