Top 10 private network dramas in the Heisei era with the highest single episode rating (Daily Shincho)

With the impending end of the Heisei era, there are lots of rankings, surveys, articles about anything imaginable in the media these days. Daily Shincho did a check on the top 10 private network dramas in the Heisei era with the highest single episode rating i.e. excluding NHK and here are the results with the year of broadcast in brackets:

"Hanzawa Naoki" is still unbeaten for the last six years since it became the monster blockbuster of 2013. Looking at the results, it's obvious that the days of dramas easily exceeding the 20% mark are long gone. It may be a long time before another big hit in the 30% range ever comes up in the Reiwa era with more and more sources for your drama fix including Netflix, HBO Asia, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video other than the traditional TV stations and many alternative forms of entertainment besides TV spreading the viewership base further.

In case you are wondering, I actually watched everything in this list (which gives you a clue as to how old I am) and naturally, there are some which I like more than the others for various reasons! I watched "101 Kaime no Proposal" when I was still a kid who knew nothing much and I actually remembered the scene of Takeda Tetsuya jumping in front of that truck more than the love story itself because I was laughing at how ridiculous it seemed (sorry, no romantic bone in me back then). "Ienakiko" was shocking and painful to watch due to the constant bullying of Suzu (Adachi Yumi) but it was gratifying and encouraging to see how she overcame hurdle after hurdle. "Long Vacation" introduced me to Takenouchi Yutaka (although it was his clean look in "Beach Boys" which got me hooked) and I am still listening to the songs from then even to this day. And not forgetting "Hanzawa Naoki" which I felt was a bit far-fetched because that kind of insubordination would never happen in a company, much less a Japanese bank - but the story of a nobody fighting against power and status probably resonated with everyone who faced similar issues and had no way or courage to fight like Hanzawa. So many beautiful memories from the Heisei era dramas!

How many of the top 10 have you watched before? Do feel free to share your thoughts with me!

1) Hanzawa Naoki / TBS / 42.2% (2013)
2) Beautiful Life / TBS / 41.3% (2000)
3) Kaseifu no Mita / NTV / 40.0% (2011)
4) Hitotsu Yane no Shita / FujiTV / 37.8% (1993)
5) GOOD LUCK!! / TBS / 37.6% (2003)
6) Ienakiko / NTV / 37.2% (1994)
7) HERO / FujiTV / 36.8% (2001)
8) 101 Kaime no Proposal / FujiTV / 36.7% (1991)
Long Vacation / FujiTV / 36.7% (1996)
10) GTO / FujiTV / 35.7% (1998)

Source: Daily Shincho

Top 30 TV programmes with the highest ratings in 2016 (Video Research)

This ranking released by Video Research is a list of the top 30 TV programmes shown in 2016 with the highest ratings and includes news, variety shows, dramas and sports matches' broadcasts.

Figures in brackets indicate the ratings for the programme concerned:

1) The 67th NHK Kouhaku Utagassen Part 2 - 31 December (40.2%)

2) The 67th NHK Kouhaku Utagassen Part 1 - 31 December (35.1%)

3) SMAP x SMAP - 18 January (31.2%)

4) Shouten - 29 May (28.1%)

5) The 92nd Tokyo Hakone Daigaku Ekiden - 2 January (28.0%)

6) The 92nd Tokyo Hakone Daigaku Ekiden - 3 January (27.8%)

7) Asa ga kita (last episode) - 2 April (27.0%)

8) FIFA Club World Cup Final: Real Madrid vs. Kashima Antlers - 18 December (26.8%)

9) Toto Nee-chan - 17 August (25.9%)

10) 24 Jikan Terebi 39 Ai wa chikyuu wo sukuu PART 10 - 28 August (25.8%)

11) 2016 Pro Baseball Nihon Series: Hiroshima vs. Nippon Ham Match 6 - 29 October (25.1%)

12) NHK News Ohayou Nihon Metropolitan Area - 5 February (24.9%)

13) Doctor X 4 Gekai Daimon Michiko - 27 October (24.3%)

14) NHK News - 22 August (24.1%)

15) Oosumo Hatsubasho Senshuraku - 24 January / Nakai Masahiro no Kinyoubi no Smile tachi e - 13 May (24.0%)

17) Rio de Janeiro Olympics - 21 August (23.7%)

18) Rio de Janeiro Olympics Opening Ceremony - 6 August (23.6%)

19) 24 Jikan Terebi 39 Ai wa chikyuu wo sukuu PART 9 - 28 August (23.2%)

20) Dugout - 29 October (22.9%)

21) Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 - 14 August / NHK News 7 - 20 August (22.6%)

23) NHK News Kisho Jouhou - 21 August (22.4%)

24) Sekai no hate made itte Q! - 13 November / Beppin-san - 22 December (22.2%)

26) Doctor X Daimon Michiko SP - 3 July / Rio Janeiro Olympics - 7 August (22.0%)

28) 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia-Asia area last qualifier: Japan vs. Saudi Arabia - 15 November / NHK News - 22 November (21.8%)

30) NHK News Watch 9 - 16 May (21.5%)

Source: Nikkansports

Top 30 dramas with the highest single-episode ranking in 2016 (Video Research)

The following is the list of top 30 dramas and SPs shown between 28 December 2015 and 25 December 2016 with the highest single-episode rating as announced by Video Research. Numbers in brackets indicate the ratings for that particular episode:

1) Asa ga kita [last episode] - 2 April 2016 (27.0%)

2) Toto Nee-chan - 17 August 2016 (25.9%)

3) Doctor X 4 Gekai Daimon Michiko - 27 October 2016 (24.3%)

4) Beppin-san - 7 December 2016 (22.1%)

