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Will Hashimoto Kanna’s NHK Asadora Be Series’ Worst-Rated?
Not even Hashimoto Kanna can save NHK’s morning drama Omusubi, with many saying its gyaru character rubs them the wrong way.
It coulda been a contender. Indeed, with Hashimoto Kanna in the leading role, everyone had high hopes that NHK’s latest morning drama, Omusubi, would do smash numbers. Now, the show is fighting not to become the station’s worst-rated asadora ever — and some are blaming the gyaru.
The morning drama — officially 連続テレビ小説; renzoku terebi shosetsu; known popularly as the morning drama (朝ドラマ; asa dorama) or asadora for short — has been a staple of Japanese public broadcaster NHK since 1961’s debut Musume to Watashi (My Daughter and Me). Each series runs in 15-minute episodes every weekday with 130 episodes per run. Each story focuses on the life of a protagonist — either a real person or a composite character, often a woman — in a specific time in Japan’s history.
The series is a cultural staple in Japan — but, ratings-wise, it’s had its ups and downs. The most popular run was 1983’s Oshin, which focused on the struggles of women during and after both World Wars. The show, regarded as a TV masterpiece, racked up a 52.6% viewership. By contrast, the series’ worst entry, 2009’s Welkame, stalled out at 13.5%
