Was a Second Female Lead Really Necessary? The “True Source of Discomfort” in NHK’s Morning Drama *The Scent of the Wind*, Which Is Struggling with Low Ratings

Struggling with Ratings

The morning drama series *The Scent of the Wind* (NHK), starring Ai Mikami (25) and Juri Uesaka (21) as the dual heroines, is struggling.The series entered a new chapter with Week 16, “When a New Wind Blows,” which began on July 13. Will this serve as a catalyst to revive the slumping ratings…?

Set in the Meiji era, the series follows the dual heroines—”Rin,” played by Miage, who becomes Japan’s first trainee nurse (a formally trained nurse), and “Naomi,” played by Uesaka—as they grow through their interactions with patients and doctors. The story depicts their journey as they eventually become the “strongest duo.”

While attention is focused on the dual heroines, “When the Wind Blows” has stumbled in the ratings since its premiere. There are two main reasons for this.

One is that “the two meet far too late.”

“Rin, who lost her father suddenly, married a man 18 years her senior to support her family and gave birth to her daughter, Tamaki. However, her marriage didn’t work out, and following a fire, she fled her home and moved to Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Naomi, an orphan, works at a match factory but is falsely accused and fired. Eventually, using her English skills, she sneaks into the Rokumeikan and becomes a maid, only to be completely swindled by a con artist.

I understand that these episodes serve as foreshadowing that will pay off later. However, it takes far too long—two whole weeks—for the two heroines to meet. Couldn’t the rushed portrayal of the marriage and childbirth scenes, which morning drama fans look forward to, be one of the reasons for the show’s loss of momentum?” (Producer at the production company)

Let’s compare it to the popular 2024 morning drama *Tora ni Tsubasa* (NHK).

In *Wings of the Tiger*, which depicted the heroine Torako (Sairi Ito)—the first Japanese woman to become a lawyer and judge—she faced various conflicts but was accepted into the law school at Meiritsu University’s Women’s Division by the second week. Her encounters with other women aspiring to become lawyers served as a major driving force that propelled the story forward.

In contrast, in *The Scent of the Wind*, it isn’t until Week 5 that she enrolls in the nursing school affiliated with Umeoka Girls’ School. It’s no wonder people are saying it’s “too little, too late.”

And there’s one more thing. Another possible cause of the low ratings is the lack of a “buddy vibe.”

The highly acclaimed “A Vote in the Galaxy” is

Episode 75, which aired on July 10. Naomi tells Rin, “Quit being a nurse,” effectively giving her the boot.

However, the job she found was as a dorm supervisor at a girls’ school in Niigata. She couldn’t possibly commute from Tokyo, nor could she take her daughter, Tamaki (Ema), with her.

She offers a positive suggestion to the dejected Rin, but Rin won’t listen. When Naomi presses her, saying she has no choice but to remarry,

“I don’t want to entrust Tamaki’s and my life to anyone else,”

Rin flatly refuses, and the two lay their feelings bare, lashing out at each other.

I can’t be the only one who felt something was off about this scene.

“Up until now, there hadn’t been a scene where the two of them clashed so fiercely. I couldn’t help but feel it was abrupt.I also felt something was off about the drastic turn of events where Naomi declares, ‘I’m going to become the real family of this house’ and ‘I’m going to be Tamaki’s second mother.’ The reason is that, despite this being such a major decision, the underlying sense of ‘partnership’ between them has been far too tenuous up until now. Isn’t that precisely the source of the sense of dissonance I feel in this series?” (Director at the production company)

With *A Vote in the Galaxy* (Fuji TV), *Moonlit Journey: The Answer Lies Within the Masterpieces* (Nippon TV), and *Error* (TV Asahi), there are several “female buddy” dramas among the series that premiered this spring during the April season—it’s safe to call it a trend.

“I rewatched *A Vote in the Galaxy*, which has received particularly high praise.In the first episode, Mari (Hana Kuroki)—having been disowned by her father, the ruling party’s secretary-general, and lost her job as a secretary—wanders aimlessly until a memento of her late mother leads her to a fateful encounter with Akari (Kayo Noro), the owner of a snack bar.

Many viewers were moved to tears by Kuroki’s stunning performance as she opened up about her loneliness. ‘A buddy story is a tale of two lonely souls meeting.’ The vision of this series’ producer, Ayumi Sano—who has never hesitated to state this publicly—has hit the mark perfectly,” (the aforementioned producer)

As a new chapter begins, the two heroines have been separated once again. What kind of drama awaits them from here on out?

While we hope this will be the secret to a V-shaped recovery in ratings, it’s concerning that many are saying, “It’s already too late”—.