Like a “morning drama”? Former TV TOKYO P Director Points Out the Reason Why “Betsubou” Had the Lowest Viewer Ratings for the First Viewing of a Historical Drama.
What is the “Morning Drama “ization of Taiga Drama?
This year’s Taiga Drama, “Belabo,” has been receiving the lowest first-run viewer ratings. According to Toshihiko Tabuchi, a former producer at TV Tokyo and professor at J. F. Oberlin University’s College of Art and Design, who has planned, produced, and cast many dramas, the most important reason for this is the lack of differentiation from “morning dramas. What exactly does it mean that “Taiga Drama” has become “Morning Drama”? What is the reason?
Causes of low ratings: ……
The historical drama “Belabo” has produced the lowest first-run ratings for a historical drama. There have been several articles on the Internet discussing the cause of the low viewer ratings, but none of them have yet reached the core of the issue. This is because they are all about the “content” of the drama.
In this article, I would like to explore the cause of low viewer ratings by looking into the “structural changes” taking place in the TV industry today, while also touching on the content of drama productions. During my previous career at a TV station, I produced many dramas. All of them were my own projects, not those of others. Of course, I also did the staffing and casting myself. Based on such long years of experience, I would like to list the following four reasons for low ratings or poor reception after viewing the first episode.
1_The title is not appealing.
The word “bérétabule” is not originally used in a good sense. It can mean “too bad,” or it can be derived from the word “fool,” which means to belittle someone. On the program’s official website, chief producer Hideki Fujinami explains that the reason for the title “bebo” was because of the original meaning of the word, which means “extreme” or “extraordinary. Without knowing the meaning of the word, however, it is unlikely to give a good impression on first viewing.
In the past, when I produced dramas, the title was something I struggled with until the very end. In some cases, I was still struggling with the title even after filming was finished and editing was in progress. The title is the “face” of the drama, so I had to be very careful.
In the long history of Taiga dramas, it must be difficult for those in charge to constantly face the hurdle of how to give the drama a unique character, but this time it is no wonder that the title was considered too eccentric. Frankly speaking, it is not a title that “makes you want to see it.
2_The script is too appealing to the viewers.
There were two major points that bothered me about the “screenplay too appealing to the viewer. Haruka Ayase, the narrator of the play, plays the role of Kurosuke Inari, and there is a scene in which she explains the distance using a smartphone.
Unintentionally, I exclaimed, “What? I exclaimed. Why is it necessary to show a smartphone here? I could only see it as a “flirtation” with the younger generation.
Viewers are sensitive to this kind of “unnecessary pandering. It is an easy pitfall for creators to fall into, thinking that “young people will like it” or “they will find it interesting,” but viewers are not that naive.
But viewers are not that simple. If they think so, then the creators are “self-indulgent.
The other point that bothered me was the “delivery” of the story. I felt as if I was watching a commercial suspense drama. Is it just me, or was too much emphasis placed on the “thrill and suspense” aspect of the story, and the flow of the story did not have the gravitas that one would expect from an epic drama?
3_I can’t show this to my children.
Regarding this, it can be pointed out that there are many “tragic scenes” and “scenes of women naked or men and women.
Scenes such as people being killed, images of dead bodies piled up, and women completely naked. I honestly wondered if it was necessary to go that far.
On the Internet, some people said, “That was a bold move” or “You did a good job of swinging away from it. I also appreciate the fact that they were prepared for it and expressed themselves well. I also think that the filmmakers were considerate to the performers, such as having an intimacy coordinator for sensitive sexual expressions.
However, such efforts will be ineffective if they are off the mark. In the first place, rather than the will and spirit of the creators, they should have considered whether or not the audience of a major drama is looking for such elements.
