Update to the Summer 2012 ratings race - 28 Aug 12

As usual, here is the ranking based on average ratings:

1) GTO 13.35%
2) Iryu Sousa 12.38%
3) Rich Man Poor Woman 11.49%
4) Keishichou Sousa Ikka 9 Kakari 11.48%
5) Ghost Mama Sousasen 11.08% (no new episode due to 24 Jikan Terebi)
6) Tokkan 10.82%
7) Kyoto Chiken no Onna 10.82%
8) Summer Rescue 10.43%
9) Kuro no Onna Kyoushi 10.30%
10) Iki mo dekinai natsu 10.20%
11) Beautiful Rain 10.04%

12) Higashino Keigo Mysteries 8.80%
13) Beginners 7.83%
14) Naniwa Shounen Tanteidan 6.34%
15) Boys On The Run 5.79%
16) Omo ni naitemasu 5.03%
17) VISION 3.24%
18) Sprout 2.63% (no new episode due to 24 Jikan Terebi)
19) Soumatou Kabushikigaisha 2.23%

As usual, there isn't a lot of movement among the dramas with very slight differences between each position. Barring unforeseen circumstances, GTO looks set to be the victor this season. I'm quite surprised by this especially since I didn't think that sequels would usually go down well with viewers and the actors playing the leads are not as well-known as the 1998 couple. Then again, the competition this season is pretty much non-existent so it makes it easier for GTO to secure a rather firm viewership base from those who are either fans of the manga or the leads.

  On a side note, the drama SP starring Ninomiya Kazunari and Ueto Aya shown during the 24 Jikan Terebi scored a high of 23.8%. There has been talk about how the TV stations are always putting up half-hearted productions during summer or not expecting much from the ratings since most viewers would be out on holiday or summer events and wouldn't stay home to watch TV. Traditionally, that seems to be the case because ratings are usually quite badly affected during this period of the year. Then again, the true popularity of the show is no longer reflected by the ratings as per before because there are so many ways to watch a drama now (e.g. you can access the on-demand services on your phone or computer if you are in Japan). Moreover, when you compare what this SP got with what the summer dramas are struggling to get, it does make me wonder if the problem lies with whether the drama is attractive enough to make a viewer deliberately stay home to catch the first broadcast.