A one-stop-show of secret stories from the filming of the drama! Summer Drama “Behind the Scenes of the Intensifying Competition for Audience Ratings”.

In recent years, especially since this April, the TV industry has been talking about the decline in total viewership (the percentage of people watching terrestrial TV in real time).

The absolute number of people watching terrestrial TV has been decreasing due to the shift to video distribution and games, especially among young people. Household viewership ratings for this season’s dramas also reached a high of 11%. Although overall viewership appears to be sluggish, if one understands this background, both household and core (data for men and women aged 13-49) viewership can be said to be in good shape. Which is more important, the households or the core, and which is by far the most important: the core, which has by far the highest reach to the advertising audience. Take a look at the cast of this season’s dramas. Compared to a decade ago, the leading and semi-leading roles have become much younger. The drama can dig up young viewers, get advertisements, and make money through distribution. We can see the form that Reiwa’s dramas are aiming for,” said a producer at a key station.

The drama ranked first in the core viewer ratings, which are important to TV people (first-run; the same below). The drama that won the top spot in core viewer ratings (for the first season; same below) was “Old Rookie” (TBS), which is based on the theme of sports management.

The show is richly produced, with a succession of appearances by real-life famous athletes and a 9-year-old skater who trains for two months to act in a play. The production cost of “Sunday Gekijo” is equivalent to that of a movie. Compared to foreign dramas distributed through Netflix and other media, Japanese dramas tend to be cheap and inferior, but this drama is not to be outdone. No wonder it has high core and household ratings,” said writer Kumao Oyama.

The Achilles’ heel of this film is Go Ayano (40), who plays the lead role. It was feared that he had been “shot down” before the broadcast by the expose-style YouTube star Yoshikazu Azumaya (50), a.k.a. Garcy, but a TBS official wryly commented, “It turned out to be a good publicity stunt. However, a TBS official said with a wry smile, “It turned out to be a good publicity stunt.

Compared to his past appearances, Ayano’s promotional activities have clearly decreased. Even when she did run promotional campaigns, the publicity department reminded everyone around her not to say anything unnecessary. However, when we opened the door, we found that the drama was doing very well. Ayano, who can play both villainous characters and the “shameless hot-blooded” protagonist of the film, is a good actor, regardless of his personal life, and his stock among the staff is rising (laugh).

(Laughs)” Kyoko Yoshine (25), the heroine, has also seen her stock soar.

After starring in NHK’s television series “BEPPINSAN,” she went on to give good performances in such films as “Chunnel is as it is! based on the novel by Michiko Sasaki, and finally appeared in “Sunday Gekijo. She is a rare performer who can play both leading and supporting roles, in comedies, serious dramas, and coming-of-age stories, and she keeps her freshness,” says Oyama.

Fuji Television’s “Kanketsu no Keeper” came in first in household viewer ratings. Mr. Oyama continues.

The show has the novelty of depicting the activities of the Fair Trade Commission, but it is still difficult to understand their position, what they are fighting against, and how they are involved in people’s lives. Some of the comedic direction also does not match the weight of the subject matter. It is a little bit of a disappointment.

Drama watcher Masahiro Kitagawa is focusing his attention on “Tutor Trako” (NTV), a script by Kazuhiko Yugawa, whom he describes as “a scriptwriter who hits a home run or strikes out.

He cast Ai Hashimoto (26), who was in “Sakura in the Same Classroom” and “The 35-Year-Old Girl,” both scripted by Yugawa, in the lead role. Like past Yugawa productions “Queen’s Classroom” and “Mita, the Housekeeper,” the main character has the potential to blow up big, so don’t miss it.”

The core ratings are in second place. Will it be a homerun?

Speaking of big-name scriptwriters, Yuji Sakamoto’s “Hatsukoi no Devil” (Nippon TV) is also a film to watch.

The main cast consists of Kento Hayashi (31), Taiga Nakano (29), Tasuku Emoto (35), and Mayu Matsuoka (27), all of whom are members of the police department but have no authority to investigate. The four quirky characters are well-defined, and the stylish and meaningful dialogue that is unique to Sakamoto’s works is still present. Although it is struggling in terms of viewer ratings, it is doing well in terms of distribution.

Mei Nagano (Mei), 22, starring in “Riding on a Unicorn” (TBS), received mixed reviews.

The core ratings are high and distribution is strong, but it fails to depict the realism of an IT-related start-up company, which should be the core of the story, nor the pains and joys of creativity. It exists only as a stage set. Hidetoshi Nishijima (51), who even served as a branch manager of a regional bank, was portrayed as an anachronistic and incompetent person, and it was unbearable to watch.”

Oyama, who laments that “I felt a new trend in dramas,” focuses on two works, “Ishiko to Habu Otoko” (TBS) and “Magical Renovation” (Fuji).

Both are male-female buddy dramas, but the relationship is not that of a protagonist and his assistant, but that of equals. They complement each other in what they lack. The fact that they don’t seem to have a romantic relationship is also common, which is refreshing.

Ishiko and Habu Otoko” is a legal drama based on new and familiar topics such as “an electric kickboard accident. The active use of young, up-and-coming actors such as Meru (Meru Nukumi, 20) is also highly praised.

The two characters are “Glass Ishida (Kasumi Arimura, 29), a paralegal who graduated from Tokyo University but failed the bar exam four times, and Yoshio Haneoka (Nakamura Rinya, 35), a high school graduate who became a lawyer with an astonishing memory. The title, which is a play on their names, was difficult to understand, but the first episode was distributed 2.5 million times, ranking second,” said Kitagawa.

Incidentally, the pair of Junko Arai and Ayuko Tsukahara, who worked on “Unnatural,” “MIU404,” and other high-profile productions, were in charge of this production. This film is also expected to leave a solid mark.

The director of a production company says that “Jun-Ai Dissonance” (Fuji) has all the characteristics of Reiwa’s dramas.

The director of a production company says, “The reform of the working style has prohibited long working hours, and the shooting schedule has been moved up. Since drama fees are paid on an episode-by-episode basis, an increase in the number of shooting days due to the advance schedule would mean longer working hours even though the fee would remain the same. This was shunned by the big-name actors. On the other hand, the schedule became more flexible, making it possible to make appearances at multiple times. This opened up opportunities for mid-career and young actors who had been smoldering in the background.

In fact, it was young Ai Yoshikawa (22) who was chosen to play the lead in the film. The aforementioned director says, “In the same film, there were many actors who appeared in multiple roles.

The kind father (Mitsuishi Ken, 60) who died a shocking death in “Roppongi Class” appeared as a villain in “Jun-Ai Dissonance. Miwako Kakei (28), who plays a music teacher, has appeared in six dramas this summer, including WOWOW. She is a hidden hot seller.

One of the most unusual dramas that almost completely copied a popular Korean drama was “Roppongi Class” (TV Asahi).

Ryoma Takeuchi (29) and Yuko Shinki (28), the lead actors, contracted corona. The film was shot mostly on TV Asahi’s premises, and the location of Roppongi was a source of much embarrassment, as people laughed at the idea that the film was shot on TV Asahi’s rooftop. She has a great presence, playing everything from a shadowy expression to the subtlety of a young girl in love. She has really peeled off her skin,” said a broadcaster.

The number of missed distribution of the first episode has reached 2,740,000 times, which is the highest number in the world. If it continues to be a winner, the hard work of the field will be rewarded.

From the September 2, 2022 issue of “FRIDAY