5) Doctor X Gekai Daimon Michiko SP - 3 July 2016 (22.0%)

6) Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu [last episode] - 20 December 2016 (20.8%)

7) 24 Jikan Terebi Drama SP Moumoku no Yoshinori-sensei Hikari wo ushinatte kokoro ga mieta - 27 August 2016 (20.5%)

8) Sanadamaru - 17 January 2016 (20.1%)

9) 99.9 Keiji Senmon Bengoshi - 24 April 2016 & 19 June 2016 (19.1%)

10) Specialist - 14 January 2016 (17.1%)

11) Aibou season 14 Ganjitsu SP - 1 January 2016 (16.7%)

12) Sekai ichi muzukashii koi [last episode] - 15 June 2016 (16.0%)

13) Aibou season 15 [first episode] - 12 October 2016 (15.5%)

14) Kaitou Yamaneko - 16 January 2016 (14.3%)

15) Keishicho Sousa Ikka Kyuugakari [first episode] - 6 April 2016 (13.9%)

16) Kasouken no Onna - 24 November 2016 (13.7%)

17) Kasouken no Onna Shogatsu SP - 3 January 2016 (13.6%)

18) Jimi ni sugoi! Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko - 9 November 2016 & 30 November 2016  / Suna no Tou ~ Shirisugita Rinjin ~ [last episode] - 16 December 2016 (13.2%)

20) Doyou Wide Gekijou Jiken 17 - 4 June 2016 / IQ246 Karei naru Jikenbo - 16 October 2016 (13.1%)

22) Ie uru onna [last episode] - 19 September 2016 / Wataru sekken wa oni bakari - 19 September 2016 (13.0%)

24) Good Partner - 21 April 2016 (12.9%)

25) Yo ni mo kimyou na monogatari Spring 2016 SP - 28 May 2016 (12.8%)

26) Omiya-san SP - 13 February 2016 (12.7%)

27) Keishicho Sousa Ikkacho [last episode] - 23 June 2016 (12.3%)

28) Izu Kaigan Satsujin Route - 6 February 2016 / Kansakan Hanyuu Souichi Doku Habu to yobareru otoko - 5 March 2016 / Tensai Bakabon Kazoku no Kizuna - 11 March / Aogeba Totoshi [last episode] - 11 September (12.2%)

Source: Sponichi

Top 30 highest-rated TV programmes in 2015 (Kanto region)

This ranking lists the top 30 TV programmes aired in 2015 which got the highest ratings. Note that the ratings are based on the Kanto region only and figures in brackets are the ratings. For dramas, I have put their names in blue:

1) The 66th NHK Kouhaku Utagassen Part 2 - 31 Dec - NHK (39.2%)
2) The 66th NHK Kouhaku Utagassen Part 1 - 31 Dec - NHK (34.8%)
3) The 91st Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden Return Leg - 3 Jan - NTV (28.3%)
4) The 91st Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden First Leg - 2 Jan - NTV (28.2%)
5) Asa ga Kita - 4 Dec - NHK (27.2%)
6) 24 Jikan Terebi 38 Ai wa Chikyuu wo Sukuu PART 10 - 23 Aug - NTV (26.7%)
7) News & Weather Report - 30 May - NHK (26.3%)
8) World Baseball Premium 12: Japan vs. South Korea - 19 Nov - TBS (25.2%)
9) Massan - 20 Mar - NHK (25.0%)
10) 24 Jikan Terebi PART 9 - 23 Aug - NTV (24.5%)

11) Shoten - 1 Mar - NTV (24.2%)
12) 2015 NHK Cup Figure Skating - 28 Nov - NHK (23.5%)
13) The Tetsuwan DASH - 8 Nov - NTV (23.3%)
14) Figure Skating Grand Prix Series 2015 3rd Round in China - 7 Nov - TV Asahi (23.2%)
15) NHK News Ohayou Nippon - 12 Sep - NHK (22.9%)
16) Mare - 7 Apr - NHK (22.7%)
17) Yuku toshi kuru toshi - 31 Dec - NHK (22.6%)
18) Houdou Station - 21 Aug - TV Asahi (22.5%)
19) Sekai no hate made itte Q! - 1 Feb - NTV (22.4%)
20) Shitamachi Rocket Last Episode - 20 Dec - TBS (22.3%)

21) Osumo Hatsu Basho Day 14 - 24 Jan - NHK (22.1%)
22) 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Preliminaries Japan vs. Singapore - 16 Jun - TV Asahi (22.0%)
23) News Watch 7 - 31 Dec - NHK / News Watch 9 - 21 Aug - NHK (21.6%)
25) Figure Skating Grand Prix Final 2015 - 11 Dec - TV Asahi (21.5%)
26) NHK News Ohayou Nippon Shutouken - 10 Sep - NHK (21.0%)
27) Gyoretsu no dekiru houritsu jimusho - 1 Mar - NTV (20.8%)
28) Figure Skating Grand Prix Final 2015 - 13 Dec - TV Asahi (20.7%)
29) Soccer AFC Asia Cup Quarter Finals Japan vs. UAE - 23 Jan - TV Asahi / National Figure Skating Championship 2015 Women's Free programme - 27 Dec - FujiTV (20.6%)

Source: Oricon

Top 30 highest-rated dramas based on single-episode ratings in 2015

Note that this ranking includes full drama series and once-off drama SPs shown between 29 December 2014 and 27 December 2015. The figures in brackets indicate the ratings for that particular episode or once-off SP broadcast:

