Akari Takaishi Rikito plays Sannojo Ushimizu of Toki (played by Takaishi) in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake " (General TV, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM and other times), starring Takaishi Rihito Itagaki. Sannojo made his first appearance in about a month in episode 68, broadcast on January 7th, and became a hot topic. Sannojo lied to his mother, Tae (played by Keiko Kitagawa), telling her he had become a company president, and lived off Toki's support. Unable to find work, he spent his days stacking stones in the temple grounds, but in episode 70 (broadcast on January Getsuku), he was able to tell Tae everything. Itagaki spoke about Sannojo's feelings at the time, episodes from filming, and what to look forward to in the future.
◇ "We've walked hand in hand" with his mother, Keiko Kitagawa
"Bakebake" is the 113th morning Asadora . Scripted by Mitsuhiko Fujiki, it is based on the story of Lafcadio Hearn Yakumo Koizumi and his wife Setsu, and tells the story of a couple whose heroine loves ghost stories and lives an ordinary, everyday life with her foreign husband.
Itagaki appeared in " Bakebake" and said with a sense of reality, "My co-stars on various sets would say to me, 'I'm watching Bakebake' or 'You got splashed with water on me' (laughs), and it really made me realise how many people watch Asadora. It was difficult because I had to think a lot about how to portray the extremely delicate parent-child relationship between Sannojo and Tae."
He says that he feels a strong bond has been formed between him and Kitagawa, who plays Tae, saying, "It felt like we walked hand in hand, exchanging words and adjusting to each other's acting. For example, in the scene where Sannojo meets Toki at Hanada Inn (episode 30), I shared with Kitagawa how Sannojo feels when his mother isn't there, and we acted with a common understanding. I was really grateful to be able to film while feeling both Tae's love for Sannojo and the motherly love that Kitagawa has for me."
Regarding his role as Sannojo, he said, "I have felt that many different Sannojo have been born in the minds of viewers that I had never imagined, but even though the story is set in the Meiji era, the relationships and dialogue between people should be no different from today. I try to approach every scene while keeping in mind the underlying emotions of Sannojo."
◇ The screaming scene was "as much fun as it was since my first appearance (laughs)"
At the 70th wedding reception for Toki and Heaven (Tommy Bastow) , Sannojo confessed everything that had happened up until then. Itagaki said, "I was finally able to honestly tell my Sannojo everything, and I felt like I was freed from the worries and suffering that I had been carrying alone until then."
"There was no stage direction in the script to 'shed tears,' but because of all the things that Tae and Sannojo had been through up until that point, when he bowed to his mother, the emotions that he had been suppressing up until then naturally came flooding out... When I looked up, Kitagawa-san was also shedding tears, and I felt like I had been purified, like I had been released from a spell. As father and son, Sannojo must have sensed that his mother knew that he did not have the job of company president. Even so, I think the reason he was unable to tell the truth was because, having grown up as the third son of a samurai family, he was determined to seize the chance that had finally come his way to live up to his mother's expectations. But he still didn't know what to do, and when he was stacking stones by the river, he felt empty and emptiness."
Regarding the scene where he shouts "You lazy idiot!", he revealed, "It was a fun scene that I finally got to do. It was as much fun as it was since my first appearance (laughs). I had worked with Takashi Okabe, who played Tsukasanosuke, on another drama, so we had a relationship back then, and it was memorable when we improvised and ran around playing tag."
◇From now on, "stand up straight"
Regarding Takaishi, who plays the heroine Toki, he said, "I think she's really working hard. When I visited the set for the first time in about two months, I thought she might be showing signs of fatigue, but she was just as energetic and cheerful as when we started filming, and she was aware of what was going on around her. Of course, her acting was also fantastic, and what was particularly impressive was the scene where Toki sees Tae bow her head for the first time and makes up her mind. When I saw it for the first time on video, I felt very emotional, and was shocked that they were going to broadcast this in the morning. It was truly a scene that said, 'This world is so pitiful,' and the whole flow of the scene, as well as the acting of the two of them, was truly fantastic."
Regarding the future, he spoke positively, saying, "It's been a while since I last filmed a Asadora, so I was worried that I might forget about Sannojo, but the filming break came just when his feelings had changed, so I think he was able to switch without any problems. Ever since his downfall , Sannojo has always had bad posture and a tendency to slouch. He used to act while always looking down, but now he acts with his back straight. I hope you'll look forward to seeing this new Sannojo."
