Akari Takaishi plays the heroine in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake" (Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). In the 70th episode (broadcast on January Getsuku), the Matsuno and Ushimizu families gathered to celebrate the wedding of Toki (Takaishi) and Heaven (Tommy Bastow). We spoke to production manager Hashizume Kuniomi and director Murahashi Naoki about the behind-the-scenes story of the filming of this scene.
With Nishikori (Ryo Yoshizawa Ryo) watching, it seemed as if the two families were going to exchange greetings... but Heaven suddenly said, "I can't be a family." He then revealed that he knew the Matsuno family had a large amount of debt and that Sannojo(Rihito Itagaki) was not the president, and declared, "Toki-san, you're a liar!"
Toki admitted that she had financially supported the Matsuno and Ushimizu families, and Sannojo apologized to his mother, Tae (Keiko Kitagawa), saying, "I've been lying all this time." Nevertheless, Tae revealed that she had noticed Sannojo's "kind lie," shedding tears. Each of them erupted in emotional scenes.
The episode was made up of 15 minutes long "one scene," but Murahashi recalled, "We filmed in four or five blocks, but when we were filming Kitagawa, I thought, 'I won't get that expression if I film it a second time,' so I kept the camera going until the next block, which hadn't been rehearsed yet. It was such a tense scene for us filming, and I think the actors were really into it as well."
Hashizume said, "It was a scene that we really put a lot of effort into. This one scene brings together the stories of the family that had been building up for three months up until the 14th week, so I think everyone was really fired up and emotional. Some of the staff were so moved that they were in tears. It was a really great scene."
◇ Sannojo's tears were not in the script. "I could see Sannojo's growth."
Towards the end of the episode, Toki bursts into tears, saying, "I've always wanted to say that too... Mother." She then calls Tae "Mama" and bursts into tears, bringing both Tae and Fumi (Chizuru Ikewaki) to tears.
Behind this touching mother-daughter scene, Sannojo had an emotional expression on his face, but Murahashi explained, "He looks relieved as he cries, but the script doesn't mention tears, or even Sannojo's reaction after confessing to Tae. A man who was overwhelmed with his own concerns, is now able to look at his sister (Toki) and mother objectively for the first time...I think you can see Sannojo's growth there, and I think the tears were so natural because Itagaki has been facing the role of Sannojo for so long."
Hashizume said, "It was a very powerful scene that made me feel that Sannojo and Tae's lives, which have taken a step forward, are about to begin again."