1) Asa ga Kita - NHK - 4 December 2015 (27.2%)
2) Massan - NHK - 30 March 2015 (25.0%)
3) Mare - NHK - 7 April 2015 (22.7%)
4) Shitamachi Rocket (last episode) - TBS - 20 December 2015 (22.3%)
5) Aibou season 13 (last episode) - TV Asahi - 18 March 2015 (20.3%)
6) 24 Jikan Terebi SP Okasan Ore wa Daijoubu - NTV - 22 August 2015 (20.2%)
7) I'm Home (last episode) - TV Asahi - 18 June 2015 (19.0%)
8) Aibou season 14 (first episode) - TV Asahi - 14 October 2015 (18.4%)
9) Tenno no Ryoriban (last episode) - TBS - 12 July 2015 (17.7%)
10) DOCTORS 3 (Ep 5) - TV Asahi - 5 February 2015 / Death Note (first episode) - NTV - 5 July 2015 (16.9%)

12) Hana Moyu (first episode) - NHK - 4 January 2015 (16.7%)
13) Oriental Kyuukou Satsujin Jiken Part 1 - FujiTV - 11 January 2015 (16.1%)
14) Oriental Kyuukou Satsujin Jiken Part 2 - FujiTV - 12 January 2015 (15.9%)
15) Hanasaki Mai ga damattenai (Ep 7) - NTV - 19 August 2015 (15.6%)
16) Zeni no Sensou (last episode) - FujiTV - 17 March 2015 (15.4%)
17) Marumaru Tsuma (Ep 2 & Ep 4) - NTV - 21 January 2015 (15.2%)
18) Youkoso, Wagaya e (last episode) - FujiTV - 15 June 2015 (15.0%)
19) Date ~ Koi to wa donna mono kashira ~ (first episode) - FujiTV - 19 January 2015 / Specialist 3 - TV Asahi - 28 February 2015 (14.8%)

21) Gisou no Fuufu (first episode) - NTV - 7 October 2015 (14.7%)
22) Kinkyuu Torishirabeshitsu - TV Asahi - 27 September 2015 (14.6%)
23) Isan Sozoku - TV Asahi - 22 October 2015 (14.2%)
24) Keishicho Sousa Ikka 5 Hira kara nariagatta Saikyo no Keiji! - TV Asahi - 17 October 2015 (14.1%)
25) Dr.Rintaro (first episode) - NTV - 15 April 2015 / Keishicho Sousa Ikka 9 Kakari season 10 (episode 3) - TV Asahi - 6 May 2015 (13.9%)
27) Shin Naniwa Kinyuudo - FujiTV - 24 January 2015 (13.8%)
28) Houigaku Kyoshitsu no Jiken File 40-kai Kinen - TV Asahi - 14 February 2015 / Morimura Seiichi Sakka 50nen Kinen Shuchakueki Series Zeni no Kasa - TV Asahi - 26 September 2015 (13.6%)
30) Kasoken no Onna (first episode) - TV Asahi - 15 October 2015 / Shikaku Tantei Higure Tabibito - NTV - 20 November 2015 (13.5%)

Source: Sponichi

2015 Drama Ratings Ranking among the Big 4 TV stations based on average ratings

The following is the ranking of dramas shown in 2015 by the Big 4 (FujiTV, TBS, NTV and TV Asahi) based on their average ratings. Numbers in brackets indicate the average rating of each drama.

Note that TV Tokyo tends to produce a lesser number of dramas per season compared to the Big 4, NHK dramas are generally shorter and do not last the entire three months' season while cable networks like WOWOW do not release ratings, their dramas would not appear in this ranking.

Much as I don't think that ratings do reflect a drama's quality especially in this time and age when you don't have to tune in to a drama realtime, this will be a guide for those who are looking for dramas to watch and are interested to see how the J-drama scene performed in the year soon to end. Do share your views on the results so that we can discuss.

For those who are wondering about the colour coding, dramas which I've watched are in red, blue ones are those which I haven't finished watching or have started but not sure about whether to continue while purple ones are those which I'm planning to check out. Looks like my backlog for reviews is growing again!

Average rating above 15% (3 dramas)
1) Shitamachi Rocket - TBS - Autumn 2015 (18.54%)
2) Aibou 13 - TV Asahi - Winter 2015 (17.9%)
3) Aibou 14 - TV Asahi - Autumn 2015 (15.4%)

Average rating between 10% and 14.99% (19 dramas)
4) Tenno no Ryoriban - TBS - Spring 2015 (14.94%)
5) I'm Home - TV Asahi - Spring 2015 (14.82%)
6) Hanasaki Mai ga damattenai - NTV - Summer 2015 (14.47%)
7) DOCTORS 3 - TV Asahi - Winter 2015 (14.38%)
8) Marumaru Tsuma - NTV - Winter 2015 (14.26%)
9) Zeni no Sensou - FujiTV - Winter 2015 (13.41%)
10) Dr. Rintaro - NTV - Spring 2015 (12.73%)
11) Youkoso, Wagaya e - FujiTV - Spring 2015 (12.55%)
12) Date ~ Koi to wa donna mono kashira ~ - FujiTV - Winter 2015 (12.54%)
13) Gisou no Fuufu - NTV - Autumn 2015 (12.17%)
14) Keishicho Ikka 9 Kakari - TV Asahi - Spring 2015 (11.8%)
15) 5-ji kara 9-ji made: Watashi ni koi shita obosan - FujiTV - Autumn 2015 (11.73%)
16) Death Note - NTV - Summer 2015 (11.55%)
17) Kounodori - TBS - Autumn 2015 (11.46%)
18) Kasoken no Onna - TV Asahi - Autumn 2015 (11.0%)
19) Isan Souzoku - TV Asahi - Autumn 2015 (10.77%)
20) Koinaka - FujiTV - Summer 2015 (10.74%)
21) Ouroboros - TBS - Winter 2015 (10.42%)
22) Ryusei Wagon - TBS - Winter 2015 (10.31%)

