[Discussion] Fuji TV vs Johnny's: it's all about ratings

[Denise_Dinc]

source: real live web

ジャニーズを切るに切れないフジテレビ
Fuji TV cannot break off from Johnny’s regardless how much they want to

「このまま視聴率が下がり続けるようだと、ダメージを最小限に食い止めるため、何だかんだ理由を付けて回数を減らすなどの対策を練らなければならない。ジャニーズが主演で、局の看板である月9を打ち切るわけには行かないし…」(フジテレビ関係者)
“If the viewership continues to decline this way, in order to minimise the damage, we have to come up with countermeasures and make up an excuse to reduce the number of episodes or things alike. But with a Johnny’s in the starring role, and the Monday9 (Monday 9pm) being the network’s flagship drama we can’t just cut it short like that…” (Fuji TV source)

嵐の松本潤が主演、竹内結子がヒロインをつとめるフジの月9ドラマ「夏の恋は虹色に輝く」の視聴率が放送2回目で早くも“危険水域”に達した。
Starring Arashi’s Matsumoto Jun, the drama with Takeuchi Yuuko as the heroine “Niji no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku (Summer’s Romance Shining in Rainbow Colours)” has hit the viewership of “dangerous zone” so quickly in just the 2nd episode.

「初回は15.7%で及第点だったが、26日に放送された2回目の視聴率は急降下し10.9%。ドラマの関係者は誰しも予想しなかったシングル(＝視聴率1ケタ)の危機を迎えてしまった。強力な裏番組があったわけでもなくこの数字はかなりヤバイ」(同)
“Though the first episode made it to the passing mark of 15.7%, the viewership of the 2nd episode aired on the 26th just went down rapidly to become 10.9%. This is a warning that they are slowly getting close to a single (=viewership with single digit) which is not expected by anyone in the drama production team. Considering that other channels do not have a strong competitive program during the same time slot, this rating is considerably bad” (the same person as above)

ドラマは松本演じる売れない二世俳優と竹内演じる妖艶な年上女性の恋を描いた作品だが、「女性プロデューサーが松本のファンで起用した。シナリオの展開はいまいちだし、一部夕刊紙ではラストシーンがどうなるかをすっぱ抜かれていた」(芸能記者)というから、視聴率が“V字回復”する要素は見当たらず。こうなったら、嵐のほかのメンバーを投入し、神頼みならぬ“嵐頼み”するしかないか？
Though this drama tells of a love story between an unpopular second-generation actor portrayed by Matsumoto Jun and an older attractive woman played by Takeuchi Yuuko, “the woman producer appointed Matsumoto Jun because she is a fan. The development of the scenarios was not good enough, and the last scene was somewhat hinted off by some evening newspapers” (entertainment journalist) With that being said, there aren’t any elements to make a “V turnaround” with the viewership. If that happens, they will have to put other Arashi members in, now that they cannot turn to God for help there’s nothing else but “turn to Arashi”?

それにしても、フジは1月クールが山下智久主演の「コード・ブルー -ドクターヘリ救急救命- 2nd season」、4月クールでキムタク主演の「月の恋人～Moon Lovers～」、そして7月クールが松本の主演作と3作連続で月9にジャニーズを起用する依存ぶり。
Still, the January season drama acted by Yamashita Tomohisa “Code Blue ~Doctor Heli Emergency Lifesaving~ 2nd season”, and Kimutaku acted in April season drama “Moon Lovers”, then in July they have a drama with Matsumoto Jun and for 3 consecutive drama seasons they have been depending on Johnny’s in their Monday9.

