A location report session for the NHK Asadora drama series "Bakebake " airing in the second half of 2025 was held on May 23rd at Shiroyama Inari Shrine (Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture), with Akari Takaishi , who plays the heroine Toki Matsuno , and Tommy Bastow, who plays her husband Heaven, in attendance.
"Bakebake " is the story of a couple who love "ghost stories" together with their foreign husband, and who shed light on and speak for the "nameless people" who had been forgotten in Meiji Japan as Westernization progressed. Takaishi plays the heroine Toki Matsuno , the daughter of a fallen samurai from Matsue, modeled after Lafcadio Hearn 's wife Setsu. The script is written by Fujiki Mitsuhiko, who has worked on NHK's "Asagaya Sisters' Relaxed Life Together" and WOWOW's "Tokyu Series."
Regarding her co-starring scenes with Bastow, Takaishi said, "I'm not married yet, so I'd like to get married soon," and added, "Cultural differences are slowly narrowing, step by step, and there are still big walls ahead, but I hope we can overcome them."
Bastow expressed her gratitude, saying, "I've only acted with Akari in one scene, but I was able to act with surprising ease. It's all thanks to her wonderful acting, kindness, and consideration." Takaishi said with a shy smile, "It's the first time I've ever been told that. Thank you. I'm so happy."
Bastow said that Takaishi has been teaching him Japanese on set, and commented, "Recently, he taught me the word 'thunk.'" When Takaishi explained, "I taught him the word 'thunk,' which is used as an onomatopoeia for when you're excited in manga," Bastow immediately used it and expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I want to make everyone thunk."
Finally, when asked what kind of couple she would like to play, Takaishi replied, "The image of the couple Yakumo Koizumi and Setsu was so cute, and I admire the relationship between two people that was truly filled with love, so I would like to approach the filming in a way that allows us to become that kind of relationship."
When Bastow said, "There weren't many international couples from 100 years ago, so I would like to show the lesson of overcoming prejudice," Takaishi was impressed by Bastow's fluent Japanese and exclaimed, "Amazing!"