Average rating between 5% and 9.99% (32 dramas)
23) Okitegami Kyoko  no Biboroku - NTV - Autumn 2015 (9.78%)
24) Mondai no Aru Resutoran - FujiTV - Winter 2015 (9.34%)
25) Do S Deka - NTV - Spring 2015 (9.33%)
26) Angel Heart - NTV - Autumn 2015 (9.29%)
27) Gakkou no Kaidan - NTV - Winter 2015 (9.27%)
28) Siren - FujiTV - Autumn 2015 (9.22%)
29) Napoleon no Mura - TBS - Summer 2015 (9.08%)
30) Age Harassment - TV Asahi - Summer 2015 (8.86%)
31) Mother Game - TBS - Spring 2015 (8.82%)
32) Wild Heroes - NTV - Spring 2015 (8.78%)
33) Otona Joshi - FujiTV - Autumn 2015 (8.74%)
34) Ghost Writer - FujiTV - Winter 2015 (8.68%)
35) Algernon ni Hanataba wo - TBS - Spring 2015 (8.61%)
36) Ishitachi no Renai Jijo - FujiTV - Spring 2015 (8.49%)
37) Tantei no Tantei - FujiTV - Summer 2015 (8.11%)
38) Do Konjo Gaeru - NTV - Summer 2015 (7.98%)
39) Hotel Concierge - TBS - Summer 2015 (7.95%)
40) Mutsuu - FujiTV - Autumn 2015 (7.92%)
41) Zannen na Otto - FujiTV - Winter 2015 (7.68%)
42) Keibuho Sugiyama Shintaro - TBS - Winter 2015 (7.33%)
43) Tamiou - TV Asahi - Summer 2015 (7.14%)
44) Second Love - TV Asahi - Winter 2015 (7.14%)
45) Kokoro ga Pokitto ne - FujiTV - Spring 2015 / Samurai Sensei - TV Asahi - Autumn 2015 (6.71%)
46) Utsukushiki Wana - TBS - Winter 2015 (6.63%)
47) Yamegoku - TBS - Spring 2015 (6.48%)
48) 37.5C no Namida - TBS - Summer 2015 (6.17%)
49) Tenshi to Akuma - TV Asahi - Spring 2015 (6.08%)
50) Omotesando Koukou Gasshobu - TBS - Summer 2015 (5.92%)
51) Masshiro - TBS - Winter 2015 (5.85%)
52) Kekkon Shiki no Zenjitsu ni - TBS - Autumn 2015 (5.63%)
53) Risk no Kamisama - FujiTV - Summer 2015 (5.09%)

Average rating below 5% (6 dramas)
54) Tatau! Shoten Girl - FujiTV - Spring 2015 (4.78%)
55) Itsutsuboshi Tourist - NTV - Winter 2015 (4.42%)
56) Seishun Tantei Haruya - NTV - Autumn 2015 (4.32%)
57) HEAT - FujiTV - Summer 2015 (4.12%)
58) Renai Jidai - NTV - Spring 2015 (4.02%)
59) Konkatsu Deka - NTV - Summer 2015 (3.95%)

Key trends in 2015
- Out of the 59 dramas listed here, less than half made it pass the 10% mark in terms of their average ratings. This coincides with the general observation that dramas these days tend to register lower ratings due to various reasons.

- Out of the top 22 dramas which were above 10%, 5 were from TBS, 7 were from TV Asahi, 5 were from NTV and 5 were from FujiTV which seems to suggest that they are pretty on par with one ano. However, if you look at the average rating per drama from each TV station in the top 22 category, TBS got 13.13%, TV Asahi got 13.72%, NTV got 13.04% while FujiTV got 12.19%. TV Asahi is leading the pack while TBS and NTV have a small difference between them and FujiTV is lagging behind.

- The No.1 dramas from each of the TV stations are "Shitamachi Rocket" (TBS), "Aibou 13" (TV Asahi), Hanasaki Mai ga damattenai (NTV) and "Zeni no Sensou" (FujiTV).

- 4 out of the Top 10 are sequels i.e. Aibou (13 and 14), Hanasaki Mai and DOCTORS.

- Looking at the season distribution in the top 22, 7 were from the Winter season (Jan to Mar), 5 from Spring (Apr to June), 3 from Summer (Jul to Sep) and 7 from Autumn (Oct to Dec). This seems to suggest that in the colder seasons, the ratings tend to be higher while in summer, due to the summer holidays, festivals and Obon, lesser people seem to be tuning in to dramas realtime.

- In the category of dramas between 5% and 9.99%, there were 6 from NTV, 10 from FujiTV, 11 from TBS and 5 from TV Asahi. This suggests that 1) TBS dramas tend to fall into two extremes, they either do really well or really badly 2) FujiTV's dramas are falling behind and 3) TV Asahi is doing pretty well in recent years with a high number of dramas in the top category and a comparatively smaller number of below-10s.

- Almost one-third i.e. 9 of the dramas below 10% but above 5% were shown in summer. However, when you look at the breakdown across other seasons i.e. 7 from Autumn, 8 from Winter, 8 from Spring, it doesn't seem like the seasons were not major contributing factors as to why dramas do not fare well in ratings.

- In the category of the below 5% dramas, NTV may have the most number of 4 dramas out of 6 but the two entries from FujiTV stand out for the fact that they supposedly should have done better since they were shown during primetime while the four from NTV were all in the late-night slots which are expected to do less well.

So what do you think of the results in 2015?

