Update to the Autumn 2012 ratings race - 12 Dec 12

Here is how the ranking looks like as of today:

1) Doctor X - 18.16%
2) PRICELESS - 17.55%
3) Aibou Season 11 - 16.28%
4) Kekkon Shinai - 11.72%
5) Akumu-chan - 11.70%
6) MONSTERS - 11.59%
7) Tokumei Tantei - 10.46%
8) TOKYO Airport 10.00%

Of those in the above-10% category, Doctor X continues its stellar run with a 20.1% rating last week. Not to be outdone, PRICELESS achieved the same figure for its broadcast on 10 Dec. However, PRICELESS will need to have figures close to the 20% mark for the rest of its run in order to have a chance at overtaking Doctor X which frankly speaking, wasn't a hot favourite pre-season but showed amazing power from the start and managed to keep its viewership base largely intact. Aibou looks like it might just keep the No.3 spot since Kekkon Shinai will need a huge boost in order to get close to Aibou's average. The good thing is, they got the No.4 spot back but Akumu-chan is right on its heels. MONSTERS and Tokumei Tantei ended their run and this means they get to stay in the above-10% group but ranking-wise, they are pretty much at the bottom of the pack. TOKYO Airport hangs precariously at the border of being a above-10% and under-10% so in order to make sure it does better than its predecessors i.e. Kazoku no Uta and Beautiful Rain, it needs above-10% ratings for the rest of the season.

And here are those in the below-10% group:

9) Osozaki no Himawari - 9.43%
10) Ooku - 8.52%
11) Perfect Blue - 8.07%
12) Going My Home - 7.74%
13) Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo - 7.71%
14) Koukou Nyuushi - 6.62%
15) Resident - 6.60%
16) Poison - 3.46%
17) Girls Talk - 2.28%
18) PIECE - 2.16%
19) Sugarless - 1.75%

If you look at positions, Osozaki and Ooku aren't doing so badly since they are technically still in the top 10. However, when the focus is on their figures, it is a painful sight considering that they are all single-digit averages. Osozaki and Going My Home both got their worst ratings to date last week and for Osozaki, there's been quite a number of promotional events going on to boost awareness but to little effect. Going My Home suffers from the huge anticipation it got prior to the start of the season so criticism seems to be harsher on it as compared to Osozaki which airs on the same night. Ooku is a concept used so many times in various dramas and movies but somehow, it doesn't work this time.

Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo can be said to be third-time unlucky by Takei Emi who has three leading roles in a drama for three consecutive seasons but all of them turned out to be single-digit disasters. I haven't watched W no Higeki and Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo but as far as I can see, at the very least Iki mo dekinai natsu's flop is not entirely her fault. However, the press seems to be harping on this so much that I really pity Takei for what she has to go through. I happened to see her on Himitsu no Arashi-chan and she revealed that she would have wanted more time to play and relax just like any teenager her age would do. I guess she really needs to take a breather in order to be an actress for the long term or else she's going to burn out sooner or later.

Contrary to what I had hoped for before this season started, the majority of the dramas turned out to do really badly in terms of ratings. And I thought summer was bad enough! The sole saving grace is, at least Doctor X and PRICELESS are still fighting each other to get the No.1 spot so there's still something to look out for when I check the ratings every week. Next season is just a couple of weeks away and my only hope is that, can we at least have half of the dramas in the above-10% group? I'm not even asking for an above-20% drama to be among the pack (a monster hit like Kaseifu no Mita is really not easy to come by) but seriously, more than half going below the 10% line? That's really a horrible results slip to look at every season.