A look at first episode ratings for the Spring 2012 dramas so far

Dates in brackets indicate the day when the first OA took place:

1) ATARU - 19.9% (15 April)
2) Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri - 15.9% (14 April)
3) 37-sai de Isha ni Natta Boku - 13.2% (10 April)
4) Toshi Densetsu no Onna - 10.3% (13 April)
5) Hanchou 5 - 10.2% (9 April)
6) Kaeru no Oujosama - 9.0% (12 April)
7) Kazoku no Uta - 6.1% (15 April)

ATARU did so well in its first OA which not only raises the bar for its competition but also for itself. Nakai acts in dramas once in a blue moon (8 years since Suna no Utsuwa) so I think this lack of exposure does help in building up the anticipation factor. Morever, the story itself does seem quite appealing although I have no idea how he's going to fit into the case solving process. My only concern is, if its subsequent episodes don't do as well, this high debut rating will probably mean nothing at the end. I feel bad for Kazoku no Uta not only because it's up against ATARU in the same timeslot but also it's probably not doing well because of the plagiarism claims against it. Too bad for Odagiri Jo who's yet to get another hit since Jikou Keisatsu.

Surprisingly, Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri did quite well for its debut and even beat Kusanagi's drama. Will be checking out both and see how they compare. Tonight, Ohno's drama makes its debut as well so there should be a fair bit of comparison between Aiba's and Ohno's dramas throughout the season in terms of ratings and critical reviews.

Kaeru no Oujosama getting a rating of less than 10% seems to be an early sign of trouble. There's been talk about this drama being a hybrid of J-movie Hula Girls and the US drama Glee so I wonder if this is one of the reasons for its lacklustre debut. There seems to be a fair bit of singing involved in this drama so it will be interesting to see Amami Yuki sing especially for those who've never seen her in her Takarazuka days. Still, it remains to be seen if this can sustain my interest for 3 whole months though.

Nagasawa Masami's drama does seem interesting in terms of story and 10.3% is a decent figure for a midnight slot drama. Wonder if the viewers are in it for the story or her sexy legs (or so her fellow cast members put it)?

All the spring dramas should be finishing their first OA within this week so the ranking is likely to change. Will anyone do better than ATARU? Frankly speaking, first episode ratings aren't exactly the best measurement of a drama's popularity (think Kaseifu no Mita which picked up tremendously in the later part of the season) so it's anyone's guess who will win the first round and if that will be the true winner come June.