{"rewrite":{"id":"r_505b0df6e5b244e893c325ee","clusterId":"c_b025c979d74541839b9eac98","slug":"japanese-animation-tv-rankings-for-april-27-may-3","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Japanese Animation TV Rankings for April 27-May 3","summary":"Video Research published the Japanese animation television rankings for the week of April 27 to May 3, based on household ratings in the Kanto region. The top spot went to \"Sazae-san\" on Fuji TV with a 5.9% rating on May 3. \"Detective Conan\" on NTV took second place at 5.1%, followed by \"Chibi Maruko-chan\" on Fuji TV at 4.4%. A special broadcast of Yoshifumi Kondo and Studio Ghibli's \"Whisper of the Heart\" aired on NTV on May 1 at 9:00 p.m. and earned a 7.5% rating, though it was not listed among the regular weekly rankings. \"My Hero Academia: More special\" ranked fourth among regular programs with a 2.7% rating on NTV. The live-action \"Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional\" film aired on NHK on May 3 and received a 2.1% rating. The ratings are estimates based on a household survey and do not include recordings viewed later.","whyItMatters":"The 7.5% rating for a 1995 Studio Ghibli film broadcast in prime time shows that older theatrical works can still draw a larger audience than most current weekly series in the regular rankings.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe rankings cover the period from April 27 to May 3, 2026, using data from Video Research's Kanto region household survey. The regular weekly lineup was led by long-running staples: \"Sazae-san\" at 5.9%, \"Detective Conan\" at 5.1%, and \"Chibi Maruko-chan\" at 4.4%. \"My Hero Academia: More special\" placed fourth among regular programs with a 2.7% rating. The special broadcast of \"Whisper of the Heart\" was not part of the regular ranking list but earned a 7.5% rating during its Friday 9:00 p.m. slot on NTV. The live-action \"Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional\" film aired on NHK on Sunday afternoon and received a 2.1% rating. The ratings do not account for time-shifted viewing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSazae-san\u003c/strong\u003e: 5.9% on Fuji TV, May 3\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetective Conan\u003c/strong\u003e: 5.1% on NTV, May 2\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChibi Maruko-chan\u003c/strong\u003e: 4.4% on Fuji TV, May 3\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMy Hero Academia: More special\u003c/strong\u003e: 2.7% on NTV, May 2\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoraemon\u003c/strong\u003e: 2.3% on TV Asahi, May 2\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSnowball Earth\u003c/strong\u003e: 2.2% on NTV, May 1\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOne Piece\u003c/strong\u003e: 2.2% on Fuji TV, May 3\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnimated O-saru no George (Curious George)\u003c/strong\u003e: 1.8% on NHK-E, May 2\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOshiri Tantei (season 10)\u003c/strong\u003e: 1.8% on NHK-E, May 2\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBluey\u003c/strong\u003e: 1.7% on NHK-E, May 2\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e","blueskyPost":"A 1995 Studio Ghibli film, Whisper of the Heart, pulled a 7.5% rating in its Friday prime-time broadcast on NTV, beating every regular weekly series in the Kanto region.","twitterPost":"Sazae-san held the top spot at 5.9% in Japan's weekly animation TV rankings, but a special broadcast of Whisper of the Heart drew a higher 7.5% outside the regular chart.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Video Research published the Japanese animation television rankings for the week of April 27 to May 3, based on household ratings in the Kanto region. The top spot went to \"Sazae-san\" on Fuji TV with a 5.9% rating on May 3. \"Detective Conan\" on NTV took second place at 5.1%, followed by \"Chibi Maruko-chan\" on Fuji TV at 4.4%. A special broadcast of Yoshifumi Kondo and Studio Ghibli's \"Whisper of the Heart\" aired on NTV on May 1 at 9:00 p.m. and earned a 7.5% rating, though it was not listed among the regular weekly rankings. \"My Hero Academia: More special\" ranked fourth among regular programs with a 2.7% rating on NTV. The live-action \"Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional\" film aired on NHK on May 3 and received a 2.1% rating. The ratings are estimates based on a household survey and do not include recordings viewed later.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-05-16/japanese-animation-tv-ranking-april-27-may-3/.237353\",\"title\":\"Japanese Animation TV Ranking, April 27-May 3\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":6085,"outputTokens":976,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779827211,"createdAt":"2026-05-17T15:35:53.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-17T15:46:21.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-17T15:46:21.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b025c979d74541839b9eac98","canonicalTitle":"Japanese Animation TV Ranking, April 27-May 3","representativeArticleId":"a_a67498551058121d5082312e","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"My Hero Academia\",\"Whisper of the Heart\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Studio Ghibli\"],\"people\":[\"Yoshifumi Kondō\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":true}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-16T23:15:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-17T17:15:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-18T15:51:34.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-05-17/japan-video-game-rankings-may-4-10/.237450","title":"Japan's Video Game Rankings, May 4-10"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["My Hero Academia","Whisper of the Heart"],"manga_titles":[],"studios":["Studio Ghibli"],"people":["Yoshifumi Kondō"],"type":"news","domain":"industry","is_roundup":true},"keyFacts":["Sazae-san on Fuji TV topped the Japanese animation TV rankings for the week of April 27 to May 3 with a 5.9% household rating on May 3.","Detective Conan on NTV ranked second with a 5.1% rating on May 2.","A special broadcast of Studio Ghibli's 1995 film Whisper of the Heart aired on NTV on May 1 at 9:00 p.m. and earned a 7.5% rating, higher than any regular weekly program.","My Hero Academia: More special placed fourth among regular programs with a 2.7% rating on NTV on May 2.","The live-action film Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional aired on NHK on May 3 and received a 2.1% rating."]}