NHK's morning dramas are continuing to struggle in the ratings. Following on the heels of "Imotako Nankin," which concluded with the third lowest average (16.8%) in Asadora history, the network's new series "Dondo Bare" recorded the lowest ever ratings for the first episode.

"Dondo Bare" started airing on Monday (April 2), and on Tuesday, Video Research Ltd. announced that the first episode had only recorded a 14.9% rating (14.2% in the Kansai area).

The research firm has collected data since 1964. The previous lowest rating for an Asadora's first episode was 16.9% by the 2005 series "Fight," which also happened to end with the second lowest average in history (16.7%). "Dondo Bare" also achieved the record low in the Kansai region, which was previously held by last year's "Junjo Kirari" (14.6%).