Top 15 dramas with the lowest average rating (AsaJo)

AsaJo recently released a list of the top 15 dramas with the lowest average rating:

1) Otto no Kanojo - 3.8% (TBS / Autumn 2013)
Starring Kawaguchi Haruna
HEAT - 3.8% (FujiTV / Summer 2015)
Starring AKIRA

3) Kazoku no Uta - 3.9% (FujiTV / Spring 2012)
Starring Odagiri Jo

4) Message - 4.4% (NTV / Winter 2003)
Starring Mannaka Hitomi

5) Kazoku no Urajijo - 4.5% (FujiTV / Autumn 2013)
Starring Zaizen Naomi

6) Lion Sensei - 4.7% (NTV / Autumn 2003)
Starring Takenaka Naoto
Tatakau! Shoten Girl - 4.7% (FujiTV / Spring 2015)
Starring Watanabe Mayu & Inamori Izumi

8) Risk no Kamisama - 5.1% (FujiTV / Summer 2015)
Starring Tsutsumi Shinichi
Asunaro Sansannanabyoshi - 5.1% (FujiTV / Summer 2014)
Starring Yanagiba Toshiro

10) Keiji Ichiro - 5.2% (TBS / Winter 2013)
Starring Kato Haruhiko

11) Regatta Kimi to ita eien - 5.5% (TV Asahi / Summer 2006)
Starring Hayami Mokomichi

12) Hito Natsu no Papa e - 5.6% (TBS / Summer 2003)
Starring Ueto Aya

13) Ranpo R - 5.7% (NTV / Winter 2004)
Starring Fujii Takashi

14) Masshiro - 5.8% (TBS / Winter 2015)
Starring Horikita Maki

15) Omotesando Koukou Gasshobu - 5.9% (TBS / Summer 2015)
Starring Yoshine Kyoko

Based on the results above, here are some trends I would like to highlight:

- 10 out the 15 dramas come from the last 5 years i.e. 2010 to 2015. This coincides with the general view that drama ratings have been really low in recent years.

- The number of dramas from each of the Big 4 private networks in ascending order: TV Asahi = 1 / NTV = 3 / TBS = 5 / FujiTV = 6 i.e. TBS and FujiTV are in the race for the most number of low-ratings dramas. Surprisingly, TV Asahi's only entry  was Regatta in 2006 which had hogged the No.1 title for a long time before "Kazoku no Uta" came along to be referred to as a textbook example of a lowly-rated flop in the drama world. Now, this undesirable title belongs to "Otto no Kanojo" and "HEAT". This also means that TV Asahi has been doing so well in the ratings game at least in the last 10 years or so even though it was lagging behind the other three for a long time.

- Big and small names alike are not spared the low ratings curse. Apparently, it was rumoured that Odagiri was so sick of being under the ratings pressure brought about by "Kazoku no Uta" that he has reportedly vowed to stick to late-night or WOWOW dramas from now on.

- In terms of the season which has the most worst performers -> Winter = 4 / Spring = 2 / Summer = 6 / Autumn = 3. This seems to coincide with the general observation that summer dramas tend to do badly because people are outside enjoying the summer holidays.

- Being bad at the ratings game doesn't necessarily mean that it is a critical flop too. The most recent example was "Omotesando Koukou Gasshobu" which did rather badly in ratings but its female lead who is a newbie Yoshine Kyoko actually won the Best Leading Actress award in the Drama Academy Award. Baffles me how it happened but she must have won over those who watched the drama and voted for her.

Just an ending note, out of these 15 dramas, I've only watched the first episode of "Risk no Kamisama" which really spooked me so much that I didn't want to continue. It's not that I consciously shy away from these dramas because of ratings but I guess there must be something about them which turns me away.

How many of these dramas have you watched? And do you think they are really as bad as the ratings reflect?

Top 10 highest-rated single episode ratings for dramas shown in the first half of 2014 (Oricon)

1) Gochisousan - NHK - 13 March 2014 (Episode 136) - 25.3%

2) Hanako to Anne - NHK - 9 May 2014 / 26 May 2014 (Episodes 35 and 49) - 24.8%

3) Aibou New Year SP & Aibou season 12 2-hour finale SP - TV Asahi - 1st Jan 2014 / 19 Mar 2014 - 19.6%

4) Gunshi Kanbee - NHK - 5 Jan 2014 - Episode 1 - 18.9%
S Saigo no Keisatsukan - TBS - 12 Jan 2014 - Episode 1 - 18.9%

6) Hanasaki Mai ga damatte inai - NTV - 18 Jun 2014 - Final Episode - 18.3%

7) Roosevelt Game - TBS - 22 Jun 2014 - Final Episode - 17.6%

8) Kaseifu wa Mita! - TV Asahi - 2 Mar 2014 - 17.4%

9) BORDER - TV Asahi - 22 May 2014 - Episode 7 - 16.7%

10) Kinkyuu Toshirabeshitsu - TV Asahi - 23 Jan 2014 - Episode 3 - 16.1%
Specialist 2 - TV Asahi - 8 Mar 2014 - 16.1%

Source: Oricon

Top 10 highest single-episode ratings ranking for dramas in 2013 (Oricon)

1) Hanzawa Naoki Last Episode (TBS) - 42.2%

2) Gochisousan Ep 15 (NHK) - 27.3%

3) Ama-chan Ep 145 (NHK) - 27.0%

4) Doctor X ~ Gekkai Daimon Michiko ~ Last Episode (TV Asahi) - 26.9%

5) 24 Jikan Terebi SP - Kyou no hi wa sayounara (NTV)  - 23.4%

6) Galileo Ep 1 (FujiTV) - 22.6%

7) DOCTORS 2 Last Episode (TV Asahi) - 21.7%

8) Yae no Sakura Ep 1 (NHK) - 21.4%

9) Legal High Ep 1 (FujiTV) - 21.2%

10) Aibou Season 11 Last Episode (TV Asahi) - 20.7%

Source: Oricon

"Ando Lloyd ~ A.I. knows LOVE? ~" starts the season with a rating of 19.2%

The first episode of TBS autumn drama "Ando Lloyd ~ A.I. knows LOVE? ~" starring Kimura Takuya started the season with a rating of 19,2% for the broadcast on 13 October. This places it at No.2 in terms of the autumn dramas shown so far, behind "Legal High 2" which got 21.2% for its first episode. When compared to its predecessor i.e. mega hit "Hanzawa Naoki" which got 19.4%, "Ando Lloyd" performed more or less on par.