「キムタクを出す条件で松本と山下はバーターで押し込まれた。もうジャニーズタレントでドラマの視聴率が取れる時代は終わったが、バラエティーなどはそこそこの数字を取る。だからジャニーズを切るに切れない」(同)
“The conditions set for Kimutaku to star in a drama included having Matsumoto and Yamashita (in their own dramas) in exchange. Though the era of Johnny’s gaining high viewership in dramas is already over, but the numbers are still pretty decent in other programs such as varieties. That’s why even though we’d like to break off from Johnny’s, but we can’t” (the same person as above)

ちなみに、キムタクの「月の恋人～Moon Lovers～」の最終回は16.2%。裏番組で日テレの「しゃべくり007SP」は17.4%で、“キムタク神話”の終焉を予感させた。
By the way, the last episode of Kimutaku’s “Moon Lovers” was 16.2%. Seeing that another competing channel NTV program “Syabekuri 007 SP” earned 17.4%, it seems that the “Kimutaku legend” has finally come to an end.

[jihunny79]

I actually planned to watch the series after the whole thing is subbed, but the drop in ratings made me curious.

After watching the first episode, I think the drop is justified. Brace yourself or scroll down and ignore my views - not glowing praises I'm afraid. ^^;;

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It feels like the drama is based on a bad fanfic by someone like the heroine's demographic group - a fangirl in their 30s with a kid, probably single.

For a start, there were far too many coincidences - and it's only the first episode! It's like they depend on the coincidences to move the story and reveal the personalities of the characters.

About the characters... The heroine... I'm not sure if she's supposed to be naive, but it seems to me she is either dumb or has a bipolar personality lacking common sense. I don't know what to make of her yet. She's like a 30-something woman behaving like an annoying teenager. And she is raising a kid...

Totally did not come to my expectations of a matured, smart woman - which was my first thought when it comes to older woman-younger male couple. I guess my dissatisfaction came from the character not meeting my preconceived expectations. ^^;;

About Taiga (Jun's character)... Somehow half way through the drama I thought Sho would suit the character more. Then I thought isn't this Taiga a Sho-Fail with a Jun-Face character?

I get this feeling that perhaps the scriptwriter is a Sho fan, but the producer is a Jun fan, and the character ended up with a mix of those two. The sky diving and especially the being unrecognised while in the car part - it felt like a rehashing of Sho's personal story...?

Maybe I'm watching this with a heavy fangirl-tinted vision, but yeah, that's how I felt. ^^;;  And when I saw that fishes poster in Taiga's room, Ohno immediately came to mind. Somehow I don't think Taiga is the fishing type. Hmm...

But really, Jun's 'strongly distinctive' face is a face which is not forgettable, so I don't think he suited Taiga's character. And Jun's 'star' aura overshadowed his rival's character - so that was a fail. ^^;;

However, I will continue watching this drama. Not for the romance bit - this I don't care. What I'm more interested in is Taiga's career and character's development. The story touched on how he got paid and what work he got - like a parallel of the idol work.

I'm one of those people who wondered how do J-idols and celebs get paid and how to they get their works - and it seems like the drama might cast some light into it. The management seems to play a big role in this. To me it feels like a small revelation of the J-talent world, Arashi's world. It may be fiction, but I like these kinds of things. So I'm totally watching for this. :P
(Just change Taiga's father with any Johnny's senpais, and it looks like the story of Arashi before their boom. The heroine is already a fangirl, then perhaps the daughter could be the cynical people yet-to-be-converted-to-fan character)

Okay, I'm totally swerving away from Natsuniji drama. But really, I still think that it totally reeked of a badly written fanfic. ^^;;

And the weak storyline alone is why I think the drop in ratings for the second episode is justifiable. To me it feels like the story is mainly targeted to those who fit the heroine's demography rather than mainstream appeal. Which is a shame really. The drama looks good in their PR stuff. It just doesn't reach to the level of expectations of the viewers, I think.

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Anyway, I will continue watching the series and see if the story and characters improve over time. ^^

[maszlnua]

hi there...I was also curious with the ratings esp to the 2nd episode. I usually watch it much later. I've already watched the 2nd episode..hmm..well I'd like to see the characters improvement. I'll wait and see.