Abstract
The morning drama research project of the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute conducts a series of surveys on NHK’s morning drama serials, or Asadora, which have been attracting more and more viewership in recent years, in order to investigate viewing behaviors of the audience and factors for the popularity of the dramas. The past four surveys featured Mare, Asa ga kita, Toto-Nee-chan, and Beppin-san. This is the fifth survey focusing on Hiyokko. The satisfaction level for Hiyokko was 85%, in the same range as Toto-Nee-chan. The drama’s “meticulous portrayal of characters” resonated with many viewers, and the fact that “all of the characters were good in nature” made many people enjoy the program with peace of mind. On top of this, the feel-good ending of the drama, with each character finding happiness at the end, led to a high valuation at the final stage. Meanwhile, the ending was unpredictable for viewers because Hiyokko featured an original heroine, modeling after no one, for the first time in four seasons, and it was a conversation-based, slow paced drama. Because of these aspects, viewers presumably enjoyed the story by taking a short-term perspective, relishing daily episodes or characters’ moves, rather than taking a long-term perspective to savor the overall storyline. It is also observed that those who usually watched TV dramas from a long-term perspective flexibly adapted to the style of Hiyokko by changing their focuses of interest and occasionally taking a short-term perspective to appreciate the drama.