Source: Sanspo

Top 10 dramas with the highest single episode ratings since 1980 (Kanto region)

Figures in brackets refer to the ratings for that episode:

1) Tsumiki Kuzushi - Oya to ko no 200 nichi sensou Finale / 29 March 1983 / TBS (45.3%)

2) Hanzawa Naoki Finale / 22 Sep 2013 / TBS (42.2%)

3) Beautiful Life Finale / 26 March 2000 / TBS (41.3%)

4) Kaseifu no Mita Finale / 21 December 2011 / NTV (40.0%)

5) 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi Sensei Finale / 28 March 1980 / TBS (39.9%)

6) Hitotsu Yane no Shita Ep 11 / 21 June 1993 / FujiTV (37.8%)

7) GOOD LUCK!! Finale / 23 March 2003 / TBS (37.6%)

8) Ienakiko Finale / 2 July 1994 / NTV (37.2%)

9) HERO Ep 8 & Finale / 19 March 2001 / FujiTV (36.8%)

10) 101-kaime no Proposal Finale / 16 Sep 1991 / FujiTV (36.7%)
Long Vacation Finale / 24 June 1996 / FujiTV (36.7%)

Source: Sponichi

Top 10 dramas with the highest single episode rating in the first half of 2013

1) Galileo Ep 1 - 22.6%

2) Ama-chan Ep 65 - 22.2%

3) Yae no Sakura Ep 1 - 21.4%

4) Aibou season 11 Last Episode - 20.7%

5) Tonbi Last Episode - 20.3%

6) Jun to Ai Last Episode - 20.2%

7) Specialist (drama SP) - 19.4%

8) Last Cinderella Last Episode - 17.8%

9) Kazoku Game Last Episode - 16.7%

10) Taxi Driver no Suiri Nishi (drama SP) - 16.2%

Source: Oricon

Spring 2013 drama ratings ranking

Here is the ranking of the spring 2013 dramas based on their average ratings at the end of the season:

1) Galileo (FujiTV) - 19.85%
2) Last Cinderella (FujiTV) - 15.16%
3) 35-sai no Koukousei (NTV) - 13.10%
4) Kazoku Game (FujiTV) - 12.96%
5) Sora tobu Kouhoushitsu (TBS) - 12.55%
6) Keiji 110kg (TV Asahi) - 12.06%
7) Doubles ~ Futari no Keiji (TV Asahi) - 11.76%
8) Kasukana Kanojo (FujiTV) - 11.51%
9) Iryu Sousa (TV Asahi) - 11.48%
10) TAKE FIVE (TBS) - 10.07%
11) Kakusho ~ Keishicho Sousa 3ka (TBS) - 9.90%
12) Sennyuu Tantei Tokage (TBS) - 9.86%
13) Otenki Oneesan (TV Asahi) - 9.84%
14) Kamo, Kyoto e Iku (FujiTV) - 9.80%
15) Kumo no Kaidan (NTV) - 9.25%
16) Machigawarechatta Otoko (FujiTV) 6.10%

Galileo gets off to a good start with 22.6%

"Galileo" got off to a good start with its first episode shown on 15 April achieving a high rating of 22.6% in the Kanto region. With that, the drama grabbed the No.1 single episode rating title for 2013 based on dramas aired so far. It had been 5 years since the first series was shown in 2007 and the latest sequel features Fukuyama Masaharu pairing up with new partner Yoshitaka Yuriko. In addition, the first episode got a lot of attention due to guest star Osawa Takao and the highest rating within the episode was at 25.3% which was when Fukuyama's character Yukawa was explaining the tricks used by Osawa's character. With response to the news about the ratings, Fukuyama commented that he was glad that many viewers watched the drama and it was well worth the wait to play this role again. He hoped that this piece of good news would bring some positive energy to the filming set and that they will work hard to ensure that the good news continue.

Source: Sanspo

Top 10 drama ratings for 2012 (single episode basis) - Oricon

Note that this takes into consideration the highest rating for a single episode of a drama series or the rating for an once-off drama SP so it will be different from the usual ratings ranking we see which is based on averages. Dates in brackets indicate the date when the episode or SP was shown:

1) Carnation (28 Jan 2012) - 25.0%

2) Ume-chan Sensei (11 Aug 2012) - 24.9%

3) Doctor X (13 Dec 2012 - Last episode) - 24.4%

4) 24 Jikan Terebi Drama SP Kuruma Isu de Boku wa Sora wo Tobu (25 Aug 2012) - 23.8%

5) Odoru Daisousasen THE LAST TV Salaryman Keiji to Saigo no Nanjiken (1 Sep 2012) - 21.3%

6) Aibou (21 Mar 2012 - Last episode) - 20.5%

7) PRICELESS (10 Dec 2012) - 20.1%

8) ATARU (15 Apr 2012) - 19.9%

9) Jun to Ai (1 Oct 2012) - 19.8%

10) Atsui Kuuki (22 Dec 2012) - 18.6%

Source: Oricon

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.

