The NHK morning drama series " Bakebake, " based on the lives of Setsu Koizumi and her husband Lafcadio Asadora ( Lafcadio Hearn ), will air its final episode on March 27th (NHK General, Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM, etc.). How did the drama appear to the couple's great-grandson, folklorist Bon Koizumi? We asked him for his thoughts on the drama and the scenes that left the biggest impression on him.
◇What is the appeal of " Bakebake"?
"Bakebake" is based on the lives of Setsu and Yakumo and depicts the everyday life of Toki (Akari Takaishi), a heroine who loves ghost stories, and her foreign husband, Heaven (Tommy Bastow ).
The drama, which has been running for six months, is finally reaching its climax. Mr. Koizumi, who also serves as the director of the Yakumo Koizumi Memorial Museum located next to Yakumo Koizumi former residence in Matsue City, commented, "As a viewer, I am thoroughly enjoying it. It's a bit of a strange feeling just to see my ancestors depicted in it."
"The scriptwriter, Mitsuhiko Fujiki, said, 'I can't write truly evil characters,' and I like that there are no villains in the show. Also, there are no superheroes. Yakumo himself was that kind of person; he was never the central figure. He was revered and examined after his death, but he was never a hero, and Setsu was just the daughter of a fallen samurai family. The comical depiction of their everyday lives makes it a really good drama."
The appeal of Toki and Heaven lies in the fact that each of the main characters, including Yuichi Nishikiori (played by Ryo Yoshizawa), who is modeled after Sentaro Nishida, has a dark side.
"I think that it is precisely because they have a dark side that they are able to listen to the faint voices of things, and Lafcadio Hearn was exactly that kind of person. I think the reason he was able to explore Japanese culture and reach a certain extent its essence is because he did not look down on the Japanese people, but instead stood close to them, and interacted with them with an open mind and without prejudice," he explains.
"Both Setsu and Yakumo experience poverty and the breakdown of their marriages. They overcome these challenges, create moments of bliss, and live their lives positively. I heard from the production supervisor, Kuniomi Hashizume, that he wanted to portray characters with the kind of mindset needed in modern times, and I think both Setsu and Yakumo possess that kind of positive thinking. Also, I really love Fujiki's script; it has a dark side, but it depicts a forward-looking perspective. It made me wonder if perhaps such lives really did exist."
◇ Akari Takaishi and Tommy Bastow's performances receive high praise.
Takaishi and Bastou, who have portrayed such a positive-minded couple, are both incredibly talented, and Takaishi expresses his admiration for their performances.
"Ms. Takaishi is always so natural. She's a great actress, and she said she loves ' Bakebake' itself. She said she loves both Matsue and Koizumi Setsu. She really gets into the role, but there's absolutely no artificiality to it; you can't tell if she's being herself or acting. She's a cheerful person, so I think she really brings out Setsu's positive side."
Regarding his impression of Bastou, who also performs as the lead vocalist for the rock band "FranKo," he says, "He's not just a cheerful band member; there's something melancholic about him."
"He said he felt a strong connection to Lafcadio Hearn, and he's an incredibly studious person. I think he might be able to speed-read, because he's read all of Hearn's works, including his letters and early newspaper articles. When we met in Matsue, he asked me, 'Bon-san, have you read this?' It seems he's even read magazine articles written during Hearn's time in Cincinnati that I haven't read, and I was truly impressed."
◇What scene left the biggest impression on you?
When asked about the scene that left the biggest impression on her, Koizumi cited the dramatic scene where the couple gets married. In episode 65 (aired December 26, 2025), Toki stops Heaven, who is going for a walk, and asks, "May I join you?", and the two of them take a walk along the lake.
"There are many scenes I like, but the scene where Toki asks, 'May I join you for a walk?' and they go for a stroll together was particularly memorable. I wondered if that's how the two of them grew closer..."
Furthermore, the scene where Toki and Heaven's eldest son, Kanta, is born is also etched in his memory.
"Kanta is modeled after my grandfather, Kazuo. I lived with my grandfather in Futako-Tamagawa until I was four years old. I have fond memories of him drawing pictures for me and going out with me to pick wildflowers along the Tama River and near Ikuta in Kawasaki City, so I was deeply moved when Kanta was born. There's a scene where Heaven instinctively hugs the midwife, but Yakumo was so excited that he actually hugged and kissed her. That scene was very memorable."
The play includes a scene where Toki is rumored to be a rashamen (Western concubine). How did Koizumi interpret this scene?
"I think NHK was concerned about how that part should be portrayed, but I remember telling them, 'Please, go ahead and depict it.' Back then, people were worried about appearances, so no one would take on a live-in maid who was Western. So she faced discrimination, and she was also envied because she was paid well. But she overcame all of that, and even when she was called a 'lashamen,' she said, 'I choose this path,' which in a sense showed Setsu's strength of will and open mind. I think it was really good that it was clearly depicted there that she was not a woman who was swayed by society, and not a woman who cared about what society thought."