Update to the Autumn 2012 drama ratings race

And here we are again for the weekly update:

1) Doctor X - 17.83%
2) PRICELESS - 17.18%
3) Aibou Season 11 - 16.60%
4) Akumu-chan - 11.86%
5) Kekkon Shinai - 11.60%
6) MONSTERS - 11.31%
7) Tokumei Tantei - 10.50%
8) TOKYO Airport - 10.05%

The positions are pretty much unchanged with a new addition this week because TOKYO Airport managed to crawl back into the top 10% group with a surge of 2.3% for its 8th episode. However, the average is just 0.05% above the 10% mark so anything going wrong this week will send this drama tumbling out of the top 10 again.

Just when you think that PRICELESS has a chance at the No.1 title because it got 18.1% in its 6th episode, Doctor X retalliates with an even better 18.6% for its broadcast within the same week. The problem with PRICELESS boils down to consistency and Doctor X has been doing so well that it will take a far bigger increase for PRICELESS to have a chance at overtaking Doctor X as we head to the end of the season. It also has to keep its eyes on No.3 Aibou which has been hovering between the 15% and 16% range but may just take over the No.2 spot if PRICELESS suffers a huge dip in its numbers even for a couple of weeks.

Akumu-chan, Kekkon Shinai and MONSTERS are still firmly in the 11% range but the order may change anytime if anything happens during the last few weeks of the Autumn 2012 season. Personally, I'm rooting for Kekkon Shinai to get the No.4 spot but Akumu-chan is doing quite OK that it will be an uphill climb for Kekkon Shinai.

And now for the below-10s...

9) Osozaki no Himawari - 9.70%
10) Ooku - 8.71%
11) Perfect Blue - 8.06%
12) Going My Home - 8.04%
13) Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo - 8.00%
14) Koukou Nyuushi - 6.78%
15) Resident - 6.74%
16) Poison - 3.57%
17) Girls Talk - 2.26%
18) PIECE - 2.22%
19) Sugarless - 1.73%

There's been quite a fair bit of publicity for Osozaki no Himawari recently which may have to do with its lacklustre ratings so far. Generally, reviews for this drama seem OK but I really wonder what could be the real reason behind its poor showing. Coincidentally or not, the other Tuesday drama on FujiTV is also doing rather badly which leads me to guess if there might be a strong competitor program on other channels.

Actually, if I remove the midnight slot dramas from this ranking, Resident would be the last drama in the ranking for primetime offerings. Is the story that bad or has it got to do with the fact that the main cast are still too raw and not very well-known to pull in the viewers week after week? And talking about coincidences, the only TBS drama in the top 10 group is MONSTERS while Resident, Perfect Blue and Ooku are all in the single-digit zone.

There's talk of TBS losing a lot of its ability to pull in viewers with its dramas in recent years but it may have a potential winner in the Minato Kanae novel turned into drama starring Suzuki Kyoka. I just wonder if it can live up to its expectation though because dramas have to be relatively toned down for the general TV-viewing audience and if it can't be as controversial or dramatic as Kokuhaku (starring Matsu Takako) or even Shokuzai (starring Koizumi Kyoko), it will turn out to be a half-baked attempt and definitely lacking in satisfaction. That would be a waste of the original material especially since Minato is one hot writer these days with so many of her works being dramatised or made into movies alongside with Higashino Keigo.

Update to the Autumn 2012 ratings race - 27 Nov 2012

Here are the results of the ranking as of 27 Nov 12:

1) Doctor X - 17.68%
2) PRICELESS - 17.00%
3) Aibou Season 11 - 16.75%
4) Akumu-chan - 11.91%
5) MONSTERS - 11.87%
6) Kekkon Shinai - 11.74%
7) Tokumei Tantei - 10.56%

8) Osozaki no Himawari - 9.92%
9) TOKYO Airport - 9.77%
10) Ooku - 8.96%
11) Going My Home - 8.40%
12) Perfect Blue - 7.96%
13) Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo - 7.87%
14) Resident - 6.93%
15) Koukou Nyuushi - 6.65%
16) Poison - 3.63%
17) PIECE / Girls Talk - 2.21%
19) Sugarless - 1.78%

The number of dramas in the above-10% group has gone down further with Osozaki no Himawari and TOKYO Airport slipping below the mark. However, there is still a chance that they might go back into the other group but that would mean a significant increase in its ratings before that can happen.

Doctor X is going very strongly with four consecutive episodes of above 17% ratings with a 18.6% debut episode. The consistency exhibited by this drama is in stark contrast to PRICELESS which is going through a rollercoaster ride. That's bad news for it especially if it wants to challenge Doctor X for the top spot. Aibou cannot be dismissed as well because it's quite close to PRICELESS and might even overtake it if the action heats up towards the end of the season.

Akumu-chan is also doing relatively well considering that it has overtaken MONSTERS. However, the margin is razor-thin so there is a likelihood for both dramas to keep switching spots until the final whistle. On the other hand, both dramas are simply too far from the Top 3 to pose any serious threats so it's probably going to be a fight for the 4th spot for them. Kekkon Shinai can't be written off as well since it's also in the 11% range but its last episode getting just 10.9% is slightly worrying.

Among the below-10% dramas, Osozaki, Ooku and Tokyo Airport seem like the potential candidates to fight for a Top 3 finish in this group. Going My Home is sinking too quickly with its Ep 6 getting just 5.9%. Likewise for Perfect Blue which is also singing the blues, its recent Ep 7 dropped 2.4% to 6.2% so it's going to be an uphill struggle for both to finish with decent results (especially for Going My Home which has a stellar cast and lots of promotion pre-season).

Update to the Autumn 2012 ratings race - 16 Nov 12

Here is the ranking based on the average ratings:

1) Doctor X - 17.87%
2) PRICELESS - 17.33%
3) Aibou Season 11 - 16.82%
4) MONSTERS - 12.48%
5) Akumu-chan - 12.08%
6) Kekkon Shinai - 12.0%
7) Tokumei Tantei - 10.82%
8) TOKYO Airport - 10.12%
9) Osozaki no Himawari - 10.08%

10) Ooku - 9.32%
11) Going My Home - 8.90%
12) Perfect Blue - 8.25%
13) Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo - 8.00%
14) Resident - 7.48%
15) Koukou Nyuushi - 6.50%
16) Poison - 3.53%
17) PIECE - 2.25%
18) Girl's Talk - 2.23%
19) Sugarless - 1.74%

PRICELESS has overtaken Aibou to occupy the No.2, thanks to its huge jump from 15.2% (Ep 3) to 18.4% (Ep 4). However, Doctor X maintains its lead with a 17.4% for its third episode so in terms of consistency, this drama seems to have an edge over PRICELESS for the time being. Aibou is not doing too badly as well but it's been on a downward trend and picked up slightly for its 5th episode.

MONSTERS stays afloat in the 11% region thus manages to keep its average of 12.08%. Akumu-chan went up quite a bit for its 5th episode (from 10.4% to 12.8%) and has swopped positions with Kekkon Shinai which had also gone back to the 12% region in its 5th episode. At the moment, it looks like these three dramas might be shuffling their positions in the No.4 to No.6 range if their averages continue to be so close to one another.

Tokumei Tantei, TOKYO Airport and Osozaki no Himawari are the next group of 10% contenders with the latter two in serious danger of slipping out of the above-10% category if their single-ratings streaks continue. TOKYO Airport scored its lowest to date i.e. 8.3% for its 5th episode while Osozaki picked up from 8.0% to reach 8.9% in its 4th episode.

As for the below-10% group, there aren't any significant changes but Going My Home looks like it might be losing steam very quickly with its 5th episode getting just 6.5%. Considering the lineup and credentials of its director, it's quite alarming to see such figures. And not surprisingly, fingers are being pointed at Yamaguchi Tomoko who made her return to dramaland with this production but honestly, this genre is something which doesn't attract everyone so I don't think she's solely responsible for the slump. Besides, reviews of her performance and chemistry with Abe Hiroshi have been generally favourable so far.

Before the autumn season began, I had hoped to see improved ratings compared to the sluggish summer season but as you can see, the above-10% group is actually smaller than the below-10s and looks set to get worse if those borderline cases slip further down. It's very disappointing to see this despite seeing a bit of action in the above-10s where we don't have a runaway winner and everything else lagging behind. I just hope that things in the above-10s can get more exciting to make up for the lacklustre drama scene in general.

Update to the Autumn 2012 ratings race - 6 Nov 2012

Here is how the rankings look like this week:

1) Doctor X - 18.10%
2) Aibou Season 11 - 17.18%
3) PRICELESS - 16.97%
4) MONSTERS - 12.80%
5) Kekkon Shinai - 11.95%
6) Akumu-chan - 11.90%
7) Osozaki no Himawari - 11.70%
8) Tokumei Tantei - 10.88%
9) TOKYO Airport - 10.58%
10) Going My Home - 10.10%

11) Ooku - 9.43%
12) Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo - 8.70%
13) Perfect Blue - 8.18%
14) Resident - 8.10%
15) Koukou Nyuushi - 6.62%
16) Poison - 3.38%
17) PIECE - 2.20%
18) Girls Talk - 2.16%
19) Sugarless - 1.62%

Doctor X didn't air its third episode last week thus it is still unclear if it will maintain its lead for the rest of the season or will falter as the drama progresses. Both PRICELESS and Aibou fell in their ratings but the former took a deeper dive of 3.6% while Aibou just dropped 1.5%. It leads people to wonder if the 18.8% achieved by PRICELESS is merely an anomaly and is a sign of highly erratic ratings if the trend continues to go up-down like a rollercoaster ride. In contrast, Aibou's descend seems a bit more gradual. This could be the deciding factor as to who gets a shot at No.1 (assuming Doctor X loses its lead) because consistency is usually better in the long run.

MONSTERS tumbled 2.2% downwards but there is still a bit of a gap between it and Kekkon Shinai which is hovering just above the 10% mark. Thanks to its above-13% ratings in the first two episodes, I don't suppose Kekkon Shinai will fall out of the above-10% group anytime soon unless anything out of the blue happens. Akumu-chan's average is quite close to Kekkon Shinai and may overtake it anytime.

Osozaki no Himawari goes down to below-10% in its 2nd episode which is pretty normal for a drama to register lower ratings in the 2nd week. However, it will depend on the 3rd episode to see if this is a mere freak result or a sign of more worrying times ahead. Tokumei Tantei is hanging on well in the bottom pack of the above-10% group while TOKYO Airport surged a bit higher in its 4th episode to maintain its status in the group. Going My Home goes further down in its ratings and if it doesn't buck up soon, it will go into the other group fairly soon. I've only watched a bit of Going My Home so far and I have to admit, it does take a bit of time to adjust to. It's most likely the type of drama where viewers either love it or hate it to the core and unfortunately, this type of dramas tend to have low ratings despite a stellar cast.

In the other end of the spectrum, the under-10s seem to be a mixed bag with some improving their ratings and some continuing to swim in the single-digit waters. Perfect Blue, Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo and Resident all jumped higher with the latter two doing even better than their first OAs. Koukou Nyuushi also flew higher by 2.3% to get close to its first OA high. As for the below-5s, they are all late-night offerings so you can't really expect them to compete on the same level as the primetime dramas. It's not often that you get a runaway hit like Jikou Keisatsu which was elevated to primetime status after it did very well in a midnight slot.